It is all about love!! May our Father’s HOLY Spirit bring more love!!! How powerful is that?
“The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love. If it does not bring more love, it is simply a counterfeit.”
—– William J. Seymour (quoted in “Apostolic Faith”)
Jesus challenges us to mean what we say. Religious jargon and trite sayings are useless. It is the power of the risen Lord and Savior that means something. Jesus challenges us to understand what action God wants us to take not say some religious saying. The action Jesus took was always specific. He healed the blind but never exactly the same way.
May I live the life Jesus wants me to every day. May my life speak his power.
“Don’t say ‘God be with you,’ and not mean it.” ~~Jesus
I don’t have to be timid or shy. Fear can’t grip my heart. He has given me His HOLY Spirit. The Spirit gives me power that I have never known. I can be bold.
I have His love drenching my heart and soul. With His sensible care I persevere. His love is a gift to me.
The discipline He brings into my life makes a difference. I can focus on His daily direction. I can move according to His long range goals for me. That direction and focus drives out all fear.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
Here is a really amazing thing about our heavenly Father. He spoke to us directly through His Son Jesus. Just reading what He said blows me away some days. He still does it today. Through His HOLY Spirit, the words come alive.
And, it was through Jesus that God created the whole world in the beginning. And because of what Jesus did, the world and all that is in it, will belong to Jesus at the end. He truly is the beginning and the end.
So … this is stunning as well. Jesus perfectly mirrors our heavenly Father. He is stamped with God’s complete nature. He is so powerful that He holds everything in the entire universe together by what He says. How powerful is that?
Oh my goodness. Jesus has everything. It is a great gift from His Father. All authority, power, love. Everything!! Nothing is lacking in Him. Their relationship is like none other. Only that kind of love can produce a world for us that is different than what we know today.
Jesus has it all. Nothing is impossible or lacking. May I know it and live that way.
“I’ve been given it all by my Father! Only the Father knows who the Son is and only the Son knows who the Father is.” ~~Jesus (Luke 10:22)
Jesus is wired with the power of God. God’s energy flows through Jesus continuously. So much so, when a sick woman touches His robe, the energy flows out. What happens? She is healed instantly.Jesus senses this has happened. He knows it is an act of faith.
We have the same Holy Spirit in us. Are we in tune with His power, His energy?
May it be so.
At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” (Mark 5:30 MSG)
Sometimes we think of God as we think of ourselves. Big mistake. He is God but His emotions aren’t like ours are. He is more powerful than we can imagine. He can do anything He wants to. His power, however, is a VERY patient power.
If we think because He is patient, we can “get away with things”, we better think again. His patience is shown to us so we will change our minds about missing His goal for our lives and accept Jesus as the answer.
But God doesn’t lose his temper. He’s powerful, but it’s a patient power. Still, no one gets by with anything. ~~Nahum 1:3
Jesus told them they had to wait. He didn’t have to. He could have given them the Spirit of God right then and there. But He wanted them to wait. And so they did. And they received the Spirit of God and the power that goes with Him.
He didn’t leave them hanging though. He promised the Spirit would come soon. And He did.
We live in a world where we want everything, and I mean everything, now. We don’t like to wait. Patience is not seen as a virtue.
Here is a clue. God is in control. In His government, He isn’t in a hurry. Sometimes he wants us to wait. Our job is to obey.
As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.” Acts 1:1-5
I can’t say, as Paul did, that I have learned to be completely content and happy. But I am learning and I want to mature in this area. The secret is to live in His strength and power. When I seek His desire, I have confidence that He will strenghten me. That is happening. When I wander off on my own, oh boy, I can never be glad in God and happy.
The other area that helps me be happy is knowing who I am in Him. I am fully redeemed and His child. Knowing that strengthens me. Whoo Hoo!!!
I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am …. I have learned the secret of …. both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13
There is a time to think long and hard. That of course would be about what God has created. Just think about it. Think about it long and hard. It is amazing. The raw power of it all. Imagine, then think, about what it took to create all that we enjoy and take for granted everyday. Come on, think about it. NOW, think about it some more.
And, how mysterious is it that God could do all of this. We can’t imagine it. It is beyond us. And, that God, lives in side of us. He can do anything in His Country. He is the President of it all.
By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. Romans 1
This is both prophecy about Jesus and also a message to us as God’s children. Our God is a living, today kind of God. What is His message to us today. See today like you would your birthday. Today is a day of celebration. What gift do we want from our Heavenly Dad? He will give us anything. Nations? Continents? Dancing in the street?
I also think this is in the physical as well as spiritual world. He has promised it is all ours. Supernatural courage and His powerful Spirit make it so.
Let me tell you what God said next. He said, “You’re my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a
prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.” Psalms 2:7-9
May I seek and ask for His power today. What gift do I want from my Heavenly Dad? May I live like today is my birthday in Him.
“We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.”
—–Reuben Archer Torrey
“‘For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.’
1 Cor. 4:20 NKJV
“It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus.
The lack of miracles isn’t because it is not in God’s will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation, a renewing of the mind, is needed, and it’s only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.
