Apicontent

“If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9, NLT)

Why does it seem that so often we are powerless to accomplish great things for God? I believe it is because there are barriers that keep us from experiencing God’s power through the Holy Spirit.

I’ve heard that Seattle, Washington is a beautiful place to live. But I’ve also heard that Seattle’s weather can be downright depressing. When the skies are clear, the weather is beautiful. However, fog is common and often dense and it rains 50 percent of the time. It’s actually been recorded that 239 days of the year Seattle is covered by heavy clouds. There are physical barriers that are blocking out the effects of the sun. The sun is there, shining brightly, but the fog and clouds are obscuring it.

I believe that Son Power is also obscured in our lives at times by things that present barriers to our seeing and experiencing that power. One thing that keeps Son Power from operating in our life is sin.

It is important to understand sin and to deal with it. The Bible tells us that God created humans perfect and in his image: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, NLT). God gave Adam and Eve meaningful work to do and told them the only thing they couldn’t do was eat the fruit of one tree, but they decided to take matters into their own hands and, as a result, sin came into the world. You can read all this in Genesis 2 and 3; Adam and Eve’s choice to do things their own way brought sin into our lives as well as their own.

Because of Adam and Eve, all of us have inherited a sinful nature, and it affects every part of us. There is only one person in the history of the world who did not have a sin nature: Jesus Christ. He was the “holy, righteous one” (Acts 3:14, NLT) who “never sinned” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT). This allowed Jesus to be sacrificed on the cross as our perfect substitute, “the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:19, NLT). It is through receiving Christ’s sacrifice that we are born again and begin a new life in him: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT).

The whole idea of sin is very unpopular these days, even in some churches. But the reason Jesus came into the world was to save us from our sins! Sin is alive and well and we must honestly own it and confess it. We cannot expect to experience God’s power in our lives when we choose to sin because sin always short-circuits the work of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Isaiah said, “Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:1–2, NLT).

Sin manifests itself in all kinds of ways in our lives; pride, envy, self-righteousness, the list goes on and on. The difficulty is in recognizing our sin and confessing it as such. It is important that we learn to detect the voice of the sinful nature. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in each believer and supplies the power we need to overcome the pull of the sin nature within us.

We need to confess our sin to God so our relationship with him can be restored immediately. It is through the confession of our sin that we are telling God that we want to have our relationship with him restored, and it is then that the Holy Spirit will empower us to do God’s work. Be honest with yourself. Are you stuck in a painful past? God’s healing is available to you! Are you stuck in a painful present? God’s power is available to you! Get sin out of the way!

Take time todayto confess your sin to God and begin to experience the Holy Spirit’s power in a new way.

Son Power can be blocked by your sin.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20, NLT)

Years ago, I was in a group experience where we were challenged to have a three-minute conversation without anyone using the words “me, my, or I” … we couldn’t do it! Unfortunately, each one of us has an innate desire to think about ourselves. This self-centered thinking, the “big I,” needs to be broken.

It takes Son Power to remove the control of self. This power becomes operative in our lives when we ask the Holy Spirit, by faith, to take control of how we think, feel, and act. We must learn to trust in the power of God alone to empower us and deliver us.

Dying to self is painful, but God has promised that he will manifest himself in us. In Proverbs we read these words, “For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord” (8:35, NLT).

If we are to find favor with God and experience the Son-powered life, we must die to self along the pathway of life: self-reliance, self-trust, self-sufficiency, independence. All qualities the world values and encourages.

Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” (John 12:24–25, NLT).

In order for a grain of wheat to multiply it must die. Our time, talent, treasure, and desire must be given up totally to God to be used for his world and his glory. If we just spend it on pleasuring ourselves, then we are missing the best that God has for us. Only when we die to self will God be able to multiply all that we are and all that we have.

An important KingdomNomics principle is that as we progressively die to desiring the perishable values of this world, we will find the desire to invest in the imperishable values of the kingdom. God’s priorities will become our priorities. We will also experience God’s favor and his abundant life.

