My husband and I still play those silly games we used to play as children. You know, the “What if you won the Lottery?” or the “If you could spend your entire life in one location, which would you choose?”
Typically our responses stay the same since we are both stingy and are not willing to compromise our own dream destination.
Now that we have children who are fascinated with superheroes, we find ourselves asking our children, “Which superhero would you be?” and “Which super power would you choose?”
I was thinking about the typical types of make-believe super powers such as flying, super strength, being invisible, time travel, and mind-reading, and how the idea of having something “supernatural” is appealing to our souls.
Consider flying for instance. Not only is flying my forever choice of super power, but it is humanly impossible to fly. So, why do I find myself provoking my fascination of flying? The truth is, having the power to go beyond the limits of human ability is both enthralling and exciting. We like the idea of having the power within us to do something humanly impossible.
As Christians, we forget and neglect the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit far too often. Whether our reasoning is because we have had unpleasant experiences with people who pretend to host the Holy Spirit, or perhaps have been taught a watered-down version of who He is, the evidence is clear–our relationship with the Holy Spirit has been very “natural”.
Unfortunately, because of this perspective of the Holy Spirit, we as Christians are missing out on the supernatural life available to us, leaving us to provoke our desires of make-believe fascinations.
Though I would never be able to present the entirety of the Holy Spirit to you in one short blog, I do want to draw some amazing parallels to our idea of superpowers and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
What if, as Christians, we could feel the thrill and exhilaration of flying? When we put our hope in God, our strength is renewed, and He says we will feel as if we are soaring on wings like eagles.
“. . .but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
What if our physical, emotional, and spiritual strength were sourced by the King and not by our circumstances? When we live our lives for Jesus, the Holy Spirit “makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to tread on the heights.” In other words, the strength of our flesh diminishes while the supernatural strength of the Holy Spirit enables us to live beyond the natural.
What if we could time travel back into our past and change the course of our futures? Or what if we could travel to our future and adjust our present life accordingly? When we partner with the Holy Spirit, we are entrusting ourselves to the One who exists without time. We may not be able to physically travel through time, but He is able to redeem our past by forgiving our sins, healing our wounds, and supernaturally changing the course of our futures.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Lastly, what if we were able to supernaturally read minds? Did you know the Bible says, “No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God”, and God has revealed His thoughts to us by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). The Holy Spirit grants us access to the mind of our Creator, and without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, we would be unable to hear the thoughts of God.
We, as Christians, are not superheroes. We, alone, possess zero capability to live beyond the natural boundaries of human ability. However, when we surrender our lives to Jesus and commit ourselves to being changed by the Gospel, we are gifted the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and our lives begin to operate in the supernatural abilities of God.
Perhaps you haven’t experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, or maybe you’ve been taught that His Presence is like that of a distant cousin in your relationship with the Lord. Or maybe you have never truly understood Him as a Person. My encouragement to you is to withdraw to your prayer room, open the Word, and invite the Lord to introduce to you to His magnificent and powerful Spirit.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26