Bible Reading: Psalm 119:49-104; 1 Corinthians 4
Memory Verse: “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 (KJV)
Several years ago, I travelled over 200km to see an uncle of mine who was a Muslim by name but quite strong in traditional charms. He took a man’s wife and charmed the man to get lost and he was never found again. But the day I met him and preached the gospel to him in his house, he was no longer himself, he was afraid of every move as his charms was no longer able to sustain him. He however noticed my boldness and he mentioned it to me that I had changed. Certainly when you give your life to Christ and truly submit to Him, your life must change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That change is total. It will affect your physical appearance and behavior. Over time you begin to show love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faith and self control. These are fruit of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:22-23 ) and are evidence that the power of God is upon your life. Nobody tells you to bear these fruit but they come to you naturally based on the power of God resident in you which guides you continually. However, that power needs to be renewed regularly to remain ever fresh and effective. The renewal is by regular study of the word of God and fellowshipping with God in worship and prayers.
This power of God will come upon your life once you truly accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and the Spirit of God will begin to direct you on what to do and what you should not do. So when you go to preach the gospel to others, you do not need to learn the words to say as long as you pray to God Almighty who will enrich your utterance to speak the right words to the person. The power of conviction is not in your speech but in the power of the Holy Spirit that gives you utterance. Thus, Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV), “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power”.
The power of the Kingdom of God is in levels but the process of getting to higher levels is the same which is deepening your fellowship with God. When you give your life to Christ, you start at the beginning but as you seek his face the more by studying the word, meditating on it, worshiping God, preaching His gospel, fasting and praying unto Him, living in obedience to His word, you get to know Him more and of course more of His power is released to you. It’s important to note that you need the help of the Holy Spirit to really be able to mortify the flesh and work in the Power of the kingdom. Matthew 26:41 (KJV) says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
To move to a higher level of power you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit and as you get it, you realise that He helps you to do the work. What you were unable to do before can then be done by the help of the Holy Spirit “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 (KJV).
Prayer Point: Call on God to baptise you in the Holy Spirit and if you are already baptized, ask for fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero