Americans need power. That probably offended some of you. But however offended you may be, it still rings true. Our culture is built on independence, getting a nice job and climbing your way to the top, make all the money, have the nice things, be your own boss, have the most Instagram followers, etc. Before you get too mad, I’m not bashing money or having nice things, so stick with me. While on The World Race we read a book called The 3D Gospel. The book talks about the three different types of cultures, you have Fear/Power, Shame/Honor and Guilt/Innocence. America falls under the Fear/Power category, at least in my opinion. I’m not going to go into drawn out detail in what Fear/Power is just for sake of size of this blog, because I’m mainly focusing on the Power part.
Power isn’t a bad thing. What if I told you we were created to have power? Genesis 1:26 NLT says “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created us to walk in power. The issue with this is, because of the fallen nature of man, we’ve abused that and turned into our own thing. We also forgot who we were because we’ve turned from the plan God had for us, and I’m not talking about non-believers. Everyone in the World is searching for power, no matter what culture you live in, we all look for it. AND THAT”S NOT A BAD THING!!! We’re just looking for the wrong power.
Enter Holy Spirit
Jesus talks about in Matthew 28:18 that “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.” He then commands that we go into all nations and heal the sick, baptize people, cast out demons, and that wonderful stuff. That is the power we should be seeking. What would happen if we sought the face of Jesus so much that we began to walk and look like him? What if we prayed for the sick and they were healed? Prayed for the dead and they were raised back to life? All of that stuff happens when we seek Jesus. BUT we’re afraid. We’re afraid to give up the things that are comfortable for us, or might make us look silly, or mess up our pride or ego. It looks kinda silly to walk up to someone and ask if we can pray for healing for them and nothing happens, but what if you take the risk and it does?
I believe one of the greatest deceptions the enemy has placed on the church is that power and belief in what Jesus said we can do is silly or not real at all. Jesus us told us that we would do even greater things than He did!! Like What??!?!? What would it look like if we actually believed that? If we stepped past our denominational beliefs and actually believed the Bible and the things that Jesus himself said?!?!
So where does this power come from? It comes from Love. The same love that Jesus showed us we have to show to those around us. It also comes from love of Him and His presence. I want to offer a challenge up, and this is for me too. If you read this, I want you to spend a little extra time with Him each day. Take the time to sit in His presence, to worship, to pray, to read the Word and find out who He really is. Then ask to hear His voice for the day or for the week, to give you promptings to talk with people, to pray with them and to listen to what they have to say (that’s a BIG key). And then in those situations take the time to listen to what He is saying. If we do these steps, we’ll begin to walk in the proper power and authority we were created to walk in. Truly being coheirs with Jesus.
