THE PROMISE & THE POWER FOR CHANGE

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

– Ephesians 3:20a NIV

The simplistic message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s promise of power for change in the life of the one who believes, accepts and embraces Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Faith in Christ positions me, with a posture of humility, to allow God to accomplish what He promises in His word, in and through me, to authenticate the truth of His existence and the validity of His word. My personal encounter with God, through the application of my faith in obedience to His word, inspires within me a desire to make known to others what has been revealed to me!

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” – John 14:21 NIV God desires to reveal, manifest and make Himself known to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior. Experiencing the promise of power for change begins by acknowledging the means by which God chooses to reveal His power for change through the life of His Son Jesus Christ. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” – Romans 10-9-10 NIV

Experiencing the promise of the power for change, no matter how grave my circumstances, begins with taking God at His word, believing His word is true, and then applying the principles of what His word teaches, obeying His word, so that you may receive power for change. God’s power is His word and the presence of His Holy Spirit at work in the one who believes. The immeasurably more God promises begins when we allow His power to work within us!

May God bless you and help you to experience His power at work within you to experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

ABIDING AFFECTS CHANGE IN, THROUGH & AROUND ME

“In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images. Under his direction the altar of the Baals were torn down.”

– 2 Chronicles 34:3b-4a NIV

As I sincerely seek to pursue Christ, in my faith walk with God, and adhere to God’s counsel by applying the principles and teachings of Christ, the direct result is spiritual transformation, change and fulfillment. With all that I can receive from being in this world, one thing the world cannot give me is a growing relationship with God the Father, through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. In all of my pursuits, ambitions and aspirations, where is becoming more like Christ in how I think, act, speak and live on my list of priorities? In all of my effort to obtain knowledge to achieve success, is the Bible part of my daily ritual/routine in learning strategies of success to incorporate in my various roles and responsibilities?

According to scripture, 4 years into his personal, intimate pursuit of God led Josiah to affect positive change in the world around him in his role as king. By the authority and anointing of God at work in him and through him, Josiah was effective and productive in his knowledge of God that allowed him to influence others to live in a way that would give God glory! Christ proclaimed that those who believe are the light of the world and the salt of the earth in Matthew’s gospel. God declared in 2 Chronicles 7 that healing of the land would be the result of the humility of His people to repent and pray. The President of the United States of America does not have the authority, power and influence God has, and regardless of who is president, there are certain changes that will never occur until God’s people apply His principles of abiding.

The Christian was given direct authority by God to have the impact in this world due to the nature of our intimate, personal relationship we share with Him through faith in Christ. When I stand before the Father, to be judged for what I did with what He provided me, and He asks me what I did with the power of prayer, will my response be, “I prayed for you to give me a house, car, mate and money.’ Will I say something like this, ‘I prayed for you to help the homeless and uproot the President.’ In the time I have journeyed with God, have I sought to be the change I wanted to see and allowed God to anoint me with His power and authority to affect change as change is wrought in me? Begin with prayer and be the change you want to see in the world around you!

May God bless you and help you to abide in Him and allow His words to abide in you so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for you to have that affects change in you and the world around you.

A REACH THAT EXCEEDS YOUR GRASP

“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”

– 2 Chronicles 34:3 NIV

A sincere, active pursuit of God is the act of abiding in Christ. Someone who strives to live by and adhere to the word of God is someone who allows Jesus’ words to abide in them. As David declared, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11 NIV Along life’s journey, I have come across 2 statements that have shaped my view of my faith walk with God. The first: ‘Always allow your reach to exceed your grasp.’ – author unknown. Most recently: ‘A thousand mile journey begins with one step.’ – chinese proverb

How Josiah’s life is depicted in the introduction of his reign as king in the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles 34, illustrates what the posture of a sincere seeker looks like and the outcome of one who sincerely seeks to abide in Christ and allow His words to abide in them. It was noted that Josiah made a deliberate choice to pursue God, or seek after Him. When you read the account of Josiah, you will discover that Josiah was 16 years of age when he decided to apply the wisdom of Christ’s teaching to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Josiah’s life recorded in scripture is a continual reminder to me of what it means to abide in Christ. Abiding is an active pursuit of God with a sincere motivation to follow after Him because it was what I was created to do.

Faith in Christ allows me to obtain the intimate relationship with God, through belief and confession, but in order to access the benefits of the relationship and walk in the divine purpose, authority and anointing God has prepared for me and provided for those who desire something more than what this world can offer, I must engage in an active pursuit of God. Everything God promises cannot be obtained from living in this world. There are greater things God desires to supply and provide for me, but in order to obtain them I must desire for the reach that exceeds what I can grasp in this world. That journey begins with one step of faith as Josiah did at age 16.

May God bless you and help you to take the necessary steps in your journey of faith, developing a sincere, deliberate disposition to pursue Him, so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.