Where does your power come from - Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
We serve a powerful God!
Where does your power come from?
Story of the power going out for 6 hours.
Came home from work and the power was out.
Called the city.
We went to go for fast food and grocery shopping
Came back and down the street everyone’s lights were on
We got home, but our lights were still out
Called the city again
Lit candles and took the trash out since it was trash night. (little flickering light!)
Wife took stuff from the freezer and started to take it to church refridge so they wouldn’t go bad.
The city truck arrived and I messaged Teresa so she came back.
After about 10 minutes the power was back on.
So of course, where does your power come from?
“When the electric utility repairman arrived, he discovered the problem quickly. It wasn’t something we did. Full power was restored within about 15 minutes of the repairman’s arrival. He probably just flipped a switch on the outside box is my guess!
“In our spiritual lives, internal power outages may occur from time to time. Sometimes it is not something we have done, but something someone else did to us. Some decision allows something into the recesses of our hearts, resulting in a short circuit and loss of power somewhere in the system. Not everything blows at once—just enough to cause aggravation and frustration. For awhile, we may be able to manage without full power—you know, with candles and flashlights and oil lamps—but not for long.
“How should we react when we experience a short-circuit in our spiritual lives? Ignore it? (No.) Walk away from it? (Come on!) Pretend it didn’t happen? (Not recommended.) Try to fix the problem ourselves? (Ouch!) Actually, the only reasonable way to address a personal power outage is to contact the Person who knows all about such problems and knows how to restore normal power in a person’s life. Invite Him into your heart; let Him go about finding a satisfactory solution. There is no problem too small or too big for Him. Best of all, He specializes in house calls.”
Mark 9:14-29
14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Verse 23 says: “If you can?” Isn’t that a funny statement to say to God? Even Jesus questioned it! Everything is possible for the one who believes!
When this young man was unfixable by every other means, who do they finally call on to fix the short circuit? The author and finisher of our faith! He is omnipotent! He can do anything! He can fix any problem. He’s the great physician! He’s the all powerful mighty God!
Why couldn’t the disciples do it? Their power was limited. So then who should they have turned to? Jesus said this kind can come out only by prayer. And who would they be praying to? God, who can do miracles and has the power to do anything. When we are weak He is strong!
Some people trust in themselves to somehow get themselves to heaven. They will fail!
When you try to put together something from IKEA you can’t get it together unless you follow the instructions.
Unless you follow God’s prescribed way, which is to trust in Jesus for your salvation. You will not be saved. Sure you can try to work your way there, or climb some stairway to heaven, or pray to some dead guy, but you’ll never make it unless you trust Jesus. It’s in the Bible! Anything else will fail so why would you try something else that’s doomed to fail?
Do you know where your strength comes from?
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Cats always land on their feet and jelly on toast always lands face down, so strap the jelly toast to it’s back and it will never hit ground but hover and spin forever (you’ve probably heard of that one right) - add a generator to that and you have a power supply! Of course it’s not real but...
People all the time try to figure out perpetual motion but the laws of physics say it’s impossible! They are looking for power in all the wrong places.
They want to make fusion power just like the sun and stars make. They say fusion power is the best power but is always 20 years away or some amount of years. Maybe they’ll figure it out some day. They spend billions of dollars trying to research the best fusion power! But then again they should be just as intently looking for the really BEST power! They should be just as or more devoted searching for God’s face but instead they are looking for power in all the wrong places.
Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
If you take a power strip and plug it into itself, either you have free energy or you don’t get any power out.
We know unless you plug into the true power, you’ll never be able to turn on the light!
Unless you’re grafted into the trunk. You’ll not get any nourishing sap.
John 15:1-5
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Read your Bible pray every day and you’ll grow grow grow.
Going without reading your Bible for 7 days, makes one week!
Deuteronomy 8:3
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
We had a few votive candles flickering. That’s how it is now. We have a little light down here on this earth. We have the Bible and we can read that. There’s signs all around us. But they are like little flickering votive candles. Some day when Jesus comes it will be like a huge bright sun has entered the room and we will know as we are known!
2 Peter 1:19
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Imagine that when Jesus comes back how it will be. We won’t be looking for perpetual motion machines or fusion or anything. There won’t be any need even of the sun. We’ll have plenty of light!
Revelation 21:23
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
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Do you know where your strength comes from?
Do you want to grope in darkness without Him?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus!!!
