Unleash God's
Power in Your Life
November 11, 2002
In Star Trek--Deep Space Nine, Lieutenant Jadzia
Dax is an attractive and brilliant young woman who looks like
any other woman, except for a narrow banner of paisley-like
markings that run across her face and body. She's a member of
the Trill, a unique race in which the people play host to
another race that lives within them and is joined to them.
Jadzia is host to a three-hundred-year-old symbiot, Curzon Dax.
Without losing her own identity or personality, Jadzia benefits
from the experiences and knowledge of Curzon Dax. The two are
blended together in such a way that they are truly one.
In a sense, that's what happens when we become
followers of Christ. The Spirit of the living God comes to dwell
within us. In a mysterious way, God's Spirit intertwines with
ours and we become a new person (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul declares in
Romans 6 that everything that is true of Jesus is true of us.
The power of sin has been broken and we are liberated from sin's
pull (Paul doesn't say our "old man" or sin nature has been
removed--only that it's control over us has been severed).
Knowing that the power of sin has been broken
pulls our foot out of sin's muddy grip. Believing that we who
have died with Christ and will "also live with him" (Romans 6:8)
enables us to move forward with our lives. It's our belief, our
faith in Christ that unleashes God's unlimited power.
Jesus has called you to an intimate relationship
with himself. All of his power and victory now belong to you.
This truth is so real, Paul exhorts us to "count yourselves dead
to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11)
You may not think you have enough faith to live
free from sin's power. But you do. In fact, you exercise enough
faith every day to unleash the power of Christ in your life. I
suspect you have a car sitting in your garage, driveway, or
carport. Under the hood of that car rests an engine. Almost
every day you climb into the car, insert the key in the
ignition, and start the engine.
That activity involves faith in the car, key and
motor. There may be days when the car is dirty and doesn't look
as if it would go anywhere. On other occasions you may not feel
like driving it anywhere. But regardless of how the car looks or
how you feel, if the automobile is in operating order and you
turn the ignition key, the engine will start. The car will take
you where you want to go.
God's power over sin won't do you any good unless
you utilize it. You do that by knowing that all that's true of
Jesus is true of you and trusting him to live his life through
you. Today when you're tempted, make this your prayer: "Father,
thank you that's what I've been liberated from. Right now I'm
trusting Jesus to enable me to choose to think, speak and act as
he would."
If such a prayer is an expression of faith then it
will unleash God's power in your life. If enough of us do this
we'll see revival come one man, one day at a time.
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