There are some days when I feel as if I am swimming upstream right above the deafening roar of Niagara Falls. Of course, there are other days when I feel as if I am flying with an effortless power, victorious above it all. I much prefer feeling the power of victory instead of the hopelessness of defeat, don’t you? As it seems the last couple months have been a time of God revealing what I need to change in order to better live for His glory, the lesson He’s teaching me about His power is no exception.
Living for God’s glory is not a powerless proposition!
So I’ve asked God, “What do I need to change in order to live in YOUR power?” Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised:
“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 earth.”
Acts 1:8 NKJV
The word “power” in this verse derives from the Greek word “dunamis,” which, according to Strong’s Concordance, is translated into English as “absolute power.” The same word is used by Paul in Ephesians when He wrote:
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
So if we are born again, shouldn’t we be automatically experiencing this absolute power of God? I mean, it would seem that one who is abiding in the “absolute power” of God would not have an experience of living in hopelessness, right? But we can’t have God’s power—without God’s presence.
So, if we are born again, and yet living in hopelessness, what are we missing?
Well, did you notice that Jesus said that His power would come from the HOLY Spirit? Because absolute power comes from the “Holy” Spirit, it follows that if we are to have it we must choose to live in God’s HOLY ways. Paul said of Christ that He was “declared to be the Son of God with POWER according to the Spirit of holiness…” Romans 1:4 NKJV Ah, now it makes sense. We become powerless and hopeless when we allow the slavery of sin to creep back into our lives and hog-tie us. Maybe it’s overt disobedience like lying, theft, sexual immorality, unforgiveness, or perhaps it’s more subtle like failing to…be an active part of a church, read our Bible, or pray diligently. Our enemies are VERY good at painting “wrong” in a way that seems “right.” Either way, sin enslaves us and makes us powerless.
Sin makes us weak because it is unholiness and separates us from God, our greatest strength.
When we ask God to draw us into His powerful presence, He is so good to reveal our chains. Maybe we’re a control freak and have difficulty handing over the reins to God. Perhaps we worry more than we trust. Maybe we neglect our quiet time in favor of more sleep, more work, or working out. My friend, if we are honest, we already know most of our own areas of sin. But if we don’t know those areas, God’s light will most definitely reveal them to us!
When we really begin to see how our sin makes us spiritually weak and how God’s Holy presence makes us strong—we fervently desire to get rid of the infection. God wants to heal us and He makes us strong! We may be so weakened by sin that we don’t see Him move mountains right away; but remember, sometimes the greatest mountains we need to move are the ones inside our own heart.
The more we choose holiness over sin, the more we begin to see marked changes. We begin to possess wisdom beyond our intellectual capacity. We begin to love when we are not loved. When we are hurt, we react with humility and kindness—not pride and hateful retaliation. We experience miraculous peace amidst raging storms. Yes, we can still hear and see Niagara Falls, but we aren’t desperate, afraid, or hopeless because—we are sustained by the absolute power of God—the one Who created every drop of that raging waterfall. In the holiness of God’s presence, we gain His Almighty perspective. He creates a kaleidoscope of miracles within the absolute power of His Spirit of holiness. Paul the Apostle gave us simple instructions for living in the absolute power of God…
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, HOLY, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
Living in holiness engages God’s absolute power and we live as if nothing is impossible!
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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3 Responses
We must trust in the God of the impossible. He delights in doing what man can’t do .
amen. thank you for your devotion each day
God is so good! Thank you, Ms. Ellen!