Not My Power, But His
Open hands receiving sunlight – resting in the indwelling Spirit
📖 Devotional Credit:
Days of Heaven Upon Earth by A.B. Simpson
📸 Photo Credit:
Image by Unsplash
Today’s reflection from A.B. Simpson invites the weary soul to surrender not just the weight of sin but the very effort of overcoming it. Simpson echoes the promise of Ezekiel 36:27: that God Himself would place His Spirit within us and cause us to walk in His ways. This is not a call to redouble our efforts, but to receive an indwelling life that moves us beyond defeat.
So often, we yearn to do better, love deeper, live holier—but find ourselves running in circles, discouraged and defeated. The problem isn’t always lack of desire; it’s the absence of divine enablement. Simpson reminds us that this absence has already been answered. God has already come. His Spirit has already been placed within us. His power is not an add-on to our best efforts—it is the end of them. What we could never accomplish by discipline or determination, He accomplishes through union. He has not merely given us strength—He has given us Himself.
And with Him, the battle is not only possible—it is already won.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the One who lives in you—not beside you, not in front of you, but within you. I have not called you to My ways and left you to find the path. I cause you to walk. I move you to keep My word. I have placed My fear—not terror, but reverent delight—within your heart. This is not your striving. This is My presence fulfilling what I promised.
You have tried. I know. You’ve pushed, resolved, and repented a thousand times. But now, I invite you to rest in the One who overcame the world. I am not asking you to defeat sin—I have already done that. I am not asking you to change yourself—I have already made you new. Let Me live.
When your efforts fall short, do not despair. I never asked you to carry this alone. My Spirit in you is not a doctrine—it is a Person. I don’t give you energy—I give you Me. And My power is not noisy or forceful. It is quiet confidence, gentle strength, unshakeable life.
When you walk in My ways, it is because I am walking through you. Trust this. Yield to Me moment by moment. You are not trying to become spiritual—you are My dwelling place already.
Scriptures referenced: Ezekiel 36:27; Ezekiel 11:19–20; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 2:20
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like having a self-driving car on a winding mountain road. At first, your hands grip the wheel in panic, unsure it will make the turns. But when you let the system take over, you discover it’s more aware than you are—correcting, adjusting, guiding with perfect timing. The journey becomes smooth not because you’ve mastered the road, but because you've let the One who built the car do the driving.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that I no longer need to struggle in my own effort. You have not only called me to walk in Your ways—you have placed Your very Spirit within me to do it. I rejoice that the burden is not mine to carry, for You have carried me. I no longer need to fear failure or depend on fleeting feelings. Your Spirit is steady, sufficient, and sure. I yield to You in this moment, confident that You are living Your life through me, just as You promised.