Power, Power . . . We've Got the Power!, Part 2

When it comes to cultivating a stronger walk with God you ever get the nagging feeling that something is missing.

If you don't feel wasn't perhaps the flame of passion you felt when you first became a Christian has dwindled down to today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll reminds us that God has installed his spirit all those who believe tragically, very few people of learned how to engage your soul is hungry for more. Today's program is for you Chuck titled his message power power. We've got habitants is that I am a Christian would include I am in Christ. I live in him and he lives in me. I am able to live above since dominating control because I am a Christian I have immediate access to the father, through prayer because you and I are Christians, we can forgive and should forgive whoever wrongs us. We couldn't do that when we were lost because we are Christians we worship with the purpose church is vital we share our faith with others.

We love and need other people.

We need to be accountable. We need to have fellowship with them. We need to keep the relationships open and carry. These are normal and continual lifestyle things in the Christian life and for that we are so grateful. I have not just described powerlifting or power. Christianity get that straight or you will live your life disappointed and frustrated, always looking for more more more more. I wouldn't take the heart out of any of you for anything, but neither what I leave you with one tiny shred of unrealistic expectation are you will soon be in a pastor's study, talking about how God has let you down, and he has not fulfilled his promise of power get a life. The promise of power is ours because the spirit of power, lives within, but this fantasyland concept of Christianity frustrates more than it through and I'm trying to keep you from being a frustrated believer will and how about being spirit filled. How about being spirit filled Quinn's spirit filled again. Here is a quick short list of one that could be much longer. I and you and I while spirit filled, are surrounded by the spirit shield of protection continually constantly routinely. There is more one of our life were not protected under the spirits umbrella and by the Spirit's presence, what a thought because we are filled with the spirit we have an inner dynamic to handle life's pressures because we are filled with the spirit we are able to be joyful, regardless because spirit filled, we have the capacity to grasp the deep things of God which he discloses to us in his book, we need not seek a vision in the night. We need to see truth from the book as it is printed for us in our language. Thanks be to God because we are spirit filled, we have little difficulty maintaining a positive attitude of servant hood and humility.

That's part of being spirit filled, you don't fight to get to the top or to seek the limelight while spirit filled your thrill was to serve while spirit filled, you and I have a keen sense of intuition and discernment. We sense evil. I was in a place not long ago and I backed out of it with a friend and I said let's not go any further there's something wrong in their and to this day I don't know what it was but something in my spirit recoiled against something in that place. I was traveling in the happen to have been in Singapore. We went into the old India area and there was a temple there was a Hindu temple there and one of our traveling companions when he and I walked to the door not back away.

Something about it. IIII wasn't ready to encounter. I don't know why I don't know how I don't I don't have a lot of those feelings are not normal, but I'll tell you when I need him there there and they come just when I need. They arrive in and I have a stop sign that goes up in my head that says don't do that, don't touch that don't go in there and spend more time with a person stay away from that or whatever.

We have a keen sense of intuition and discernment because we are spirit filled, we are able to love and be loved in return we can be vulnerable and open because we have the spirits filling we can rely on the spirit to intercede for us when we don't even know how to pray as we should. Because we are spirit filled we need never fear evil or demonic assault. We are enabled to stand alone with confidence. We have experiencing we we experience inner promptings regarding decisions as well as right and wrong. We have an internal filter system, we can actually live worry free. Is that remarkable. I'm not saying we do. I'm saying we can. We are never truly alone never truly alone. You may go home to an empty apartment or townhouse or in your own empty home and you may since I am all alone and you are mistaken my friend. You need to remember he who is with you is with you for ever permanently constantly your companion. He will not leave. He was orphaned is when I added with my own pin, not typed because I am spirit filled. I have an intimate Abba relationship with the living God. He is my dad. Great when I buried my dad and my last parent he outlived my mother nine years. When I buried my dad for the first time I found myself even though adult in the father for all alone. Something in me long to still have my dad if for nothing else than a phone call to talk about something he would know better than I and it came over me like a flood. I have the spirit of God to be my counselor, my companion to the again these are not exceptional phenomenal things they are routinely hours to enjoy and to claim because the spirit of God is filling us. This is not power spirituality. This is not power filling. This is the normal spirit filled Christian life, about which we say too little. Now the point these are evidences of spirit filled power and frankly these are the kinds of things we need and can count on for more than periodic and exceptional moments of sheer ecstasy and somebody needs to put that in proper perspective and I volunteer today.

