You Shall Receive POWER

When God created man, He gave him the ability to dominate. He was made the ruler over all the Earth. But man lost rulership when he rebelled against God. Remember what the devil told Jesus when tempting Him in the wilderness: “And the devil said unto him, ‘All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.'” (Luke 4: 6,7). If you break this verse down, it means that there’s power in this world, and it’s managed by the devil in whoever else worships him.

Man, to this day, keeps looking for power.–To overcome his circumstances, power over his financial problems, over the crimes in his neighborhood, power over his family or marital problems. Man is constantly looking for a way to dominate all of his difficulties because he finds himself helpless and powerless. Instead of dominating, he’s dominated by his circumstances.

Man keeps looking for power in so many ways so he’s not dominated by problems. He’s looking for a position of influence, position of notoriety or prestige, position in politics, or status to gain respect, to make him feel powerful. He seeks status by buying a fancy car or boat that he can’t afford and wears a power tie to get recognition. Man even goes to witchcraft, wigi board, and spells for power. The pursuit of power is the pursuit of the dominion that man lost.

The power Christ gives us is the ability to overcome and control circumstances. The disciples saw POWER in Jesus. This man Jesus demonstrated power over circumstances. He walked on water, He cast out demons out of people, He opened eyes with mud, He stopped the storms, He made a man who was 38 years incapacitated pick up his bed and walk.  He raised a little boy who had died and brought him back to life, and back to his parents. He raised his friend from the grave after four days dead. He didn’t only have a message, He had power over the works of the devil in people’s lives. He demonstrated power wherever He went.

And after three and a half years, when He was about to ascend back to heaven, His disciples were sad, but He said, “It’s better that I go away, so you can receive POWER…Remain here in Jerusalem and you shall receive POWER after that the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Jn 16:7). He came to give man what he had lost: the power to rule and dominate. And He said, “When you receive power, the works that you’ve seen Me do, you’ll do, and greater works than these shall you do.” (Jn 14:11-13). That’s what the kingdom of God gives us, the power to resolve problems, the power to rectify wrong and make it right. The power to destroy what the devil does in this world.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus asked His disciples to feed the multitude? This multitude of people had been with him for three days and had depleted what all they had brought with them to eat. He knew the disciples did not have it in their pocket to purchase that much food. That instruction made no sense. But He was helping them to understand that once you have the authority of the kingdom, you can fix any circumstance. Jesus took charge of the circumstance.

The disciples didn’t realize that in the bag of fish and bread were a composite of atoms. When God created the world He created it out of atoms. And when you split one atom, it multiplies and all the atoms around it multiply. Christ created the first atomic explosion. Nuclear power through His Word of power.

All religions promise power, mental power, psychological power and spiritual power. They all meditate and worship in a search for power. Even through witchcraft, witch doctors, voodooism, the quest is all power based. If you’re poor and destitute and in need of everything, you need power. And you’ll try anything to get it.

Jesus said, “I give you power to tread on serpents and over all the power of the enemy. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on Earth shall be found in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Lk 10:19; Mt 16:19).

Keys are the principles and laws that open up possibilities and opportunities where there seems to be none. They are the principles of the kingdom of God that must be employed in order to operate on earth as in heaven. That power is for us to use here on earth, we won’t need it in heaven. We need it now to control our circumstances. (Mt 6:10-13).

When the doctor tells you that your kidney is bad, or that there’s a lump in your breast, you will most likely feel so powerless, so helpless and defeated. But Jesus said, “I will not leave you helpless. I will provide the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who will give you power and insight to overcome your circumstances.” (Jn 14:18).

Her has in effect said, “I will give you access to operating the power with which I created the world, and that lump in your breast will hear the authoritative and power-full voice again that was once given to Adam.”

If you go through the sermon on the mount (Mat 5-7), Jesus makes the power available to all. But the power of the Holy Spirit is accessible through the laws of the kingdom. It is the poor in spirit, the meak, the one who desires righteousness that can access the power, not the proud, the self-assured and the self-confident who keep operating in his own strength who can access it.