Oakwood Church Fresh Start Women's Devotional Encouragement for Today Hartland Delafield

Dimmer Switch
By Jen Wollner

“…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead…”
Ephesians 1:19-20

Many of you probably have dimmer switches on one or more of the light fixtures in your home. If you do, you know that when the light is on very dim, you are able to function and accomplish things in that room, even with just a little light. You can eat, work on a project or read. But, we would all agree that doing those things with the light brighter, utilizing the full power and electricity coming into that switch, would be better. Our eyes wouldn’t have to strain as much and we could complete our tasks more effectively and efficiently. We wouldn’t even hesitate to turn the lights up and take advantage of that power, would we?

If we are a child of God, this is similar to the power we have in the Holy Spirit. We have an endless supply of power available to us at our fingertips…all we have to do is crank up the dial! I, for one, will oftentimes forget about that power and rely on my own instead. And, you guessed it, I fail miserably.

So, what would a life look like if it was more controlled by the Spirit? Well, God promises us in His Word that some of the results of a Spirit-filled life are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time mustering up much of any of those on my own. I would treasure the ability to love those who are unlovable. I would give anything for joy and peace when facing a trial. And, if I had more self-control with my tongue, there would be an abundance of blessings coming from my mouth.

The power that we have access to through the Spirit of God is the same power that the Lord used to create the world…and raise Jesus from the dead. Can we even begin to imagine the change that could happen in us if we utilized that kind of power in our lives? Can we comprehend the incredible wonders He wants to accomplish through us? Let’s stay close to our power source through His Word and prayer. Let’s turn up that switch by calling on the Holy Spirit to fill us daily and watch in amazement as He pours His power upon us!

GOING DEEPER:
1. Which one of the nine “results” of the power of the Holy Spirit do you need most today?
2. Do you believe that if you ask God to fill you with that quality, He will? Why or why not?

FURTHER READING:
Job 32:8; Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22-23; Matthew 7:7-8

Jen and her husband are busily parenting three children under the age of 6. Jen heads Oakwood’s Fresh Start ministry.