If you believe in Jesus Christ
you have more power available than you can possibly imagine. It is a power so great that it takes a
revelation from God to even begin to comprehend it:
I do not cease to give thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know
what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his
glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of
his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power
and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also
in the one to come. (EPH 1:16–21).
Paul prays that the saints would
know “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.”
If we don’t know about it, we won’t access it, won’t benefit from it, won’t ask
for it. My first year as a Christian I didn’t know the truth in Romans 6 that
believers are no longer under the dominion of sin. I didn’t realize that I had
the power of the Holy Spirit to put my evil desires to death. My ignorance of
the power available to me resulted in much needless misery. Paul wants his
readers to know about this awesome power they can access, so he prays that God
would enlighten their hearts to know the immeasurable greatness of God’s power
toward them.
Just how great is this power? It
is the very power of God. It is the power that raised Christ from the dead and
seated him in heavenly places. It is a power greater than the mightiest angels
have, a power “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” It is
a power greater than all the power of Satan and demons. It is a power greater
than all the power of the nations combined. And it is a power greater than all
the power of sin and temptation.
It is the power that gave us life
and raised us from the dead. It is the power that transforms us into the
likeness of Christ. It is the power to become like Christ, to serve others, to
persevere in trials, to endure persecution, and to lay down your life to love
others. It’s the power to fight temptation and to kill sin. It’s the power to
obey God’s commands, to share the gospel, and the power to pray.
Who is this power for? Every
believer, young and old. The newest Christian has as much access to this power
as someone who has believed for 60 years.
And how do we get this power? By
praying for it, as Paul did for the Ephesians. The Almighty one, the Warrior of
Heaven is waiting to come to our aid with his infinite power, as he tells us in
these verses:
God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble. (PS 46:1)
He gives power to the faint, and
to him who has no might he increases strength. (IS 40:29)but they who wait for
the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings
like eagles;
they shall run and not be
weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
(IS 40:31)
I can do all things through him
who strengthens me. (PHP 4:13)
that according to the riches of
his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in
your inner being, (EPH 3:16)
being strengthened with all power
according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and
patience (CO 1.11)
The Christian life is hard. Jesus
calls us to hard things, like dying to ourselves and loving the unlovable. He
calls us to fight the good fight against spiritual powers, and our own sinful
desires and weaknesses. But we have infinite resources in Christ, including his
mighty, incomparable power.
We can receive the very strength
of God himself just by asking! Why would we not tap into this infinite power?
No matter what you are facing today, Jesus has more than enough strength for
you. Just ask him for it!
Written by: Mark Altrogge
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