That's my role in this message. If nobody has told you before, I'm telling you today. These are things you can count on and you do not need the continual highly charged vision like reminders of the presence of the good of the spirit of God, though there will be occasions when that might happen if I made before I wrap all this up one more verse second Corinthians 317. This made a whole new sense to me when I just meditated on it. Just something about chewing on a verse second Corinthians, please turn to that 317 now the Lord is the spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Just look at that same thought is mentioned in Galatians 4, verse six, but let's focus here on 17 where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Another word for freedom and I I have listed a few freedoms freedom from constraint and from fear. You have that when you have and are filled by the spirit of the Lord. Freedom from TDS perfectionism from confining life from bondage, freedom from addictions, freedom to be to do to become free. I can think of nothing more needed than freedom and that comes from simply having the spirit. It is a power freedom. I think you're getting it now it it it isn't as if some some words comes over me and I am caught up in an experience that most Christians just haven't tapped into.

I don't know where that got started, but I wish it would stop almost as if because I am spirit filled in, because I have this function. This power from God. I don't even need to weep at funerals for when did we teach ourselves to apologize for. Tears of grief and loss. Strange, I am free to cry just as I'm free to laugh.

I'm free to be as I bring this message to a close. Am I saying that we never be careful here that we never traffic in the miraculous know or that we should always consider the phenomenal with a suspicious eye discerning yes but not suspicious.

No, I'm not saying am I saying that these things never occur from the spirit of God, no I am not.

I've had a number of people over a given year.

Come to me and say would you pray for and no name, wife, husband, mother or dad a child a friend who is dying with this dread disease. Doctors have given up hope. They simply said, look, make sure the will is intact. Death is coming and they said would you just pray just pray for that person. Now say yes of course have higher right to promise that individual. That person will live. I am not God. I pray for God's glory, to be manifest. I pray if it is his will to bring up a miracle to pass in closet to be connected only with him. I pray that he will give strength to these you grieve alongside those that they are losing. I can make no power, promise of rising from the death bed, neither can anyone else that is voodoo Christianity that is not biblical truth, and we do people a disservice by holding out the carrot as if they can some someday catch it and eat. I offer three final thoughts that will calm you if you if this kind of message has made you uneasy when you preface my remarks by addressing a broader subject.

The spirit of God is in fact God. We are not dealing with a small part of a bigger portion the person and work of the triune God immortal, invisible in light and accessible hidden from our eyes, wrote Walter Chalmers Smith, our God is incomprehensible he is infinite in nature.

Much of his work is beyond our comprehension. He is limitless he is mysterious and at times obscure that I find humanly speaking, a bit confusing and illogical.

But that's my problem, not his. Because I cannot unravel his tapestry or the work of his of his hands.

It doesn't mean there's something wrong with his plan means I can't understand so far than neophyte said to Joe in his utter despair. Can we, by searching, find out God.

The implication is no friends. Let's let God be God. Let's not feel that we must explain every part of him as one of my mentors used to say you cannot unscrew the inscrutable leave screwed up tight. Leavitt Call it a mystery say I don't know three times a day for the rest of your life. Good for you so that when the work of God comes down and you are a part of it and can explain it say again, I don't know I just know it's from you. I just know it's the way he works so then with that in mind, I conclude first I want to say God is a God of the miraculous. Don't you ever tell anybody swindle doesn't believe in the miraculous, or you will be stating wrong information. God is a God of the miraculous. Therefore, miracles do occur. Scripture suggests.

Let me caution you scriptures suggest that those miracles are occasional and they are exceptions, not the norm but they do occur they do not occur these days on command. They occur when God in his marvelous mysterious, inscrutable plan designs that they occur and he has them happen more often in spite of his than anything else. God is a God of the miraculous. Therefore, miracles do occur.

Second, God is a God of the supernatural.

Therefore supernatural phenomena occur. Scripture suggests that they are occasional and they are exceptional.

Not routine but phenomenal things occur. Be careful what you tag miraculous or phenomenal. Toss those words around is like the word awesome. Now everything is possible.

Toyotas are awesome ballplayers are also nonsense God is awesome God's house and if he is pleased to do a work of the miraculous praise his name.

I stand back and applauded and would not even attempt to explain it. If I could. It wouldn't be a member, but I don't expect it every day.

