The Desperate Need for Power

There are two stories in Luke 8, that in spite of trying to move on from, more and more application keeps bringing me back. The stories . . . the demon possessed man and the woman with the issue of blood.

In both stories, each had been in their situations for a long time, and neither they nor anyone else had been able to bring about the help or change that was needed.

Luke points out that the demon possessed man was ‘driven by the demon into solitary places’. I thought it was interesting after he had pointed out several times before that Jesus often withdrew to solitary places to pray. It occurred to me that God draws us to solitary places for our strength while Satan drives us into them for our destruction.

In regard to the woman with the issue of blood, Luke points out that the crowds were pressing against Jesus so much that they were about to ‘crush him’; which would mean they were touching Him. But when she touched Him, power went out from Him. I have been wrestling with this question for weeks, ‘Is my pressing through to touch Him causing power to go out from Him’?

There are things in each of our lives that neither we nor anyone else has been able to change. Whether with ourselves personally, our spouse, or a family member or friend, there are some things that only He can change. The question I keep asking myself is this, ‘Should I not be pressing through to bring about that change?’, and if I am not, ‘Am I just part of the crowd?’

Have we sold the Lord short in what He is able to do? Have we come to believe that He no longer intends to exorcise His power? In the absence of this power, has the church fallen back on reform and put Christianity’s stamp on it? Isn’t that still just reform?

Jesus did not work with the demon possessed man for 3 years; He healed him. Immediately he was in his right mind. He didn’t tell the woman with the issue of blood which doctor to go see; He healed her.

I have lately been continually reminded of situation after situation that is helpless without the touch of God’s power. I am challenged by these 2 stories and motivated by the one’s before me to become one through which His power can flow.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with wanting God's power, there was a scripture that came to mind whilst reading this.

Luke 15v7, "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

God's power can flow through us, but God is also a jealous God.

We should want Him more than His power, which on doubt you want and realise. But don't mistake the gifts for the Giver.

Also, as we know, Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 concerning those who prophesied, cast out demons and did wonders in His name, yet He said He never knew them.

But God does know the thoughts and intents of the heart, so we know we can't pull the wool over His eyes.

Take care.

I have lately been continually reminded of situation after situation that is helpless without the touch of God’s power.

Amen. I pray much about this. We are in deep need of "the horn of salvation," the strength, the power of salvation. Not just in word but in power. The kingdom of God-- the manifestation of the Throne of God and of Christ-- is not in word but in power.

Those two passages from Luke 8 are very convicting.

In my pursuit of God, I am seeing the role power played in the early church. In my 5 years of 'extreme makeover', I am taking a fresh look at many things I used to just blow by. In these 5 years, I have wrestled many things out with God and in each case there is always something that stirs in me an unrest - something that doesn't make sense - something that doesn't add up. This issue of power, or the lack of it, is another one of those wrestling issues that I am in the middle of. I didn't intiate it, but it is there and I can't leave it until I am at peace with it.

I didn't go looking for this, but Luke 9:1,2 is there. I am not a fanatic but it says what it says. How do I interpret it? What does it mean to me today? What does it mean to the all of us today? Is it extreme thinking or does it just seem extreme because it is so far away from the norm of today?

Here's the verse. If it interest you to comment, if you have had similar thoughts and wrestled them out ahead of me, I would appreciate hearing your conclusions. Four things are mentioned there, but for the most part (understanding that there may be some exceptions) we only do one of them today.

Luke 9:1-3
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
NIV

It is true, that most Christians recoil at the very idea of driving out demons and curing diseases. Probably, and partly, because of the abuse of this ministry at the hands of those known as 'faith healers', not to mention cessationist.

However, the scripture does say what it says, irrespective of our beliefs or bias.

Sadly, with 'christianity' being what it is today, it is almost as though we have to start from scratch, to walk before we can run, as it were.

That which God can do through us, will not be, until we are what God would have us to be.

Our strong attachment to this world does hinder the work of God.

