I am not sure if you can relate with me when I say that sometimes I think about things that don’t make any sense at all. However, when I ponder on the images for a while, I soon realize that oftentimes God is trying to talk to me about spiritual things while utilizing natural circumstances or relatable stories to teach me something. Like in the New Testament, Jesus uses parables so the disciple can understand what He is trying to reveal to them. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels (Oxford Dictionary).
One day, while I was studying the scriptures about God’s supernatural faith through Jesus, I began to wonder how that looks like in my life. Don’t ask me why, but I saw myself hanging out with Superman. I know this sounds crazy or even silly. Let me explain before you cast me out as someone who’s losing it. Although, depending on who you talk too, that’s not too far fetch to believe.
It was weird and even unsettling, I’ll admit. Superman was in his full costume. Cape swinging side to side as we walked towards the train station. We had a pretty long conversation as we walked together. Don’t ask me what we talked about because I can’t remember. However, what I do remember was that in the back of my mind, I am wondering why we couldn’t just fly to our destination. Here we were walking several blocks and I could see sweat coming down his eyebrows and my own clothes were drenched from the heat. Spending several hours on the train I then find myself with Superman catching a cab. Bizarre but true. To make things worse, we ended up on a plain. I could not help myself, so I asked him, “Why in the world are we doing this. You’re Superman, man; do you know who you are? You got me walking, catching cabs and flying on plains. Do you know how tired we look? It was easier to fly there. You have a cape and are endowed with supernatural abilities.”
So while I was mad at Superman and telling him about all his supernatural strengths, all of a sudden it clicked. God was trying to show me that I was like Superman. No, I don’t have a red cape nor do I have red underwear, but I do have God’s Spirit living in me.
“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16 NAS)
Sometimes we just don’t know how powerful we are. It has always been God’s desire for a very long time to have His Spirit living inside of us. This is one of my favorite verses in the bible, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) Maybe God did not give us the ability like Superman who can leap through buildings in a single bound and move faster than a speeding bullet. However, His power overrides any character this world can come up with. His Spirit does not have any weaknesses or limitations. Much more, He does not have to use physical strength to demonstrate power; one word from His mouth changes any circumstance.
Not too long ago, I demonstrated this power to my children. We have three trees on the side of our house. One of them released its leaves earlier than the other two. As I was outside looking at the tree and wondering what went wrong, my neighbor who is very knowledgeable about plants and trees tells me that my tree has a disease. As she walks away, a little frustration began to rise inside of me. I began to think of the One that I’m very knowledgeable of—the Holy Spirit. For it was Jesus who said, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].” (John 16:7 AMP) I then laid hands on the tree and spoke life to it. A couple of days later several new sprouts of leafs sprung fourth. I figured if I can lay hands on the sick and they can recover, so can my tree. I called my children to come outside and told them this is the power within you.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that when we received Jesus as our savior, we also received His Spirit as well. Ezekiel 36:26-27, the Lord says, “I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ways.” There is something about that word “within”.
His Spirit is in us today as surely as He was with the disciples. It is amazing to realize His Spirit lives within us but often we don’t pay any attention to Him at all.
Andrew Murray, in his book The Spirit of Christ speaks on this. I Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...” He states that in the Jewish temple, there were three courts: the outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of holies.
Murray described how our bodies are like the outer court. The inner court is like our mind, our will and our emotions. But inside of us is the Holy of holies where the Spirit of God dwells. The Holy Spirit dwells inside our spirit. So inside you and I is the Holy of holies. The Holy of holies is in you. “The temple of God is holy, and that temple is what we are.”
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well
Psalm 139:14.
Efrain Cardona is an Elder and ordained licensed minister at Abundant Grace Christian Church in Rutherford NJ. Serves as the leader for the church’s Men’s Ministry, anointed to operate in various spiritual gifts; teach the word of God, prayer intercessor, and unique discernment in the prophetic.
