“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Jesus made a promise to His disciples in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
The first thing that comes to my mind is the Holy Spirit is given and not earned. The Holy Spirit is given as an act of God’s grace. We do not deserve and have not earned the gift of the Holy Spirit. God gives us His Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance in Christ.
The second thought that comes to mind is “the Holy Spirit is Christ in me!” Paul calls this supernatural blessing “the hope of glory.” “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). The same Spirit that dwelt in Jesus when He walked on earth, overcame temptation, ministered miraculously, forgave completely, loved unconditionally, and raised Him from the dead lives in me.
The third thought has to do with all that comes with the person of the Holy Spirit; “power, love, and self-discipline.” This is not something we can conjure up or work up from our own natural humanity. These are supernatural or of the Spirit. We are given power; the ability to live righteously and serve supernaturally. We are given the ability to love, accept, and forgive others just as in Christ we were. We are also given self-discipline. Other translations say, “sound mind” or “wise discretion.” In other words, we are given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) so the life that God calls for us to live “makes sense” when, to the unregenerate person, it seems foolish and even ridiculous.
The Holy Spirit brings with Him so much potential. It is up to each of us to realize, receive, and release this potential “energy” in our lives. In this case, even the sky is not the limit!