1 Corinthians 4:20
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Paul’s words to us are very clear. When it comes to power in the kingdom of God, we better do more than just talk. The problem is that most of what is called power in the kingdom today is just that – talk. The first step toward walking in the power of God is to understand what true power is all about.
Let’s start by looking at things from a natural perspective. When we talk about “power” it is usually in the context of electrical power. We use phrases like power lines, power plant, and power outages. We think of electricity as being a form of power. This can help us to understand spiritual power.
Very simply put, the definition of power is the same whether you’re talking about electricity coming into your house, or the power of God to heal the sick. The International Edition of the Webster Comprehensive Dictionary defines it in the following way:
“Power is the ability to act. It is the property of a thing that is manifested in effort or action, by virtue of which that thing produces change.”
Let me boil it down for you. True power is the ability to produce change. That’s the key word. It takes power to transform water at room temperature into hot water for a cup of tea. It takes power to get a one-ton car to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It takes power to transform a body from sickness to health. It takes power to change a liar into a saint. It take power to replace guilt with innocence.
If we understand this correctly, then the verse above should bring new understanding. It’s our assignment in the Kingdom of God to produce change. It’s not about how well you can speak about it. Change is the priority. Is the church producing change?
You have to remember that this passage was written when Christians were the people who were “turning the world upside down”. In light of this, how powerful is the kingdom of God today? In order to answer that we must ask, how much change is being produced in the church today? The unfortunate answer is – not much. In most churches around the country not many are being healed, set free from sins, or seeing great growth in their spiritual lives. It seems that we have become masters of talking as if there’s power in our lives.
We say things like, “That was a powerful message.” Or, “We had a powerful service last night.” I have also heard, “She has a powerful anointing to sing.” Speaking of singing, one of the biggest areas in which we fall short is in our songs. We come to church on Sunday mornings and sing a host of songs about the power of God. Then we sit back and think that because we just sang about it, somehow that means we are walking in it. What I have found in actuality is that most of our “power” is usually just words.
If no one leaves the service changed, then there was no power manifested in the service. There are plenty of unsaved actors and singers that can evoke an incredible emotional response from their audience, but that’s not power. People weeping during the service is no indication of any power. We have learned to cover over our powerlessness by calling emotionalism power. The bottom line is – no matter how many people wept, no matter how many chills ran down your spine, no matter how many people were slain in the spirit – if no one was changed, then there was no power.
Do you want to walk in the true power of God? Then you need to stop talking about it, and admit your lack – if that is the case. We need a true, Biblical knowledge of what it is and how to use it. We need to seek God for a touch from His hand. That’s where true change – true power – originates from.
Tags: ability, Bible, Christian, church, devotion, electricity, emotions, encouragement, faith, glory, God's faithfulness, God's power, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, overcoming, power, powerful, producing change, strength, talk, victory
Joshua 14:10-12
“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
You would think some young soldier spoke these words. The hill country of Israel is rough terrain. It was especially tough because they had to battle fierce giants for the possession of it. But Caleb, the man who spoke up, was 85 years old. That’s not the perception we usually have of “Senior Citizens.”
I am glad that there is no age limit in the Kingdom of God. We need to see that we will not be put out to pasture when we reach a certain age. God can and does use anyone who is willing – no matter their age, background, or weaknesses.
This is a great principle to lay hold of. It does give us some responsibilities, however. Knowing that we are useful to God throughout our entire lives, we must harden our faith now. We must be prepared so that when we reach our elder years, we will continue on spiritually stronger than when we started.
Take the time this day to establish the path of your life in the direction God has for you. Commit your future to the Lord and purpose in your heart to finish the race strong. If you’re already an elder in the body of Christ, don’t look at yourself as a has been. The type of work that you do for the Lord may change, but you are still a vital part of the Kingdom of God.
Tags: age limit, Bible, calling, Christian, church, devotion, disciple, elder, elderly, encouragement, faith, faithful, God's faithfulness, God's will, later years, mountain, overcoming, prepare, senior citizen, strength, useful
Revelation 7:17
“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This is one of the most interesting Scriptures. The Lamb who is also a Shepherd. What a great illustration of the Christ who took on our weaknesses. He is worthy to lead us, since He has walked where we live.
Christ is our perfect Shepherd. He knows the paths of our lives. He understands the best route to take. He knows when our soul needs rest, refreshment, and nourishment. We must learn to trust Him daily for our every need. We must trust His plan for our lives if we want fulfillment.
