You can do it!

"Empower" is a current buzzword. When somebody is said to be 'empowered,' it means that they have been invested with authority, given legal status, or had resources handed to them. We used to talk about providing equal opportunities to people who wanted to succeed, implying that if given an open door, they would take the initiative and step through that door and make the most of those opportunities. Now the conversation is about those who enjoy privilege or status, using their influence to help others climb the ladder of success. Opportunity means I hold open the door. Empowerment means I reach out to help you through the door!

Disciple, God doesn't just point us in the right direction and hope we make it. He empowers us. Take a look at this great verse. Paul, in describing his efforts to bring the Good New of God's kingdom to others says, "I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me." (Colossians 1:29, NLT) Did you note the interplay of empowerment and responsibility? His willingness to work hard is coupled with Christ's mighty power. The apostle accomplished amazing and wonderful things over 30 years of ministry in the Roman Empire. He changed history! He couldn't have done it without the Spirit's power, but God needed his mind, his hands and feet, and his voice.

What does the Lord want you to do, disciple? Are you waiting for Him to 'just do it' in you, expecting some great thing to be done without any blood, sweat, or tears shed on your part? If you answer that with a yes, you're in for a long, long wait. Others will outrun and out-perform you, while you are still sitting in the sanctuary waiting. Engage yourself. Take the challenge in both hands and wrestle with it. All the while, pray fervently for the wisdom of God, the release of the power of the Holy Spirit in you and through you. Expect and engage. When you do, over time, the results will far exceed what you thought possible. God says so. He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

Need to beat a habit that hinders your holiness? God empowers you!
Want to live as a person whose daily life honors Christ? God empowers you!
Trying to love a miserable person? God empowers you!
Need to forgive someone but find it so hard to get over your resentment? God empowers you!
Called to be a parent raising Godly kids in a culture so hostile to spiritual things? God empowers you!

Are you getting the picture? Now, get up and go at it. And, remember today: "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:16-17, NLT)