Powering Your Spiritual Dynamo

In Ephesians 6:10 Paul tells us, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might.” The word “strong” is translated from the base Greek word dunamoo (Strong’s G1412). This is where we get the English words dynamo, dynamic and dynamite. A dynamo is a generator that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. It needs something to push through it so it will spin to create power; this could be wind blowing through a turbine or water in a dam. The process results in a product.

The second part of verse 10 reads, “in the power of His might.” God’s Spirit is a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7). To grow in God’s power we must use it every minute of every day. What we see, hear and think must be filtered through it. The Holy Spirit is a powerful 
current to spin your spiritual dynamo.

Empowered to Change

At the laying on of hands, after baptism, we receive God’s Spirit (Acts 8:17). Yet, our daily choices will impact how fast the Holy Spirit can spin our dynamo.

How will we choose to build our relationship with God? Will we humble ourselves and fast to break the burden of sin (Isaiah 58:6)? If we focus on God's precious Word, opened to our understanding through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13), and live by what we learn, then our dynamo will turn faster producing the product God wants from our lives.

Yet, our human pride fights against the working of God’s Spirit in our lives. This is why the tool of fasting is so critical. God hears the humble (Psalm 10:17). If you are unable to fast a whole day due to health problems, do your best. God sees your sincere efforts. He loves us deeply, and is very merciful (Ephesians 2:4). Combine fasting with prayer, Bible study and meditation to create an environment favorable to spiritual growth.

The Holy Spirit is a truly astonishing gift! Do we treat it that way? God details the way in which a person grateful for His gift will respond. “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

In Micah 6:8, it’s stated this way: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

A Change in the Way We Think

Like a physical dynamo turns mechanical power into electrical power, a spiritual dynamo turns our physical way of thinking into a spiritual way. The critical detail for a dynamo’s success is the point of contact. God’s first and greatest command—to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind—serves as the spinning piece that transforms our way of thinking.

The second great commandment, to have self-sacrificing love for your fellow man, should naturally follow from our keeping of the first great commandment (Luke 10:27). In 1 John 3:14 we read, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” Without self-sacrificing love, we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).

The Holy Spirit produces a real change in our attitude. A spiritual transformation from the worries and cares of this life to pleasing God.

Why This Matters

What you think produces your actions. That’s why it’s important that we examine the purpose for which we live. God paid a heavy price for us to win this war. Are we sincerely grateful that Jesus put it all on the line for us, that He bridged the gap between us and God? (John 14:6). Do we thank Him for His God-breathed truth that we have the privilege of reading every day? (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Are we paying attention to what God is telling us, or do we close the Bible and forget who we are? (James 1:22-25). We have been given a powerful tool, a spiritual dynamo—are we putting it to use? (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Walking in Light

God has given His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). As you exercise God's power it will spin your dynamo to create Holy righteous character, which in turn fuels your conversion into the eternal family of God. A real life-changing attitude begins when you let God’s purpose become your purpose!

The more you surrender to God’s leading through the Holy Spirit, the more that Spirit will flow, like water through a dam (John 7:38-39). A slowly-spinning physical dynamo would not produce enough electrical power to light a city. Similarly, a slowly-spinning spiritual dynamo is not going to produce a bright light in our lives. Christ says, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

In Matthew 25:1-13 we read about the five foolish and five wise bridesmaids. The foolish had no oil to light their lamps. They missed out on the greatest, most exciting gift ever offered—an eternity filled with purpose and real fulfillment. It is God's pleasure to give us the Kingdom. Don’t let Him down, by running out of fuel!

Let’s keep our lamps powered, and our dynamos turning. None of us is righteous enough to be complacent (Revelation 3:14-22). Stay awake! A well-maintained spiritual dynamo is essential to transform your way of thinking. Power your dynamo with the gift of the Holy Spirit!

David Fendley