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| LENT: Preparing the Way - The Spirit of Power |
March 25, 2009 |
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" 'Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit,'
says the LORD Almighty."
(Zechariah 4:6)
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"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him -
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and He will delight in the fear of the LORD."
(Isaiah 11:1-3a)
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Dear Friend,
The more time we spend learning about the extraordinary treasure that is the seven-fold Spirit of God the more astounded we should become over the goodness of our God. Our gracious and loving Heavenly Father so desires to develop a deep, abiding, and intimate relationship with each one of His children that He has provided us the awesome gift of His Holy Spirit. How overwhelmed, completely grateful, and humbled we should be when we consider the price He paid to bestow such treasure upon us. Through the great sacrifice of His Son on the cross, and the very power and presence of His Spirit taking up residence in our lives, our Father has provided us with everything we need to live our lives victoriously for His kingdom.
"I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them
from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."
(Acts 26:17b,18)
Paul understood how amazing the gifts, that we have been given in Christ, are, as he expressed the heart of God in his prayer to the Ephesians: "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you will power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (3:16,17a). As human beings we are weak and our resources are limited. Only through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit do we gain access to the extraordinary power of God and the unlimited resources of the kingdom of heaven. The Lord, in His Sovereignty, has given us all that we need to accomplish His kingdom work. May we be encouraged to daily tap into this incredible source of power, by seeking the Lord in His Word and in prayer, allowing His Spirit to equip us and enable us to go forward armed with strength and confidence (reference Hebrews 10:35-39).
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline."
(2 Timothy 1:7)
As you spend time with the Lord this week, may the realization of the power of His Holy Spirit working in your life release you from the burden of trying to accomplish the tasks before you in your own power. May you rely more fully on His power, discerning more clearly those opportunities and activities that are kingdom priorities, and, willingly surrendering those pursuits that are blocking His power from being fully activated in your life. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).
"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light"
(Colossians 1:10-12).
Grace and peace,
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
Psalm 27:4, 13-14; 73:23-26
P.S. I pray that you will join us for the upcoming 40-day HARVEST journey! This online daily devotional journey will begin on Easter Sunday as we walk with Jesus from His glorious Resurrection to His Ascension! The Lord has so much to reveal to us as we meet Him in His Word each day. I pray that you are growing an insatiable hunger for righteousness that can only be satisfied through the spiritual nourishment found in the wonderous Word of God! If you are not currently registered at www.trumpetandtorch.org, please do so now so you can take part in this exciting new journey! Take time now to familiarize yourself with the Temple side of the website where you will find your daily devotionals and your personal online journal. If you have any questions please submit your request to info@trumpetandtorch.org. Visit our Email ARCHIVE to read past prayer and devotional emails.
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Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on Zechariah 4:1-14.
"Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."
The work of God is only accomplished through the enabling power of the Spirit of God. The Lord's amazing plan is designed to give room for His children to be active participants in His kingdom plan, but it is only through the activation of the Spirit's power in the life of a believer that makes the results possible. "...according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20b).
The amazing working power of the Holy Spirit in our life takes all that we have learned and understood through the counsel of the Spirit from the Scriptures and enables us to put our hands and feet to the work - allowing us to not be mere listeners of the Word of God, but doers also (reference James 1:22). The Greek word, "dunamis", used in Ephesians 3:20, means "miraculous power". The power of the Spirit working inside every believer is a mighty, abundant, miraculous source of power; this is not just merely strength to accomplish a task, this is the power of God at work in a believers life to execute kingdom work. "It is not by strength that one prevails" (1 Samuel 2:9).
The Lord sits on His throne in His kingdom, not only as Wonderful Counselor, but also as "Mighty God" (Isaiah 9:6). He is a mighty warrior who fights on behalf of His people. He may have come as a gentle Lamb, willingly laying down His life for the sins of mankind, He also came with authority and power, trampling on the dominion of the spiritual realm. "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15). One day He will return as Warrior-Messiah-King and all will see the fullness of His power displayed in the final judgment (reference Revelation 19:11-21).