I want my life to count for something. Only under the guidance of the “Good Shepherd” will that come to pass.
If I follow the Lord’s plan for my life, then He will lead me to the right places along the way. Yes, sometimes the road will be difficult. But He also knows the rest stops as well. He will bring us to places of refreshment and restoration that we need if we are to make it to the end.
I must learn to trust in His plan for my life. He knows the way a lot better than I do. Once I can acknowledge that, life gets so much more fulfilling.
Whether you have in the past or not – place your life at Jesus’ feet today. Let Him work it out to His glory. Put your expectation in Him to bring you to your destiny.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, fellowship, God's faithfulness, good shepherd, guidance, Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, path, presence of the lord, protection, trust
Ezekiel 1:1
In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
I find that there is something about being by a river that refreshes you. The noise of the rushing water has a soothing effect on the senses. Many people use the sound of water as a background noise in their homes. It seems to have the ability to calm everything down.
At this time in Ezekiel’s life, he was in the wilderness by the Kebar River. He was there as an exile from his own country. Yet, he was able to focus in on God. It says clearly that as he was by that river, he saw visions of God.
No matter what you are going through, you need to find a place that is conducive to meeting with God. You should learn the places and conditions that calm your soul. These are the places that will really benefit your time in God’s presence.
The Lord can take a quiet, undistracted heart and renew vision, impart faith, and give direction. You may never see the heavens open up like Ezekiel did, but all it will take is one word from God to turn your whole world around.
Spend some time in His presence today quietly listening to hear His voice. Be open to the soft, gentle leading of His Spirit. Allow yourself to be renewed and refreshed in His presence.
Tags: Bible, calm, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, Ezekiel, faith, fellowship, focus, God's faithfulness, God's word, Holy Spirit, holy worship, presence of the lord, refresh, renew, river, vision
2 Peter 1:17-18
For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
Peter is remembering back to a time when he and two other apostles received a special revelation up on a mountaintop. Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes, taking on the glory that was His from eternity past. He became robed in the majesty that was His before the foundations of the world were established. Peter calls that place the “sacred mountain.”
Where are your sacred mountains? Where are those special places where God’s Word to you changed your life? With me, I remember kneeling next to a bed at a Christian summer camp. There was also a time where God spoke to me about entering full-time ministry. There have been many such times that I can look back on.
The problem I have is that my memory is so short. It is easy for me to forget these deep encounters with God. Unless I record them, I will eventually lose the impact of my meetings with Him. I need to take the time to record these life-changing moments in my journal.
In yesterday’s post I talked about the need to record things. It is especially true when we have life changing encounters with God. These are times that must be kept for our future. To remind us of what we heard. So that when the trials and challenges come, we will remember why we are taking this road. It keeps us on track, spiritually speaking.
It is important that we find a way to remember these special times. Make sure you keep a journal and record your encounters with the Lord. Years later you will be grateful that you did.
Tags: Bible, changed life, Christ, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, glory, God's faithfulness, God's word, Jesus Christ, journal, journaling, mountain, mountaintop, presence of the lord, remember, revelation, testimony, transfiguration
Luke 24:1-2
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
I just noticed this gem in the Scripture for the first time. I was reading my Bible this morning and the words seemed to jump out at me. The women who had followed Jesus’ ministry were very faithful to Him. They worked to support the ministry while He was alive.
When Jesus went to the cross, they were devastated. But, they continued to serve Him the best that they could. This verse says that they prepared spices for His body. Because Jesus’ crucifixion took place so close to the Passover, they were not able to go through the normal embalming process when He was placed in the tomb. It was only after the feast was over that they could proceed with it.
This was quite a bit of work on the part of these women. It involved grinding the spices to a fine powder. Then they had to crush a resin in a mortar and pestle. Only after this was done and the spices mixed, could they go to the tomb.
The problem was – all that work was for nothing. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead! Embalming spices were not necessary. The Holy Spirit started to speak to me about our walk with God.
How often do we give up on something – a plan, dream, or ministry – because it doesn’t seem to be working. We just want to put it out of its misery. So we go through all the work of preparing for its demise. Then, to our surprise, God supernaturally brings life to it again.
