One of the strongest examples of faith and power is presented when Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:31). The message was clear. If our faith does not fail, his power will not fail, Luke 22:31.
By Bill Davis
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The success of the Church is not based on my power or yours. The success of the Church is not based on the powers of religion or simple believism. The promises of God are not conditioned on human power or human strength to achieve or do. But they were given by God based on His power to perform! His promises exist and are fulfilled because of His power. The power of God is the strength of God. His power has no bounds, except the bounds He self-imposes. God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful.
The success of the Church against the gates of Hell is based on God’s eternal power. The failure of the gates of Hell is because of the power of God as well. The Scriptures never tell us, that if we have power, we can heal the sick or cast out spirits, or do any supernatural thing. The Scriptures do not tell us that if we have power we can say to the sycamore tree or to the mountain, ‘be removed and cast into the sea’. The Scripture addresses the faith issue. Luke 17:5-6 says, “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
In Matthew 17: 17-27, the meaning is clear. The power of the Church is God’s power. Faith and believing is our responsibility. Sickness, evil spirits and diseases do not respond to our power, but to God’s power. Disease, sickness, and evil spirits are symptoms of the prevailing gates of Hell. I do not believe all sickness is of Satan. But many of the maladies in our world today are because Hell has prevailed against the human race. Jesus spoke to His generation saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). Our misunderstanding of the Scriptures has caused confusion for us in the world of Divine Power.
This religious society has erred, and erred exceedingly. They have failed to know or understand the Truth of the Bible. They have failed to comprehend the power of true faith. The power of God is not released to us at our indiscriminate desire and will. The power of God is not in our hands to do whatever, whenever we so desire to do.
Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16). This great message has power and is effectual if it is believed. When one believes the Word of God, God’s power is activated. When we believe the Word, God releases His power within us to do whatever His purpose is. But the power of God in us never becomes our power to possess and use at our will.
Notice in Matthew, the tenth chapter; verse one, where Jesus gave power to the twelve. He sent them out and gave them power over all disease and devils. Yet, in the seventeenth chapter, the disciples could not cast out spirits from the demon-possessed child of the man who came to Jesus. The disciples failed to cast out the spirits, yet Jesus did not fail. He cast out the spirit from the boy in such a manner the forces of Hell were expulsed, with a power so overwhelming the boy was left exhausted.
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