We have been given extraordinary power through the Holy Spirit, and we must remember, daily, to put on the armor of God before we step onto the spiritual battlefield. As we spend time seeking the Lord in His Word, for greater understanding for the times we are living in, we must, also, be careful to remember that the battle before us is spiritual and we cannot fight, let alone stand, against the forces of the enemy with human weapons (Ephesians 6:10-20). "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Today, confess to the Lord those battles you are fighting in the flesh and/or facing in your own strength instead of relying on the Spirit's power. Pray for those people in your life that you realize you have been battling against, asking the Lord to reveal the enemy's tactics that have caused you to look at them as an enemy instead of through eyes of love, missing the greater spiritual battle that is bent on destroying your relationships and preventing you from developing a more intimate relationship with the Lord. "For the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). Ask the Lord to bring restoration to your relationships and to equip you to be used mightily to fight the frontline battles of His kingdom instead of wasting energy fighting senselss battles that are draining your resources and limiting your userfulness for the kingdom.
Journal:________________________________________________________________________
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LUNCH BOX
Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on Judges 13:1-25.
"The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power."
(Judges 14:6; 14:19; 15:14)
When we think of physical power and strength in the Scriptures the most obvious person that comes to mind is Samson. He was a miracle child from conception and was "set apart to God from birth" (Judges 13:5). The Lord had chosen him as a deliverer for Israel, just as He had with the other judges we have looked at these past few weeks. The Lord is always at work fulfilling His plans and He is faithful to provide the power necessary for His chosen ones to accomplish His kingdom purposes.
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith
conquered kingdoms, administerd justice, and gained what was promised...
whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle
and routed foreign armies." (Hebrews 11:32-34)
Samson's life is an interesting picture that vividly portrays the struggle that Israel (and believers today) have gone through. Israel had a unique relationship with the Lord. They experienced His presence, His provision, and His power, yet they continually forsook the goodness of God choosing, instead, to chase after foreign gods. Samson had the extraordinary power of God working in His life, yet his weakness for women kept him literally bound in ropes, unable to be used to the full potential that he had been birthed for. The Scriptures say, "...he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines" (v.5b). God in His sovereignty knew that Samson would limit his own usefulnes because of his fleshly impulses.
As children of God, we have also been set apart for His service, and, as such, we must also be aware of the temptations and enticements that are set in our path to trip us up and limit our usefulness for the kingdom of God. "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:13-14). Being led by the Spirit, and not the flesh, is a primary characteristic of a child of God. It is this struggle that blocks our effectiveness in accomplishing the work of our Heavenly Father.
We have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us, and the promises of the Scriptures reminding us that "...the Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:26a). Today, as we come boldly before the throne of Grace to submit our requests, with thanksgiving, let us not forget that, "[His] grace is sufficient for [us], for [His] power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:8b). May we remember Samson, not becoming so overconfident in the power we have been given that we take the Spirit of Power for granted, and being mindful, also, that it is in our weakness that we are truly strong (reference verse 10b). "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Journal:________________________________________________________________________
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DINNER TABLE
Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on Acts 1:4-8.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (v.8)
Samson's strength was supernatural, and, yet, his human weakness, brought on by the desires of the flesh, limited the potential for the fullness of God's power to be displayed in His life. While we may get in the way of God's plans, His purposes will always prevail (reference Proverbs 19:21). God's extraordinary plan for mankind brought victory over sin and death. Achieved through the remarkable death, burial, and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ, this same resurrection power, that raised Jesus from the dead, is at work in believers today. "...and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead..." (Ephesians 1:19-20a).
We may not have been born with extraordinary physical strength, but, through Christ, we can experience new birth that promises even greater power and strength when we allow the Lord to work in our lives. "God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost it was like a match striking the flint, for they already had the power of the gospel message in their hearts. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16a). The Spirit of the Lord takes that message, opens our eyes to greater understanding, and enables us to boldly proclaim the truth of God's Word with power. He accomplishes the work of God through obedient and responsive servants and He takes full responsibility for the success of the mission - our job is simply to "...be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).
The Lord's plan for His people is dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. The Spirit of Power is a gift that enables us to walk boldly and confidently through this life, and affords us the opportunity to experience the miraculous power of God effectively working in, and through, our lives. The power that is available to us is for the good of the kingdom and for the glory of God.
As we end our day in prayer, seek the Lord for greater understanding of the working power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Pray fervently for a great awakening of the Holy Spirits' power in the Body of Christ so we can rise up to be a mighty army fully equipped and armed with power to accomplish the work of the Kingdom of God, bringing the message of Salvation to the world. May you be overwhelmed with His presence and astounded with His power as you seek Him each day, and, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
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Heavenly Father, I come before you praying with great fervency for your children,
"For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power
through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him
be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
forever and ever! Amen."
(Ephesians 3:14-21) | |
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