It does.

And, do we have conviction about that? Little, if any.

But brother, do seek God concerning this. It is not on your heart for nothing.

God bless.

In my pursuit of God, I am seeing the role power played in the early church. In my 5 years of 'extreme makeover', I am taking a fresh look at many things I used to just blow by. In these 5 years, I have wrestled many things out with God and in each case there is always something that stirs in me an unrest - something that doesn't make sense - something that doesn't add up. This issue of power, or the lack of it, is another one of those wrestling issues that I am in the middle of. I didn't intiate it, but it is there and I can't leave it until I am at peace with it.

You see there can be no power without the cross in our lives. We really don't live a crucified life, you know the sermon on the mount. We don't walk as He walked, so we don't walk in the same degree of power. We are called to do greater works than He did because of sheer numbers of Holy Ghost filled people.

I am just coming out the other side. I know that we can walk in this anointing all our days, but we haven't walked a crucified life all our days. It is time to return to taking the lowest place and humbling ourselves under His might hand that He might receive all the glory

You can read George Warnock's books free online atL\\:[url=http://www.georgewarnock.com/index.html]George Warnock Books[/url]And I am sure you can find a link to read Bonhoeffer's book as well.

I started reading at the top of Warnock's list so it would build on each other, which it did. I have so much hope restored to me at this time. I am rejoicing in the fact God can still teach me after all these years. Hallelujah.

I believe I too am just beginning to come out on the other side and believe also that He has not lead me for nothing. And speaking of fizzeling, I did much of that in my first 30 years. This time around He is making it more difficult to come by. One is not as likely to fizzle when they have had to fight and claw there way out of a hole. And in light of how much I have fought and clawed, I sure don't want to stop short. Before, I was not settled enough in my beliefs and was easily stopped. It is different this time around.

I visited a church from yesteryear this morning. They sang a song I hadn't heard for a long time. 'I will not be denied' Cool to hear again.

Thanks for each of your comments.

God bless you for starting this thread.
I too have been made painfully aware of my lack of His power.
For example, a lady came into our service a few months ago who was being tormented by the devil.
It was obvious to me that i didn't have what it took to bring her to a place of freedom the way the Scriptures in the OP describe. I don't think i will ever forget it.

Mercifully, the Lord is leading me to higher ground and may it please Him, my testimony will be different.

Four things are mentioned there, but for the most part (understanding that there may be some exceptions) we only do one of them today.

MJones, I think the one you say we are doing today is preaching the kingdom of God.

But in view of the fact we have so little of the other three you have to wonder to what extent we are even preaching the kingdom of God.

"For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Cor. 4.20)

To merely preach ABOUT the kingdom of God is not the Gospel of the Kingdom. The true Gospel of the Kingdom, the true preaching of the Kingdom of God, is the actual going forth of, and manifestation of, the Kingdom of God. In POWER. How much of that do we have?

hi, 2 cases where no faith is involved .the lady with the issue of blood had spent every dime she had on doctors and if you gave her another 100 she probably would have been at that new clinic...she was desparate as was the demoniac.Jesus answers the call of desparate people.my question to the youth of today is...if you see someone in a desparate or even demonic situation why not be moved with compassion and pray boldly for that person and put your relationship with Jesus to a pubic test..He will move on the situation with power SOMETIME...more than if you dont act at all and complain about the weak church... if He moved often in this way in your life it would destroy you and you would be on TV with YOUR world wide ministry.jimp

I started to get stirred up about 2 1/2 years ago about the Holy Spirit, having been baptised in the Holy Spirit about 32 years ago. I started to think why aren't we different from other people, I have been on a journey trying to work things through.
I was reading Acts 4:30-31
"Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly".
If that was the norm back then, what about now. It is Jesus who stretches out His hand to heal & perform miraculous signs, is it because we don't really believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today & forever.
I have just come from visiting a friend in the mental ward at the local hospital & I think how many of those people are in there becuase of demon possession?? I know that in my own strength I can do nothing, it can only be as the Holy Spirit works through me.
In the bible the preaching of the Word was always accompanied by signs & wonders.
My question is what has happened???

