Walking in Power

Following my last post, I want to continue from the foundation of asking God for more revelation. If you missed it, here’s the summary: God wants your vision to be expanded and to know the true power you possess through him. It’s a good thing to ask (pray to) him for visions, dreams and encounters so that you may more fully know him and walk in greater understanding and authority.

Now, assuming you are praying this theme regularly, we can continue. When you see a vision of something, or are given a revelation, you are now in a position to do something about it! Lean into the Holy Spirit and seek his wisdom; Pray fervently so you may know his plans and purpose for the situation. When you receive the answer, you are now in a position that cannot fail because:

You know what is currently happening (through the vision / dream / encounter / word of knowledge)
You know what God’s will is (through the Holy Spirit)
You are in a position to move in His will
He has promised that when you ask anything according to his will, it will be done (it cannot fail!)

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. ¹⁵And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
1 John 5:14-15 NLT

This promise from 1 John is so powerful that I cannot stop thinking about it! I know that when I am moving in the Father’s will, I am the most effective.

For example, a few weeks back I was at a prayer and discipleship meeting. I had a desire in my heart to pray for a woman there who had positively impacted me. I asked the Father if I could pray for her, and I felt the inclination in my gut that it would go well. Although I wasn’t 100% certain on the success, I took my chances and asked to pray with her after the meeting. Well! It was so powerful that we were standing there crying for at least twenty minutes! I got many words of knowledge from Holy Spirit and shared them with her. The power of God was so strong that my legs started to give way and were shaking. After the fact, we had no desire for coffee or cake, but just soaked in the presence of our wonderful Father.

Sometimes you don’t need an audible voice of God to know what he wants. For me in this circumstance, I had a desire in my heart and a “gut feeling” that led me. I knew it was God’s will to bless this woman because it is alway’s God’s will to build up believers (Hebrews 10).

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

When you are operating inside of the will of the Father, you cannot fail. You will see mountains move and many great things take place. On the other hand, if you don’t act, you won’t see things happen. I want to say this in love, but the reality is that the Bible was only written by people who acted.

Ask the Lord to show you the impact he wants you to have in the world around you. Hold onto the vision he gives you and keep seeking to fulfil it more and more each day through his power and anointing.

Through everything, ensure your heart attitude stays right before God. We are not rewarded for results the same way we are rewarded for having the right heart. For example, if I was to save a million souls with corrupt intent (let’s say for the sake of argument I wanted to build an empire for myself), I would be rewarded with nothing, because my works would be burned up on the great judgement day. But, if I was to only save one soul my whole life and live completely obedient to my Father, I would have a great reward.

But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. ¹⁴If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
1 Corinthians 3:13 NLT

Therefore, if we are not judged by outcome, but instead by our heart attitude and obedience to Christ, we can be free from the expectations of people. We don’t have to focus on the output or outcome, but rather, focus on the process within, specifically the heart.

I want to encourage you to walk in the power and authority that God has available while not being concerned with outward appearances. Let our loving Father take care of the details. This may seem counter-intuitive after reading the first part of this post, but it’s important to see both sides of the coin together. We are to walk in power and faith, but also to leave it to God to sort out the details.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Sharing the Faith

I am currently reading through 1 Peter, and I love the following verses from chapter 3. 1 Peter 3:15-17 ‘Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!‘

The way to preach the gospel is not always from a pulpit, but rather by showing others a holy and pure life. This shifts the responsibility of sharing Christianity with unbelievers from the pastor to every Christian. I love that we are all meant to be a part of God’s plan. There is no one too small or insignificant to participate.

We are called to live a life that cannot be mocked or criticized, even by non-Christians. To live this way, I know I need God’s help. I can’t live this life on my own. I think this is God’s intention. No one can live this kind of life on their own, so there must be something or someone helping them. (God) 🙂 I have heard a few testimonies of Christians who came to the faith because they were challenged by Christians who didn’t smoke, drink or do drugs and who were always happy. They were challenged by the way Christians lived, and found God because of it. When my time on earth is over, I want to meet people who were challenged by the life I lived. Do you want to challenge others too?

We know that we are called to live a life that cannot be mocked or criticized, but what are some practical things to do that show this kind of life? 1 Peter 4:7-11 sheds some light on this. ‘The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.‘

By praying earnestly, showing deep love, cheerfully sharing and using our gifts, we are living for God. The lifestyle God wants you and me to live doesn’t sound complicated; The difficulty is living faithfully day after day. If you are already living in this way, keep going! If you aren’t, don’t worry; start now. It’s important to remember that life isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon. Consistency is how we win.

Living with Christ as the Foundation

When reading 1 Peter 2, I came across some verses that talk of Christ as an example. My attention was drawn to verses 4 – 9 which say ‘ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust him recognize the honour God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.‘

You and I get to live with Christ as the foundation of our faith. His example goes before us to show us how to live. I am so thankful for the privilege of living after Christ came to earth! His example shows us how to live in many different ways. He taught to obey authority and pray for them. His life also taught us that sometimes suffering is necessary to fulfil God’s will. Jesus died for us because His Father in heaven wanted to save all people. The greatest gift in the history of the world came at a great price.

Now that Jesus has come, we are called to live the way He did, devoting our lives to doing good and suffering through persecution. The calling isn’t to find persecution, but to live the way God called without compromising if hardship comes. Although this calling is hard at times, it is far greater to live for God than to live for pleasure, as many people do. The troubles the world faces are many and often have no remedy. I can attest to this because before I lived as a Christian I was living for myself, only seeking pleasure. The problem was that pleasure couldn’t satisfy the desire inside me. It always wanted more. After putting my faith in God and living for Him rather than myself, I stopped pursuing pleasure and started to find purpose again. I actually overcame depression!

If you find yourself going around in circles in life, consider surrendering yourself to God and His will. When you live in His purpose, it fills you and satisfies the desire that seems to never end. In a word, you find contentment. You are content with much or little, rich or poor, free or slave. You are so free in yourself because you now belong to God.

God Does it Better

The past few days I have been pushed to my limit. Waking up each morning to a work emergency that required my immediate attention is not what I would consider a good start to my day. These days didn’t allow me to spend the usual time alone with God each morning. This lack of connection has affected me. I have been leaning on my strength, and unlike earlier, the stress of living without God has built up.

Today I read from Job 40. The whole chapter God speaks to Job and his friends, reminding them of their power compared to His. These verses convicted me because I have been leaning on my strength rather than His.

If you were to look at yourself, do you find stress, worry or anxiety? Set aside an hour to reconnect with God. It will reset your heart and mind, removing those stresses and replacing them with love, joy and peace.

Isaiah 40:28 says ‘Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.‘ It is no wonder life is so much easier when I trust in Him! I want God to lead me and guide me!

In God’s Strength

When I choose to live with God, my day is brighter. Many little events make up a day, and when these build up tension it makes for a stressful day; However, without the strain of stress, the day can be enjoyed.

God has designed and created each day. We are called to be thankful and enjoy the gift! Psalm 18:24 says ‘This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.‘

The life lived with God and with His strength is far more bearable. In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says ‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.‘ Jesus takes the burden we should bear and instead gives me love, joy, peace and hope! How can I, with this great gift, choose to carry my burdens? If I choose to live with shame, guilt or sin, I am rejecting God’s gift.

Today I choose to live for God and take the gift of today, giving all my burdens to Jesus.