Wisdom 19 Power

[HKHaugan]

Wisdom 19 Power 

Volcano erupting in Hawaii, a tsunami sweeping across the shore of Japan, the hydrogen bomb exploding on the Bikini Atoll, a hurricane slamming the Louisiana coast with 130 mile an hour winds, a tornado snapping trees and ripping off barn rooves; all with gigantic power demonstrated in nature. These are examples of physical power. There are other kinds of power as well. There’s political power, military power, economic power, corporate power, social power, power to impress by speaking, by emotional outburst, by artistic beauty, by heart touching moments, by instilling fear, the forces that in a moment influences an internal reaction. The possession of power intellectually, emotionally or spiritually moves the world of people to change, modify, create and destroy. So ultimately, it seems that physical power takes last place in the understanding of power. You can have an army, a gun, bodily might, physical strength in all its forms, yet they can never outdo, out fight, out maneuver or kill the presence of a strong idea, an experience, a memory, a belief or anything unseen; “…the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still.” It’s what’s in the unseen where real power lies.

 But not all unseen powers are equal. There are two overriding powers as far as human beings are concerned. Each of the two have subsidiary powers that serve them. The two are God’s power and the devil’s power of sin and evil. One is revealed. One lies hidden. One has revealed Himself openly while the other retreats into the darkness behind personal pride, denial, arrogance and hostility. Jesus is seen in the power of relational love. The devil hides in the power of isolating personal fear.

 Here’s where the two powers separate, “Perfect love casts out fear (1Jn.4:18).”

 So it’s the choice between the power of love and the power of fear. Fear subjected to love fades in its own darkness showing that, opposite to perfect love, there is no perfect fear. One is obedient to God and blessed. The other is obedient to self and alone. Think of what the difference is when choice made. Choosing God and His love brings people together. Choosing self divides people by suspicion and distrust thus choosing the devil. Choosing to let God control encourages relationships. Choosing to control self, guarantees self-deception because no one is perfect. One multiplies relationally. The other diminishes into lonely disillusionment.

 Herein lies the witness of Jesus who chose death on the Cross to bring life, the power of self sacrifice..

 Obviously, relational power in the Spirit of God ends in a totally relational Kingdom while the other ends in eternal aloneness of fear. One is life. The other is death. Life is God’s promise and blessing. Death is the promise of lonely anti-life self-centered sin and evil. When you assess the end of both you are choosing either life or death. This leads us to the only logical conclusion when talking about power, choose life in Christ for eternal life or death into an eternal hell under the devil’s influence.

 Choose God’s control or the devil’s. This ultimate choice is the source of true freedom and the power that God’s freedom brings. Freedom that is first spiritual is personal. This is more than just the ability to make a choice. This is the freedom that depends not on any human or cultural sense of freedom like the freedom from conflict both inner and outer. This is the kind of freedom that the individual human heart has that can face any and all circumstances. That’s power. The freedom within is greater than the freedom without.

 Personal freedom is spiritual from above and has the power to change the world below where all of us live. Confidence to actually do what you believe is the inner quality of freedom in Christ. This confidence is founded on the love coming from God’s forgiveness when we face the fact we are sinners. Facing that fact takes power, power over self, power to change from self-reliance to God reliance. Attitude is no longer scattered conclusions based on what others think. Attitude is shaped by the relationship we have with the Lord Jesus. That is the singular attitude of Jesus whose will was His Father’s. If we can say anything about attitude it to be something new. In Christ attitude becomes Spiritude. That is, our choices in everything are guided by the Holy Spirit based on the Word of God. Therein lies the power to change the world in which each of us live. The power of Spiritude over attitude.

 There is power in love, in compassion, in forgiveness, in caring and sharing. The freedom to see everyone as an image of God and react to them accordingly, not only frees us from the limiting standards of ethnic definitions but has the power to change the attitudes of others. The freedom to live in the present, free from the past with its guilt, regret, and remorse. The freedom from first impressions and the power of patience to wait and see how the Spirit will help make the right assessment of a person or situation before we act. That’s why there is power in discernment.

 The power of the Holy Spirit is available in all the spiritual gifts like teaching, prophecy, healing, administration, pastoring and so on. His power is also His fruit some of which we have already mentioned like love. There is peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, goodness and self-control. Spiritual fruit has the power to change hearts. The gifts have power to change the way we act. The willingness to be guided by the Spirit has the power to change us which is where it all begins inside. Now here’s the real conclusion to the whole spiritual enterprise, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1Jn.4:4).”