"My question is what has happened???"

Mine too.

~ What has happened? ~

A lack of compassion even in the Christian circles is my humble opinion of what has happened. My friends and I have a jail ministry and we have been privileged to see the Lord work a few “wonder working” signs in the women’s lives and in their bodies! I will humbly share what happened to us for us to start praying, at the beginning we would take prayer requests and we noticed a common denominator... they didn’t get their medicine as they were supposed to and come to find out that one 200 mg Tylenol costs an inmate $5.00, just one!

Well, another Holy Spirit filled woman and I began talking about praying for the sick. So we would end 15-30 minutes early and tell them, “we will lay hands on and pray for anyone but if there is any sick among you, we pray for those first.” At first, they didn’t know what we wanted to do to them! LOL But slowly, one by one they would come up and now a year and a half later, it is awesome what God has done in those women’s lives! I am humbled to walk in there and be able to minister to them in anyway the Lord allows me to.

But I digress, the point I wanted to make was... Christians can lay hands on anyone the Bible says to “lay hands on the sick” but the one thing that I read in the Scriptures that “motivates” healing is: compassion. We don’t see much compassion anymore.

But when he saw the multitudes, he was MOVED WITH COMPASSION on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Matt 9.36, Matt 14.14

And Jesus, MOVED WITH COMPASSION, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. Mark 1.41, 6.34

So Jesus HAD COMPASSION on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Matt 20.34

Prior to all the incidents Lysa diligently listed, our Lord was filled with the Holy Ghost power[sorry, i'm kinda old-school].

When the Lord ascended, He instructed the disciples to wait until they were endued with power from on high....then they would be His witness.

My humble opinion is that we have not been endued with power from on high [at least, i haven't] and we're trying to be His witnesses.

There is definitely a need for both - power and compassion - and definitely room for more of both in me.

Somebody mentioned the aspect of the kingdom and I believe there is something to that. I hope someone does not hang me on a technicality if don't have this exactly right, but I think Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. And if you think about it, that is what He did. Sickness is not a part of the Kingdom of God. He expelled it when He was presented with it. Satan is not part of the Kingdom of God. He expelled him when he was present. I could go on, but you get the idea.

I am convinced there is a power available. I catch glimpses of it at times to indicate there is more. I was struck in Luke 10 the other day by a statement, which was Jesus' response when the 72 commented that the demons submitted to them. Jesus, as if to say, 'that's really nothing', "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven". Satan was expelled from God's Kingdom. He has no place in it. Jesus was there to see him fall. He knows he has no power or place in God's Kingdom.

And since Jesus came to establish it, He simply and effortlessly reminds Satan that he is not permitted to stay. He doesn't huff and puff. It was settled a long time ago. He was there. He saw him fall. I believe there is power in that if we can truly get our head around it. We too need to see Satan fall, to be convinced as Jesus was that he really has no power. I think we have made the mistake of approaching it more as beggers when maybe we should be approaching more as commanders.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Is it possible that we have lost sight of this concept of the Kingdom of God and replaced it with the kingdom of church/denomination/man and this is why we have so little power? Why would God give us power to promote ourselves or our denomination? Maybe when we get a clear glimpse that it is God's Kingdom that we are working for, then we will experience more power! Thank you for this encouraging thread.

Wow Phanetheus, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
We [all of us, the body of Christ] need to unlearn some things and [re]learn some.

Edited: After praying more I took down my post I feel unsettled with what I had written so need more time to pray and reflect on this...

In the spirit of my original post, I add these additional thoughts that come as I read through the gospel of Luke.

Luke 9:1,2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Power and authority were given for four things. One was preaching and the other three involved some form of healing.

The question I am wrestling through is this: Has He taken back that authority or does He wait on us to take hold of it? Are we missing something by not taking hold of it?