Making It Real

Have you ever felt called to do something, but didn’t feel like you were qualified or strong enough to do it?

How did you feel when you were led to do this? Did you wonder if you had what it took to do it well?

Taking You Back

Read Luke 1:67-80. This is an awesome passage! Zechariah is not only telling about the future of his son, John, but he’s also telling about the future of Jesus. His description of Jesus and what He was going to do for God’s people was spot-on. It was like he had the New Testament to read as a cheat sheet, even though he didn’t. What he did have, though, was the Holy Spirit. And that’s why the dots connect.

Even though the Holy Spirit wasn’t living inside all Christians yet (that happened a little later in time), God allowed the Spirit to lead Zechariah as he prophesied these words about John and Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave Zechariah wisdom, knowledge and strength to prophesy about his son and Jesus — something he never could have done on his own.

Did you know that if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, too? As you get to know God better by spending time in His Word and talking to Him through prayer, you are tuning into His Spirit. Just like Zechariah, when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit (which we are when we accept Jesus), we can do things that we could never do on our own!

God uses His Spirit to reveal wisdom to us. It might be wisdom about our future, about what to do in a tough situation or about what to say to someone when we’re sharing His love with them. The Spirit also empowers us to do things that are beyond our own abilities. When you’re serving God with your life and plugging into His Spirit for power, you’ll be amazed at what He can do through you!

Your Thoughts

Take a few minutes to write in your journal about what you’ve learned.

• In what ways do you see God’s power and wisdom demonstrated through Zechariah prophesying?

• What sorts of things might God ask you to do that you wouldn’t be able to do on your own?

• What would it look like for you to rely on His Spirit in your life right now?

From You to God

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Your Spirit! I know that through the Holy Spirit I can gain wisdom for my future, strength to say no to temptation, power to do the things You ask me to and so much more. Release it inside of me right now, God. I surrender my all to You. I want my life to be used for Your glory. Thank you for Your amazing love! Amen.

Facebook Fun

Electricity is an awesome thing! What is one of your favorite things to plug into this source of power (straightener, lamp, etc.)? Make that your FB status and tag SUSIE Mag, or leave us a comment on this blog (click the title and make a comment at the bottom of the page). We absolutely love hearing from you!

Bonus

If you still have them, pull out your September and October issues of SUSIE Mag. If not, access them in the Mag Archive through your account on SUSIEMag.com. Reread the two-part series titled “Plugging Into the Power” for a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Have a blessed day, SUSIE Sisters! We love you!

Work referenced: NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 2008.