The Breath of God, Our Purpose, and the Power to Live Fully
Matt Massey |
February 13, 2026
Breath of God: Find Your Identity, Purpose & Power
The Bible as One Grand Story
The Bible is not a collection of disconnected moral lessons or a menu of rules. It is one massive, true story that points to a single central figure: Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, the threads run straight toward him—his life, death, and resurrection explain everything else. When we read the Scriptures well, we stop looking for ourselves at the center and start seeing Jesus on every page. In seeing him, we actually discover who we are meant to be.
Creation, Breath, and Imago Dei
Genesis opens with God bringing order to what the ancients called primordial chaos. The Spirit of God hovers over the waters and then gives a distinct gift to humanity: breath. The Hebrew word for spirit—ruah—captures that creative, life-giving presence.
Genesis 1:26 puts it plainly: God made humans in his own image. The Latin phrase Imago Dei tells us something radical: every human carries inherent dignity and worth. No creature shares this image. That truth undercuts racism, marginalization, and every claim that some people are less loved or less valuable. If all people are image-bearers, then we are called to treat others as God treats them—equally, lovingly, and with respect.
From Life Breath to Breath of Life
Genesis 2 amplifies the picture: God forms the first human from dust and then breathes life into his nostrils. That breath is intimate and personal—God giving life directly. But there’s a tension. Humanity bears God’s image and has God’s life breath, yet our fall introduces a separation that no human effort can fully fix.
The Old Testament repeatedly points forward to a renewal that only God can bring. Ezekiel 36 promises a fresh work of God’s Spirit—clean water, a new heart, and a new breath placed within us. This is not moral improvement. This is spiritual rebirth.
"No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." — Jesus (John 3)
Jesus, Nicodemus, and the New Birth
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus, he is a religious expert who understands prophecy, longing for the promised renewal. Jesus answers with the language of birth: you must be born again. Human efforts produce human works. Only the Spirit produces new life.
Then the gospel climaxes with Jesus rising from the dead—the ultimate proof that God’s breath is creative and conquering. When he appears to the disciples, he breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The same Spirit who raised Jesus now becomes the power within his followers.
What This Means for You: Practical Implications
These theological truths are not abstract. They shape daily life and the way the church moves in the world. Here are practical ways to live in light of the breath of God:
- Start with humility: You are created, not the Creator. That changes ambition, pride, and how you view success.
- Embrace your identity: You are an image-bearer. Let that inform how you treat yourself and others—no demeaning, no marginalizing.
- Invite the Holy Spirit daily: Spiritual change is not primarily willpower. Pray for the Spirit to fill you, to stir you, and to empower you to break patterns you cannot break alone.
- Depend on relationship more than morality: The Christian life is not first about earning approval; it is about abiding with Jesus and letting his breath form you into his likeness.
- Breathe life onto others: As you are filled, be intentional about bringing forgiveness, healing, and hope to family, work, and neighborhood.
Why Willpower Isn’t Enough
We see the pattern again and again: willpower can only produce more human works. You cannot manufacture spiritual birth or sustain long-term heart change by sheer effort. The wind blows where it pleases—you hear it but cannot predict its course. So it is with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual life is a gift that must be received and cultivated through intimacy with God.
Living Fully Alive
When the Spirit lives in you, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within. That is not hyperbole. It is the biblical claim—and it is good news. You are not called to a half-life or to moral performance. You are called to life—abundant, Spirit-empowered living.
That life looks like fruitfulness: bearing spiritual fruit, stewarding creation, stewarding relationships, and extending God’s kingdom through acts of love and justice. It also looks like humility—remembering who created you—and courage—speaking truth and offering hope in a divided world.
Simple Next Steps
- Read Genesis 1–2, Ezekiel 36, and John 3. Notice the thread of breath and new life.
- Pray: ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, stir you, and give you boldness where you feel weak.
- Talk with someone about what you’re asking God to do. Faith grows in community.
- Choose one tangible way to breathe life into someone this week—an encouraging word, a small act of service, or an honest conversation.
One Final Word
We live between creation and consummation. In the meantime, God breathes. He breathes life into individuals, into communities, into cultures. That breath changes things from the inside out. So don’t try to muscle through your struggles alone. Invite the Spirit. Let him form you into more of Jesus. Then, as you are filled, breathe life into the world around you.
Be an image-bearer. Be Spirit-fed. Breathe life.