One of the best parts of Easter weekend is that there are people all across America, and the world, who have just given their lives to Christ after hearing the message of the gospel. This is something we should praise God for. But we cannot let these new believers sink in a world that is so upside-down and opposed to Christianity. We have to help them swim!
How do we do this? By telling them about the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is active and alive today. It’s the only thing that can keep us grounded in today’s world.
The days we live in are dark, and they seem to only be getting darker. Yet there is a power so great it can help you not only survive but also thrive in this crazy world. It’s a power that comes from God Almighty through the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. It’s the power that took the teachings of a young carpenter from Galilee, turned upside down the most ruthless empire of its era and overcame the paganism that went with it.
Someone has said that living the Christian life is not difficult; it is impossible—that is, without the power of the Holy Spirit. Never has that statement been truer than today. It’s never been easy to be a Christian, but now segments of society are openly hostile to anything religious. And the culture is pulling us down, luring our children away from God and worse. It’s as if the onslaught will never end.
But there is hope in the Holy Spirit.
Two thousand years after the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the church was birthed, this power can still give you joy and peace, release miracles and make you victorious no matter what. Even though this power seemed all but dormant for almost two millennia and some Christians say it ceased after the days of the apostles, I believe it has been restored to the church and is currently at work in the earth, just as the Bible says. It’s available today to help you understand the future, have faith to believe for miracles, and experience unspeakable peace no matter your circumstances. Understanding some simple truths can unlock this power and help you navigate the chaos that I call an “upside-down world.”
I’ve come to realize through my study of Scripture and personal experience that the Holy Spirit’s power is there for the asking—even if others misuse or ignore it. It’s there to give you victory over the forces of evil, help you stand strong when the culture wants you to compromise and provide tools to help you prosper in spirit, soul and body.
This power is not found through logic, so I can’t persuade you. It’s something you must experience in the depths of your soul. This power is spiritual, which is why we need an awakening like those that have come throughout history at critical times like the ones in which we live.
As Christians, we believe the Bible gives us power to change and that we should follow what it teaches. The culture doesn’t agree. They want us to think we are wrong and they are right. People call this “gaslighting.” It’s pressure to think we’re the crazy ones and others are right. Gaslighting has now become part of the woke culture. We must understand this so we don’t conform to what an unbelieving world tells us to believe, and how it tells us to live.
While struggles exist, there is a realm in the Spirit where we can live above the problems. There is a place in God where we can experience the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s this Holy Spirit that we must teach and share with new believers so they can not only survive, but thrive in this upside-down world.
Bill Wiese 
John Burton 
