I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of hearing or reading a word for the first time, or perhaps one we’ve forgotten for a long time, and then it suddenly seems to appear in every piece of media we consume. So it was for me this last week with the simple word “power” — Political Power, Military Power, Solar Power, Girl Power,… and on and on. The usage that struck me was Spiritual Power.
Scripture reveals a profound truth: spiritual power is not merely human strength amplified, but the very presence of God working in and through His people. This divine power, manifested most clearly through the Holy Spirit, is what turns impossible circumstances into testimonies of God’s glory. From the Old Testament prophets to the earliest Christians, Scripture consistently demonstrates that human weakness, when filled with the Spirit of God, becomes the stage upon which miracles unfold.
Jesus promised His disciples that they would not be left powerless after His ascension. In fact, He told them plainly in Acts 1:8 (NLT): “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This promise highlights that the Spirit’s power is not abstract but concrete—power to act, power to endure, and power to reveal Christ to the world.
Without the Spirit, the disciples were fearful, hesitant, and uncertain. But when the Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, timid fishermen became bold preachers, proclaiming the gospel with such authority that thousands believed in a single day. The transformation in Peter alone is a testimony to this power. The same man who denied Jesus three times stood before crowds and declared with unshakable courage that Jesus was the risen Messiah.
Spiritual power is not confined to the extraordinary moments of history; it also works in the ordinary lives of believers. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20 (NLT): “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” This passage reminds us that God’s Spirit enables us to rise above our human limitations.
When we feel trapped by weakness, fear, or circumstances beyond our control, the Spirit empowers us to move forward in faith. Gideon, for example, saw himself as the least in his family and his clan as the weakest in Israel. Yet the Spirit of the Lord clothed him with power, and he led a mere 300 men to victory over a vast Midianite army (Judges 6–7). What seemed utterly impossible became reality because of God’s Spirit.
The Holy Spirit also strengthens believers during trials. Paul endured persecution, imprisonment, and hardship, yet he could say in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NLT): “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
The Spirit transforms suffering into a platform for God’s glory. What the world views as failure or defeat, the Spirit turns into victory and strength. This truth not only comforts believers but also equips them to endure with hope, knowing that divine power is made perfect in human weakness.
Another miraculous aspect of the Spirit’s power is its ability to change hearts. Human effort cannot soften hardened hearts or break the chains of sin, but the Spirit can. At Pentecost, when Peter preached, his words “pierced their hearts” (Acts 2:37 NLT). This was not persuasive rhetoric but the Spirit’s convicting work.
Even today, countless lives are transformed by the Spirit’s power—addictions broken, relationships healed, and hope restored. This is evidence that spiritual power is not confined to biblical times; it continues to bring miracles into everyday life.
The key to experiencing this spiritual power is surrender. Paul urges believers in Galatians 5:25 (NLT): “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” To live by the Spirit is to walk in constant reliance on God’s power rather than our own strength. It means allowing the Spirit to guide decisions, shape character, and empower witness.
When believers live in the Spirit’s power, impossible situations become opportunities for miracles. Mountains of fear are moved, chains of sin are broken, and hopelessness gives way to joy.
Spiritual power, as revealed in Scripture, is the work of the Holy Spirit in and through God’s people. This power takes ordinary men and women, weak in themselves, and turns them into instruments of God’s glory. Whether through bold witness, endurance in suffering, or transformation of hearts, the Spirit reveals that what is impossible for man is possible with God.
As Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 19:26 (NLT): “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” The Spirit is the living proof of this truth, making the impossible possible and turning every weakness into an opportunity for God’s miraculous strength.
Blessings on you and yours, Jim Black
P.S. if you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/chronicle/?category=Bible%20Study