Your _____ is not enough

I can have Moses’ rod, but without the Spirit of God I’m as any other leader.

 

I can have Bezalel’s skill (Exodus 31:2; 35:30; 36:1-2), but without the Spirit of God I’m as the other craftsmen.

 

I can have Samson’s hair, but without the Spirit of God I’m as weak as the next man (Judges 16:17).

 

I can have David’s sling, but without the Spirit of God I’m as the other shepherd boys.

 

I can have Elijah’s cloak (2 Kings 2:8), but without the Spirit of God I’m as those standing around me. 

 

We have no power apart from the Spirit of God who was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ and now dwells within us (John 16:7). We may have gifts and talents, a reputation and a following, a position and a title, but without the Holy Spirit and His power we have nothing capable of making an eternal difference.

 

Yet many of us feel that our gifts, our name, and our position are the source of our power. As a worship leader and musician, there have been countless times when I touched the piano and thought to myself, “Now the presence and power of God is going to come. Get ready!” Of course nothing happened. Yet, at other times while feeling that nothing was going to happen, surprise, the presence and power of God flooded my heart. There is no inherent power in the piano or in your skill, gift, talent, etc. 

 

Three times we read in Judges of Samson that “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him” (14:6; 14:19; 15:14). If the source of Samson’s power was his hair why was it necessary for the Spirit to rush upon him? Because the Spirit of the Lord was the source of Samson’s power, not his hair. Samson’s hair was but the outward sign of Samson’s inward commitment, devotion, obedience, worship, and love to God. 

 

Jesus said it best, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) and “all things are possible for God” (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). But Jesus was not stating anything new. Rather, He was reiterating what has always been the truth for any man or woman saved, called and equipped to serve God: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 3:6)

 

In Jesus Christ, we have been given the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:30). So, take your God-given skills, gifts, and talents and consecrate them to the Holy Spirit. Remember that your heart is the altar upon which your skills, gifts and talents are laid. And your heart is the altar upon which God will send His holy fire - His holy power - to consume you and everything you’ve been given, so that you might walk and live in His power for His glory. 

 

A rod, a sling, or a cloak has never been enough.