Christian Writers Circle

My Power, My Witnesses
by Judy Hitson

Acts 1:8 ERV (Easy to Read Version)  But the Holy Spirit will come on you and give you power. You will be my witnesses. You will tell people everywhere about me-in Jerusalem, in the rest of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.”

Wait, Jesus said to His disciples, until you receive what the Father promised to send, Acts 1:4. This was the promise of the Holy Spirit. The same way these disciples in Acts were told to wait to receive the Holy Spirit, we are to wait for the Holy Spirit as well. We cannot go in our own strength to tell people about Jesus. We need the power of the Holy Spirit on us, in us, flowing through us. The Holy Spirit gives life, the flesh profits nothing, John 6:63.   

It takes time to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you have learned this in your own life as I did in mine.

When I was first born again, I was overzealous to share Jesus with everyone I met or worked with. It didn’t matter if I was at the grocery store check out or at work in the O.R. Those who knew the Lord appreciated Scripture I wrote down to tape on their lockers to share God’s word with them. Those who did not know the Lord were offended, saying I was pushy. One co-worker broke my heart when she said, “I can go to hell if I want to. I will have a lot of friends going with me.” So sad! So troubling for anyone to choose hell as their eternal destination.

After coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I wanted everyone to know Him and about His great salvation for all mankind. It was alarming to me that not all people want to know Christ. With this particular co-worker there was no evidence of a heart change for me to share Christ with her. I continued to pray for her heart to be softened and her spirit teachable that she might come to know Christ as her personal Savior and Lord and leave it in the hands of God, who alone can save.

Prayer: Lord help us as Your disciples to learn like Your early disciples to heed Your words Jesus, to wait until we receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be Your witnesses in all the world. Amen.