I have found these two verses in the book of Psalms to be critical as I keep my eyes on God’s will and not my own: “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (5:12, NIV). “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (84:11, NIV).

In what ways is your self-reliance, self-trust, self-sufficiency, independence keeping you from truly experiencing Son Power?

Son Power requires that you die to self.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NLT)

Many people make the mistake of thinking that knowledge is enough to experience the presence and power of God. However, such a belief will short-circuit the Son Power in our lives. We need to remember the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness who had knowledge, but no purpose. “For this good news … has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God” (Hebrews 4:2, NLT).

Is the Word of God important to you? Are you spending time regularly reading it, memorizing it, and putting it into practice? In order to have Son Power operative in our lives, we must commit ourselves to the study of God’s Word. Our knowledge must move from our head to our heart in the form of conviction that impacts our faith and behavior. Failure to do so will certainly make our lives barren and unproductive. The knowledge that we gain from reading God’s Word must translate into some type of action.

However, when we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, we position ourselves to hear God’s voice. We must hear the Word of God, we must accept the Word of God, and we must live the Word of God. It is only through this process that we will experience Son Power and become seeds that produce a hundredfold.

I have had many experiences in my life when God has revealed his will for my life through his Word. When I immerse myself in that Word, I find that God works in me and through me. Scripture is either true or it’s not … it will either make a difference or it will not.

What Scriptures are important to you? What you learn from God’s Word about who he is, about his will, about his character, and about how he works will greatly affect how you experience the Holy Spirit in your life. You must take all that you have learned from God’s Word and apply it to your life circumstances.

What steps are you taking on a daily basis to ensure that you have a biblical knowledge of God that results in living for him?

Son Power is experienced when you hear the Word of God,

accept the Word of God, and live the Word of God.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” (Psalm 28:7, NLT)

There are Christian individuals who are not experiencing a Son-powered life because of their refusal to surrender to God’s will. This is what is often referred to as being a “carnal” Christian, one who is still influenced a great deal by the world and its enticements. This principle comes from the King James version of 1 Corinthians 3:1: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” The NIV puts it this way, “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ,” and the New Living Translation says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.”

The bottom line? A carnal Christian is someone who has accepted the good news of Jesus Christ, but does not want to be transformed by it. To become a Son-powered person, it takes an affirmative act of the will to choose to have the Holy Spirit control how we think, feel, and act. We shut off his power when we refuse to let him do so. It takes surrender of self.

Let’s review Galatians 2:20: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (NLT, emphasis added).

In order to have Christ living in us we must allow Jesus Christ to take control of us. We must submit to him. Our life revolves around the Son. He lives in us. He is the source of the renewable Son-powered life. He must increase and we must decrease. The power of the Son is unlimited, and he can overcome the mountain of self in our lives when we allow him to do so.

What often keeps you from surrendering to God?

Son Power requires surrendering to God’s will.

A Wish or a Goal?

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” (Philippians 3:13–14, NIV)

Wow! Take a look at the powerful verbs in the verses above: forgetting, straining, press on, win. To me, these words all seem to imply some kind of intentionality. Intentionality to do something, intentionality to pursue, intentionality to focus our time, talent, and treasure. As you consider your desire for experiencing Son Power, is it fueled by this type of intentionality? Is your desire a wish or is it actually a goal that you are willing to pursue? Are you simply thinking about the power of God in your life, or are you truly positioning yourself to experience it?

The very fact that you are taking the time to read this devotional seems to indicate that you have more than a simple wish to experience the power of the Holy Spirit working in you and through you. But the question still remains: Do you truly have a desire to experience the Holy Spirit working in your life?

I’ve met many people who have wishes for their lives. They are waiting for something to happen. To me, a true desire is something we are willing to work for.