We need to remember that we serve a God who can raise the dead. Never give up on a God-given dream. It may go through a “death cycle.” But, God is not bound to how things appear on the surface. Don’t waste your time preparing for defeat, when the Lord’s plan is for your victory. Let Him have the final say in your situation.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, cross, defeat, devotion, encouragement, faith, giving up, glory, God's faithfulness, God's will, Jesus Christ, overcoming, preparation, prepare, problems, restoration, resurrection, strength, victory
Luke 8:13
“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Roots and rocks are not a good combination, especially if you are a plant. One of the places that has very rocky soil is the state of Maine. One day, as I was hiking in Maine, I came across a strange sight. It took me a while to figure out what I was seeing.
I was hiking down a mountain on a series of switchbacks that went back and forth across the slope. The ground, which up to that point had been a normal brown color, suddenly had a ten foot wide streak of dark chocolate dirt across the trail.
When my foot hit this new dirt, I began to slide, uncontrollably, downhill. When I was finally able to stop myself, I began to look for the cause of this. What I realized was that a huge tree, that had grown in the dirt on top of a rock, had literally slid down the side of the mountain in a rainstorm the night before. Its roots had not held because they could not get very deep.
I took this as a spiritual lesson to me. If you have no root system, you may grow up for a while. Eventually, however, you will now be able to hang on in the storms of life. To be secure you must be firmly grounded in Christ.
Take the time today to add depth to your root system. Spend time in the presence of the Lord building your relationship with Him. Let Him speak to your heart as you wait upon Him. With the strength you gain from your times with the Lord, you need never fear the road ahead.
Tags: Bible, Christian, depth, devotion, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, hang on, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Maine, mountain, overcoming, path, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, rock, rocky soil, rooted, roots, strength, testing
Psalm 42:8
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.
This is a beautiful picture of the love of God. What does it mean that He directs it? In Hebrew, that word direct is a military term. It means to command. Just like what a general gives to a soldier. God commands His love to reach out to us.
Think about that. His love is under direct orders to show up in our lives. Whether we know it or not, He loves us.
But there is something even more incredible about it. The Scripture say that it is by day that He commands his love. There is something that I have heard many parents say.
“My children are wonderful, especially when they’re asleep!”
I remember when my children were little. It was so easy to feel a warmth and love for them when I watched them asleep in bed. All of the messes, conflicts, and misbehaviors seemed to melt away in those moments.
In that sense it would be easy for God to love us at night, while we are sleeping. But that is not the case. He commands His love by day, when we are awake. While we are up and doing whatever we are doing is when He commands His love to us.
This is a very comforting thought – that God loves us wherever we are and whatever we are doing. It is all based upon His love and not my performance. He commanded His love toward us while we were still His enemies.
Let this truth motivate you to press in to the Presence of the Lord. Spend some quality time with the One who truly wants to be with you. Let His love flow through you and out to a world that is in desperate need of knowing it.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, fellowship, God's faithfulness, God's love, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, love, prayer, presence of the lord, sleeping, unconditional
Luke 24:1-8
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:’The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'”
Then they remembered his words.
Today is the greatest reason on earth to celebrate.
Let the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart, soul, and spirit with the joy that can only come from a life that has been transformed by the power of the resurrection.
Tags: Bible, celebrate, Christ, Christian, devotion, Easter, empty tomb, encouragement, faith, fellowship, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, overcoming, power, praise, resurrection, risen, testimony, victory
Matthew 26:45-46
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
I always stand in awe of how determined Christ was to accomplish the work He was called to do. After His time in the presence of the Father we see no hesitancy or fear. He has set His face toward the path ahead.
I realize that, unlike us, He had no sin nature. However, it is clear that He keenly felt the sting of His mortality. I believe that He also understood clearly the pain that He would have to endure. It was these realizations that brought Him to His knees in the garden.
What I really need to grab hold of is the understanding that it is only in the presence of God that I can receive the strength and determination that it takes to move forward in my life. All of my will power and good intentions will never bring me to my destiny in the Lord. I need help from beyond myself.
Seeking intimacy with the Lord is time well spent. Use this peaceful moment that you have been given to get into that place of safety in God. In that way – just like Jesus – you may leave your time in the wilderness physically drained, but you will be spiritually strong.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christ, Christian, destiny, devotion, encouragement, endurance, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, intimacy, Jesus Christ, mortality, path, prepare, presence of the lord, strength
The Spirit and the Word 