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Man With Bible and Drama

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In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God often came upon people so that they could perform or accomplish specific tasks.  All of these moments were special, but the Spirit almost never remained upon someone indefinitely.  There was one young man named Samson, who was blessed by the Lord as he grew up and the Spirit began to take hold of him.  On his way to the city Timnah with his parents, he was attacked by a lion.  The Spirit came upon him and he tore the lion’s mouth in two!  At that moment the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands.  He did it as easily as if it were a young goat.  But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it.  (Judges 14:6).

Aside from the lion incident, he also triumphed over the Philistines because God’s Spirit empowered him (Judges 15:14-20) and he became the judge of Israel for twenty years.  The Spirit gave Samson the strength and ability to subdue great numbers of his enemies and to accomplish great victories.  However, in the New Testament after Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help His followers, things did indeed change.  Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”  (Acts 2:38-39).

We no longer need to wait for His Spirit to come upon us, for the Holy Spirit dwells in all believers.  Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?  (1 Corinthians 3:16).  What a great privilege to be the temple of the Holy Spirit!  Today, we are empowered by the Spirit to resist the devil, and to accomplish and perform great things for God.  Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit that helps us each day, to crucify our old nature and put on our new nature in Christ!

Scripture of the Day: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16

article courtesy of TheStreamingFaith.com

Daily Devotional: “Empowered By His Spirit”  was originally published on praisecleveland.com