If you took physics in high school, you might remember Newton’s Laws of Motion, one of which is “objects at rest tend to remain at rest, and objects in motion tend to remain in motion.” The force created by motion is “momentum”–“the impetus gained by a moving object.” Having experienced the friction created by the last several years of challenges, some of us are all too familiar with the loss of “spiritual momentum” and the resulting sense of “stuckness”—the difficulty of getting back into the flow of impactful Kingdom living.

God communicates through Paul the importance of pursuing the Holy Spirit’s momentum in our lives. Speaking of his ministry in Colossians 1:28-29, Paul says this: “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” In Philippians 3:13-14, he speaks of resisting the urge to “settle” and rest on past victories: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

But what if inertia has already set in? How do we find the power to restart? Put directly, we don’t have that ability in ourselves: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). No amount of willpower will suffice; instead, we prayerfully seek God for a jumpstart only He can provide. As Ephesians 3:16 says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being….”

May I ask you to join me in praying for a fresh influx of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives and in our churches? Ask Him to reinvigorate discouraged leaders, revitalize stalled ministries, and transform halted hearts with a fresh outpouring of “Spirit-led momentum” toward fulfillment of His Kingdom purposes. After all, as Ephesians 3:20 so clearly states, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…!”