IGNORANCE ABOUT THE POWER OF GOD

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JULY 28TH, 2021

TOPIC: IGNORANCE ABOUT THE POWER OF GOD

BY T. O. BANSO

“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11 New King James Version).

God is not just powerful – He is all-powerful. He has all power and every other power, including the power of the devil, is under Him (Colossians 2:10). Power is “the ability to control people or things” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). It is “the ability or right to control people or events” (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English).

Power is also defined as “The ability of an individual, group, or institution to influence or exercise control over other people and achieve their goals despite possible opposition or resistance” (Sociology Dictionary). The word “power” can also be used in the sense of physical strength. There are other definitions of power but I will limit myself to these.

Sometimes, power is used together with the word “authority”.  Authority is “the moral or legal right or ability to control” (Cambridge Dictionary). Both power and authority belong to Jesus, and He gives both to those who believe in Him.

There are three main types of power, namely, demonic power, human power, and God’s power. God’s power is a positive supernatural power unlike the devil’s power, which is an evil supernatural power. Human power can be derived either from God or from the devil.

The world we live in is a world that is being controlled by power. Both the power of God and the power of the devil are at work and are working in opposite directions. People are not satisfied being without power because he that is without power will become subservient to the one that has power. Therefore, there is the quest for power by humans.

Unfortunately, some people seek power from the devil rather than from God. This is because they cannot afford to be without power to protect themselves, to control others, to determine and influence what happens, and to advance their causes.

Human beings are in search of power – political power, spiritual power, financial power, etc. This is because power enhances their status and promotes them. There are also things that the natural power cannot do. So, people seek supernatural power – power that is more than natural – from God or the devil.

In Acts 4, the difference the power of God can make in the life of a person was made manifest to all present. And seeing how the lame was healed, the religious leaders got Peter and John arrested and set up an enquiry that centred on the question of power.

Acts 4:5-7 says, “And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,  as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ‘By what power or by what name have you done this?’” (New King James Version).

Their enquiry was to find out by what power the man was healed. Those who see someone do what they cannot do always want to know by what power it is done. It could be because they are envious of the person or because they want to know the source of the power that is higher than the power that they have so that they can go acquire it too.

In Acts 8, Simon the sorcerer saw in demonstration, the power that was superior to his own, and incurred the wrath of the apostles for offering money to secure that power (verses 18-24).

Simon had some power before this time but he felt small seeing someone with a superior power doing what he could not do. There is always that desire in man for power and more power. That is why many people today engage in abominable things just to secure political, financial, or spiritual power.

But if you are a child of God, you’re not to seek power outside of God. You’re not to pursue power outside what the Bible promises and what the Holy Spirit gives. The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of power and it is under the control of the power of God. We come into the Kingdom by power.

John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (King James Version). The New King James Version uses “right” instead of “power”. Those who are born into the Kingdom of God by power have the right to access the power of God. And you cannot access the power of God unless you understand the nature of this power and what the power can do.

In Matthew 22, the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection asked Jesus an ignorant question: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her” (Matthew 22:24-28 New King James Version).

Jesus answered them that they were mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God (Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24). The Greek word for power in these two scriptures is dunamis. It means “strength, ability, power” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). It also means “force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself)” (Strong’s Concordance).

The Sadducees were ignorant about the Word of God and the power of God. According to Jesus, in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. They didn’t know that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. They were ignorant.

It was that same ignorance about the power of God that made the chief priests and the Pharisees think that what Jesus said about His resurrection was a lie and guards must be kept at the sepulchre for His body not to be stolen by His disciples who would then lie that he had resurrected.

Matthew 27:62-64 says, “On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, ‘Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first” (New King James Version).

Pilate told them they had a guard and they should make the sepulchre as secure as they knew how to. Thus, they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard (verses 65-66). They only exhibited their ignorance and wasted their efforts.

It was useless keeping the guards there because they wouldn’t be able to stop Jesus coming come out of the grave alive.  What could the guards do to stop the great earthquake? What could they do when an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled the stone away. He sat upon it as if waiting for whoever would challenge him. He wasn’t in a hurry to go!

Matthew 28:1-4 says, “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men” (New King James Version).

If the chief priests and the Pharisees had known the Scriptures or the power of God, they wouldn’t have done what they did. They used their power – their influence on Pilate – but the power of God was superior to their power! No power can stop the resurrection power. The power of power is supreme.

Is there any power apart from the power of God that you’re depending on at the moment that is giving you false confidence? That power will fail you at the most critical time you need it. It is inferior to the power of God. Renounce such power today and come to Jesus.

All power belongs to Jesus. Jesus says all power is given unto me in heaven and the earth (Matthew 28:18). It is the power of Jesus that you need in your life.

Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (New King James Version).

Don’t seek power from the devil whether spiritual, political, or financial. Seek the power that only God gives. If you’re not born again, accept Jesus into your life today. Christ is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). The gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16).  

Romans 8:11 says if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11 New King James Version).

Don’t be ignorant about the Word or the power of God. God can kill and give life (2 Kings 5:7). He can kill and has the power to cast into hell (Luke 12:5). He can cause the dead bones to live (Ezekiel 37:1-14). He can bring the dead back to life and bring into existence what didn’t exist before (Romans 4:17).  Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23 New King James Version). There is no limit to the power of God.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Jesus, I believe that all power belongs to You. I will not seek power from the devil whether spiritual, political, or financial power. I will seek only the power that only God gives. Father, let every good thing in my life that is dead come back to life; create whatever good thing that is non-existent in my life, which is consistent with Your will for me. Because I believe, all things shall be possible for me in Jesus’ name.

(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T.O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org