The Power of God 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. We talk blithely about the Holy Ghost in power, about 'His mighty power', 'God is my strength and power' and 'mighty men of power'. What do we mean, or better, what is the Holy Spirit reality in these words. The Aramaic word is kowach (ko-akh) which means to be firm. The AV translates it as strength (58), power (47), might (7), force (3), ability (2), and able (2). However, in a lot of scripture these words are used along with power. Thus, God is my strength and power loses a lot if shown as God is my strength and strength. Or this verse from MICAH 3:8 ¶ But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might. If it read But truly I am full of might by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might. In Hebrew (which we are told is a 'word poor' language), there is no word for 'very', so to emphasise something the word is repeated, which does not usually read well in translation. By saying God is my strength and strength, the intention is to stress that our God is truly mighty, thus translators may use 'truly mighty' instead. However I venture to suggest that spiritually there is an additional quality here. It is one of energy, of awe and transcendence. PSALM 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Yes, it means strength and might and force, but with a generous double-portion of Holy Spirit-led wonder that reveals the work as God-breathed and not man-centred. MICAH 3:8 ¶ But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, When God is going to move, He first fills his people with power. 1 CORINTHIANS 4:19-20 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. The preaching of the cross … is the power of God indeed, but it is what the power of the cross preaches to us, not what we as men preach of the cross – which can be the speech of them which are puffed up if we are not led by the Holy Spirit in our words. The Amplified Bible shows 1 CORINTHIANS 1: 18-19 as: For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God. For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing. Our only hope is to stand by faith in the power of God. And this is clearly shown in COLOSSIANS 1:20-22 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: In the Old Testament we were shown the promise, and His power was demonstrated in His wrath, but in the gospel the righteousness and the power of God is revealed and made accessible. EPHESIANS 1:17-23 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Kept By The Power of God MATTHEW 10:1-4 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon[Simeon = hearing], who is called Peter [a rock or stone], and Andrew [manly; a man or husband] his brother; James [Jacob = supplanter] the son of Zebedee [my gift or endowment], and John [Jehovah is a gracious giver]his brother; Philip [lover, or friend of horses], and Bartholomew [son of the furrow (accumulation)]; Thomas [a twin], and Matthew [a gift of Jehovah; from a root meaning to strive or fight] the publican; James [see above] the son of Alphaeus [change or exchange], and Lebbaeus [a man of heart], whose surname was Thaddaeus [large-hearted; courageous]; Simon [hearing] the Canaanite [zealous; jealous (only of God)], and Judas [he shall be praised]Iscariot [men of Kerioth (cities)], who also betrayed him. 2 TIMOTHY 1:6-7 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Note the order here. Power comes first, then love, then a sound mind, meaning a mind controlled and corrected by the Holy Spirit. The second and third come from the first. Power comes first of all, and you need the power of God to move in love and a sound or pure mind.But what is spiritual power?
When put together these elements make up the power of God. When we praise Him, we come closer to Him and we become overcomers, who walk and worship the Lord. Thus, we are encouraged, which leads to full restoration; a return to the garden; and this releases the power of the Lord God. 2 PETER 1:2-8 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He does the work in us by giving us the power to be partakers of the divine life. And if you lack these things you become blind, for you walk in darkness. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure – for if you do these things, you shall never fail. 1 PETER 1:1-5 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. An incorruptible inheritance awaits us – it is already set in place for each one who chooses the Lord. And those who choose Him are kept by the power of God – through faith – unto salvation. Kept by the power of God. Imagine yourself floating in water. Something, some power keeps you afloat. It saves you from drowning. But you can only remain afloat if you give yourself to it. Resist and you sink. Relax, rest and trust... and the power is there to save. Quotations in this meditation are from The King James Version (KJV) unless specified otherwise. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO OF THIS MEDITATION
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Authors
GEORGE and GILL STEWART |