Praying for Power

A. W. Tozer once commented that if the Holy Spirit were taken away from the New Testament church, 90 percent of what they did would come to a halt. But if the Holy Spirit were taken away from the church of today, 10 percent of what we did would come to a halt.

Sometimes when the subject of the power of the Holy Spirit comes up, we get a little concerned, because we have seen some strange things happen, supposedly in the name of the Spirit. But I want you to know that God doesn’t give us the Holy Spirit so that we can have an emotional experience, feel good about ourselves, or have a wonderful time at church. He gives us practical power to go out and impact the world in which we are living, and we need to ask for this power in our lives.

The Bible tells us to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). It’s something we need over and over again. After all, when you run out of gas, you don’t say, “Time to get rid of the old car. It ran out of gas.” Instead, you go to the gas station and get a refill. God likes to give refills. He wants to fill you with His Spirit again and again.

So we need to say, “Lord, there is no way we can impact our culture in our own strength. We can’t do it through programs. We can’t do it through gimmicks. We can’t do it through our own devices. We need a power beyond ourselves. We can’t do it on our own. But with Your power behind us, we can make a difference.” That is what we should all pray for today.