Category: Power - IRONSTRIKES-men forging men

Sunday Meditation

9/14/2014

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Grief is exhausting. Physically we are fatigued. Mentally we are spent. Emotionally we are drained. Spiritually we are crushed. Weariness seems to cast a shadow over all of life. We drag through the days. We are without strength and without power.

Our bodies need to be refreshed with sleep and recreation. Our minds need to be stimulated with hopeful thoughts about our future. Our hearts need to be soothed. Our spirits need to be infused with a desire to engage in life again.

God comes to us in the weariness and weakness of grief with gifts of strength and power. God does not shame us for our weakness. God does not reject us for being too weary to function. We may be tempted to refuse God's gifts either because we want to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, or because we don't believe we are entitled to receive good gifts. But, nevertheless, God offers us good gifts in seasons of grief. God offers strength and power. When we can admit our need and are ready to be honored by the Giver of these gifts, they can be ours.

I am weary, Lord.
Sometimes I think I am suppose to stay weary.
I do not feel entitled to be strong.
And sometimes I want to manage without your help.
I don't feel that I deserve help.

Thank you for your offer of strength and power.
Give me strength today.
Give me the power I need to make it through this day.
Give me the grace to accept your gifts.
Strengthen and empower me as I grieve today.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

Sunday Meditation

7/13/2014

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Grief is exhausting. Physically we are fatigued. Mentally we are spent. Emotionally we are drained. Spiritually we are crushed. Weariness seems to cast a shadow over all of life. We drag through the days. We are without strength and without power.

Our bodies need to be refreshed with sleep and recreation. Our minds need to be stimulated with hopeful thoughts about our future. Our hearts need to be soothed. Our spirits need to be infused with a desire to engage in life again.

God comes to us in the weariness and weakness of grief with gifts of strength and power. God does not shame us for our weakness. God does not reject us for being too weary to function. We may be tempted to refuse God's gifts either because we want to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, or because we don't believe we are entitled to receive good gifts. But, nevertheless, God offers us good gifts in seasons of grief. God offers strength and power. When we can admit our need and are ready to be honored by the Giver of these gifts, they can be ours.

I am weary, Lord.
Sometimes I think I am suppose to stay weary.
I do not feel entitled to be strong.
And sometimes I want to manage without your help.
I don't feel that I deserve help.

Thank you for your offer of strength and power.
Give me strength today.
Give me the power I need to make it through this day.
Give me the grace to accept your gifts.
Strengthen and empower me as I grieve today.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

The "chrio" anointing of God

4/9/2014

"...I shall be anointed with fresh oil" The word used for "anoint" in the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament comes from the Greek word chrio. This word originally denoted the smearing or rubbing of oil or perfume upon an individual. For example, if a patient came to see a physician because of sore muscles, the physician would pour oil upon his own hands; then he would begin to deeply rub that oil into the sore muscles of that patient. That penetrating application of oil would be denoted by the Greek work chrio. So technically speaking, the word "anoint" has to do with the rubbing or smearing of oil upon someone else.

When you read the word "anoint" in the Bible, think not only of the oil, but of the hands of the Anointer. Oil was very expensive in Bible times; therefore, rather than tip the bottle of oil downward and freely pour it upon the recipient, a person would first pour the oil onto his hands and then apply it to the other person.

Let's consider this concept in the context of God anointing our lives. God Himself -- the Great Anointer -- filled His hands with the essence of His Spirit and then laid His mighty hands upon our lives, pressing the Spirit's power and anointing ever deeper into us. So when we speak of a person who is anointed, we are actually acknowledging the the hand of God is on that person.

If you would like a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit upon your life, you come before the Great Anointer! He alone can give you what you need. Open your heart to God, and allow Him to lay His hands upon your life in a new way.

This post is taken from SPARKLING GEMS FROM THE GREEK (p. 363).

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

The "ischuos" power of God

4/8/2014

Yesterday, we talked about the "Kratos" power of God. Today, we are discussing the power that is behind Kratos. "Finally, my brothers, be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might." Just as Kratos power is available to every believer, so is Ischuos power.

Ischuos is translated here as "might." Ischuos conveys the picture of a very, very strong man, such as a bodybuilder or a mighty man with muscular capabilities. If you look in the verse above, you see that Paul is attributing Ischuos power to God, not to any human. Paul sees God as One who is able, mighty and muscular.

It is Ischuos that is backing up Kratos. Kratos, if you remember is the outwardly manifested, eruptive power of God. Ischuos is the force that works behind the Kratos power.

