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Category Archives: Power of God

Moses and the Power of God

26 Dec

In the church, we’ve come up with all kinds of excuses as to why we lack the power of God.  The one that I’ve been posting about is the notion that until we walk in righteousness, we’ll never experience the move of the Spirit.

This is exactly how the Pharisees viewed the world.  Unfortunately, many of us are walking in the same amount of power they walked in – NONE.

There was a group of former Pharisees who were trying to lead Christians to follow the Law of Moses “if they were truly saved”.  Paul was vehement in his opposition to this movement.  Let’s go back to Second Corinthians, chapter 3, and continue to look at the revelation that he received concerning this teaching.

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read.  It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
2 Corinthians 3:13-14

Here Paul is referring to when Moses came down from the mountain where God delivered the law to him.  The Bible says that Moses’ face shown so brightly with the glory of God that it looked like the sun.  People had to shield their eyes from it.

So that he could be among the people, Moses put a veil, or a cloth, over his face to shield them from the light.  But something else happened.  As Moses was with the people, the glory of God started to fade and grow dim.

At one point, even though the glory was dim enough for people to see without hurting their eyes, Moses left the veil on.  Paul said it was so the people would not see the glory of God fading.  In other words, Moses put on a veil so that the Israelites would not see his spiritual batteries draining.

Moses was a man who walked in great power.  He called down plagues upon Egypt.  He commanded the Red Sea to part.  He obtained water from the rock.  The list of miracles God performed through his hand goes on and on.  Yet, all of Moses power was derived through the law.

On more than one occasion he blew it.  He even missed out on entering the Promised Land because of one of his failings.  As great as his power was, it was only a battery pack compared to what the Holy Spirit offers us today.  What surprises me is that we run to use the same lesser power that Moses used.

We have a better covenant than Moses had.  In my next post I’ll show how trying to live like Moses will actually rob us of spiritual strength.

Question: Why is it popular to think that we can adequately serve God in our own strength?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on December 26, 2013 in Legalism, Power of God

 

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Who’s Disciple are You?

23 Dec

Question MarkI’ve been talking about righteousness and the power of God.  In my last post I looked at a healing that took place on the Sabbath day.  The Pharisees were upset and began an investigation into the details of the miracle.

They interviewed the parents of the blind man who was healed to make sure that the person really was blind.  They confirmed that he was their son, and that he truly was born blind.

The Pharisees then question the former blind man again.  This time the man starts getting frustrated with them.  He asks them, “Do you want to become His disciples?  Is that why you’re asking so many questions?”

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple!  We are disciples of Moses!”
John 9:28

These Pharisees then proceeded to ridicule this man and to malign Jesus.  It’s amazing how emotional people get when you start messing with their traditions.  Their point was that it was better to be a disciple of Moses then to be a disciple of Jesus.

Eventually the man reached the end of his patience and he told the Pharisees exactly what he was thinking.  He showed a lot of insight in his remarks.

“Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
John 9:32-33

What a simple statement of this deep truth.  He made the point that he had heard of people who lost their sight and then regained it back again.  But a man who was born blind – his eyes have never worked – healing them was unheard of.

His statement raised a question that should resound through the ages.  Jesus and His disciples are healing the sick.  We see the power of God working through them.  If being a disciple of Moses is so great, then why aren’t you healing the sick?  If I were to judge by appearances I would say that the Pharisees are the ones needing to get closer to God.

This is where we find ourselves in the church today.  We’re powerless, yet complaining about and maligning those who do walk in a degree of the Spirit.  If they’re changing lives, seeing people healed and delivered from sin, then there are those who say that there must be something wrong.  They must be off base in their theology.  After all, my church isn’t that exciting.

What’s the truth of the matter?  God is a powerful God.  He desires to operate through His people.  He hates sickness, sin, and destructive habits that hold people in bondage.  It’s always His goal to set the captives free.  If these things are not happening in the church, then there’s something wrong on our end, not God’s.

