Activate Your Power | Activa tu Poder

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Is a Changed Life Really Possible?
One of the fundamental messages of the New Testament is transformation. Everyone in Christ is a new creation! “The old has gone, the new is here!”
Why, then, aren’t we all experiencing transformed lives?
I’ve met so many Christians who have given up on the idea of truly changing. They’ve tried and tried. They’re sincere and committed to Christ, but Christianity is “not working” for them.
Is this what you’re experiencing?
Spiritual fatigue. Your faith has stalled. You’re stuck, not growing, and out of energy. 
Spiritual frustration. You can’t seem to overcome some private sin or maintain spiritual discipline.
Spiritual exhaustion. You keep trying to pray more, read the Bible more, serve more, worship more, but it’s not making any difference.
Are you weary of falling short of living like Christ? Are you wondering, where is the “abundant life” that the Bible promises? When are the joy and victory going to show up?
I’m here to assure you that the gospel of Jesus really does change lives!
Jesus did not come to tell you how to just be the best version of yourself. He came to make you new. That’s what you long for, and that’s what God promises.
But we need to know how to apply His promises and let the power of God work in us. In this study, we’re going to explore the supernatural transformation that the apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians 4. We’re going to learn how to participate with the Holy Spirit on a journey that moves us from old to new, from ordinary to extraordinary, from “I’m only human” to “I’m becoming like Jesus.”
Because, yes, you really can change!
Reflection:
Are you spiritually fatigued, frustrated, exhausted? Are you willing to walk forward in faith and ask God to help you see His promises in a new way?

You Cannot Do it Alone

Why do Christians change so little
Why Do So Many Christians Change So Little?
We live in a semi-Christian culture in which a lot of people still go to church and sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, nod their heads in agreement, assume their agreement equals faith, and go home to live just as they did before—and just as their non-churchgoing friends do. Does this sound familiar?
It’s a passive kind of faith. It keeps people in touch with cultural Christianity, but it doesn’t change lives.
We also live in a society where many Christians have bought into the lie that we can be fulfilled with a little more money, a better job, kids who excel, nicer clothes, a remodeled house, a better car, and better vacations. Settling for worldly pursuits instead of walking with God prevents us from experiencing the transformation He offers.
Real fulfillment of our deepest desires comes in the context of a growing relationship with God and alignment with His will for our lives. This change comes in three phases:
Spiritual Birth. When we receive Jesus by faith as our Savior.
Spiritual Maturity. When we grow in our learning and understanding of the character of Christ.
Spiritual Reproduction. When we turn outward and serve others in the name of Jesus.
The Bible doesn’t encourage us just to exercise more willpower and discipline, and hope for the best. It gives us an entirely new source of life, casts vision, and calls us into new experiences. Think of Paul, in Romans 12:2. He teaches us to renew our minds—to let God reshape our thinking, so that we can grow into the likeness of Christ.
When you surrender to these three phases of spiritual growth, you will sense the Spirit of Jesus at work within you. As you allow Him to work, you will begin to see the lasting change in your life that you are longing for.
Reflection:
Are you beginning to feel more hopeful about actually seeing change in your life? How is God speaking to you right now? What does He want to do in your life?
We value the Presence of the Holy spirit

Without the presence of the Holy Spirit we have no vision, no direction; He gives us Hope Power and helps us when we  call upon Him. The Holy Spirit is our advantage

Sin l Presencia de el Espiritu Santo no tenemos vision, No tenemos direccion; El nos da esperanza, Poder y nos ayuda cuando clamamos a EL; Nos conviene tener al Espiritu Santo.
John 16:7 ESV
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:7 NVI
7 Pero les digo la verdad: Les conviene que me vaya porque, si no lo hago, el Consolador no vendrá a ustedes; en cambio, si me voy, se lo enviaré a ustedes.
IT IS AN ADVANTAGE, IN SPANISH SAYS THAT IT IS TO OUR CONVENIENCE … Jesus says that he will help us
Acts 1:8 ESV
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 NVI
8 Pero cuando venga el Espíritu Santo sobre ustedes, recibirán poder y serán mis testigos tanto en Jerusalén como en toda Judea y Samaria, y hasta los confines de la tierra.
- You will receive power, the things you could not do, you will do them
-You will be my witnesses, through you and I others will know about Jesus
John 14:26 ESV
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
He will teach us
1 Corinthians 3:17 ESV
17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:17 NVI
17 Si alguno destruye el templo de Dios, él mismo será destruido por Dios; porque el templo de Dios es sagrado, y ustedes son ese templo.

Introduction

Pretend that you have been asked to introduce a very special guest to a group of people. Though you have heard of this guest for a long time, you suddenly realize that you really don't know very much about him. You know about things this guest does, but you can't describe the guest as a person.
This is the way many Christians feel about the Holy Spirit. Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to His disciples with these words:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come” (John 16:13 HCSB).
The Scriptures reveal three basic truths about the Holy Spirit. When we learn them, we will be able to "introduce Him" to others.

