God’s Power Is Yours For the Taking!

God’s Power Is Yours For the Taking!

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. — Ephesians 6:10

Many years ago, I was preaching in a series of meetings about the power of the Holy Spirit. At the end of one of the services, an invitation was given for people to come forward who wanted to be filled with the Spirit. I watched with great joy as nearly one hundred people filled the altar of that church. They slipped down on their knees at the steps of the stage, lowered their heads in prayer, and began to ask the Lord to touch them, to fill them, and in some cases, to refill them with a fresh infilling of power.

As I stepped off the stage to pray for the people, the host informed me that he would be praying for them that night. I moved aside to let him take the lead, but it was a decision I soon regretted. I watched as this leader moved among those dear people, patting them on the back and telling them, “You have to pray louder. You have to pray harder. You have to plead if you want to be filled. You have to tarry a little longer.”

In a matter of minutes, the atmosphere at that altar mutated into a sad scene as those precious people began to beg and plead for something that God graciously and freely wanted to give them. A precious work of grace was turned into an ugly work of the flesh — and as a result, few of them received anything from God that night.

Later I asked the host, “How long have these people been praying to be filled with the Spirit?” He answered that some had been waiting as long as twenty years; some had been waiting fifteen years; and others had been seeking for a “mere” year or two. I was aghast! I thought, Why has it taken so long for these believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit when this is something God has made so accessible to every believer?

You see, the fresh touch of power each of us need today is as close as the air we breathe. God designed us to be the receptacles for this power (see January 12), so He wants us to receive it. He knows we need it to walk in victory, to exercise authority in our lives, and to overcome the works of the devil.

But where do we get that supernatural power? Paul answers this question in Ephesians 6:10, where he says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” I want you to especially look at that phrase “be strong in the Lord.”

The phrase “in the Lord” is a Greek phrase that means that this special infusion of dynamic, supernatural power can be found in only one place — in the Lord. The fact that Paul wrote in this particular Greek case is very important, because it tells us that this power is locked up in the Person of Jesus Christ and that it can’t be found anywhere else.

You can’t obtain this supernatural power by reading books or listening to tapes. The books and tapes can direct you to the place where it can be found, but the power itself can only be obtained through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This power is locked up “in the Lord.”

Now, let me take this one step further so I can explain why it’s so easy and uncomplicated for you to receive a new infilling of God’s power in your life. This same locative case that describes the power of God being locked up inside Jesus Christ is used nine times in Ephesians 1, where Paul uses it to declare that we are perpetually and infinitely locked up inside the Person of Jesus Christ. In verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 10 (twice), 11, and 13 (twice), Paul says that we are in Him, in Christ, in whom, or in the Beloved. Because these phrases are in the locative case, Paul is saying we have actually been placed inside Jesus Christ; He has become our realm of existence and the place of our habitation.

Just as you live at a certain physical address, you also have a spiritual address. You permanently reside inside the Son of God! He is your permanent home — a home from which you will never move because you are locked up and securely placed inside Him perpetually!

Stay with me, because this now leads us to the reason that the supernatural power of God we desperately need is so easy to receive!

The reason God’s power is so accessible to us is that both we and this divine power are gloriously locked up inside the same place! The power is located inside the Lord, and we are also located inside the Lord. We may not always be mentally aware of it, but we are constantly rubbing elbows with this divine power on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute basis.

Let me use a simple illustration to help you get the point of what I’m communicating to you today. The fact that we reside inside Jesus along with God’s power can be somewhat likened to water and fish sharing the same space in an aquarium. The water and fish are definitely different in substance, but they both reside in the same tank. The tank serves as the “home” for these two substances that are held simultaneously within its walls. Therefore, the fish doesn’t have to release its faith to get into the water, for it already perpetually lives in the water.

The very fact that we are locked up inside the Lord along with the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power means that we are never far away from a new surge of superhuman power into our human spirits. A fresh surge of this power into us is as accessible as our very next breath of air! It’s just as normal for us to receive a new infilling of the Spirit as it is for a fish to freely swim around in its tank.

In fact, God has designed our lives in Christ in such a way that it would be very difficult for us not to freely receive this impartation of superhuman, supernatural strength for the fight. However, if we are to experience this ever-available, ever-near power, we must open our hearts to it and ask God to release it into our lives. Then by faith we must reach out to embrace it.

This means there is no need to beg, plead, or beat yourself up in prayer to somehow prove that you are good enough to receive this divine power. If you know Jesus Christ, you are already locked up in the same place with the power of God. In fact, you’re rubbing elbows with it all the time. It’s no more difficult to receive than it is for a fish to start swimming! It’s yours for the taking!

You are surrounded by God’s supernatural power right now. At this very moment, you are immersed in that divine power. Supernatural inner strength and ability is yours for the taking — so take it by faith!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, how can I ever thank You enough for making Your power so available to me? I need this power so much in my life, and I’m grateful You have made it so easy for me to receive it. Therefore, I open my heart right now by faith, and I ask You to give me a fresh infilling of Your Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I confess that a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power is never far away from me. A fresh surge of this power is as accessible to me as my very next breath of air! It’s just as normal for me to receive a new infilling of the Spirit as it is for a fish to freely swim around in its tank. In fact, it’s difficult for me NOT to receive this impartation of superhuman, supernatural strength for the fight! Because my heart is open to receive it, I ask God to release it into my life, and by faith I now receive this divine power. It’s mine for the taking!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO ANSWER

1. When was the last time you received a fresh surge of supernatural power in your life?

2. Do you freely receive a touch from the Lord, or do you feel like you have to beg and plead in order to convince Him to give you a fresh touch of His power?

3. How will today’s Sparkling Gem make a difference in your way of thinking?