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The Holy Spirit empower us. The same creative Spirit that was much involved in creation, the same Spirit that saves us, the same Spirit that brought Jesus from the realm of the dead, He is the one who empowers, equips and sends us.

This is not something we learn in the New Testament, but God has been doing this before Jesus’s coming and before Pentecost.

God raised many leaders in Israel, and many of them were empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purposes through mighty deeds, liberating God’s people and giving them victories.

I want to mention one person whose name is not that well known: Othniel. He lived during the time of the Judges. We are told that the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and then gave them over to their enemies, who ruled over them for eight years. The people cried out to the Lord:

“…Raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the LORD gave Othniel victory over him. So, there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.”(Judges 3,9-11 NLT-SE).

The Holy Spirit came upon Othniel, and he became a judge. The Spirit empowered him to be victorious against the oppressors, and the nation enjoyed peace, rest, and prosperity for forty years.
The Holy Spirit came upon the one the Lord’s chosen and enabled him to do right in the sight of the Lord.
I am so encouraged that we see an ordinary man empowered to bring God’s rule upon the nation. Imagine what is now available to us under the new covenant where no longer the Spirit come upon us but lives within us:

“The Spirit of truth…But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14,17 NIV11-GKE).