We are Free to Expect the Power of God

We are Free to expect the Power of God

            In one of our weekly worship services, I arrived at the church and discovered that the heater was not working. It was about twenty two degrees, an unusually cold morning for Texas. I began to ask God if I should give the sermon I had prepared for the week. It was obvious that some would not endure the cold as well as others. God instead told me to tell a story of a young Russian who was made to stand outside in subzero weather because of his faith in Jesus. Because of his faithfulness he was not only spared the cold, but was a witness to those who placed him in the circumstance. It was a good illustration since we were listening to the story in a very cold sanctuary.

            Even though the story was only about ten minutes, it made a profound impact on its listeners. I believe God used that day to proclaim what he wanted proclaimed for the day. The sermon I had planned opening remarks was, "What kind of Christian are you?" There could not have been a better illustration than a day in which we all had to sit in the cold and listen about the miraculousness of God in a Christian’s life. God gives us the circumstances of life to help us understand His majesty.

            God proclaims His majesty to all who will recognize Him. I expect great things from God. It is up to us to expect God to show us His majesty by faith. I am not referring to an arrogant expectation that is deserved simply because we deserve it. The fact is we don't deserve it. Nevertheless, God has promised us that He will show miraculous things to those who will believe Him and expect Him to do so.

            Unfortunately many are told that God no longer works the miracles He has promised He would and will do for us. If we cannot trust Him to do as He has told us, how can we expect Him to give us eternal salvation as He promised? It could be said that His greatest miracle is our eternal salvation. In that case, wouldn't it make sense that His other promises would be easy to fulfill and be all the more valid?

            It doesn't matter how much we talk about the power of God. It will still be misunderstood until it is experienced. Furthermore, it will not be experienced if one is not looking for it or denies it all together. A.W. Tozer writes in I Talk Back to the Devil, “I am of the opinion that we cannot experience that which we have not believed.” If we do not expect God to act, how can we expect to glorify Him for the action?

God has given us His awesome power to live within us. It is not necessarily to be understood, it is to be embraced. It is not necessary for me to understand the concept of this massive flying machine called an airplane. I still have access to its power because I am willing to get on it. The same can be said about the power of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us by the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The power of this plane cannot be denied simply because I do not understand it. It can only be denied because I choose not to get on and reap its benefits. I cannot expect the plane to get me where I want to go if I stand outside in the terminal. The airline has promised that if I will ride their plane, they will get me to my destination; which of course, they will do within their limitations.

God has no such limitations. He has promised He will give His power to all who believe. It is up to us to believe and trust that He will do so. It is unfortunate that many Christians choose to walk powerless through this life. They deny what God has given them to be able to live the abundant life. Hence, they seek to live a life in which they do not understand. There are many mysteries this life has that can be understood through faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Cor 10:3-5 says:

 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.

If this verse is true, and it is, how can we be expected to fight an adversary that will not show himself to us without the power of the Holy Spirit? Some have said this is different than believing that God can still heal us today and still operates through prophets and apostles. In what way is it different? If the devil is still fighting against the Christian and we can still fight the devil by miraculous means, why can we not expect God to answer the prayers we offer up; including the prayer to be healers of the sick and miraculous powers?

            We have the freedom to trust God’s Word and expect the power He has promised believers. It is time we begin to understand that we are children of the King. The enemy wants us to continue to believe we are paupers. But, he is a liar! We are children of the King!