But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
— Romans 8:11

Recently I was thinking of the pressures and stresses that affect so many people’s lives.  People live their lives in their cars as they spend endless hours on expressways each day. They take their kids back and forth to school and to sports events; they go to church functions, to the grocery store, and back and forth to work. This constant movement puts a lot of stress on the mind and body. Yet there seems to be no option but to constantly try to keep up with the hectic pace!

Then when you finally get home in the evening, you can’t really rest. After all, the bills must be paid; the house must be maintained; the yard needs mowing; dishes need washing; dinner needs to be cooked; groceries have to be put away; the children need special attention and discipline. Walking through the door of the house at the end of the work day does not mean your work is finished. You have switched to a different kind of work.

Then there are still church responsibilities. You want to be faithful to your church and serve in as many areas as possible. Church is important and should be treated as such. But often you have expended so much energy on all the other important matters of life that when you finally get around to church, you feel exhausted and unmotivated. This makes you feel guilty and even condemned for not being more excited about serving the Lord in a practical way at church. But it isn’t really a question of desire; it’s a question of energy. Already your body and mind have almost been pushed to the brink!

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bookmark2Then there are family responsibilities. If you have an elderly person in your family, you know that this requires attention and energy too. Of course you want to do this!  This isn’t an obligation; it is a privilege to take care of older family members. Nevertheless, it still takes time and energy. And if you live in an area where you are close to cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and grandparents, you must also work all these precious people into the schedule. Birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, weddings — all of these are part of your family responsibilities that require your time, energy, and finances.

How about your friendship responsibilities? Friendships require time and attention. As a good friend, you want to be there for your friend’s good times and bad times. You probably believe that you shoud be available when they need to talk about a problem. You want to spend time with your friends because you need and enjoy their fellowship. But all this requires time and energy as well.

Don’t forget your financial challenges and pressures. Life is expensive. Car insurance, life insurance, house payments, credit card payments, groceries, electricity and air-conditioning bills, expenses for the kids to play sports or go to summer camp, clothes for growing children, repairs on the car — and on and on it goes. Plus, you must be faithful in paying your tithes to your church, and you want to give special offerings to other ministries too.

One of Satan’s greatest weapons is discouragement, and he knows exactly when to use it. He waits until you are tired, weak, and susceptible to his lies. Then he hits you hard in your emotions, trying to tell you that you are accomplishing nothing valuable in life.

In those moments when I feel physically exhausted and yet I see no pause in my schedule, I turn to Romans 8:11 for encouragement. It says, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

I especially focus on the phrase that says, “…he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies….” Our mortal bodies simply have limitations, and there is nothing we can do about it. These limitations are one of the reasons we become physically tired. But in those moments when we need extra strength to keep going, this verse promises that the Holy Spirit will “quicken” our mortal bodies.

The word “quicken” is the Greek word zoopoieo, from the word zoe and poieo. The word zoe is the Greek word for life, and it often describes the life of God. The word poieo means to do. When these two words are compounded together, it means to make alive with life. It carries the idea to revitalize, to rejuvenate, or to refresh with new life!

This means that if you will yield to the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, He will supernaturally revitalize you. He will rejuvenate you. He will refresh you with a brand-new surge of supernatural life. He will fill you with so much resurrection power that you will be ready to get up and go again!

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My Prayer for Today

Lord, I admit that I need a fresh surge of supernatural power in my life right now. I ask You to release the resurrection power of Jesus Christ that resides in my spirit. Let it flow up into my body and mind so I can be rejuvenated and recharged with enough power to fulfill all the responsibilities and duties that lie before me. I know that in my own strength, I can’t do everything that is required of me in the days ahead. But I also know that with Your supernatural power working in me, I will be able to do everything You have asked me to do!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

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My Confession for Today

I confess that God’s Spirit is quickening my mortal flesh and rejuvenating me with enough strength to fulfill all the duties and responsibilities that lie ahead of me. I am not weak. I am not tired. I am refreshed. I am strengthened. I am filled with power. Because the Holy Spirit dwells in me, there is not a single moment when I don’t have everything that I need!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

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Questions to Answer

1.  Have you been feeling a little depleted lately? If so, have you asked the Holy Spirit to release resurrection power in you so that you can be supernaturally rejuvenated?

2.  Can you think of one particular time when you were physically exhausted, but in one instant you were so filled with life and power that your weakness left and you were magnificently empowered?

3. Instead of shutting this book and running to your next thing to do, why don’t you take a few minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with power right now?