All that God is, all the power He possesses, and all the energy of His muscular, mighty ability now energizes the Kratos power that is at work within you. With this power at your disposal today, you can confront the unseen demonic spirits that come to wage war against your flesh and your soul -- and you can win every time! Since this power is available to you today, you are ready to lay hands on the sick, pray with power and authority, speak God's Word in every situation, and see mountains move on your behalf!

So the next time that you run into a problem that seems a little overwhelming, remind yourself that "...greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world." You have no need to be afraid and no need to shrink back in timidity, for there's enough power at work in you to resist ANY force that comes against you and to supernaturally remedy anything that need to be changed!

Taken from Sparkling Gems from the Greek (pg 348-350).

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

The "kratos" power of God

4/7/2014

Be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:10 is a verse about the supernatural power God has made available for our fight with unseen, demonic forces that come to war against the soul.

The word "strong" is taken from the Greek word endunamao, which describes a power whose purpose is to infuse a believer with an excessive dose of inward strength. This particular type of endunamao power is so strong that it can withstand any attack and successfully oppose any force. Observe that this kind of strength is found "in the LORD." You gotta stay connected.

The word "power" is taken from the Greek word kratos, and it describes demonstrated power. In other words, kratos power is not a power that one merely adheres to and believes in intellectually. Rather, this kratos power is a power that is demonstrative, eruptive and tangible. It almost always comes with some type of external, outward manifestation that one can actually see with his or her eyes. This means that kratos power is not a hypothetical power; this is real power!

Paul uses kratos in Ephesians 1: 19-20 in his description of the power that raised Jesus from the dead. This was an eruptive power, a demonstrated power, an outwardly visible power. It was the strongest kind of power known to God or man.

Paul uses this very word to describe the power that is available for our use! With this empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we can expect the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead to operate in us! Remember, this is a demonstrated or outwardly manifested kind of power. So, when this power begins to operate in us, it immediately seeks an avenue of release so it can demonstrate itself.

So, turn up your level of expectation! Start anticipating that this mighty power of God will begin to flow through you!

Adapted from Sparkling Gems from the Greek

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Relationships built on Power & Control

4/3/2014

This diagram is taken from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project. It is often called The Duluth Model. Even though it is not blatantly from a Christian or other faith tradition, it offers much for how men, in particular Christian men, should not view marriage. I encourage you to download the pdf for this diagram. Just click on the wheel and you will receive that file.

At the center of abusive relationships are POWER and CONTROL. Abusive people, especially abusive men, have a need, often without their conscious awareness, to be in control. When men try to control women, they resort to using power. They use power in these eight categories:

1. Intimidation - making your wife afraid of you
2. Emotional abuse - making your wife feel bad about herself
3. Isolation - limiting your wife's involvement with others
4. Minimizing, denying, blaming - not taking your wife's concerns seriously
5. Children - using your children to relay messages
6. Male privilege - acting like "master of the castle"
7. Economic abuse - making all the financial decisions
8. Coercion and threats - making threats

You may not be physically violent to your wife, but I invite you to consider the subtle ways in which you use power to control her. If you ask, God's Holy Spirit will reveal to you where your are doing so. Remember God doesn't use force.

What does the Bible say about power and control?
- God has always had power & authority
- All power and authority is given to Jesus
- God's power is best displayed when we are weak
- As Christians, we have authority to overcome all the power of the enemy
- God's divine power has given us everything we need for holiness
- Salvation, glory and power belong to God
- Self-control, not the control of others, is a sign of a fruitful Christian

How do you compare to what the Bible says about power and control?
Do you have a marriage that displays God's power or your own power?
Do you try to control others or do you exhibit self-control?

Tomorrow, we will be discussing what equal relationships looks like.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

True identity

3/29/2014

. . . and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free — John 8:32

We cannot mature in our faith without community. We simply cannot. The process of maturing isn’t simple, isn’t smooth. It’s one of getting off track and getting on again--again and again. We need help with that. We’re designed to be together. We’re built to need each other. To “grow up healthy in God, robust in love” we need community (Ephesians 4:14-16 MSG).

To help, though, our communities must actually be capable of picking us up and getting us on track, and encouraging us on. Our communities must be places where we’re willing to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Speaking that way requires moving beyond simply being polite to one another--and ever ignoring or excusing sin. It also requires moving beyond just pointing out sin or shortcomings or what bothers us or what we think might bother God.

Speaking the truth in love doesn’t require us to call each other out. It requires us to call each other in--into true identity. It requires us to call each other away from sin (e.g., “you don’t need to do that anymore . . .”) and into the identities God had in mind when he designed us, built us, and set us in motion (“. . . because this is who you really are”).

Okay, so what do we do?