I'm surprised when I encounter one a lifetime but I have and I stand in all third God is a God of the mysterious therefore mysterious things occur which we cannot explain how we were Scripture suggests I remind you again, they are occasional and they are exceptional. Verily God is of infinite greatness, said one theologian more than we think.

Unknowable by created things he can never be comprehended by us as he is in himself, but even here and now, whenever the heart begins to burn with the desire for God. He is made able to receive the uncreated light and inspired and fulfilled with the gifts of the Holy Ghost. He tastes the joys of heaven. He transcends all visible things and is raised to the sweetness of eternal life herein. Truly is perfect love many women as best I can leave this with you. These are evidences of the spirit filled life and I hope they add balance to your theology in an imbalanced age where people every day. Unfortunately, expect a miracle and when they don't get one. I find it interesting. They cheapen the word by calling things that can be explained otherwise. Miracles as Abraham Lincoln said on one occasion calling the tail a dog, don't make no tail a dull calling natural events, miracle, don't make no natural events.

Miracles have a very good friend whose son has been through an incredibly difficult period of time. I've ate with him and his wife Cynthia and I have prayed for them as much as anyone in the last number of months. It looked as though everything was going awry. Things got only worse and they happen to discover through the assistance of medical help and a very gifted, insightful physician, a particular technique that tapped them into the source of the problem and the boy has recovered incredibly, it would be my tendency and yours to say countless in this. It is in fact a very, very science to think carefully home procedure of diagnosis and treatment that were guided absolutely.

He alone can heal doctors diagnose as the process worked its way through the diagnosis latched up with the need this little fella has gotten his ducks in a row and is well on his way to full for which we praise, but it wasn't power he Chuck Swindoll titled today's message on the Holy Spirit power power. We've got the power don't rush away because we set aside several minutes at the close of today's program to hear some final teaching points from Chuck. This is inside for living. To learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org is a special resource for you. Remember the Chuck wrote a book that parallels our current teaching series. It's called embraced by the spirit untold blessings of intimacy with God to purchase a copy right now.

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We hope this brief story encourages you to keep up the good work. To give a donation today. Call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or you can get online@insight.org/donate and now back to Chuck. Let's pause for a moment and just think about what we have heard today in a sincere effort to find deeper intimacy with God.

Many Christians have reversed the biblical reality of spirit filled living and they have attempted to make the miraculous. There normative experience. Maybe you're one of them. Everything then becomes a power encounter.

I guess we could call what we don't simply pray anymore. We offer power prayers.

I will simply witness we conduct power evangelism even heard of power healings power preaching power miracles and power revelations just to name a few.

Power has become one of the in terms of our times, and frankly it's been over used and abused even by Christians. So I caution you to be careful my Christian friend not to measure your intimacy with God by power or miraculous experiences to do so will only result in your setting up expectations that will let you down and ultimately trust me on this will lead you astray. Let the spirit of God wheeled all the power he may choose to wield not you. You stay focused on being faithful intimacy with God flourishes in the context of obedience. That is where your love for him reaches maturity.

Remember the spirit inspired words from the apostle John from his 14 chapter if you love me you will keep my commandments that Jesus, he who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me and he who loves me shall be loved by my father and I will love him and will disclose myself to him, verses 15 and 21 John 14 and by this we know that we have come to know him.

If we keep his commandments. We read in first John two, the one who says, I have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected by this we know that we are in him the one who says he abides in him or himself to walk in the same manner as he walked. First John two verses three through six and then the same letter. Chapter 5 verse three for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. And finally, from the second letter of John verse six and this is love that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment just as you have heard from the beginning that you should walk in now.

Would you bow with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the way you've spoken to us today from your word and the application of it. Deliver us from instant anything that has to do with spiritual truth's show us the value of a long obedience in the same direction of finding satisfying joy in trusting you. Even when the way isn't clear, and even when the pain endures revealed to us in fresh and new ways that you were please by our faith as we wait upon you to do whatever you may sovereignly choose to do show us how how immature it is to plan out our way and then set up our expectations. According to that, rather than to seek your way and your will. Knowing that as a result, all the other things will be. We commit to you the truth that we have heard and I pray specifically for those in pain today trusting to get them through. Provide the means Lord and he will be honored and glorified list any other person take the glory belongs only to ask this, and we asked this together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by Bill Meyer inviting you to join us again when Chuck Swindoll series called flying closer to the flame continues. That's Friday on insight for living. The preceding message power power. We've got the power was copyrighted in 1993 and 2003 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2003 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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