paravanes:meditations

(c) Deborah Evans Many Christians speak of and pray for "the power of God" to be sent to them, and often a prayer is sent for the "power of God" to move in and through someone. What does this mean? Scripture teaches us the power of God, often expressed as the power of the Holy Spirit, is sent to 1. give us the ability to consistently display the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and 2. reveal in new and unique ways the person and work of Jesus Christ. We know the gifts of the Spirit are talents and abilities used to uplift and strengthen the church, show the character of God in human experience, and to show seekers what it means to be in communion with God. Never expect to have the power of God made available to you in order to control, manipulate, or dominate a situation or person.  The power of God on display means your life and experiences will more and more closely mirror the character and purposes of God. God gives us gifts and power so we can worship, witness, and bui...

Many of us know people who, meaning well, and trying to explain so much of the confusion they experience, often say "the devil is busy." Maybe you are one of the people who say "the devil is busy>" While this statement is factually correct, it is not the truth for those who are saved, who live in the kingdom of God, who have been redeemed from death, who live looking forward to spending time and eternity with God. So, even though on some level the statement "the devil is busy" is a fact, saying this often (or at all) when encountering something that's painful, confusing, or fear-making is a very bad idea. Why is it a bad idea? Because energy follows focus. From Ephesians, Chapter 1, verses 3 through 10: 3 " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless i...