Empowered for Purpose

Daily Devo: July 11, 2025

Acts 1:8 ~ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me ...

In Acts 1:8, Jesus delivers a promise packed with purpose. Before ascending to heaven, He assured His disciples they would receive divine power, not for personal gain, but for a global mission. This was not merely a motivational speech; it was a spiritual commissioning. The power of God, through the Holy Ghost, would overcome their human limitations, equip their witness, and ignite their purpose.

The power of Almighty God far exceeds human limitations. The Greek word for “power” here is dunamis, meaning dynamic strength or ability. It is the same word from which we get the word dynamite, but here it is not ordinary, it is super ordinary. It is supernatural empowerment — it is a divine enablement that goes beyond muscle, intellect, or charisma. Think about Peter, who once denied Christ out of fear. But at Pentecost, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he boldly preached the Gospel where three thousand people were saved and baptized. The Spirit did not just enhance Peter; He transformed him with the supernatural power of God.

We all face limits — fear, insecurity, inadequacy. But Acts 1:8 reminds us that God's power is not earned; it is received. When the Spirit comes upon us, He replaces weakness with spiritual strength, and He moves hesitation with holy confidence. God’s power equips us for tasks we could never accomplish alone.

The Holy Spirit comes with conviction of sin, judgment, and righteousness. Of sin because all have sinned. Of judgment because all sinners abide under the penalty of sin. And of righteousness because our best righteousness will never reach the benchmark that is required to be right with God. The righteousness of Christ is that benchmark. But the Holy Spirit comes to the believer and regenerates, giving life more abundant. He also comes with renewal and refreshing every day. His work is not just to empower us for the spiritual work but to enlighten us for the daily walk with God. He brings clarity in confusion, courage in fear, and conviction in compromise.

The Holy Spirit brings Clarity: The Spirit comes to lead us into all truth and to clarify our mission. We are to be witnesses, not spectators. In a world filled with noise, He is that still, small voice of God that we need to tune our hearts to hear and listen to every day. (Jn 16:13)

The Holy Spirit brings Courage: In Acts 4:31 we find the believers praying, being filled with the Spirit, and speaking the Word of God with boldness. He we see that courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led faithfulness in spite of it. He gives us boldness to face, confront, and defeat fear.

The Holy Spirit brings Conviction: As we have said, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This is to bring us to the place of repentance and trust in Christ for salvation. But He continues that work in our life once we are saved to fuel our inner fire to live holy and proclaim truth without compromise. (Jn 16:8)

The traits of clarity, courage, and conviction are not self-generated. They are supplied by the Spirit of God within us, enabling us to live with power and preach with passion.

This super-ordinary supernatural power comes with great purpose. We are told, “ … and ye shall be witnesses unto me...” The Spirit’s power is not to puff up the individual, but to lift up Christ our Savior. It is not just for personal edification — it is for public proclamation.

We are to lift up the Savior so that He may draw people to Himself for salvation. True Spirit-empowered living always results in witness. We are not called to be impressive Christians that draws attention to ourselves. We are called to influence as the salt of the earth and to impact those around us as the light of the world in the darkness. Whether that is on at church, at work, in the market, on the football field, in a classroom, behind a pulpit, or in a podcast studio, our lives are meant to point to Jesus. The Spirit empowers us to speak and live in a way that makes Christ known.

When we are fueled by the Word of God and fired by the Spirit of God, we are an unstoppable force for the good of Heaven and the good of mankind. Think about it, the early church did not have social media, sound systems, or mega budgets. What they did have was the Holy Spirit of God within them and that made them unstoppable. In Acts 17:6 tells us that they “… turned the world upside down.” That is what Spirit-fueled purpose looks like.

Those of us who are saved have the same Savior, possess the same Spirit, and we worship and serve the same God as those early 1^st Century Christians who turned the world upside down. When the Spirit fuels your purpose, obstacles become opportunities – handholds and footholds to climb up to higher ground. Rejection becomes redirection where the closing of one door may be the opening for greater doors of greater opportunities. Persecution becomes a platform where your faith increases and leads you to step out with implicit trust and confidence in the goodness and grace of Almighty God in your life. You don't just survive, you thrive. Your witness becomes louder than your weakness.

So, what is your purpose? If you are in Christ, it is to be a witness. But you do not have to do it in your own strength. You fuel yourself with the Word of God, submit to the Spirit of God, and go out in the power of God.

What limitations are you facing that God wants to overcome by His Spirit? How can you live today as a bold witness for Christ? Remember and remind yourself daily that you are empowered for purpose. The Spirit is not just in you, He's upon you. So, step out, speak up, and live boldly. You are unstoppable when you are fueled by the Word of God – His proclamations and promises – and you are fired by the Spirit of God with the super-ordinary and supernatural power of God for your purpose.

Todd Taylor, Th.D.