Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

So ladies, if we believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within us after we have accepted Christ as our Savior then we no longer have an excuse to not possess these qualities. I love the song by Jeremy Camp, “Same Power”, one of the lines in the chorus says, “the same power that rose Jesus from the grave, the same power that commands the dead to wake, lives in us!” That is such a powerful thought, when you really stop and realize it! What have you been struggling with? God has provided us with His Holy Spirit to give us victory!

I had a rather odd thought the other day: I was praying and as usual asking God to fill me with the Holy Spirit so I would be all that I should be. I want to have victory in my life! I want others to see God when they see me. I want to be loving and I want to have the wisdom that only comes from God in my life. Then I stopped and it occurred to me that when I pray, I talk to God as though the Holy Spirit isn’t even in the room. Have you ever had someone do that to you? There you are, sitting right there and they are talking to someone else about you as though you aren’t even there. They would like for you to do something but instead of asking you they ask someone in authority over you or a friend, but they say absolutely nothing to you. It’s like you have no say in the matter and they are going around you to get you to do something. Now, I am not saying that is our intent when we talk to God about the Holy Spirit, I just wondered why I do that? Why do I ask God to fill me, instead of just asking the Holy Spirit to fill me? Why don’t I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Sad to say, when I really sat down and thought about it, I realized that in a way I haven’t really given the Holy Spirit the recognition and respect He deserves. I believe in the trinity, but it’s almost as if I have always looked at Him (I hate to even acknowledge this) as ‘less’. I don’t know if it has something to do with growing up Baptist and never really talking much about Him at all, or what. It may just be that we are raised to focus on God the Father and Jesus, who knows.

God sent us His Son and then when Jesus went up to Heaven, He sent us The Holy Spirit. Allow Who He is to really sink in today. Allow the reality of the concept that the ‘Same Power, that rose Jesus from the grave, lives in you!’ Whatever area you may be struggling in today understand that you have the power living within you to overcome! Ask Him today to give you all that you need, to fill you with all that you need to be more like Jesus. You don’t have to settle in to that, “just the way that I am” mode of life ~ you have victory living inside! Give God your all today, don’t hold anything back so you can be all you are called to be!

Quote:
“It’s in the struggle itself that you define yourself.”” Pat Buchanan