“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, ‘Fear not, I will help thee.'” Isaiah 41:13
Dear Ones
To put the matter simply, the power of Christ is always available, but only known if one believes God for it. Why? Because this is God’s way, the way of the “untouchable gift.” It is untouchable because it pertains to the glory of God, and who gets the credit for it. This is essential to see, since God is a God of truth. There is nothing in and of him that is not truth. The truth is that the glory, the manifestation of the nature and character of God, has its origin and essence in Him, and Him alone. Every revelation of the glory of God which is revealed to man, and through man by the Spirit, is to result in praise and adoration of Him, of Christ. Man can in no way take credit for it, in manner, shape, or form. It belongs to God, and He alone is worthy to receive the praise and thanksgiving for it. This is why He said, “…I will not give My glory unto another.” (Is.48:11) This is why man can only receive from God that which is of God, because man cannot in any manner produce that which is godly, and certainly, any true manifestation of God. One Christian writer put it like this: “Every virtue I possess, and every victory won, and every thought of holiness is His (Christ’s), and His alone.”
On the subject of strength and power, the issue is the same. There is a power of men, a strength derived from themselves. There is also a power of the enemy. Paul puts it like this: (God) “…has delivered us from the power of darkness.” (1:13) We see also this power in the example of the demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes. Here was a man who, by the power that demons gave him, could break chains, fetters, and bonds…a man driven by the devil.” (Luke 8:29) There is a third power, and strength, infinitely superior than all that man can devise, produce, or contemplate. It is that of God, of Christ, manifested quietly in the resurrection from the dead. Paul’s desire was to know this power of the resurrection, because of the hope associated with it, and the vastly superior nature of it which surpassed all the power of the enemy and the grave. This same power was that of which Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers. He did so because of the imperative need of the believers to have a vision of it in order to appropriate it. With regard to the vision of power, in his prayer, he prays for the Ephesians that God would give them the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Christ), that they might KNOW,,”…what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.” (1:19,20) Paul then goes on to pray for the very action, and strengthening, by the Spirit, so that the believers could appropriate this power, and strength by faith. He prayed, “…that He (the Father) would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” (3:17) In both cases of the declaration of this mighty power, the key for its appropriation is faith. It is a faith that comes with a true understanding of WHO is the author and source of this power. Strengthened faith then grasps the magnitude of the blessing, and the willingness of God to give it.
Power and strength are essential if the believer would live in a manner pleasing to God. It is also essential for the witness of God to the world, by word, deed, and the fruit of Christ’s life in the heart. The overwhelming, victorious power of Christ is revealed to us, that we might know it today, every day.
Dear Father, Give us the vision of Thy power, and abounding grace to receive it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad