“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
The Power of God
What is power? How would you answer that question? If someone asked you to describe a powerful person, who comes to mind?
The Bible tells us that God is “Almighty,” which is an old-fashioned way of saying God’s power has no limits. He is the most powerful being in the universe. Power belongs to God (Psalm 62:11).
Something incredible happens when we turn from our sin and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin. Not only does God bring us near to him and become our Father, but he also sends his own Spirit to live inside us. The Spirit of God helps us know, love, serve, and worship God.
The Bible often equates the Spirit of God with power.
- He’s the power that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19-20).
- He’s the power that works change in us (Ephesians 3:20).
- He’s the power that helps us effectively witness to the world (Acts 1:8).
The power that fuels the Christian life is a Person, God the Holy Spirit, who is always with us and never leaves us.
What Is True Power?
How does the Bible describe this powerful Person? Well, let’s take a look at the qualities of the Holy Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
Here, the Bible presents us with a detailed definition of the might of God. Think of each of these qualities as it relates to strength.
Love: To personally sacrifice for the good of someone else.
Joy: Invincible inner happiness that endures in the worst pain.
Peace: A mental and emotional ease when circumstances are chaotic.
Patience: The ability to keep waiting while you endure difficulty, pain, and discomfort.
Kindness: Exerted effort to be generous or friendly.
Faithfulness: Choosing to do the right thing repeatedly without fail and staying true to your promises.
Gentleness: Keeping your strength under restraint when dealing with others, especially those who are weaker, with care and grace.
Self-Control: The ability to restrain your own impulses.
Do You Need Power Today?
Let’s be honest: that list of virtues is impossible for us to embody consistently, and each quality is hard to pursue on its own. Those qualities are not a cute list of ideal character traits—they’re describing a truly powerful Person. They’re describing the kind of power we need.
Do these qualities describe you? And do you see God’s might at work in your life? Do you want to have the kind of strength that we read about in Galatians 5:22-23?
Ask God to give you his Spirit. We know from his Word in the Gospel of Luke that God loves to answer that prayer.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13 NIV)