The Power of God

 2 Timothy 1:7 - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Christians have discussed and studied the power of God for thousand of years.  We know that our Father in Heaven is all powerful.  We know that as a Father, when we pray to Him, He hears His child.  He responds in many different ways which is sometimes silence.  Sometimes the answers is obvious within a matter of seconds.  Sometimes He sends someone else to us with the answer.  

The power of His love for His child we can barely fathom when we look at ourselves through our human eyes.  We can barely believe the God of the Universe wants us at all when we know the depths of our depravity.  We admit we are sinners.  We know we have things in our lives that are not Godly.  We may be better than we were now that we are walking a Christian life but there is still the ugliness of humanity in each of us.  

This verse in 2 Timothy tells us that the Spirit that God has put into each of us when we came to Him with our hearts, our lives, our souls, gives us the power God wants us to have in order to speak to a lost and dying world.  He does not want us to be timid in our words and actions to others.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we have the power to speak into the lives of those around us.  If we are speaking out in the name of Jesus, sharing the gospel and the salvation He offers to those who follow Him, then we are speaking under the power given to us by God.  

As humans we have no real power.  There are those who do not believe in God or the powerfulness of God.  They believe they have the power to control others and life.  Yes, they can control and influence others through their actions but they have no understanding of the actual power of God.  He can stop them dead in their tracks if He needs to.  He can change the outcome of any human plan that is not of His design. 

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” — Matthew 19:26 

Absolutely NOTHING is out of the reach of the Father.  

Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. — Jeremiah 32:17

The power of God works inwardly and outwardly as we grow in love for Him, ourselves, and for others.  As we learn to love unconditionally, love when it's hard to love,  love when it is painful, love when there is nothing but turmoil all around us, and love ourselves despite our inadequacies, we experience the power.  We all know the saying, "I am my own worst enemy."  We have a Father who loves us and accepts us even when we don't deserve that love and acceptance.  Jesus came so we could be reconciled to the Father through the power of the blood of Jesus.  The power of the blood shed on the cross has the power to transform us into the child of God we have been called to be while we walk this earth.  We can be assured of His love and His power without being timid or fearing what others will think or say when we speak of His gift of salvation and all that He offers His followers.  We become bold when the power of God is within us!

Many times throughout scripture we learn of all the ordinary people the Father used to do His work here on earth.  Over and over He used those willing but not necessarily equipped with the best abilities.  Abraham, Moses, David, several apostles, and others were not self-disciplined and were selfish.  Poor Abraham let Sarah talk him into having a child with another woman to hush her nagging about not having her own child.  In comes Ishmael to the picture, and thousands of years later we still suffer the hostility of his descendants just as God said.

Genesis 16:11-12, KJV: The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 

Genesis 25:17-18, NIV: "Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

We have Moses who argued with God about not being the man for the job of bringing the Hebrew nation out of Egypt and leading them to the a land that God promised to His chosen people.  He also disobeyed the instructions given to Him by God.  I certainly understand his frustration with a million people whining, complaining, sinning, worshipping idols, and everything else selfish human beings do. 

Exodus 4:10-13 ISV: Then Moses told the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not eloquent. I never was in the past nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly and I have a speech impediment.” Then God asked him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the Lord? Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech, and I’ll teach you what you are to say.” Moses said, “Please, Lord, send somebody else.”

And of course we have King David who committed adultery and then had the husband of Bathsheba murdered.  

2 Samuel 11:14-15 ISV:  The next morning, David sent a message to Joab that Uriah took with him in his hand.  In the message, he wrote: “Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed.” 

These are just a few examples of the historic and faulty people God used throughout time to get His message of love and acceptance to his people.  God wants us to be self-disciplined and obedient but He is a God who also understands our humanity.  When God the Son, Jesus, walked on the earth, He experienced all of humanism from the human perspective.  

Hebrews 4:15-16 ISV: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned. So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The power of God is experienced in many different ways but I believe the most important part is the power of love.  When Jesus came to tell us how to live a life pleasing to the Father, He told us to love one another.  To forgive others.  To reconcile with others.  To serve one another,  When we do our best to love others on a daily basis, we are walking by the power given to us by God.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we try to love someone who is unlovable.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we are trying to make it through a day filled with trials and tribulations.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we are angry, tired, fed up, emotionally and physically depleted.  

Every breathe we breathe and every thought we think are in the hands of God and He has told us not to worry, to be strong and courageous, and to keep seeking Him and His power for every single day we are given.  When we wake up each day, our Father has given us the gift of life.  He has given us the power to look at the day and use our love and wisdom for others during each day. He is not asking us to do anything beyond our capabilities.  He always lets each of us determine our response of YES or NO to the physical and/or spiritual tasks placed before us for the day.  He is still a God of free will.  

Every day it is our choice on how far we want to allow the power of God to move in us and through us.