I am not talking here about earning God’s favor. I am addressing the need for each one of us to develop a yearning in our hearts for God’s presence and power to actively empower us; a longing that results in us seeking after God. It is an intentionality that sets us on the course for pursuing God. Yogi Berra, the renowned baseball player and coach once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

When we have a true desire to experience Son Power, we know where we are going. We set our hearts and minds and lives on a path that will take us to our goal.

Honestly, is your desire to experience Son Power a wish or a goal?

Son Power is fueled by a yearning in your heart to experience God’s presence.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT)

We can’t grow in our relationship with God, through the Son, or experience the Holy Spirit, without the Word of God. In order for our lives to echo into eternity we need to embrace what the Bible tells us about who God is and how he works. Our entire being is wrapped up in Christ Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. Our desire for the Holy Spirit comes from Jesus and is fueled by Jesus, and we learn about all of this from God’s Word.

Just as it is impossible to grow physically without physical food, it is impossible to grow spiritually without the food of the Word of God. When you plant God’s Word in your heart it will accomplish everything that God wants to develop and grow in you. It will actually prosper in your heart. How do I know this? Because God’s Word promises it! “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11, NLT).

I love to play with words. During my devotional time one day, I placed two words side by side: WORLD    WORD

It occurred to me that each of these words is promoting a message.  The world wants us to embrace its message of “Me, Myself, and I.” This message is in direct opposition to what God’s Word has to say to us. God’s Word is a story of sacrifice and giving. We must make a choice as to which message we are going to listen to and obey.

As I sat looking at those two words, I realized that if you drop the “l” out of world you have word. I thought to myself, The “l” stands for what I am living for in this life. I need to take that “l” of the world and move it under the Word, bringing what I am living for in this world into submission to the Word of God.

In the Old Testament we read, “Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies” (Jonah 2:8. NLT). The world has a lot of “false gods” to offer. If you Google the term “false gods,” Wikipedia actually says they are “other competing entities or objects to which particular importance is attributed.” There are many things in this world that have the power to turn our hearts away from God. False gods include money, possessions, success, school, careers, friends, and even family. Tim Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, defines a false god this way: “Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

And so, each one of us has a choice to make each day. Are we going to follow the pathway of the world or walk in the way God’s Word directs us? Are we going to allow false gods to steal our allegiance or are we going to stay true to the God of the Bible? Are we going to take our directions from the world manual or the Word manual? What is our true desire?

In what ways are you letting the world guide your life? In what ways is God’s Word giving you direction?

Son Power is grounded in God’s Word.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1–3, NLT)

God’s Word gives us direction as we soak our heart in it and then sow it to the Spirit when we recite it as we talk with God about it. We then activate Son Power by an act of our will when we choose to flow with the Spirit in our daily walk with God. At that point, he begins to impart his life in us as we depend on him.

As we soak and sow, God responds and swings into action by allowing the Son to rise in our hearts to transform us: “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT). Note that the Spirit does the changing, not us. We are changed by his transforming power being released in us, freeing us more and more from the self-life and empowering us to do his will. When we do our part by positioning ourselves properly in relationship to God and his Word, he will do the rest. His Word flows through us.

Technology today presents to us many different options for “virtual reality” experiences. But what people really want is a real experience with God. Virtual reality is a “near to real” experience, but God offers us his very real presence. We experience him in our lives when we cooperate with him. The Old Testament tells us that he “rides across the heavens to help you” (Deuteronomy 33:26, NLT) and he “makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind” (Psalm 104:3, NIV). Those are very real words with very real power.

This is reality! As we embrace the Son-powered life, our desire for investing in the imperishable values of the kingdom will increasingly trump our desires for the perishable values of this fading world system as we experience the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.

Without God’s Word operating in our lives, we will be unfruitful. God has given us his Word to empower us to live the Son-powered life. However, we must choose to take advantage of his provision for doing so. Experiencing Son Power requires time and commitment. We want an easy way, but there is no easy way to take time to really know God’s Word. We begin by taking the time to hear what is being said.