Do you have a sense for the true identities of your brothers in community? Get serious about learning. Get intentional about allowing God to show you. When you meet next, have each man bring a favorite story or verse from Scripture. Read them. Talk about them. They’ll point to something true. If a man loves the story of Caleb, for example, it’s likely he’s designed and built to be brave and bold and faithful like Caleb. And his community must help him do just that.

Copyright © 2013 Gather Ministries, All rights reserved.

You don't need a sword

3/26/2014

Do you want power? Consider the power that Jesus had available to Him: "Don't you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now?" What does that mean? Let's put this in mathematical terms for all you geeks out there.

It is generally considered that in the Roman Empire, a legion was 6,000 soldiers. In Isaiah 37:36, a single angel obliterated 185,000 men.

I think you know where I am going, but let me do the math for you...

If a single angel can take care of 185,000 men, then the combined strength of one legion would be enough to destroy 1, 110, 000,000 (one billion, one hundred ten million) men. That is just ONE legion!

Now Jesus said that he had more than 12 legions of angels at his disposal. That is at least 72,000 angels. So the combined strength at Jesus' command was the ability to annihilate 13,320,000,000 (thirteen billion, three hundred twenty million) men. BTW - The current earth population is a little over seven billion.

That is the kind of physical strength that Jesus has available to him. No wonder he told Peter to put away his sword. Jesus did not need Peter's little sword that night. That means that Jesus willingly gave Himself to be crucified.

Let's learn a lesson from Peter and Jesus here.

As you face your own challenges in life, always keep in mind that Jesus has the power to fix any problem you'll ever come across. Before you jump in and make things worse by taking matters into your own hands, remember Peter.

The next time you're tempted to "grab a sword and start swinging," take a few minutes to remind yourself that Jesus can handle the problem without your intervention. Before you do anything else, pray and ask the Lord what you are supposed to do. Then after you receive your answer and follow His instructions, just watch His supernatural power swing into action to solve the dilemma you are facing!!

Taken from Sparkling Gems from the Greek

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Using the sword

3/25/2014

There is a fascinating bit of story told of one of David's mighty men. One day there was a sudden attack upon the camp by the Philistines when the fighting men were all away. This man, Eleazar, alone was there.

The Philistines were the traditional enemy. The very word "Philistines" was one to strike terror to the Hebrew heart. But this man was reckoned one of the first three of David's mighty men because of his conduct that day.

Eleazar quietly, quickly gripped his sword and fought the enemy single-handedly. Up and down, left and right, hip and thigh he smote with such terrific earnestness and drive that the enemy turned and fled.

We are also told that the muscles of his hand became so rigid around the handle of his sword that he could not tell by the feeling where his hand stopped and the sword began. Man and Sword were one that day in the action of service against the nation's enemy.

When we so absorb this Book (The Sword) and the Spirit of Him who is its life that people cannot tell the line of division between the man and the God within the man, then shall we have the mightiest power as God's intercessors in defeating the foe. God and man will be as one in the action of service against the enemy.

This illustration is taken from Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. Gordon

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

God uses moral power, not force

3/24/2014

"The only sort of power that influences in the spirit realm is moral power. By which is not meant goodness, but that sort of power either bad or good which is not of a physical sort: that higher, infinitely higher and greater power than the mere physical. Moral power is the opposite of violent or physical power.

God does not use force, violent physical force. There are some exceptions to this statement. There have been righteous wars, righteous on one side. Turning to the Bible record, in emergencies, in extreme instances God has ordered war measures. The nations that Israel was told to remove by death of war would have inevitably worn themselves out through their physical excesses, and disobedience of the laws of life. But a wide view of the area revealed an emergency which demanded a speedier movement. And as an exception, for the sake of His plan for the ultimate saving of a race, and a world, God gave an extermination order. The emergency makes the exception. There is one circumstance under which the taking of a human life is right, namely, when it can be clearly established that God, the giver and sovereign of life, has so directed. But the rule clearly is that God does not use force.

But note sharply in contrast with this that physical force is one of Satan's chief weapons. But mark there two intensely interesting facts: first, he can use it only as he secures man as his ally, and uses it through him. And second, in using it he has with great subtlety sought to shift the sphere of action. He knows that in the sphere of spirit, force pure and simple, he is at a disadvantage: indeed, worse yet, he is defeated. For there is a moral force on the other side greater than any at his command. The forces of purity and righteousness he simplycannot withstand. Jesus is the personification of purity and righteousness. It was on this moral ground, in this spirit sphere that He won the great victory. He ran a terrific gauntlet of tests, subtle and fierce, through those human years, and came out victor with His purity and righteousness unstained."

This section is quoted from the book, QUIET TALKS ON PRAYER by S.D. Gordon.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.