Focus: The Energies Of God

Text: Gen.49:24

"His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob."

One lofty reality about God is the enormity of His power. God is incredibly, utterly and incomparably powerful.

Nahum says that God is "great in power" (Nah.1:3). When the Lord appeared to Abraham in Gen.17, He says to him, "I am the Almighty God." Jesus Christ revealed Himself to John as "the Almighty" (Rev.1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14; 19:15; 21:22). 

In Genesis, the Hebrew word is 'shadday;' in Revelation, the Greek word is 'pantokratōr.' The Hebrew and Greek words express different nuances of God's power. Panta is a neuter gender that means 'all." Kratos means ruling power. Our God possesses in Himself all-ruling power. Wherever He is He dominates. Wherever He goes His power is felt. He possesses creative, curative, transformative and ruling power. 

El-shadday speaks of God as being more than enough. He is the all-sufficient God. He possesses sufficiently all that we need. In fact, He has everything that we need, and He has no need of them. According to Ex.6:3, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew God as the almighty. God revealed Himself to them by the name of Almighty. They experienced the almightiness of God in their lives. They encountered the reality of divine power. They saw God in action.

God is so powerful that Paul prays for the church to know the exceeding greatness of God's power. He says, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Eph.1:19). In this text, we see the word power, working, mighty and power, which in the Greek is known as dunamis, energeia, ischus, and kratos. There are other words like Kuriotates, Exusia, Arche, Didomai, and Megaliotes. These are all words that denote power in different shades and ways in the New Testament. These words tell us how powerful our God is.

In Eph.3:20, Paul says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." God's power accomplishes things that are way beyond our wildest dreams. Interestingly, Paul tells us that the power of God is working in us. The power of God is living and dynamic reality within us. God's power connects with His power that is inside of us. In Col.3:19, Paul says about himself, "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his WORKING, which WORKETH IN me MIGHTILY." 

God's inexhaustible energies are fully operative in Paul, and it should be so in us. He accomplished mighty things with the power of God. He worked miracles and healed the sick miraculously. He turned the world upside down, won souls into the kingdom of God, built up and strengthened the churches, made great sacrifices, unveiled the mysteries of God to the body of Christ, and raised successors to carry on the work of spreading the gospel after he was gone.

In Eph.6:10, Paul says to us, "Finally, my brethren, be STRONG (endunamoo) in the Lord, and in the POWER (kratos) of his MIGHT (iscus)."

What are you doing with the power of God? God's power is available - how are you tapping into the illimitable and inexhaustible power of God through faith and obedience? God's power is very much available for you to use. 

He gives you the power to make wealth. He gives the power to cast out the devils. He gives the power to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall be able to harm you.

He gives you the power to fight and win. He gives you the power of a sound mind and of love. Are you using it? The believer in Christ is so rich in power. He doesn't have power shortage. 

Someone has said, "My goal is to be (...) rich. Rich in adventure, in health, in knowledge, in laughter, in wisdom, in family, and in love." I add that the believer in Christ is extremely rich in power. It's time for us to tap into the energies of God. The hands of God on your hands will work wonders and do miracles. I pray for your bow to abide in strength by the mighty God of Jacob. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter