day eleven

We’ve all faced moments that feel beyond us — a friend who needs healing, a conversation that feels too charged, a step of faith that seems too costly. On our own, they’re impossible. But that’s exactly where the Spirit comes in. Jesus does call us to represent Him, but not in words alone or through effort that depends only on us. He promised His Spirit would fill us with power to do what could never be done on our own.

This is the wonder of the Christian life: we are not only His representatives, we are His vessels. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, releasing His life through your words, your prayers, your presence. Peace can land where fear once ruled. Healing can break through pain. Hope can rise where despair seemed permanent.

The Spirit hasn’t changed. He’s still being poured out. And the same invitation stands: step into what feels risky, lean into what feels impossible, and watch the Spirit move. This is what you were made for, to carry the life of the Kingdom into ordinary spaces until heaven touches earth.

DAILY READINGS

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Read full chapter
28 “And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.

DEEPER

Pentecost isn’t a monument to what once was. It’s a downpour that never let up. Not something we visit or commemorate, but something we live inside—a Spirit-drenched beginning that keeps unfolding.

When Peter stood before the crowd, fresh with fire and boldness, he didn’t give them a clever explanation. He pointed them back to Joel’s ancient words and said, “This is that.” A centuries-old promise, now fulfilled in real time. What Joel had seen in the distance was happening right in front of them. The Spirit was no longer reserved for the prophets or the holy few. He was being poured out on all flesh.

Not trickling. Pouring. Without discrimination or hierarchy. Sons and daughters. Young and old. Workers and wanderers. No longer confined to sacred places or spiritual professionals. The presence of God was now flooding the world through everyday people.

And it hasn’t stopped.

What was true then is still true now: the Spirit fills human lives not just to comfort, but to commission. Not just to soothe, but to empower. Jesus didn’t ascend and leave us with memories. He ascended so the Spirit could come. And the Spirit came, not just to give the Church breath, but to give it power.

Luke frames Pentecost as power for mission. “You will receive power... and you will be my witnesses.” This is not about spiritual hype or personality upgrades. It’s the ongoing ministry of Jesus, carried forward by those willing to say yes. The Spirit doesn’t just draw us close to God. He equips us to love people in real, tangible ways.

Prophecy strengthens and comforts. Words of knowledge reveal the Father’s nearness. Healing and deliverance bring relief and freedom. These are not spiritual add-ons. They are how the witness of Jesus becomes visible. They’re how people meet Him, not just ideas about Him.

This power doesn’t always shout. It doesn’t seek attention. But it changes things. It brings peace where panic once ruled. It stirs boldness where we used to shrink back. It brings life into places we thought were beyond reach.

This is not performance. It’s participation.

The risen Christ, alive by His Spirit, is still at work through very human lives. Through you and me. We are not museum guides telling old stories. We are living witnesses to a Kingdom breaking in, again and again.

This is still that.

RESPOND

Where do I long to see God’s power break in — for my own life, in my relationships, or in my community? Which gifts of the Spirit am I currently nurturing, and where might He be inviting me to grow further for the sake of others?

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, pour out Your presence on my life today. Give me courage where I shrink back, boldness where I stay silent, and love where it’s most needed. Let Your Kingdom flow through me, in the streets I walk and the people I meet. I say yes, come and move.

Also pray now for someone in your small group (or church community) who has shared a prayer request recently. Ask God to meet that need and be with them in it.