Power: March 8, 2010

March 8. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010

POWER

DEFINITION:

The capability to do, act, or accomplish something; the control or command over others; a Deity; physical and mental strength; influence; might; influential.

SCRIPTURE:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the world.” Acts 1:8.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The machines and mechanized devices we use today in our daily lives make life so much easier for us. All of these devices have something in common. They need a power source. They come equipped with a fuel tank, an electrical plug or a solar cell. And these devices are useless unless they have power. A Vacuum cleaner needs to be plugged into an electrical out-let and an airplane cannot fly without fuel.

People today are searching for a power source for their lives. Some look to money and others look to education or a political office. These sources of power are acquired by our own methods. Political leaders want power to control their governing policies. Parents want power to control their children. But this kind of power, when a person relies on himself, is doomed to failure over time.

God is all powerful and has provided a power source for us that is greater than all other sources because it comes directly from Him. Jesus tells us in the above scripture that the Holy Spirit is that source for our power. It is important for all believers to remember that for power in our lives we need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples shortly before His ascension into heaven when He was commissioning them to be His witnesses. He knew that the disciples could not do this in their own power so He tells them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.

This power is freely given to us today but we must be willing to plug into the source. Unfortunately most people face life with all its issues and problems relying on their own abilities. When we have the Holy Spirit within us we have strength and a power that a non-believer does not understand and we do not have to face our day to day issues, both negative and positive, alone and in our own strength.

The apostle Paul fully understood the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. Paul wrote to his churches giving them and us much information concerning the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5 he tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome our sinful desires and the evils we face every day. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that we must be controlled by the Holy Spirit and He will give us power to please God.

In Galatians 5:22 Paul lists the results of what the Holy Spirit has the power to do for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to allow us to accomplish things for Him that we might think are humanly impossible.

In the verse we have written above we are reminded by the writer that God gives us power for a specific reason. That is to be witnesses for Him. We are to be a witness of Christ’s love and power to those we meet each day. God through His Holy Spirit gives us power and boldness not only to live a God fearing life but so we can speak out with authority about our faith.

We are told that we must act with this power available to us and these are marching orders to begin in our own Jerusalem. This is our family, our home and our work place. Is your home considered by all that live with you a God honoring home? Is Christ the head of your home?

Then we are told that we are to reach out beyond our home and workplace. To our Judea and Samaria. This is to our neighborhood and city. Everywhere we plant our feet on a given day, God expects us to be witnesses of Him wherever we go and He has given us the power to accomplish this.

And finally we are to reach out to the end of the world. This is a command for all believers to be involved in world mission programs proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.

What kind of vision do you have to help reach people for Jesus? Do your spouse and family join you in this vision? Do you limit God’s potential power in your life because of your lack of vision? Do you show enough concern for your family, your community, your church and your world? Do others see Christ in you and do they see your vision to honor God?

Do you have a caring heart or do you just sit back with the attitude that I am doing all I can and someone else can take care of my neighbors, my community and the world’s problems? These are very important questions that you need to ask yourself. Begin today to take advantage of the power that God has waiting for you.

God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to accomplish what humanly might seem impossible. In Exodus 9:16, God directed Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh let His people go --- to leave Egypt. And God assured Moses that he would have the power that he needed to accomplish this. This is the power that only God could give.

We are reminded that He is all powerful and that He is our power source. In Ephesians 3:20-21, we are reminded that we serve a great God and that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

If you are looking for more assurance that God is a power source for your life then look at Ephesians 3:16 where Paul writes that He asked the Father to give the church at Ephesus the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit.

And in Colossians 1:11 Paul tells the church at Corinth that “God will strengthen you with His own great power so that you will not give up when trouble comes.”

The power is there for us through the Holy Spirit and is only limited by our lack of faith or lack of vision. It is time to dream big dreams and then act by asking God through the power of His Holy Spirit to work through you. Do not limit what God wants from you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

PRAYER:

I love You Lord, because You are my strength, my rock, my protection and my Savior. Thank You for being my rock so I can run to You for safety. Thank You for giving me power through Your Holy Spirit to be a witness for You this day.