How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 1)

Jesus told (the apostles), "You don't need to know about times or periods that the Father has determined by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (upon ) you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me...to the ends of the earth." 
Acts 1:7- GWT, parentheses mine.

You can have power from the Spirit and know it; you should feel it and be aware of it.  In fact, you should be aware of the Spirit's power before you say or do anything. 

You need to be.  You have to be.  You're supposed to be. 

I know this because I see this in scripture, and I am experienced it right now as I write to you.

Power:  Ability to accomplish a specific goal you set out to accomplish. 

You can have that power as soon as you finish reading my blogs.  I'll show you how right now.

First, as I said, power assumes a purpose; it assumes a specific goal that you have the ability to accomplish.  What is our goal?  To be a witness of the Lord Jesus.  What does a witness do?  He or she simply tells what he or she has seen, heard, or directly experienced.  So what kind of power do you need to be a witness, any kind of witness? 

• You need to know something or someone by direct experience.
• You need to be able to communicate effectively what you have experienced. 

This means your words need to be convincing and convicting.  Compelling.  Those who listen to you may accept or reject what you say, but they won't be able to resist or refute you because of your powerful words. 

Jesus promised his first followers and us that we will be his witnesses throughout the world, and that he would give us power from the Spirit to do so.  The early followers experienced the Spirit's power, and it was manifest in two ways:

• Boldness
• Effectiveness

These two things encompass the power of a witness of Jesus.
These two things are the power of which you should be conscious.

Click here for part 2.