How We Avoid God’s Mighty Power

Matthew 22:23-33

You are invited to worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30. We think you will be blessed and we know you will hear the Truth being preached and taught. We are continuing our study in Eph. 6:10 concerning the Christian’s responsibility to “Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.” If someone asked you if you desire with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength that God’s might power work in your daily life – you would probably answer “yes!” If that same question were asked of God, would HE see in your heart the answer “yes?” Far too often the real answer for Christians is “no” I don’t want God’s mighty power at work in me because I would have to change or give up too many things. There are no Biblical reasons a Christian should ever refuse God’s mighty power at work in their lives. Let’s look at some of the real reasons Christians say “no” to God:

1. CHRISTIANS DON’T KNOW THE SCRIPTURES. Our focal passage deals with this truth. All the excuses people use for not knowing Scripture are the result of one heart problem – no desire! The only real reason a person would not want to know the Scriptures is because they are not redeemed, saved, an adopted child of God. If a person is truly redeemed, they are indwelt  with the Holy Spirit and His desire is to lead us into all truth by helping us both desire and understand Scripture. Read John 16:13 and 17:17. A Christian who doesn’t desire to know Scripture is to resist/grieve the Holy Spirit who wants to teach you to be strong in the Lord. Such a person is also clearly disobeying God’s Law. There are hundreds of verses that tell us to know the Scriptures. Two of the most direct are Joshua 1:8 and 2 Timothy 2:15. When we begin to allow God to lead us into the truth of His Word, we begin to feel that mighty power at work in us.
2. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE CHANGE! Read 2Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:20-24. These give you the idea! Change is so hard for us because to change as God requires we must admit that our way is wrong. We just don’t like to say that, do we? Relinquishing self control is probably the hardest thing we must do when we become God’s children. Satan works on us very hard to keep us from giving up self. Once again, resisting change is resisting the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit prompts us to change and we know it is the right thing to do, but we fight change really hard. James says that is sin.
3. GOD’S PEOPLE NO LONGER FEAR HIM! This is the saddest truth of all. All these other reasons are by-products or outward expressions of what is really in our heart. The point here is not to show others we fear God, but to show GOD we fear Him. Read Ex.14:31 and Joshua 4:19-24 to see our fear is in the light of God’s power, not His Person! 2Chron. 19:48 teaches three sins we commit when we pretend to be outwardly strong, but are inwardly weak. Read John 4:48 then 2:11. This is “seeing faith” based on what has happened. God asks us to have heart faith, which is based on what God will do even if we don’t see it. Giving up self is not a snap-of-the-finger- event! It is a long, hard process that Satan hates as much as losing a soul to salvation. As long as he can keep a person wrapped in self he can keep that person from experiencing the liberating power of God that fills a heart with true joy and all the fruits of the Spirit. Every Christian must decide how much they want to experience the mighty power of God, then they must give God all of their “self” so He can replace it with Himself!

If we can help you in this or any other spiritual matter, please call us at (574) 643-9419.