I originally published this post on April 4, 2021. Here it is again, with additional insight. Enjoy!
I made Jesus Christ my Lord when I was ten years old. Unfortunately, my religious upbringing taught me that I still had to pay for my sins through penance. By age eleven, I thought, “What’s the use? No matter how hard I try, I keep sinning. I might as well have fun.”
I rebelled against my parents’ faith and joked at age thirteen that I would start my religion and call it “Judyism.” Within two years, I considered myself an atheist. I soon realized that everyone believes in something, however, and decided to call myself agnostic. By sixteen years of age, I was lost in the darkness of drugs and suicidal fantasies.
Faith Came by Hearing the Word of God
When I was twenty, estranged from my parents and family, my mother discovered where I was living and brought me a Bible. I started reading the gospels about Jesus, and faith entered my heart. As I saw the Lord’s great mercy, compassion, and forgiveness toward people, I thought, “Maybe he can forgive me, too.”
I prayed for someone to teach me how to understand the Bible, and God led me to a small Bible study, which transformed my life. As God’s Word pierced my heart, His light dispelled the dark powers within me. I was set free from the enslavement of drugs and sin, rejoicing with love for my Savior.
My deliverance from darkness is a testimony to the power of Christ’s resurrection. He is the only one whom God raised from the dead. The Buddha, Muhammed, and all other religious founders are dead. Only Jesus Christ loosed the power of death and is alive, to die no more.
The Bible declares in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection separated him from all others, declaring him to be the Son of God with power.
Resurrection Power Given
God wants us to know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know … what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”.
Ephesians 1:18-20
Jesus Christ walked with great power in his earthly ministry. But God energized mighty power in Christ “when He raised Him from the dead.” God wants us to know the exceeding greatness of His resurrection power toward us who believe on the Lord Jesus.
Jesus declared in John 14:12, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do …” As believers, we can do greater works than Jesus did! Why? “… because I go to My Father.”
We Need Only Speak
Being able to do greater works than Jesus did seems unimaginable. There was nothing remarkable in the way my teachers spoke God’s Word to me. They simply spoke. Yet, their words reverberated within the depths of my soul, banishing the dark spirits enslaving me. God’s Word on believers’ lips set me free. God made it so simple, yet so powerful.
The believers in our small Bible study group had no idea how their words rocked my soul and delivered me. Before meeting them, when someone said “God bless you” after I sneezed, I’d sneer at them with, “Yeah, I’m sure he will.” But after hearing God’s Word taught with authority and power at my first Bible study, someone said “God bless you” as I was leaving. I reeled around, believed it, and exclaimed, “Thank you!”
To think that simply saying “God bless you” can have a mighty impact on someone’s heart is unthinkable, but true. God is mightily at work within us to reconcile people to Him through His Word on our lips. What power He’s entrusted to us!
Lord, enlighten the eyes of our understanding, so we can know the exceeding greatness of the power you’ve given us through the resurrection! Give us boldness to speak your Word in love, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
I originally published this post on April 4, 2021. Here it is again, with additional insight. Enjoy!
I made Jesus Christ my Lord when I was ten years old. Unfortunately, my religious upbringing taught me that I still had to pay for my sins through penance. By age eleven, I thought, “What’s the use? No matter how hard I try, I keep sinning. I might as well have fun.”
I rebelled against my parents’ faith and joked at age thirteen that I would start my religion and call it “Judyism.” Within two years, I considered myself an atheist. I soon realized that everyone believes in something, however, and decided to call myself agnostic. By sixteen years of age, I was lost in the darkness of drugs and suicidal fantasies.
Faith Came by Hearing the Word of God
When I was twenty, estranged from my parents and family, my mother discovered where I was living and brought me a Bible. I started reading the gospels about Jesus, and faith entered my heart. As I saw the Lord’s great mercy, compassion, and forgiveness toward people, I thought, “Maybe he can forgive me, too.”
I prayed for someone to teach me how to understand the Bible, and God led me to a small Bible study, which transformed my life. As God’s Word pierced my heart, His light dispelled the dark powers within me. I was set free from the enslavement of drugs and sin, rejoicing with love for my Savior.
My deliverance from darkness is a testimony to the power of Christ’s resurrection. He is the only one whom God raised from the dead. The Buddha, Muhammed, and all other religious founders are dead. Only Jesus Christ loosed the power of death and is alive, to die no more.
The Bible declares in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection separated him from all others, declaring him to be the Son of God with power.
Resurrection Power Given
God wants us to know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know … what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”.
Ephesians 1:18-20
Jesus Christ walked with great power in his earthly ministry. But God energized mighty power in Christ “when He raised Him from the dead.” God wants us to know the exceeding greatness of His resurrection power toward us who believe on the Lord Jesus.
Jesus declared in John 14:12, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do …” As believers, we can do greater works than Jesus did! Why? “… because I go to My Father.”
We Need Only Speak
Being able to do greater works than Jesus did seems unimaginable. There was nothing remarkable in the way my teachers spoke God's Word to me. They simply spoke. Yet, their words reverberated within the depths of my soul, banishing the dark spirits enslaving me. God's Word on believers' lips set me free. God made it so simple, yet so powerful.
The believers in our small Bible study group had no idea how their words rocked my soul and delivered me. Before meeting them, when someone said "God bless you" after I sneezed, I'd sneer at them with, "Yeah, I'm sure he will." But after hearing God's Word taught with authority and power at my first Bible study, someone said "God bless you" as I was leaving. I reeled around, believed it, and exclaimed, "Thank you!"
To think that simply saying "God bless you" can have a mighty impact on someone's heart is unthinkable, but true. God is mightily at work within us to reconcile people to Him through His Word on our lips. What power He’s entrusted to us!
Lord, enlighten the eyes of our understanding, so we can know the exceeding greatness of the power you’ve given us through the resurrection! Give us boldness to speak your Word in love, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."
