Today's Devotional

Selah - Pause and think about it!

Ephesians 1:19 – 20 New Living Translation (NLT)

“I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.”

I recall one time praying with someone who was a Christian, and was just about to pray that God would give her more of His Spirit when the Holy Spirit stopped me and whispered that this person already had the totality of the Spirit living in them!

We don’t need more; we just need to understand how much we have!

Last Sunday Pete Wilson reminded us that in the Old Testament God’s workings and empowering tended to be external, while in the New Testament it is internal. It is a power that is inherent in us since receiving Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are 120 references to this “dunamis” or power in the New Testament.

Of course, God is still in the business of healings, miracles, interventions in circumstances etc. – that’s why we pray for people. The encouragement we get from fellowship with others is also important. But these things tend to sustain us in life only for a short period. The power that raised Christ from the dead is in us to be a continual source of sustenance and empowering. Take some time to look at these verses that Pete gave us on Sunday, and see the extent of the workings of this power: Romans 15:13; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 3:16, 20; Colossians 1:11; 2 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 12:7.

Ian Walker
Connect Group Leader

Questions: Where do I look when going through difficult times – externally or internally? How can I encourage someone else to live out of this internal power?