Stories of the impossible are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom, is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor. We will no longer make up excuses for powerlessness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God.”
Excerpts from When Heaven Invades Earth chapter 1
by Bill Johnson
How do we get things done in God’s world? What makes the difference? Does it happen if we are just strong and force our way through life?
Not in God’s world. It happens by His spirit. The victory belongs to Him no matter how much we plan and get ready. That is the lesson of Jesus. He just did what He saw His Father doing. Sometimes I get confused thinking I should be able to do it all by myself and then get the credit.
May I know in the depths of my heart that it is God who is the source of accomplishments.
He said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6
The Religious leaders of Jesus day were always trying to trip him up with trivial religious questions. You would have thought they would have known better or at least learned not to try because it always backfired on them.
Jesus answers are important for us though. We live in a religious culture and easily fall into the same traps. The trap is thinking we know God because we are religious, go to church, pray before meals, etc.
Two things are essential to not falling into error. The first is really knowing the scripture. Having God’s word in our hearts. The second is having the power of God in our life.
So …. after answering a number of their questions, “no one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” ~~Jesus (Matthew 22:29)
Should I pray for an easier life OR
to continue becoming a stronger man?
I will pray for powers equal to my tasks.
I am amazed that power does come to me that exceed the challenges of my life.
I could have sought tasks equal to my powers but . . .
that is not the path of strength.
that is not the path of courage.
that is not the path of hope.
Much better to pray for powers equal to my tasks.
I am amazed at the beauty of my world . . .
at the richness of my life
at the love I know daily.
I am overwhelmed with the friends who care for me . . .
who appreciate me
who challenge me
who accept me.
I am thankful for my family . . .
who knows me and loves me.
cares for and appreciates me.
Everyday I do wonder at myself and
the richness of my life that has come to me
by the grace of God!
How often do I keep quiet when I should say what I believe? If we believe in a God so powerful that He raised Jesus from the dead, what should we say in any given circumstance? Really, what should we say about our belief?
Well, if we believe that nothing is impossible with God we can’t be quiet. We have to say the truth no matter how “bad” things look. God is God. He wants to deliver. We must have faith and believe. If we do, he will.
We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! 2 Corinthians 4:13-15
A river like you!! Oh my heavenly Father. Your love runs so deep and true in my life. A waterfall falling in two. A river like you. Amazing and so powerful. So deep. Running through my soul.
What I give to drink from your living water. A river like you!! Your love runs so deep and true. I have been searching. Now I have found you and we are best friends. Your love runs to me. I see your reflection. I am still. Peaceful in your presence.Our Father is magnificent. There are no boundaries to His greatness. I stand in awe of His great power. He has so much energy and the desire to give me a life filled with every good thing. His absolute perfection is almost incomprehensible.
May His love smother us all today!!
Imagine being so full of God that there is no longer any room for anything else. Imagine all of His love and having all of that within my heart. Imagine all of His power, His Spirit and what He can do bubbling out because I am so full of Him.
I can experience this if I am grounded in love. It is all about loving Him with everything I have. Every thought captured to love Him totally. My heart soaked in His love and my love for Him. That love will lead me to His power.
This is the kind of love that is hard for me grasp with what I know in the culture I live in now. But in God’s culture, it is the norm. It sets me apart and makes me His.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19
The power of God comes like a mighty locomotive. The rails it travels on are our prayers.
May my prayers unleash His mighty power.
“Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.”
—–Watchman Nee
Your touch has still its ancient power,
No word from You can fruitless fall;
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
And in Your mercy heal us all.—– “At Even, Ere The Sun Was Set”,
by Henry Twells
Jesus didn’t cause the storm to arise. The storm wasn’t His doing at all. He didn’t “weather” the storm although he was sleeping and not concerned or afraid one bit. He 
did tell it to stop and it did. Completely. It became perfectly calm. No wind. No waves. Just calm.
They were amazed because He is amazing. He did what He saw His Father doing. That is all.
May I see things as He does. May I do what I see Him doing.
He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it ecame perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:26-27
Tapping into God’s desire at any given moment opens us up completely to His power. His rule here, just like it is in heaven, is the big thing.
“If you are strangers to prayer you are strangers to power.”
—- Billy Sunday
Jesus promises that I will do even greater things than He did.
So … how is this possible? Well, I must follow the way He did it. He emptied Himself. He only 
did what He saw His Father doing. His power wasn’t in who He was. His power is in who His Father is.
So the age old question; “Half empty or half full?” is actually a false question. The answer is: completely empty. That is the answer to the question not asked. I must be filled with His HOLY Spirit.
That is what I must do. What is my Father doing? That is what I should do. His will be done. Here in my house as it is in heaven.
I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19
You give me power and might. O God, you are so amazing, so awesome. You are terribly beautiful. It just streams forth from your presence. You are such a strong and powerful God.
And you give me your power. You don’t keep it to yourself. You could, but you don’t. How amazing is that. You are with us. Nothing is impossible for you.
May I praise you at every turn.
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God! Psalm 68:35