Question: Why is it common for believers to speak against those who operate in the power of God?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2013 in Legalism, Power of God

 

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My Righteousness Doesn’t Work #powerofGod

20 Dec

TreeI have been posting about the relationship between righteousness and the power of God manifest in us.  It should be clear that our own self-righteousness is not enough.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
Romans 3:21

This verse makes it clear that it cannot be by my works.  It’s apart, separate from the law.  This means that I have to access the power of God in order to live righteously.  Anything else is trying to put the cart before the horse.  If my goal is to live righteously in order to walk in the power of God, then I have chosen a path of weakness and frustration.

And yet, so many people are trying to walk this very way.  The Bible is clear on the outcome.  So let me ask, what if I try to obtain righteousness through obedience to the law?  What if I try my hardest to live up to what I’m told is right?

I can read my Bible daily, go to church on time every week, pray every day, and tithe.  On top of that, I can make sure that I don’t lie, cheat, steal, walk in anger, gossip, or envy.  What’s wrong with trying to live up to a godly standard with my own strength?

In the Gospel of John chapter 9 we’re told of a healing that took place in Jesus’ ministry.  There was a man who was born blind.  He came to the Lord for healing.  Jesus did something very interesting.  He spit on ground, made mud, and put it in the eyes of this blind man.

He then said for the man to go and wash in a nearby pool.  The blind man obeyed the Lord and was healed.  The trouble was that this occurred on the Sabbath – the Jewish holy day when no work was supposed to be done.

According to how the Pharisees interpreted the law of Moses, healing was a form of work that could not be done on the Sabbath.  Because of this, Jesus almost started a riot because of this healing.  For some reason, the Pharisees decided to make an example of this case.

They began an investigation into every aspect of it.  They talked to the man who was blind and now can see.  Because of their exposure to the truth involved in this healing, after talking to this man they are divided.

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”  But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?”  So they were divided.
John 9:16

What was so divisive about this event?  It all centered on their understanding (or lack of understanding) of the power of God.  They had to ask themselves; where does the power to heal come from?

If the power to heal is from God, then Jesus is a man of God.  On the other side, some were saying that there are rules to how you can heal.  If you break these rules, then you’re a sinner no matter what happens.

This is where we seem to be in the body of Christ today.  Divided over how the miraculous takes place.  Is it my righteousness that sets the stage, or is there something else at work?

In my next post I will share how this investigation turned out.

Question: Why is operating in the gifts of the Spirit so controversial?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on December 20, 2013 in Legalism, Power of God

 

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The Two Kinds of Righteousness

18 Dec

BeamIn my last post I started talking about the relationship between the power of God and righteousness.  There are so many believers bound in the notion that if we can just be righteous enough, we can walk in the power of the Spirit.

They spend their lives frustrated trying to live up to the righteous rules set out by their teachers.  Many give up on ever obtaining a walk in the power of the Spirit.  Little do they know that their quest is in vain.

And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
2 Corinthians 3:11

It’s the power of the law which, like batteries, eventually fades away.  Not so the power of the Spirit.  This verse literally says that it lasts, remains, stays perpetually.  What kind of power are you looking for?  A temporary boost that fades as your strength declines?  Or do you seek a power that comes from the Spirit of the living God?

The righteous life can only come from a walk of power.  Jesus not only walked in power, but also in the righteousness of the Father.  This means it’s possible for me as well.  I just need apply the truth of Scripture to my life.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17

Righteousness is not a function of my strength or my will power.  It comes from God through His Holy Spirit.  The key is that this truth is revealed in the Gospel – the Good News.  Truly, to many believers righteousness from God is Good News.

As I’ve said before, so many live their lives constantly failing to live up to the standards set by Christ in the Word.  The Good News is that you don’t have to.  But wait a minute!  Maybe you think I’m talking about the imparted righteousness that God gives to us when we’re saved.  I’m not.

The Bible teaches about two different kinds of righteousness under the New Covenant.  First, there’s imparted righteousness.  This is the righteousness that Christ places within you when you’re saved.

This means that when God the Father looks at you, He sees you in Christ.  This gives you access to God at all times so that your sin will not keep you from approaching the throne for forgiveness, praise, worship, or any other purpose.  We need this righteousness to establish a relationship with the Lord as we grow in our faith.

There is also another kind of righteousness that the New Testament talks about.  That’s the walk of righteousness.

