IS YOUR POWER CORD UNPLUGGED?

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh:  “I raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
ROMANS 9:17-18

Remember when you were a kid how you pretended that you were a super hero.
In your mind, there were situations where others were in trouble and needed your help.
They couldn’t fight the ‘bad guys’ on their own and that’s when you would come to their rescue.
You had the power to defeat the bad guys.
Sometimes you had super powers and bullets would bounce off you.
Sometimes you even had the power to fly and lift heavy objects as if they were nothing.
At other times, your power consisted of a fast and accurate gun, knife, whip, or bow and arrow.

No matter how many bad guys there were, or how bad the situation,
you had the power required to save the good people from their peril.
Even though most of this was played out in your mind,
it made you feel good to know that you had the power to rescue those in need, didn’t it?

In the life of reality, we have a Rescuer with the power to save us.
He also has the power to do whatever He chooses in order for us to see and know of His power.
Since He made us, He has the power to mold us as He sees fit for His purposes.

God has an indisputable right to reject those who will not accept his blessings on His own terms.
He exercised this right in the case of Pharaoh.
After many instances of stubbornness and rebellion, he said, as it is recorded in Scripture
“I raised you up for this very purpose…”
In other words,
“Unless you repent, this will be the consequence of My raising you up and making you a great king”.
Since Pharoah did not repent, he and his kingdom experienced the power of God’s judgments.

When the people saw His power displayed, His name was proclaimed in all the earth (as it is today).
God showed the magnitude of His power.
He displayed His power over the rivers, the insects and other animals, the meteors, the air, and the sun.
God also displayed His power over man-made gods, life and death, and power over unrepentant rulers.
Pharoah (aka The Bad Guy) thought he had total control over the Israelites,
but God showed His power and forced Pharoah to relinquish his contol and persecution of God’s people.

God continues to display His power in our world today.
For example, He has equipped His children with the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is our power supply Who gives us the strength we need
for resisting temptations and for serving God in whatever capacity He has chosen for us.

In order for us to use the power of electricity, we have to plug in the cord for the device we are using.
It is the same concept when using the power of the Holy Spirit – we need to “plug in”.
Unfortunatey, many seem to be leaving the cord unplugged and are missing out on His power.

What is the result of this loss of power?
Professing believers are pursuing their own selfish desires
and are replacing worshipping God with various other choices in increasing numbers.
Church attendance is shrinking at an alarming rate
as those who say they are His children are plugging in the cord of the world.
Consequently, the power of the world has replaced the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of many.
When that happens, the power of the world causes people to become bored and less interested in God.
We can read about how this happened in the days of Noah and we can see it happening in our world today.

When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, He replied,
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.”
(Luke 17:26)

Where is your power cord plugged in?
Is the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through you so that God’s name is proclaimed?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, make my heart completely devoid of self
so that it can be filled with Your Spirit.”