Week 39 Day 1
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Acts 1:8-11 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Reflect:
Power is ability. If a drill has power it is able to function as a tool to drill holes. The sun has power. It is able to warm the earth to maintain life on earth. When a person becomes a follower of Christ, they have received the Holy Spirit who permanently resides in them. When the Holy Spirit comes he brings latent power. Latent power is real, but not yet released. The drill has latent power, but the power must be released in order for it to accomplish its purpose. The sun continually releases photons into space toward our planet. The power has to be released in order to enable life. In the same way, if you are a believer you have latent power in you. Power that is real and ready to be released, but it must be released. The power that is at issue here is the power to be witnesses to the gospel of Christ. Is that power operational or latent in your life? Do you belong to him? Have you believed and received the gospel? If so, then the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in you and brought with him power. That power is meant to be released into gospel-centered relationships and a gospel-centered lifestyle. Is it? If not, do you know why? There are several reasons why the power of gospel witness might not be operational in your life. It could be that apathy has taken over your heart and mind. Apathy is a power drain. It runs in the background of our lives, removing motivation and ability to proactively make Christ known to others. It could be disbelief. Disbelief disconnects us from the available power source. Perhaps you believe, but you are praying at the same time, “Lord, help my unbelief.” Unbelief often takes the form of “I sort of believe.” This means that we believe enough to “hang on” personally to the gospel lifestyle, but we don’t believe enough to actively and passionately and consistently make Christ known to others. Unreleased power is the same as no power at all, but perhaps worse. Where there is no power available, there is no accountability. Where the power is available but unreleased, there is responsibility and there will be accountability. On the positive side, where there is power available, there is also opportunity. The Holy Spirit’s power in you is great and your opportunity is as well.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.