This is the application of the righteousness of God to our daily lives.  This means that I live correctly before God.  This one is harder to see manifest in my life.  That’s especially true if I try to accomplish it in my own power, as so many Christians endeavor to do.

I believe that in the above verse, Paul is talking about the walk of righteousness.  It’s this righteousness from God that allows us to live righteously.  We can never hope to walk rightly before God in our own strength.  It’s going to require us to walk in the ability of the Lord in order to please Him.

Question: Why is it so tempting to please God in our own strength?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2013 in Legalism, Power of God

 

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Righteousness and the Power of God #powerofGod

16 Dec

PowerWe know that the manifestation of God’s power in our lives is directly linked to relationship.  But this brings up a very important question.  What’s the relationship between righteousness and the power of God?

I grew up always feeling unable to walk in the power of the Spirit, because I was never good enough.  We’ll now look at what the Bible says about the relationship between the power of God and righteousness.

The fact is that no Biblical principle exists in a bubble, even though we like to teach them that way sometimes.  Righteousness, mercy, love, and power all relate to each other.  Right now we need to see how power and righteousness relate.

Just to make sure we have the same understanding, I define righteousness as being right in God’s eyes.  It’s when God looks at you and says that you’re living correct according to His standards.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

This is an incredible claim, when you think about it.  Ever-increasing glory.  This sounds powerful to me.  Remember that the definition of power is the ability to produce change.

Think about the amount of power required for this verse to be fulfilled.  We’re being transformed into the likeness of the Lord from our imperfect state.  This is the place Paul is bringing us to in Corinthians, chapter 3.  Listen to how Paul describes this change of living in the verses prior to this.

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6

It’s obvious that he’s talking about the difference between the power of the law and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Life in the New Covenant isn’t based on the power of the law, but on the Spirit.  If we try to use the law, then death will be at work in us.  But it’s the next verse that’s even more revealing to us.

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
2 Corinthians 3:9

Did you catch what Paul said here?  He said that this ministry – the ministry based in the power of the Spirit – brings righteousness.  It is not the other way around as many people teach.  Some would have us believe that if you live a righteous life, you’ll receive the manifestation of the power of God.

This verse shows us the fallacy in that kind of thinking.  It’s just the opposite.  You need the power of God in order to live righteously. In actuality, righteousness is only obtained through God’s power.

Question: Why does living righteously require God’s power in you?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2013 in Power of God

 

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Revival – Overcoming Evil with Good #prayforrevival

01 Nov

WaveI’ve been talking about the connection between revival, repentance, and forgiveness.  I believe that’s what’s necessary to usher in a revival in our nation.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

Is this verse true?  Can evil be overcome with good?  The answer is a resounding YES!  The principles of forgiveness bring victory over evil.  Look at the example of Scripture.

In the early church of Jerusalem thousands of people a month were being saved.  Jesus was being preached.  Also during this time the apostles were arrested and brought before the religious leaders for questioning.

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:18

This was the outcome of their meeting.  Does it sound familiar to you?  It should.  This is the attitude of society in the United States today.  They tell us that we can do whatever we want – just don’t mention Jesus.

What was the response of the church in Jerusalem to this kind of attitude?  Did they go out and preach some more?  Hold a Jesus concert?  Put a referendum on the ballot?  Absolutely not.

They called a prayer meeting.  This is what they brought before the Lord at that time.

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:29-30

Considering that they were told not to use the name of Jesus, here’s their request.  First, they asked for boldness.  Then they asked for healings, miraculous signs and wonders.  But the important point was that they wanted them accomplished in the name of Jesus.

They didn’t just want to preach in His name, they wanted the world to see the power of the name of Jesus.  This is the forgiveness principle at work – it’s the power to arrest and destroy sin.  It’s all done by the power of the Spirit.

That brings me back to the verse I first started with at the beginning of this series.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

Do we want our land healed?  Then sin must be forgiven – removed – arrested and destroyed.  The only way this will happen is for the church to get on our knees.  There needs to be intercession made for our nation.

Not praying for a better president or leaders.  Not praying for new laws.  We must cry out God to give us the boldness to speak His Word.  We must intercede for the Lord to send miracles, healings, signs and wonders.  All of this so that the name of Jesus can break sin.

