Spider-Man and the Holy Spirit

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

Spider-Man is without a doubt my favorite, and probably the best super hero there ever was and will be. You probably know his story. He was a high school student in New York when the bite of a spider exposed to radiation granted Peter Parker all sorts of different powers. He was given such powers as super strength, the ability to shoot webs from his hands, and “spidey-sense” (which enables him to be aware of danger). That day in high school transformed Peter’s life.

As the story goes on, Peter’s Uncle Ben (who is unaware of his powers) tells him these famous words before he dies, “With great power comes great responsibility.” And throughout Spider-Man's story, he has the choice to either restrain his powers, or use his powers for the good of others. Many times he restrained his powers, and his friends and family suffered, but when he did use them, many people were saved from death at the hands of villains. It seemed like everyday there was a new villain in New York City, and I’ve always wondered if that was just a coincidence.

Peter Parker was transformed, and was given an unbelievable power. And like Spider-Man, we as born-again believers have been transformed and given incredible power by the Holy Spirit. We have an apt picture of what has happened in the Christian’s life from this story. We as believers in Christ have also been transformed and the Person who lives in us has incredible power. He is the Holy Spirit who teaches and helps us (John 14:26; Rom. 8:26), He is the Holy Spirit who convicts (John 16:7-15), He lives within us (Ezekiel 36:26-27; 1 John 4:4), and He is the Spirit who empowers us (Rom. 15:13). However, when we decide to restrain His power, we fall into sin and we have no power to be obedient to God. But when we access His power, we can overcome sin and we will be given the strength we need to carry out God’s commands in obedience to Him.

This is the essence of Galatians 5:16, where we are promised victory over sin and enabling grace to be obedient to God, so long as we access the Spirit's power by submitting to Him daily.

Today, have you accessed the Spirit's power? If not, would you consider doing so now by prayer?

Seeking Christ,
Bro. Brandon G. B.

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Bro. Brandon is the Associate Pastor of Youth and
Children at Ohio Valley Baptist Church. His sermons,
podcasts, book reviews, and other free ministry
resources can be found on Brandon's Desk