Faith To Go!

Many people see power as a positive attribute possessed by someone with charisma, great wealth or influence.  Yet power – real power is about the transformation of a person’s life.  Satan has power.  He can imitate and impersonate an angel of light because he used to be one and remembers how to do it.  He deceives people by pretending to be an angel of light but in reality, he is a minister of evil and darkness.  How can you know?  Because his power can only pretend to be what God really is.  In the end, he cannot create or transform anything or anyone.  Satan can only destroy and diminish, and then only as God allows him to do.

People, like all sheep, can be persuaded by the loudest voice, the most attractive face, or the biggest pocketbook.  But when the charisma has faded and celebrity is old an emptiness remains.  Why because it was not creative or transformative power it was only an attraction to what appeared or sounded good.

People say things like, “He/She is a really powerful Christian”, or “That was a powerful word”, etc.  Yet if the person fails to demonstrate a transformed life created in Christ, or if the words do not inspire you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind – what kind of power are you talking about.

Paul tells of the day will come when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, but instead, they will run after anything that tingles their ear with the sound of “hey there’s something new over here”.    The sad thing is eventually you’ll get worn out from all that chasing but never benefit from what you heard because you didn’t settle in long enough for it to change your life.

2 Tim 3 says, “1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Real power changes your character, motives, and behavior.  Last time I checked only a saving encounter with Jesus Christ can do that.

Be wary of people always talking about power but don’t show some sign.  Reject the counsel of those who would seek to be leaders or influential yet provide no genuine spiritual maturity and behavior.  They are false prophets (claiming to speak for God but deny him in works), clouds without water, (bringing no spiritual refreshing on their own)  whited sepulcher (tombs – places for the dead that are clean on the outside but have no life in them).

How can you tell the difference?  Simple, first test what they say by the Word of God and whether or not they agree with God (Let God be true but every man a liar).  Second, check their fruit to see if it is spiritual fruit from the Holy Spirit or earthly/worldly fruit of the flesh.  And finally, try everything by the Holy Spirit – He never fails.

Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech ye therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present yourselves a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God for such is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”

Christ is the author of the genuine life-changing power.  The Holy Spirit is the power link to Christ.  The Word of God is the instruction manual.  The people of God are to demonstrate this power through faith, obedience, devotion, and service to the Lord.

If you want to see real power, look beyond the words, look at what matters.  Look for the transforming work of Christ.  That’s the real power.

Romans 9:22-24 (KJV) ²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: ²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, ²⁴ Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

God has declared the wages of sin is death but his free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ is available to those who will repent of Sin, believe and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and follow him.  The Lord wants to spend eternity in heavenly bliss and fellowship with those he saves.  But the unbelieving and unrepentant serve a purpose as well.  They will be his example to believers (and unbelivers who die without Christ as their savior) of just how patient and merciful he is by giving them their entire lives to respond to his grace and mercy.  God’s wants all to come to repentance but the sad fact is that many will reject Christ and be eternally condemned.  To show his mercy on the unbelieving and unrepentant the Lord continues to send the message of love and salvation through his son daily.  It can be heard in preaching, read in the Bible, seen in faithful believers, and witnessed in nature.  To the believer these are all wonders of God of which we are thankful.  But those who do not, and will not, believe hold the works of God in contempt.

John 3: 17-21, ESV  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has notbelieved in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light,lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Romans 10:21 (ESV) ²¹ But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

But God’s going to continue to reveal his message  and offer his salvation until the end.  When that happens the ledgers will be opened and all accounts will be finalized.  All rewards will be dispensed.  Those who have rejected the grace and mercy of God will never have the chance to change their minds.

Romans 10:21 (ESV) ²¹ But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

2 Peter 3:9-10 (KJV) ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Romans 3:23-26 (KJV) ²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Gal 6:7-8 (KJV)