The Name of the Lord - Our Power

 

The Lord saves us and raises some people into prominence and authority for His name's sake, so that He may make His power known in the whole earth; such as the little shepherd boy who slew the mighty giant by the power of the name of the Lord of hosts (Psalm 106:8; Romans 9:17; Isaiah 17:45).

God revives us, delivers us, forgives our sins and brings our soul out of trouble for the glory of His name (Psalm 143:11; Psalm 79:9). God gives His people, who magnify His name, rest like cattle who are fattened by the sweet grass of the valley (Isaiah 63:12, 14).

The Lord knows those who are His and helps us to abstain from evil (2 Timothy 2:19). Since we love Him and intimately know His name, He securely sets us on high and delivers us (Psalm 91:14).

We know and trust the Lord who will never forsake those who seek Him (Psalm 9:10). He helps us to resist our enemies and through His name we have spiritual power and might (Psalm 44:5, 118:12; Romans 16:20).

God gives a chance for repentance and forgiveness to all by proclaiming His name to all the nations (Luke 24:47). He blesses anyone who lives in His name and through them He blesses the whole earth (Psalm 72:19, 118:26; Joel 2:32; Luke 13:35).

When we rely on the Lord, we are overcomers. He makes us strong pillars in His church, and He writes on us His name and the name of His holy city (Revelation 3:12).

Prayer:

Father God, You will make Jesus the only Lord and King over all of the earth. His name will be the only one glorified among the nations (Zechariah 14:9). From the rising to the setting of the sun, we praise Your name, and we look forward to You reigning as King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9; Malachi 1:11).

Many come in Your name in order to mislead the foolish (Luke 21:8; Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:6). Therefore, we must use discernment to realize who is speaking Your truth. Remind us not to follow any one person, but to feed from the life given to us in Your Word.

Thought for the Day:

The Son of righteousness has risen with healing in His wings, and enables us to dance with joy like a playful calf. 

- Malachi 4:2

Many thanks to Matt Milligan photography.

Spiritual Victory

 

Unless we grasp the fullness of our identity in Christ, we fall short of all that God wants to do in us and through us during our lifetime on this earth. Christianity is not a religion. It is an intimate union with the Lord of Hosts living His divine life in and through every authentic Believer (1 Corinthians 6:17). We do not earn this divine life by our good works; it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-20; 2 Peter 1:4). Jesus was fully human and fully divine when He lived on this earth. This same Christ is fully divine in us (1 Corinthians 2:12). When our union with Christ occurs, we are one in Spirit with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 John 5:12; Hebrews 3:14, 6:4).

In fact, the entire Trinity takes up residence within us (John. 14:23). Our belief in Jesus secures this merger (I John 4:15,16). We are now dead to sin because of Christ in us, and He now lives His life in, through and instead of us (Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Timothy 1:14). God’s Spirit seals us and dwells in us, confirming our union with Christ and our adoption into God’s family (Romans 8:14; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22). When this fact becomes a reality in our life, God’s peace permeates out thoughts, choices and emotions.

As we mature in Christ, we grow deeper in the wisdom and knowledge of God, and we realize that Jesus within us already overcame Satan and his kingdom of darkness. As God Word strengthens us, we overcome this world and we also live victorious lives over the wiles of Satan (1 John 2:14). We scatter the darkness by turning on His Light. Deceiving thoughts flee at the mention of Jesus’ name. Satan cannot initiate anything in our life without God’s permission, and if we submit to God and resist the devil, he is obligated to flee from us (James 4:7).

Satan may try to distract us from serving God, but as we keep our mind on Christ, we remain in perfect peace as His Spirit leads us through each moment of the day (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7). All the power and authority of Christ’s divinity reside within us (Matthew 28:18). God pours His love out into our hearts (Romans 5:5). He teaches us all things (Ephesians 5:17). He gives us the desire and the power to do His will with our life (Philippians 2:12-13). All of this comes from Christ in us, who is our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9; Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 3:15).

In the same way that Jesus denied His humanity and walked in the Spirit of His divinity, we too consider our humanity dead in Christ. We allow Christ to crucify the deeds of our flesh and to assimilate us with Himself in God (Colossians 3:3; Ezekiel 36:26). Christ in us conforms our spirit and soul into an expression of Himself, and this affects our body as well. Jesus functions in His gifts and ministries through us and He gives us the power and direction to walk in His will (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:7).

Prayer:

Father God, You gave all of Your spiritual blessings and everything pertaining to life and godliness, to Your Saints in the past, to those present with us now, as well as those which will be born in the future (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 2: 20-21). You work Your power in us and You are able to do more in us and through us than we can ever imagine or accomplish for You on our own (1 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 3:16, 20; Colossians 1:11; 1 Peter 4:11). You give us an abundant supply of power for everything we need in order to sufficiently accomplish Your will for our life (2 Corinthians 3:5, 4:7, 9:8).

Thought for the Day:

We do not pound out a meager existence for our self in this life, but we live in abundant life through Christ in us. - John 10:10