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The thought of that near-disaster so burned itself into my brain that even as
an adolescent I purposed to always strive to anticipate the outcome of my
actions. As I grew older, I realized that a close relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ would afford the best opportunity for success at that. Reading
the Bible gave me the assurance that I could always trust the Lord to help
me in challenging times.
So, when my first son was born with a large opening in his back and the
doctors explained to me and my wife that he may never walk or stand
without the use of braces, neither have normal mental function nor the
normal sense of touch, the news did not overwhelm us. Although fully
aware that we were powerless in ourselves to improve his condition, peace
came from knowing that God’s power to handle it all was available to us
through prayer.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives
do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
(John 14:27)
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and
you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
Powerlessness is, perhaps, what Mary, the sister of Lazarus, felt when she
vented, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died;” the
implication was that the Lord did not care about saving His friend’s life
(John 11:32).
On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit infuses our prayers, He frees us
from feeling powerless by bringing to our remembrance God’s glorious
works and attributes, and the grace poured out through the death of
Jesus—God’s indescribable gift (II Corinthians 9:15), (Psalms 86:8-10).
God knew that Christians in every generation would face challenges that
require divine help to overcome. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was given to
remind us of the truth that sets us free, reassuring us of God’s plan for our
lives, and empowering us with grace gifts to build up one another in order
to deal with whatever comes our way.
The goal of this book is to help the Church experience the freedom that
Christ provided through the dynamic poured out power of the Holy Spirit. It
looks closely at the problem and the impact of powerlessness within the
Church and embraces with urgency the task of preparing today’s Christians
to stand, speak, and shine undistracted. We shine whenever we display
faith in the Lord and promote Christ-likeness. The devil seeks to kill our
faith, steal our joy, and destroy our witness and relationships (John 10:10).
The Holy Spirit desires to help make every moment precious and
victorious by freeing us from the situations, influences, and all other things
that prevent us from shining.
It was the Holy Spirit who initially convinced us to surrender our lives to
Jesus, and He is the Helper who guides and empowers us to do God’s will
every day (John 14:26).