All throughout the Bible, there are many vivid records that demonstrate the awesome power of God: the power to create the heavens and the earth, the power to part the Red Sea for the children of Israel, the power to make the sun and moon stand still for Joshua, the power to raise Jesus Christ from the dead. God has the supreme ability and power to make things happen for His people. And as His children, we have access to His power and can activate it in our own lives.
What can we do as Christians when we encounter challenges that can feel overwhelming? When difficult situations worsen or when something bad happens unexpectedly, we may be tempted to wonder whether we can expect the same deliverance that the men and women of the Bible received. In these times, it is important to go to God’s Word for strength and encouragement. In God’s Word, we see that God is able, and we see that we are able.
Ephesians 3:20:
Now unto him [God] that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
In this verse, “power” comes from the Greek word dunamis and can be defined as inherent power, capability of anything, ability to perform anything. God has the tremendous ability to do beyond what we could ever ask or think. Not only that, but His power, His ability to perform anything, is at work in us! Our almighty and powerful God has given us the spiritual capability to be victorious in any situation we may face. God can do; therefore, we can do. When we hold on to this great truth, we can overcome any obstacle in front of us.
My wife has always been an avid runner. A few years ago, she started having some knee pain after her runs. Over time the pain got worse and worse, and she was forced to stop running altogether. Her pain got so bad that she could barely walk at the end of each day. Even after seeing a specialist, the pain was not getting any better. We had to fight our own minds to keep ourselves from getting discouraged and losing hope. Although it was challenging, we kept our minds focused on the deliverance that we knew God would bring, because we knew that He was willing and able to do it. We held on to verses like I Peter 2:24:
Who [Jesus Christ] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Each day, we prayed together and built our mutual believing to see total deliverance. During this time, we made the decision to get a second opinion from another specialist. The new specialist was able to give an accurate diagnosis of her knee and start her on a new treatment plan. The new treatment improved her comfort immediately and she started having less and less pain. Today, she is completely delivered and is running faster than ever!
Romans 8:37:
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
How can we, as born-again believers, activate the power God has made available to us? We do this by believing God’s Word and by acting upon the exceeding abundance which He has promised. We see this when we operate the manifestations of the gift of holy spirit that God has given us. The nine manifestations of the gift of holy spirit are listed in I Corinthians 12:8-10. Verse 11 tells us how God’s power is activated when we manifest.
I Corinthians 12:11:
But all these [all nine manifestations of holy spirit] worketh [energeō, are energized by] that one and the selfsame Spirit [God], dividing [distributing] to every man severally as he [the individual] will.
The manifestations are energized by God as each believer decides and believes to manifest. How much power are we believing to manifest? What degree of deliverance are we expecting? When we ask and think big according to God’s will and take action to see it accomplished, God energizes the power in us to bring His deliverance to pass. God can do; therefore, we can do.
God has called us to walk with His power as spiritual superconquerors achieving victory after victory for Him. His immeasurable power and ability go to work as we take action to operate the power He’s given us. Let’s walk with boldness in our believing, accomplishing great things for God with the power that works in us.
To learn more about operating the gift of holy spirit, which is power from on high, you can read this article on our website: “Operating the Gift of Holy Spirit.”