Devotions

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, NKJV).

What I’m about to say may come as a surprise to you. It is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about power. When I say this, I don’t just mean the divine power that raised Jesus from the dead. Of course, that kind of power is absolutely miraculous, and it can only come from God himself.

Christ’s resurrection speaks of an additional power, and this one also only comes from God. It is a power that causes us to live holy lives, to be free from sin’s dominion, to overcome every habit and lust known to man, to walk in a righteousness that comes from God alone by faith. To obtain this power is to know Christ in the power of his resurrection.

The apostle Paul speaks of this kind of resurrection power. He had a profound inner longing to know Christ, and that hunger came from his own deep cry for holiness. He found the answer in “Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name” (Romans 1:3-5).

Paul saw that Jesus had come to earth as a man with the power of heaven resting upon him, power to heal the sick, set captives free, raise the dead and give eternal life. Jesus’ resurrection, accompanied by a divine proclamation that he truly was the Son of God, opened the pathway for all to new, abundant life in him.

When our love is aligned with God’s Word—when we embrace his love for us and love one another unconditionally—we live without fear. We can live in the here and now and stand before him with boldness on the day of judgment.

When all fear is gone, we are in perfect love. Listen to these words sung by David: “Honor and Majesty are before him; strength and gladness are in his place” (1 Chronicles 16:27, NKJV). The root word for “gladness” in the Old Testament means “jumping for joy” and enjoying the fullness of perfect love.

Right now, the world is drowning in fear. Humankind trembles over global warming, terrorism, war, shaky economies, mass murders, political chaos and widespread addiction to drugs, alcohol and porn. How can we make any impact for Christ if we’re tormented with the same spirit of fear the world has? What kind of hope can we offer — indeed, what kind of gospel do we preach — if it doesn’t change us and deliver us from fear?

God brought in the New Covenant to assure his church of his love and full pardon of sin. With joy, he revealed his delight in us so that we could feel his heart of love and live our days without fear. “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?... Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1, 3).

It is time for God’s people to put everything in his hands. I urge you to stop trying to think your way out of trouble. Instead, rest in the power of God’s Word. Let the Lord put gladness in you today. Your glad heart will encourage all those who are fearful around you. “The Lord will open to you his good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand” (Deuteronomy 28:12).

Numerous Christians, including pastors, have told me they are continually harassed by former sins. They say, “Brother Dave, if you only knew what I once did, you would understand why I’m so down. My sin still hangs over my head, and I battle constant guilt over it. I believe the Lord has forgiven me, that his blood is sufficient to cover my iniquity, but I don’t have the peace that comes from that knowledge.”

Others tell me, “I believe I’m forgiven, but my mind is continually bombarded with hellish thoughts. It can happen anywhere, even in church, and it makes me feel so unclean. I have a hard time believing I am pure in God’s sight.”

These believers forget that Satan also tempted Jesus with awful, ugly thoughts during his wilderness testing. Today, the devil sends little foxes into your life to make you think you’re hopeless, that God is mad at you. They inject thoughts into your mind meant to destroy your faith in the power of Christ’s blood over you.

Dear friend, you are not to listen to those mental invasions. You have to cut them off and cry, “Holy Spirit, I know you’re beside me. Help me!”

All who take up the cross and fight the good fight of faith are in a constant battle. We all face evil thoughts that come because of our past, because of rejection, or simply because we live in wicked, sensual times. Yet when we apply Christ’s blood to these roots of doubt, it reaches into every cell of our being, including our minds, and thoroughly cleanses us. That blood transfusion brings freedom and true rejoicing.

You are not alone in your struggle. He has sent you the Holy Spirit who knows how to deal with the enemy and free you from all bondage. He is the still, small voice that will guide and empower you through all your battles.

Pray with me: “Holy Spirit, I want to grow in spiritual fruitfulness. I want to be rid of all hypocrisy, and I want gentleness, patience and love. I know you love me in spite of my lack of these things. So, stand by me and help me. Amen.”

There is an old gospel song we used to sing that goes like this:

Send him on down, Lord, send him on down
Lord, let the Holy Ghost come on down
We need him, Lord, send him on down!

The truth is the Holy Spirit is already here. He came down from heaven at Pentecost, and he never left!

Jesus promised, “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, NKJV).

Consider the phrase Jesus uses here: “But you know him.” Recently, as I read those words, I could not shake them off. I realized I really don’t know much about the Holy Spirit.

The church talks a lot about the Holy Spirit. We talk about being filled with the Spirit, living and walking in the Spirit, having the gifts of the Spirit, receiving the comfort of the Spirit. Yet it is possible to know all the doctrines of the Holy Spirit and still not know him. If I were to ask you, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” how would you answer?

Some might say, “I received the Spirit when Jesus saved me. The Holy Spirit brought me into Christ’s kingdom.” Others would answer, “Yes, I have received the Spirit because I spoke with tongues when he came into my life. I pray in the Spirit, and tongues are evidence that I have received him.”

However, to receive the Spirit is more than a one-time experience. The word “receive” means “lay hold of that which is given.” It is to desire a greater knowledge of who the Spirit is and how he works in our lives. In fact, the Holy Spirit is not received by someone until he is allowed to take full control of that person’s temple. Pray for God to help you lay hold of his Spirit!

Isn’t it marvelous how many ways God uses the world around us for our benefit? Even the intangibles are his miracle-working tools, and one of my favorites is music. Its power is such that it can tap into every human emotion. Throughout history, music has calmed raging souls, soothed broken hearts, renewed flagging spirits and trumpeted good news to the hopeless. In the Bible, it even helped to win a war.

In 2 Chronicles 20, an alliance of nations prepared to march against Judah. King Jehoshaphat, fourth king of Judah, responded by asking God for help and guidance. He then asked his people to fast as he readied his armies.

Jehoshaphat employed a powerful strategy here. First, he involved the people in his supplication to the Lord. Verses six through 12 relate a powerful and eloquent prayer in the temple, and verse 13 takes a moment to point out to the reader that everybody was there. “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:13, ESV). They were in it together, king and kingdom, standing in faith before God.

Next, they worshipped. “Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:18). Wouldn’t you have loved to hear the crescendo of praise that day? They knew who would bring their victory, and they praised in advance.

However, the best was yet to come. “After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

Now this is how you win a war! God responded to the people that day as only he can, with a mighty victory for Judah and a humiliating defeat for their attackers who turned on one another.

Is your spirit feeling war-weary? Are you fearful of a looming battle in your life, or do you know someone who is? Do what the people did that day; stand together, worship and make some music. Praise God ahead of the battle and sing, even when you can’t see the outcome! When the praises go up, the blessings come down.