Have you ever been under the influence?   So many times when we hear that someone has been under the influence, it most of the time speaks of a negative experience and outcome.  The Bible speaks of a person who when under the influence truly made a difference in many lives.

Peter, before Acts 2:1-4, couldn’t testify even to a young slave girl that he was one of Jesus’ disciples.  But after the day of Pentecost, it seemed like he was never the same. When Peter came under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it seemed everywhere he went and all those he spoke to were highly affected.  Even when pinned against the wall with the rulers and elders of the people, Peter spoke with authority about the benefits of being a disciple of Jesus.  Act 4:13 says “that when they saw the boldness and courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took not that these men had been with Jesus.

How about when Peter, in Acts 3:1-8, met the crippled man that had been sitting at the gate of the temple and was asking for financial help? Peter said “silver and gold have I none but such as I have, I give it to you. The Bible says in Acts 3:8 “The crippled man jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

A question we all need to ask ourselves is, when we meet someone who needs help will they leave us jumping and praising God because they are totally changed or will they stay in the same tormented state?  Many lives may depend on whether we leave them the same or changed by the power of God. You might ask, “how can I experience that kind of power in my life? I say to you, allow the Lord to change your life by living under the influence of the Holy Spirit!