Thursday, September 19th, 2024
Just a quick scripture and some thoughts today. 1 Corinthians 4:20 says:
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
There aren’t too many words in that verse, but it is packed with power. If you are familiar with the Jewish calendar, this decade is the “pey” decade. This decade is all about the power of our declarations. It’s about using the authority God has given us to speak His truth and light into all of our situations.
However, like this scripture says, it’s not just our words that bring the kingdom of Jesus down to earth, it’s the resurrection power of Jesus behind our words that shakes Earth to its core. Sometimes we get so hung up on praying just the right prayer or having just the right encouragement. But if our words are not God-breathed, it won’t matter how many there are or how they sound, they will lack power.
Our current culture is heading down a path of placing too much importance on words. They want us to say certain words and they are trying to censor us from saying a completely different set of words. Some people get unnecessarily offended by words. Others lead many astray by their over-promised and under-delivered verbal concoctions. This is where the kingdom of God outshines them all. There is more power in the single name of Jesus than in any other word in any language. There is a reason that the scripture says the power of life and death is in our tongue (Proverbs 18:21). It’s not just our words, it’s the sowing and reaping and blessing and curses that these words release.
Final Thoughts…
Let’s try to focus less on the myriad of words that others are throwing at us and listen for the heart of the Father. A few moments of sitting in the silent presence of God charges up our power supply more than listening to the best song or sermon. God doesn’t need us to convince Him of anything or beg Him to do what we want. More often than not He wants us to just still our mouths, listen for Him and trust Him to be our power supply. James 1:19 says we are to be swift to hear and slow to speak. This puts us in a perfect place to experience and pass on the power of God.