God's Dynamite Power within Us

The word “dunimis”, pronounced “doo’-na-mis”, is the root for the word “dynamite”. It means to have mighty power residing within, by virtue of its nature.

This is the same word used to describe the power by which Jesus raised Himself from the dead. Jesus claimed that no one could take His life from Him and only He had the “dunimis” power to raise it up again (John 10:18).

Once we come to Christ through salvation, all of this “dunimis” power is also resident within us. It is equal to a zillion fireworks going off inside of us at one time.

The electric light does not come from the light bulb, but from the electricity flowing to the bulb. The power in us does not come from us, but from God’s “dunimis” power working in us and lighting up our world through us.

Christ’s light shines in our hearts. We radiate Christ to the world in the same way that a light bulb radiates light in a dark room. We are connected to the power of God's Spirit flowing through us on a continual basis.

We just follow the leading of God's Spirit moment by moment and we live in fullness of joy, even in negative circumstances (Psalm 16:11). We accomplish great works for the Lord, not by our righteousness, but by His righteousness within us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Bible is full of illustrations of God calling men and women - imperfect, weak and unprepared people - who slayed great Giants and routed mighty armies in the name of the Lord.

There is nothing God calls us to do that He will not also provide us with everything we need to sustain us and to guarantee His success through us in the endeavor.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to realize the amazing power, which You provide within us in order for us to walk in Your will for our life. Remind us to continually walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of our flesh.

Call us to the ministry You have prepared for us and then empower us to walk by the guidance and sustenance of Your Spirit through the entire endeavor. This way, we will further Your Kingdom on the earth and we will reap the rewards You prepared for us before You created the earth.

Thought for the Day:

As we walk in the Spirit, continually connected to Him, we do the works God created us to perform by His dynamite power within us, and our Father God is always well pleased with us. - Matthew 3:17

The Power of God's Love

When a being as large as God moves into your life, you are going to notice some changes going on inside of you. This is one of the most convincing verifications that God is alive and well on planet earth! He makes a difference. No one who is truly Born Again will continue to willfully indulge in a carnal lifestyle. God’s Spirit now resides within us and we cannot continue to live in sin (1 John 3:9).

The Bible is full of typical illustrations of the changes, which God’s Spirit works into our life. The Apostle Paul is a great example of someone who persecuted Christ by tormenting and killing His Body. Christ turned this prideful, self-centered man into a paragon of virtue with the power of God’s Spirit to reach many for the cause of Christ (Philippians 1:13; Timothy 1:12-15).

Many are convinced that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. This is simply not true. Our eternal destination depends on where we currently place our trust (John 3:16-18). Do you trust in your own merits, or in the grace and mercy of God? God is in the life changing business. He opens our blind spiritual eyes. Our transformed life is a living testimony of the power of Christ to save.

God takes a human spirit, which is dead in Adam’s sin, and births new life in it through His life saving power (2 Corinthians 5:17). He totally transforms an angry, rebellious wounded soul into a serene and joyful one. The change in our life speaks volumes to everyone. We are no longer ashamed to proclaim to our world, the difference, which Christ made in our life.

The power of God brings a life-altering change to anyone willing to totally surrender to His love (Romans 1:16). The story of how God changed our life is a powerful tool for bringing others to the cross of Christ for their own salvation (Luke 8:39). A meek, empty person or a vile blasphemer can both witness the love of Christ in their life and melt under the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, we seek no other pleasure in this life than to bring delight to Your heart. We want no other success than to bring You glory. We cry out for nothing more than to see You more plainly, to know You more deeply and to love You more intimately through each successive day of our life. Your love for us transforms the carnality in our life until we love you with our whole heart (Luke 10:27; Psalm 119:10).

Thought for the Day:

Even while our life is rife with sin and degradation, God loved us enough to suffer the penalty of our sins and to set us free in His love. – Romans 5:8

 

Spiritual Anorexia

Read: James 1: 22-27

 

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21

As a Pastor’s wife I often get discouraged when I see my husband pouring over the Bible for hours each week to prepare three sermons; and yet, very few people ever come to listen to them, and fewer still ever respond to the Word that he preaches.

He spends as many as 10 hours preparing each sermon. He starts by praying about which series or Biblical book to preach from. Then, he prays over each individual message as he prepares it. He studies the text, researches his subject, reads other sermons concerning the same text or topic, finds illustrations and humor to make it colorful and then he polishes it for days. When he stands in the pulpit, he already internalized his message and he preaches the words with all of his heart. Yet, it seems to go in one ear and right out the other of most of the people in the congregation.

Many preachers are in this same lonely position in the Body of Christ. They faithfully preach the message God gives them. They joyfully delight in the Word of the Lord. They walk faithfully before their God (Jeremiah 15:15-16). They love the Lord and dedicate their every waking moment only to Him. They strive to serve as God’s spokesmen and to speak only the Words He gives them (Jeremiah 15:19). They weave this passion into every sermon they preach, hoping to inspire others to share in their enthusiasm. Yet, the love of many is waxing cold (Matthew 24:12). No wonder the rate of salvations in evangelical churches diminishes ever year.

God’s prophets throughout the ages experienced this same indifference and apathy. Jeremiah was one man who lived with a passion for proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Yet, the people of Israel continually failed to repent and to follow God. After many years of this cold-hearted rejection, the Israelites heard this proclamation from God: "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!" (Jeremiah 15:1).

As I was praying about this dilemma, I realized that many people in our churches today have spiritual anorexia. We take in the sacred meal provided for us in every church service, and then we purge everything we consumed as we walk out of the building. We fall back into our old habits and sinful ways, consuming carnal junk food during the week and starving our spirit until the next Sunday morning church service. I researched this idea and there are several authors who give detailed information about this topic.

Sometimes, we skip Sunday worship and stay home to sleep in, half-heartedly watching TV preachers to assuage our conscience. We hide our light under a basket full of dirty laundry and do not give repentance a second thought. We spend so much time in trivial pursuits that we rarely pick up our Bible to read at home. This behavior damages our divine health and even threatens our future spiritual life. Some of us do not even have a personal, life-changing relationship with the Savior of our soul. 

I want to challenge everyone who reads these words to make a commitment today to live as a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:22). God only blesses those who both hear His Words and walk in them (Luke 11: 28).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray for an increased spiritual hunger in the hearts of church people all over the world, but especially in America where hearts have grown cold. Give us a focused hunger, which is satisfied only by our obedience to Your Word. Use us to infect today’s society with a passion for more of You.

Thought for the Day:

Commit to live as a spiritually, well-nourished Child of God and share what you learn as you passionately consume His Word.