We all want power. There are secrets to growing powerful that are contrary to appearances...

     Power comes in different flavors.  People seek will-power, earning power, leadership ability, popularity and fame.  There is the power to impose a strong will on those weaker than ourselves.  There's power to overcome difficulty, to grow and flourish despite a poor emotional climate.  The power that fascinates me is supernatural.  It springs from a source outside human comprehending, but we can find clues about it in the scripture. 

 

     Jesus Christ promised power to build the kingdom after he himself vanquished death, sin, and hell.  He was well-qualified to offer power to his followers:

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

     Jesus also talked about disguised power.  In Matthew 5, he stated, "The meek will inherit the earth." 

The first step in growing powerful is to dump all those things that make you weak:

sin

defeat

self-hatred

guilt

bad habits

How do you get rid of these things that weigh us down?  The first step is the knowledge that Jesus Christ, the only son of God, took our penalty for us on the cross.  Admit to Him that you are a sinner.  Accept His death, and give him the throne of your heart.

 

You already know Christ as Savior?  Wonderful!  You're ready for advanced warrior training.  Go to Ephesians chapter 6.

Prepare for battle--God wants to use you to topple the forces of darkness.  This is achieved only by a close walk with God. 

 

You've experienced tremendous trials lately?  Good news!  God is preparing you for great things! 

The Apostle Paul details how God revealed that his illness would result in great power:

II Cor. 12

A Thorn in the Flesh

⁷ Because of the surpassing greatness of the ⁽¹⁴⁾ revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a ⁽¹⁵⁾ thorn in the flesh, a ⁽¹⁶⁾ messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!
⁸ Concerning this I implored the Lord ⁽¹⁷⁾ three times that it might leave me.
⁹ And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for ⁽¹⁸⁾ power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ⁽¹⁹⁾ boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
¹⁰ Therefore ⁽²⁰⁾ I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with ⁽²¹⁾ distresses, with ⁽²²⁾ persecutions, with ⁽²³⁾ difficulties, ⁽²⁴⁾ for Christ's sake; for ⁽²⁵⁾ when I am weak, then I am strong.

Learn the power verses.  Meditate on them---allow God's powerful spirit to permeate your life. 

Zechariah 4:6
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

The power offered by God is beyond any human resolution.  It's a tapping into something higher and holier, something greater than our finite human minds can concieve. 

 

 

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

The truly powerful life is spent in a cause.  Once you connect yourself to God's supernatural plan, He provides the dynamite.  He doesn't expect you to work it up all by yourself.