God’s Triple Power Surge

By Mary Owen, National Training Director

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (ERV)

We all, at some point, have felt powerless . . . You may even be feeling powerless today. In that Bible verse I just read, it says our source of power comes from God. If we’re not plugged into His power, there IS reason to be afraid. But, when we’re plugged into God, He supplies us with all we need: HIS power, love, and self-control.

It’s God’s triple power surge!! The very three things we need in order to be wise, healthy, and have peace in our hearts, no matter what circumstances we’re going through.

Power:

• I need God’s power to break unhealthy habits I can’t break on my own.
• I need His power to do what I know is right but can’t seem to do it in my own strength.
• I need His power to break free from the past and not let those memories hold me in bondage anymore.
• I need His power to live the new life He has for me. He has a good plan for each one of us, planned from the beginning of time.

I’ve come to realize that I cannot change in my own power. I need a power much greater than myself—so I’m staying plugged into God’s power!

Love:

By plugging into God’s Spirit of Love, I’m able to love people the way God loves people. Relationships are being restored in my life because of this kind of love. I can make amends to others and let go of the fear that the person I’m making amends to may not reciprocate. I do my part and leave the rest up to God.

I thought love meant saving others from their hurts, hang-ups and habits. Now, I’m living in freedom, realizing it’s not my job to try to fix others and allow them to make their own choices.

Through Celebrate Recovery, God’s love has taught me how to turn from superficial and harmful relationships to building deep, meaningful, authentic relationships.

Self-control:

When God is in control, we understand, perhaps for the first time, that by yielding to God and with God’s Spirit living in us, we can do things, that in our own strength, we cannot do.

Self-control in the athletic arena is called self-discipline: the ability to discipline yourself to achieve a goal. An example of self-discipline is Tom Brady, the long-time NFL quarterback. He’s playing in a league where some players are half his age. Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins are the most among any quarterbacks in NFL history.

Brady says his longevity comes from his self-discipline, both working out in the off-season and his diet.

Typically, the world’s perspective of self-discipline is for self-gain. However, self-control from the Holy Spirit will always be others focused.

1 Corinthians 9:25 says, that everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to win a prize that will not last, but we do it to win the prize that will last forever.

Here’s some specific disciplines of faith that Mac & I practice. We call it SPF. SPF, not for protection for our skin, but protection for our hearts. In the CR devotional book, Mac wrote about this SPF on Day 139.

This SPF stands for SON Protection Factor:

Study Scripture

Prayer

Fellowship

We need all 3 of these to be strong in self-control.

And remember, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.

That means it’s a result of the work of God’s Spirit working in our lives. And we play a part by cooperating with Him in the renewing of our minds with God’s Word.

Back to the verse I began with, 2 Timothy 1:7

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (ERV)

• What’s going on in your life today where you’re struggling because you aren’t plugged into God’s triple power surge?
• Connect with your sponsor and/or accountability partners to talk about this to gain clarity.

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If you would like to learn how to start your own Celebrate Recovery ministry, to contact your Celebrate Recovery Rep, please visit: https://crgroups.info/. To get involved in an already existing Celebrate Recovery ministry near you, please visit: https://locator.crgroups.info/.