The month has been declared by God as the month of empowerment for us. Last week we considered the fact that God is the source of Divine Power and that we need to know him and be filled with the Holy Spirit to get the power. Our prayer this month is that God will make us carrier of his power in Jesus name.
Today we shall be looking at why we need power. Power is required to serve God , stand for God and continue in faith:
There are many things many of us would have loved to do more for God and in God, but because of our human limitation we are unable: service, punctuality, evangelism, prayer, fasting, keep vigil, study..etc
Case study: Life of Peter and other disciples without power and with power
- Without power Peter denied Christ: Joh:18:15:
John:18:17: Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.
Jonh:18:25: And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.
John:18:26: One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
John:18:27: Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
Without Power the disciples could not watch and pray with Christ in Gethsemane.
The power to pray is given by the Holy Spirit, the bible says we do not know how to pray as we ought but the spirit of God helps our infirmities (Romans 8:26)
M’t:26:40: And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
M’t:26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
M’t:26:42: He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
M’t:26:43: And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
- When there was no power, Peter returned to Fishing yet he could not do anything/much. The power we need to move on in faith is supplied by God himself through the Holy Spirit.
John 21: 2-3, 6
John:21:2: There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
John:21:3: Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
Their thought would have been what are they waiting for when their source of inspiration/power has gone?, but when Christ came into the scene (the Power himself), they became empowered to catch a net breaking fish.
John:21:6: And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Lack of Power more often leads to leaving purpose for the ‘supposed’. You settle for what you can do which may not be productive or less productive instead of what God can help you to do through his power. Peter and other disciples ought to be fishers of men but they settled for fishing after the master had left.
At Pentecost the power was released through the comforter which Christ himself promised then the power to serve and witness came!
Ac:2:2: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Ac:2:3: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Ac:2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ac:2:14: But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:-Boldness came. After this experience Peter did a lot of exploits for the Lord.
Prayer Points
My God, fill me with your Holy spirit in Jesus name. My God, empower me for exploits in all area of my life in Jesus name.
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