Unleashed: The Power Within - week eight

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18-19

This scripture is actually Jesus quoting from Isaiah 61. It’s easy to picture Christ reading these words and taking them literally. After all, He was and is the Savior, the Messiah: The One to usher in the favor of the Lord! But how often do we read this, and take it literally for ourselves?

It’s kind of a scary thing to think about:

First of all it says “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” In some translations it’s the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord! Wow! Quite a Spirit! And this says “upon me,” as in, all over me, covering me. I get the picture of something weighing me down when I think about it. One definition of this word here is “superimposition,” which can sometimes even mean taking unwarranted advantage of, or establishing authority by force. This isn’t some passive, ho-hum Spirit of God. This is a Spirit who takes action!

The second action here in the scripture is the anointing. Of course God anointed Christ, but me? I’m not an ordained preacher or evangelist with a degree and certificate. I haven’t really been trained to minister any news to anyone, much less the poor who are wary about anyone who comes to the door. How can this verse possibly be talking about me?

And although the rest of the verse in this translation is a little less aggressive, in other translations it doesn’t say simply to proclaim but it says to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind (and yes, that means walk them through that deliverance & recovery), to set at liberty them that are bruised… Easy enough… IF YOU’RE JESUS!! But really, God? Me?

The last part, though, is by far my favorite, and most definitely what puts me at ease. The time of the Lord’s favor has come! Not will come. Not might come. Not is available to all who go to heaven. No! It says: The time of the Lord’s favor HAS come! Here are some definitions for the word favor: approval, partiality, gracious kindness, a token of love usually worn conspicuously, a special privilege, endow, prefer, support, sustain, facilitate.

I don’t think that this verse would be meant for us without the favor of God. It is only by His favor, His grace, His blood, His righteousness, His holiness, etc. that we are able to be any form of Christ to the world. When we take into account that when we walk in the favor of God, we are literally putting on Christ and all the work that He has already done, it makes this verse far less scary to apply to ourselves! The favor of God even puts a whole new spin on that active Spirit that was mentioned before. Now it’s more of a relief that the Spirit rises up within us and takes over in those times that God calls us to minister His good news. (Hopefully, for most of us it isn’t taking unwarranted advantage of us all the time! If you’ve ever gotten a word for the church during worship that God just won’t let you keep to yourself no matter how long you wait, you know what that “unwarranted advantage” may feel like. I know I do!)

Because we have that promise of His favor, we can be assured that as we go out to the world, we can be effective in ministering His good news, which is that complete package of salvation. And by world I mean your office, school, home, next door neighbor’s, the park, the gym, wherever your “world” is. It is because of His favor that we can minister life, hope, healing, freedom, and love to the lost.

Take a moment and proclaim the promise of His favor by reading aloud the sentences below and remember that this is what the Lord has for you today, right now, in your daily life.

· God approves of me enough to give me the responsibility of His good news.
· God showed me partiality in anointing me with His power and might.
· God has gracious kindness in store for me even if I forget to minister the good news today.
· God has given me a token of love that I should wear out in the open for all to see.
· God has given me the special privilege of carrying His glory to the world.
· God has endowed me with the ability to minister freedom and healing to those around me.
· God prefers me the way He made me with my giftings, abilities and talents.
· God will support me as I work toward His calling.
· God will sustain me even when I feel lost and alone.
· God will facilitate the work that I am doing and will do for His Kingdom.

(I encourage you to look up the meanings of some of these words. I was amazed that facilitate means to make easier! That’s a promise I definitely want to take hold of!)

Walk in His favor today and remember: You have been called, you have been anointed, and you can be effective!

Much love & many blessings!

Staci Pace

Unleashed: The Power Within - week seven

• II Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. NLT
  
  This may be a small verse but it is loaded with promises. Power, love and self-discipline. How many of us live in fear and are timid. I know I did for many years. I let fear rule me and that will definitely make you timid. That is not what God wants for us.
  
  II Timothy 1 beginning in verse 3 thru the end of the chapter is a letter from Paul to Timothy. Encouraging him to be faithful and reminding him of words spoken over him the last time Paul was with him. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline". Paul then urges him to never be ashamed to tell others about the Lord.
  
  Power, love, and self-discipline are all characteristics of a christian leader. We are all called to spread the gospel and be a leader. These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. We must believe we have the Holy Spirit in us and He is our power, love, and self-discipline. Galatians 5:22-23 lists many other products the Holy Spirit will give us.
  
  When I came to the point in my life that I finally said " I am not just going to sit, Lord you can use me". It was scary and I even questioned if it was His voice, but with practice and asking Him to reveal himself to me, I knew it was His voice. I can now give words in church and pray with someone and not be afraid or timid. God has so many times given me what a person needed prayer for and they are so amazed at what happens. It is learning to have confidence in our Lord and the Holy Spirit He left for us.
  
  
  I am reminded of the verse in Phillians 4:13 "For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need." (NLT) I remind myself of this verse all the time. There are many other verses that remind us of the strength God supplies us. I urge you to look them up and grab ahold of the strength so the fear and timidity will not have root in you.
  
  This is how the dictionary describes the word timid:
• 
  lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; timorous; shy
• 
  characterized by or indicating fear: a timid approach to a problem
  
  There is that word fear again. Isaiah 41:10 says "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". Here He promises again to strengthen. He will give us what we need to do His work. Claim His power, it is yours.
  
  
  Love In Christ!
  Sandy Heberlein

Unleashed: The Power Within - week six

Matthew 10:7-8
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Does this sound like an overwhelming task that Jesus gave to his 12 disciples? Well, I believe He also meant it for all believers.

I used to think, "I'm just one person, how can I do these things?" But at a recent conference on healing & deliverance, the speaker Rodney Hogue reminded us that it's not our job to take care of tearing down entire principalities or cities on our own, or to raise the entire graveyard. Our command is to focus on one thing at a time, pray for one person's freedom from oppression, step out and pray for one sick person, show God's love by simply sharing genuine concern and spending time in prayer with them and for them. Will the healing or miracle take place instantly? Sometimes, but often it's a process.

In a book I'm reading by Mahesh Chavda, he says, "Every time you pray under the anointing, something happens." So let's be encouraged to freely give what we've received through Jesus: freedom, healing, resurrection life and most importantly, His love, grace, and message of the kingdom!

May God's richest blessings be yours this week!
Janna Ver Miller