Power in Your Corner

Your All-Sufficiency in Christ:


     I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe....
     I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
     And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
     Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16-21



Defining Moments:

     Trusting God to help you overcome your sins and shortcomings sounds so spiritual, doesn't it? Turning everything over to God, letting God handle your problems, giving your burdens to the Lord...can't argue with the wisdom there.
     But when it's just you and your bad temper, or your runaway sex drive, or your weakness for cherry cheesecake, where do you find the strength to say no?
     You might not guess it to look at you, but you have available to you--right now--the same kind of power that God " exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead" ( Ephesians 1:20). And as you begin facing even your toughest challenges with the weapons of prayer, Bible truth, worship, thanksgiving, accountability, and other specific strategies that you'll begin gaining through experience, you'll see sin's deception for what it is, you'll turn your back on habits that have had your number for years, and your heart for instant gratification will be changed into a heart that knows where its power lies.


Next Up:

     Gut instincts and willpower were all you had to go on before you met Christ, so don't expect trusting God to come naturally. Be prepared to hit a learning curve.

     " There's no way to underestimate the struggle of Christian living. Or the power God's put in you.
     " Just as He delivered us from the overall reign of sin, so He has made ample provision for us to win the daily skirmishes against sin."
         _Jerry Bridges