The Power of One

I am excited to announce the Devoted Conference 2020 theme: The Power of One.  If you are like me, then at times you have experienced feelings of inadequacy and have questioned your significance in a BIG world that has BIG problems. I often wonder, “What power do I have to be a catalyst of change in a world that so desperately needs it?” The Bible tells us of one person, Jesus Christ, who did change the world and He continues to change the world even today. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his ONE and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God became flesh in the form of His son Jesus Christ and whoever calls upon His name will be saved. Have you called upon His name? Have you given your life to Him? Have you trusted Him to be your Lord and Savior? If so, then you have experienced the power of one to its fullest capacity in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us to “choose this day whom we will serve!” We all have the power to choose who we believe: the devil and his lies or Jesus and His truths. Because of God’s power and His love, we, as believers in Christ, also have access to that same resurrection power in our own lives. 

The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, Jesus’ death on the cross eliminated the need for us, as believers, to die to sin because He already paid the price once and for all. Not only does He have the power to overcome the grave, but He also has the power to overcome the fleshly desires that cause us to sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have also been given the power to throw off anything that hinders us and to overcome the chains of sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1). We have all made mistakes and have, at times, made choices that have drastically altered the course of our lives. God is bigger than our worst mistake and, in the same token, He is bigger than our greatest accomplishment. His grace is sufficient! 

But now that we know there is power in Jesus, how do we tap into that power? Prayer gives us direct access to the power that only comes through Jesus Christ. God uses His power to multiply our meager resources, whether its fish and loaves, talents, or money. I used to think of prayer as a litany of requests presented to the Father but as I have grown in my faith and understanding I have come to learn that prayer is more about the process and not the outcome. Prayer allows us to engage in a personal relationship with God. We learn to talk to Him and share with Him the desires of our hearts. Even more importantly, prayer allows us to be “women” after God’s own heart so that we can find out His heart’s desire for us. God hears us even before we pray, but He desires for us to care enough to present those requests to Him. In turn, God uses those requests as opportunities to display His power through the details of our lives. After all, if we trust Him with our eternal lives why can’t we trust Him with the details of our temporary lives? Prayer allows us to grow in our trust relationship with God as we see those prayers answered, and even sometimes unanswered. 

As we witness His power being displayed in our own lives, we can’t help but to share our testimony with others. Therefore, He is glorified (revealed) and His power is multiplied. God can and will multiply our resources, our spiritual gifts, and our efforts when we humble ourselves and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear our prayer and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Don’t be overwhelmed by a BIG world with its BIG problems because we serve a BIG and powerful God! So wherever you find yourself today, broken or blessed, take comfort in knowing that we don’t have to change the world; we only have to believe in the ONE who already did… Jesus Christ!