After all, it’s so much easier to win the lost if the battle is won first in the heavens.

Questions: Why is it so hard to get people to intercede for our nation?  Are you willing to pay the price for revival?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on November 1, 2013 in Power of God, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Warfare, The Church

 

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Society, Revival, and Forgiveness

30 Oct

JailI’ve been posting about the link between forgiveness and revival.  I think that it’s clear from Scripture that the spiritual battle is not only fought on the ground.  There’s a higher aspect to it.

In my last post, I talked about Daniel’s prayer while in Babylon.  As he was praying and interceding on earth, the angels were warring in the sky.  If we want a breakthrough in our nation, then there must be a spiritual battle.

As in any war, it requires strategy.  It’s not just about politics.  It’s not even about me sharing the Gospel with someone.  We’re in a spiritual war.

Another lesson that we need to learn is that it’s not just up to individuals.  In an army, soldiers don’t just wake up and say, “I’m going to go out and fight today.”

“I’m going to do warfare today.”

That doesn’t work in the natural, so why do we think that it has a lasting effect in the spiritual?

Understanding forgiveness will give us a view of the whole war.  We are so intent on our individual fight.  When that happens, we get self-absorbed and that’s the exact opposite of being humble.

In warfare it’s imperative that I know what the enemy’s objective is in attacking us.  What’s our objective in the spiritual war, as the body of Christ?

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 20:21

Jesus said this to His disciples after the resurrection.  “In the same way that the Father sent me…”  Jesus’ objective was to destroy the works of the evil one.  How can we do that?  There’s only one way – the same as He did.

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:22-23

The victory comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Then, there needs to be forgiveness – the picking up and removal of sin.  Sin is that which misses the mark.  We are to heal society by forgiveness principles.  The principles of sin removal.

In actuality, the word, forgive, is not in second half of the above verse.  The word used is seize, take hold, dominate, or arrest.

When we deal with society, sin and people in sin, there are two objectives.  The first is to remove sin.  This means getting someone saved and/or healed.  It might even be getting a godly law passed.

The other objective, if people refuse the Good News, is to arrest sin.  We can take dominion over it in the Name of Christ.

“This far and no further.”

Then, we can push it back in the spirit.  In my next post I’ll wrap up this subject showing what I believe is God’s way to overcome evil and bring about revival in our nation.

Question: What are the evils that need to be arrested and pushed back in our nation?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on October 30, 2013 in Power of God, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Power is Agreement with Christ #powerofGod

06 Sep

LightningMy last post talked about positioning yourself to flow in God’s power.  It all comes down to the truth that agreement with Christ is the place of power.  Do we always agree with Him?  Or do we make excuses?

“You can’t know God’s will for certain.”  “He may not want to heal.”  After all it can’t be our fault.  We feel there’s nothing wrong on our end so it must be God’s decision not to manifest His power.

In some cases we’re more like the Pharisees than we want to admit.  Jesus explained their problem to them.  I believe that it’s our problem as well.  We need to hear the Lord, and meditate on His words.

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:39-40

Many believers spend a great deal of time pursuing the study of Scripture.  There are radio and cable channels devoted to the study of the Word of God 24/7.

Just like Jesus said to the Pharisees, many of us think that by them we possess life and power.  We believe that if we just know the Word enough, it will increase our faith to the point where nothing will be impossible for us.

The Scripture is given to testify about Christ.  It was NOT given to grant us access to power or life.  Jesus Christ is the grand focus of the Word.  It’s IN HIM that we have power and life.

Our problem is that we refuse to go to Christ to have access to power and life.  Jesus said, “I have come that you would have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)  Power rests solely in Christ.  If we don’t abide in Christ, then we don’t have access to the power.

The very Scriptures that we recite, confess, and memorize are telling us who Christ is and what He’s done.  This should cause us to run to Him.  Instead, we embrace the Word and think that it will give us power.  It’s so much easier to live for ourselves and quote promises, then to abide in Christ.  That requires spiritual effort, and we like to look for the shortcuts.

This is the instant generation.  We want everything now without any waiting.  By constantly using our credit cards we will give away our future for a momentary pleasure.  We have to have everything now.