I. He is all-powerful | El es Poderoso (Gen. 1:2)

Genesis 1:2 ESV
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2 NVI
2 La tierra era un caos total, las tinieblas cubrían el abismo, y el Espíritu de Dios se movía sobre la superficie de las aguas.
We see the effect and the power of His presence at that mysterious and awesome moment of creation, when "the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths." This shapeless, purposeless blob off matter tumbled through space with no direction and no observable reason to exist.
The part of God's Person that the Bible identifies as the Holy Spirit arrived with no warning and began to do a wondrous thing. "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The original word translated hovering means "brooded," which describes the action of a mother bird sitting on her nest of eggs. Likewise, God the Holy Spirit drew life out of the chaotic earth and produced light and order.
The creative power of the Holy Spirit in bringing the physical world into existence was not God's ultimate concern. He knew that the man and woman He would create would sin and become morally corrupt and spiritually dead. In His love and mercy, God - through His Spirit - "hovers" over the lost person and brings life out of death.

II. He is all-wise | El es sabio (1 Cor. 2:10-11)

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 ESV
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:10–11 NVI
10 Ahora bien, Dios nos ha revelado esto por medio de su Espíritu, pues el Espíritu lo examina todo, hasta las profundidades de Dios. 11 En efecto, ¿quién conoce los pensamientos del ser humano sino su propio espíritu que está en él? Así mismo, nadie conoce los pensamientos de Dios sino el Espíritu de Dios.
Because the Holy Spirit is a Person, He possesses intellect. He "knows." He knows "the deep things of God," or all there is to know about God.
The Holy Spirit's knowledge of God also includes all the divine truth that comes from God. The first requirement of a good teacher is not a charismatic personality or a good vocabulary or a winsome way with people, but knowledge of the subject to be taught.
The Holy Spirit opens our understanding to the meaning of the Scriptures and shows us how they apply to everyday living. The Holy Spirit is our live-in Teacher who is ready to help us understand and apply God's Word every time we read it.
The Holy Spirit possesses emotion along with intellect. Paul warned us not to "grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Eph. 4:30). Grief is a manifestation of emotion. A person must have the ability to love before love can be grieved. The Holy Spirit, who is one with God, loves every believer whom He indwells. He grieves when we fail to respond to His teaching and guidance.

III. He is everywhere-present | He is every where (Ps. 139:7-10)

Psalm 139:7–10 ESV
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:7–10 NVI
7 ¿A dónde podría alejarme de tu Espíritu? ¿A dónde podría huir de tu presencia? 8 Si subiera al cielo, allí estás tú; si tendiera mi lecho en el fondo del abismo, también estás allí. 9 Si me elevara sobre las alas del alba, o me estableciera en los extremos del mar, 10 aun allí tu mano me guiaría, ¡me sostendría tu mano derecha!
Surveillance cameras are common today. When we enter a bank, cameras watch us from the time we leave our car in the parking lot until we stand at the teller's window. In this psalm we learn that God's Spirit observes us everywhere we go and is sensitive to our every thought and action.
Because the Holy Spirit is "everywhere-present," God's children are constantly within the caring, loving circle of God's concern. Despite our disobedience and rebellion, He continues to "own" us. If we try to run away from Him, He runs alongside us. If we attempt to hide from Him, He is waiting for us in our hiding place.
The beauty of it all lies in the truth that God never stops pursuing His children, wherever their wayward running may take them. He is like the loving shepherd walking through the lonely, dangerous night in search of one lost sheep. When the shepherd found the sheep, he put him on his shoulders and brought him home rejoicing.

Conclusion

Often we cannot sense God's presence in our lives because of the darkness of sin, the shadows of worry and anxiety, the shades of suffering and death, and the awful problems of disease and suffering. We need to remember that God came into the world in the presence of the Holy Spirit to provide a constant source of courage and strength. The Holy Spirit is all-powerful, all-wise, and everywhere-present. So what is there to fear?

Illustrations

In introducing the Holy Spirit, note that it is important to understand that the Holy Spirit is not an "it," but a Person. Because the word translated "spirit" is a neuter word in Greek, the pronoun referring to the Holy Spirit is sometimes translated "it." But when Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to His disciples, He said, "When the Counselor comes, the One I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father - He will testify about Me" (John 15:26 HCSB).
Jesus was not referring to an influence or to some mysterious power, but to a Person. Compare the power of the Holy Spirit with the energy produced by atomic and nuclear power. It is beyond our ability to conceive. Another comparison would be the power of an erupting volcano.
The staggering discoveries in the field of astronomy are multiplying because of the rapid pace of scientific technology. Now we can see stars and galaxies we never knew existed, yet this is only one facet of God's creation. Compare this to the psalmist's description of the Holy Spirit who knows all things.
Because God loves us, through His Spirit He "dogs our steps" like Francis Thompson's "Hound of Heaven." Search for this poem and consider using part or all of it.
Romans 8:16: Paul reminded his readers that the Holy Spirit within us "testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
Additional Scriptures to consider: 1 John 3:24; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 2:20, 27.
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