Most of what we have discussed so far in this book is the opportunity to live a Son-powered life. We have been hearing what God’s Word has to say regarding this subject. However, God tells us that each person needs to make a choice regarding what they are hearing. We cannot simply hear God’s Word; we must decide what we are going to do with it. And so, we must go on to accept what is being said to us by the Lord if it is going to make any difference in our lives at all. Many people hear what is being said, but it goes no further than their ears. Each one of us must accept the message if it is to produce fruit. The message moves from the believer’s head to their heart by an active choice in their will to the point that it impacts their entire belief system, birthing a desire to make something out of it. Once that occurs, God does the rest.

We need to receive instruction from God’s Word and store those words in our hearts in order for the Son-powered life to be operative. We talk to the Father in accordance with his will as we have soaked our heart in his Word. As we flow with the Spirit in our daily lives, we become aware of God’s direction and power working inside of us and in our circumstances. Practicing what has been revealed to us in God’s Word results in spiritual growth, a growth rooted and grounded in Christ.

In what ways are you experiencing Son Power? If you are not, what changes do you need to ask God to help you make?

Son Power requires that you receive instruction from God’s Word.

“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8, NLT)

As I consider how Son Power works in and through all believers, I believe it is best explained by what I like to describe as the “4 Rs”: Relationship, Revelation, Reflection, and Redemption. All of these Rs are connected to and interrelated with each other.

Relationship

We have a relationship with almighty God through his Son, Jesus Christ. This relationship is established by receiving Christ as our personal Savior and trusting in his saving work on the cross.

Revelation

The relationship we have with God, when it is alive and growing, leads to revelation. As we spend time in God’s Word, he reveals his will to us. In Jeremiah 33:3 we read, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (NIV). As we spend time in God’s Word, he will guide and direct our steps as we trust in him. All of this becomes a reality in our lives as we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and transform us from within.

Reflection

After something is revealed to us, we must reflect upon it. What does this mean? What should we do with what has been revealed to us? How does this impact our lives and the world around us? Does this revelation require action on our part? This really is the beginning of Son Power working its way in and through our lives.

We have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son; the Holy Spirit reveals God’s will to us; and we must reflect on what is revealed to us in order to move forward in the strength and wisdom of the Spirit. All of these principles are interrelated. When we are faced with the claims of Christ, we must make a decision. We must be careful to act in whatever way God is directing us when his will is revealed to us. Son Power enlightens us in the process of revelation. It directs us to make right decisions and empowers us to follow through on those decisions.

Redemption

Once we decide to act on what has been revealed to us, we are in a position to redeem our world for God and his purposes. Because of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we understand that we are living in a world that in its present form is passing away. Everything we can see and touch is in the process of perishing. But we know that we can converterlate the perishable items of time, talent, and treasure of this world into the imperishable values and treasure of the world to come. The New Testament instructs us, “Make the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16, NLT), and “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5, NLT).

If you were to ask a friend, What does the word redemption mean? they might be a little perplexed. The definition of redemption according to Merriam-Webster is the act of making something better or more acceptable, the act of exchanging something for some kind of award. Other definitions include repurchasing something or making a deliverance or rescue. We could also include the idea of exchanging something by using something else of value. To redeem something essentially means to buy it back or regain possession of it. It is a “recover and restore” process.

When we decide to move into the redemption phase of God’s revelation, we are not merely making the most of something. We are actually intentionally seizing an opportunity for a special work.

The 4 Rs are intertwined and represent a cycle. They also intersect with the “soak, sow, and flow” principle. Since this is a circular illustration, I’ve also added a “grow” component to the “soak, sow, and flow” that takes the process one step further. I believe this concept is best illustrated by what I like to refer to as a “Sonburst of Revelation.” This is actually a circle that represents a continuing reference to a key revelation from God.

Take a moment to really consider your life. Do you move through the 4 Rs or do you often get “stuck” at one place in the cycle? What steps can you take to be more intentional in continuing to move around the circle?

Son Power empowers us to intentionally seize an opportunity from God for his special work.

“Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24, NLT)

Picture the sun rising on a beautiful, clear morning. We see it slowly peeking out over the horizon. As time passes it becomes more noticeable, the heat increases, the light becomes stronger until it is fully visible, a ball of light casting its intense glow over everything. The earth awakens each day to this light; plants grow and life is sustained. In much the same way, the Son rises in our hearts. We accept him into our lives and he progressively overcomes the darkness of our old lives, lives without him and full of self. As bits of this darkness are forced away through our increasing knowledge of him, the Son blazes forth, in ever greater intensity, into our everyday lives. We become partners with him as we become more and more aware of his power in us.

I believe the Bible calls us to this progression of experienced power when it says, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14, NIV). We see in this verse a wonderful promise of seeing Jesus Christ work in and through our lives and circumstances. And when Christ shines on the life of the believer, things happen!

Our focus here is on spiritual power. There are many kinds of power: secular, political, physical, informational, and even personal. However spiritual power, God’s power imparted to us by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, trumps all other power whether it be earthly power or other supernatural power.

The Son-powered life is Christ, the power of God, living in and through us. However, knowing this fact and experiencing the reality of that relationship are two different things. The Son-powered life begins at the moment of spiritual birth and develops as we cultivate our relationship with Christ. We learn to trust Christ daily to live his life in and through us.

As we grow in our relationship with Christ Jesus we experience not only more and more of him, but more and more of his love and power and grace in our daily lives.  And as we experience more and more of Jesus in our lives, we also can start to happily experience less and less of self. In the book of John we read these words spoken by John the Baptist, “He must become greater

and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30, NLT). This process can take place without us noticing, but eventually we should see evidence of this occurring in our lives as we cultivate our relationship with Christ. This is literally the power of Christ beginning to permeate our entire life.

The object of our faith is critical. If we trust in the power of self to live the Christian life, we will fail. Self is always ultimately powerless. Self relies on the old “try harder self-effort” model and is intent on meeting the demands of the law through works. We try and try to do and be what God wants, but unfortunately, the flesh is incapable of satisfying the perfect, exacting demands of the law. However, when Christ is the object of our faith, we trust him to live his life in us and we accept his power to achieve it. As we learn to become less and less, Jesus Christ becomes more and more.

What is currently happening in your life because of Son Power?

Son Power is all about you becoming less and less and Christ becoming more and more.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!” (Ephesians 3:20–21, NLT)

The late Dr. Bill Bright once wrote, “The more we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide and control our lives, the more Christ’s character will shine in what we say and do.” That’s what I want for my life, for the Son to be shining in all that I say and do.

It is by daily walking in the power of the Holy Spirit that we live our new lives in Christ. We’ve talked a lot in this book so far about what it means to experience Son Power in our lives, but now it is time to discuss what we should actually be seeing in our lives when the Son is working in us and through us.

I frequently begin my day by asking our heavenly Father to direct my heart toward his grace and love. I want my heart to be prepared so that I am ready to have communion with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit knows the mind of God, and he is the deliverer of all that God desires for me to know about my life and living for him. He is the one who teaches me all things and also empowers me to do what God desires. It is vital that I keep my heart and mind open to him. He enlightens me, enables me, teaches me, and imparts his life to me.

To live righteously, we need supernatural power. This supernatural power comes to us through the Holy Spirit and it is through God’s Word that we learn about this power and what it can accomplish.

Faith is the key. Faith releases the Son Power of God. Faith and trust in self will fail for all of our true power is sourced in Jesus Christ. Paul said it well, “Our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT).

Fortunately, God has already made this resource available to us. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:3–4, NLT).

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the ways in which he is empowering you through the moments of your days. Ask him to fill you with supernatural power to live a life of purpose and passion. Read God’s Word and allow it to fill your mind and your heart so that Son Power might be a force in your life that makes a difference.

In what ways are you currently experiencing supernatural power in your life?

Son Power is released by faith.