I Have Got The Power (Part 4)

Friends, greetings in Jesus Name! Today we shall continue on the series we began some weeks ago titled, “I Have Got The Power”. Really, I thought we will finish the series today, but from the look of things, we may have to extend it one more time. So, by God’s grace, we shall round off by next week. Now, we are still examining the ingredients we need to effectively maintain a lifestyle of exercising power and authority in Christ Jesus. So far, we’ve looked at consecration, knowing the power of God in you, and believing in the power of God in you. Today, we shall continue by looking at the fourth ingredient, and which is: Walking in obedience to God’s word. What is obedience? According to the dictionary definition, obedience simply means compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority. Therefore, obedience to God is submitting to God’s authority over our lives, by simply obeying His commands, and living a life that is pleasing in His sight. Really, obedience to God attracts huge blessings to our lives; and same goes for disobedience, which attracts curses and limitations to one’s life. The bible declares in Isaiah 1:19-20, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

This is where the ten spies sent by Moses missed it when they were commanded to go search out the land that the Lord promised to give the children of Israel. They failed to understand that obedience to God’s command is accompanied by His power. They looked down on themselves as grasshoppers, when God has elevated them as giant killers. You see, God cannot give you a task or assignment, without corresponding power – ability and strength – to execute it. Therefore, each time you obey God’s command to carry out any given task or assignment, His power is released upon your life for executing and accomplishing the given task. The very moment Moses bought into the idea of being the deliverer as the Lord had assigned him, he became a powerful force in God’s hand in dealing mercilessly against the Egyptians. Now, you can see that obedience and power work hand in hand. The fifth ingredient we also need to exercise God’s power in our lives is, operating by the Spirit. The Spirit of God is Holy Spirit in action. You can witness this right from the beginning at creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3).

Remember, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor.3:17). And your liberty or freedom from the shackles of darkness can only be felt when you exercise your power by the Spirit. The book of Acts 1:8 says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Really, you cannot claim to have the Holy Spirit in your life, and not operate in His power. Having been led by the spirit into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the devil, the bible declares in Luke 4:14-15 that, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” You see, our Christianity is in doubt if the Holy Spirit we carry is not making a difference in the lives of others. “For we are light of the world, a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14). Our light shine when we display God’s power to the powerless. The sixth ingredient you we need to exercise God’s power and authority in our lives is: Growing and maturing spiritually. Speaking about John the Baptist, the bible declares in Luke 1:80 saying, “So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

Also speaking about Jesus, Luke 2:40 declares, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” From these two scenarios, you can see the correlation between spiritual growth and waxing strong in the power of God. As both John and Jesus grew and mature in the things of God, they became strong – powerful – and mighty. Galatians 4:1-2 says, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” Really, God cannot entrust His power upon us, if we refuse to grow and remain immature. Why? If He does, that very power may injure us as we lack the capacity or maturity to handle it. Unfortunately, we have today many grown up believers in the physical, but dwarfs in the spirit. They are still on diapers and pacifier, not matured to eat strong meat – but still on feeding bottle – drinking milk. I think this is where we will stop for today. Next week, we will dwell extensively on the last ingredient that we need, and which is keying into the great commission by spreading the gospel. Till then, exercise your God-given power and authority in your domain of influence, as you go about your business this week. You’re Blessed. With love, Elvis!