Well, this is something that’s impossible to get instantly.  It requires the work of an intimate relationship with God.  Power flows from Christ to us if we’ll do what it takes to position ourselves to receive it.  It’s time for the church to wake up and view relationship with Christ as the priority of the hour.

Question: Are you willing to wait in God’s presence rather than seek for instant success?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on September 6, 2013 in Power of God, Revival, The Church

 

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Are You Positioned to Receive Spiritual Power? #powerofthespirit

04 Sep

PlugI’ve been posting about how Christ walked and ministered in the power of God.  It’s all about how He positioned Himself to receive it.

A good example of this is found in a parable that the Lord told to His disciples.  We usually call it the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector.  They were both in the temple praying next to each other.  The Lord lets us in on what they were saying.

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Luke 18:11-12

We read this, but we don’t take it to heart.  We know how it ends and who the Lord commends.  But do we really listen to the prayer of the Pharisee.  If we look closely at it, it sounds like a prayer that a modern Christian would offer up, filled with good confessions.

“I thank you that I’m the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. I thank you that because I tithe you will rebuke the devourer and open the windows of heaven so that I cannot contain your blessing.”

His prayer was filled with good confessions and it was all true.  He was different than the tax-collector.  He did fast and tithe.  The problem was that he had no power.

But the tax collector stood at a distance.  He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Luke 18:13

Which prayer produced life changing power?  Christ was clear about it.

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:14

It’s obvious, from the Lord’s perspective, that the person who dealt with relationship tapped into God’s power.  The Pharisee was focused on self.  The tax-collector was dealing with that which separated him from God.

Is the power of God about what I’ve done or what the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish in and through me?  When I go before God, my telling Him what I’ve done doesn’t impress Him.  It will never move Him to work through me.

It’s only as I work on my relationship with Christ that I’ll see the changes necessary.  If you want to flow in the power of God, then your relationship with Him is the positioning agent.  It’s not about what you’ve done, but what He is able to do in you.

Questions: How well are you positioned for the move of the Holy Spirit?  What do you need to do to make it better?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on September 4, 2013 in Ministry, Power of God, Prayer, Revival

 

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Who’s in Control Here? #submittedtoChrist

02 Sep

RemotesIn my last post I talked about how Christ ministered on a different level than the Pharisees.  The power of God flowed out of Him without His control.  In the case of the woman with the issue of blood, it was even without the Lord’s knowledge.

Now that’s a definite problem for us in modern day Christianity.  We want control.  We want to be able to turn it on and off.  We want people to know who the power came from.

It seems to me that God wants us to be a hose, and we want to be a faucet.  This brings my mind back to a post I wrote months ago.  It was about II Timothy 3:5.

This was the verse in which Paul warned us that in the last days there would be those who had a form of godliness but denied the power.  If you remember, the Greek word for deny was a-rheo – not flowing.

So many people want to control instead of flow.  We cannot have that kind of attitude and be greatly used by God.  We must see ourselves as a channel of the Lord’s power, and not a container.

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases…
Luke 9:1

This is the next logical step in this line of thinking.  Because the power of God flows, it can be given and received.  Jesus was able to give the disciples power because it flowed through Him.  This is good news for us also, because we have the same Holy Spirit living in us that Jesus had within Him.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8

What a great verse!  Power is given by the Holy Spirit and we can receive it.  This seems a little too simple for our liking.  We try to make it so complicated.  So we have come up with all kinds of laws, disciplines, steps, and rituals that we say are necessary in order to walk in this power.

We have placed tithing, confession, and a whole host of other requirements in people’s path.  But the truth of the matter is that I must abide in Christ.  Then the power will flow through the Holy Spirit to me if I’m in a position to receive it.  It’s actually all about positioning ourselves correctly.  That’s what a majority of my blog is about.

I’m trying to get the church to reposition itself for revival.  That’s where we need to be.  In a position to receive the power of the Holy Spirit the same way that Christ did.  Then, the world will see the difference and be drawn to the Lord.  After all, it’s all about Him, not us.

Question: How would our church look different if we ministered like Jesus?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on September 2, 2013 in Ministry, Power of God, Revival

 

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