Reading this morning I came across 1 Corinthians 4:20 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of Power”.

As I began to reflect on those words, I realized that my Christian walk is not a matter of just me “talking” but of God”s power. My side note showed “Spiritual Power” and I began to ask myself… “What is Spiritual Power and why is it important? I found the following information that will help answer these questions.

What is Spiritual Power? When someone becomes a believer of Jesus Christ, God gives us his Holy Spirit to guide us. God knows that we will face opposition from Satan and that he will try to distract us from doing God’s will. God also knows that we are human and as humans we have a sin nature that resists the desires and goals of our new nature and walking with the Lord. The Bible tells us that we desire to do good but cannot carry it out (Rom 7:18-20). The answer to our inadequacy as humans to solve our own problems, even after we are saved, is found in God’s provision for power over sin and the power to have victory in Christ. God has made this rich provision in order to accomplish the purpose of helping Christians lead a holy life.

Why is Spiritual Power Important? As we look at scripture, we find the answer to this question. Spiritual is Important because……

1. Gives Courage to Rebuke Sin (Micah 3:8)

“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression , to Israel his sin”. As followers of Christ, we have been given the Spirit of the Lord and with this POWER, we are able to declare boldly and courageously to rebuke sin. He has given us victory over sin by His mighty power and by the Spirit of the Lord. We have POWER over sin by the Spirit of the Lord. Sin does not win…. the POWER of the Lord is victorious over sin. Realizing this truth, gives us the courage to use God’s power to rebuke sin.

2. It is Mightier than Physical Forces. (Zec 4:6)

“So he said to me “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord Almighty”. We can rest assured that God’s Spirit and God’s power is greater and mightier than any physical forces. We do not have to rely on our own physical strength or our own abilities but we can rely on God’s spirit and God’s power!! What comfort to know that He has the ability, power, and strength to overcome anything we face.

3. Jesus is the Supreme Example of Spiritual Power (Luke 4:14)

“Jesus returned to Galilee in the POWER of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole country-side”. We find that Jesus had just been in the wilderness, fasting and praying and being tempted by Satan. Then we find after he has spent time with God, spent time fasting and praying that he returned to Galilee victorious over Satan and filled with the Power of the Spirit of the Lord. May we realize that we, too, must spend time fasting and praying and spending time with God, our Heavenly Father. Then we will also be filled with POWER of the Spirit so that we, too, may go about doing the work of our Father and accomplishing the purposes He has for us while living on this earth.

4. Accompanies the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)

“But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judaea and Samaria; and to the ends of the earth” These words were spoken by Jesus after He had been crucified and was raised to life again. He was with His apostles that he had chosen and was giving them instructions through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:2). It was during these 40 days He was on earth that he appeared to them and spoke about the ‘kingdom of God’. During this time with his apostles he instructed them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the “gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). He instructs them that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with POWER when the Holy Spirit comes (Acts 1:5,8). The baptism and POWER given through the Holy Spirit would allow them to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. We can be confident that when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, just as the apostles, we, too, will receive POWER and we can also be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

5. Enables Believers to Speak with Authority (Acts 4:33)

“With great POWER the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and much grace was upon them”. Scripture also gives an account of Stephen in (Acts 6:8)… “Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and POWER, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people”. As we read these scriptures, we find that the apostles were given this POWER and through this POWER, they were able to carry out God’s plan by allowing God to do many great wonders and miraculous signs. These apostles used the POWER that God had given them, and spoke with authority. They were bold and courageous and spoke with authority by the POWER that had been bestowed upon them. The POWER that God gives us when He baptizes us with His Holy Spirit gives us this same authority. May we be bold and courageous and speak with authority so that God may continue to carry out His plan to do many great wonders and miraculous signs in our world today.

6. Fills Life with Healing Influences (Acts 9:11-12) (1 Thess 1:5, 1 Cor 2:4, Eph 3:16, 2 Tim 1:7)

“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul….so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 9:11-12) We find in scripture that Paul states in 1 Cor 2:4 that his message was not with persuasive word but by the demonstration of the Spirit’s POWER that that their faith would not rest on man’s wisdom but of God’s POWER. We also find that Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened with POWER through God’s POWER. (Eph 3:16). Paul also encourages believers that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of POWER, of love and self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:7). We find that Paul relied on the Spirit’s POWER to perform healings and miracles. He relied on the Spirit’s POWER to demonstrate to the people so their faith would rest on God’s POWER and not his words or his wisdom. I was so moved by the scripture that stated God performed extraordinary miracles through Paul. It made me ask… Does God want to perform extraordinary miracles through me? May I live my life willing to be used by God so that God’s POWER may be demonstrated and God may perform miracles to those around me. Let our prayer be that we may be strengthened by God’s POWER and that we may not be timid but boldly proclaim God’s POWER through the authority He gave us through His Holy Spirit.