Power for Life: Keys to a life marked by the presence of God
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—1 CORINTHIANS 12:31
It’s very important to know that Jesus’s life and ministry were not gift driven; they were fruit driven. Sure, Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit and operated in tremendous gifts from God. But His life was not driven by these gifts. His life was driven and motivated by fruit. Jesus was motivated by the very thing God is—love. Jesus didn’t seek after the gifts of God alone. He sought after the love of God. God’s love and compassion compelled Jesus to release supernatural power to those who needed it most.
The reason love is so powerful is because love is what marks us as believers in God. (See John 13:34–35.) Love is what makes us different and sets us apart. Too many times we mark each other by our gifts. God marks us by our love—not just our love for Him but also our love for one another.
His love in you will release an overflowing power that will be far beyond just the manifestation of a gift. Love will cause you to manifest Christ Himself removing all the limitations to what God can do through you. When your life is compelled forward by fruit, it stays pure and clean. Motives remain pure, ambitions remain holy, and God is truly glorified. Not only will people see God’s power, they will experience His heart and see His face.
I remember one day as a child walking through the front door and breaking down in tears because of a problem I was having with a kid at school. That day God spoke to my mom’s heart, “Just love him.” It sounded so simple. Yet it was that very love that helped me through that moment of pain. We may not have the ability to completely fix someone’s pain or change their circumstances, but we can love them. Love in itself is a healing agent. Mother Teresa has said, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”5 This means that when we really love others, we will also feel their pain. But as we keep on loving, eventually the pain is replaced by love.
The unconditional love and support of both my mom and dad strengthened me during difficult times. They are my everyday heroes. I know it was because of their love that God was able to bring me through and use what I walked through to become more effective in helping others.
God has brought me from a survivor to an overcomer! In high school I was very bold in sharing my faith with others. Years later I would find out from different ones how my stand for God deeply impacted them and was a part of them eventually coming to know God in their own lives. I now stand whole in God and am able to minister God’s power to others. We have seen thousands saved, healed, set free, and touched by God’s power in more than twenty-five nations of the earth. He does a work in you so He can do a work through you! I learned by experience that when you set your love upon God, He works everything for your good, even the bad things. It really is true; love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8)!
The Ultimate Expression of Love
This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you. No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do.
—JOHN 15:12–14
Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God’s love. He laid down His life so that we can lay down our lives and release His love to the world. There is no greater love than to sacrifice your life for another. Love compelled Jesus all the way to the cross. Love resurrected Him from the grave. Love set you and me free so that we can be fruitful vessels of His power.
Jesus is the ultimate hero. When you accept Him into your life, Jesus becomes the hero in you. He is your source, your harness, and your release. If you don’t know Christ, please take a moment and say this prayer with me now.
Heavenly Father, I come to You and confess my faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that He is the Son of God and that He was crucified, died on the cross, and was raised to life on the third day. I ask You to forgive me of all my sin and cleanse my life with Your precious blood. I repent of and renounce everything that has grieved You, and I surrender my entire life to You. Come and fill me with the Holy Spirit, and empower me to walk with You all the days of my life. In Jesus’s name, amen.
God now has an assignment for you to do. Go and share His love with everyone you know.
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you. This is what I command you: that you love one another.
—JOHN 15:16–17
Activate and Release His Love
It’s time to start a love revolution that releases the authentic power of God within you. Here are some ways how:
1. Lay hands on the sick in Jesus’s name.
2. Set the captives free in Jesus’s name.
3. Share the gospel with someone who needs to hear.
4. Hug someone who is lonely.
5. Visit an elderly person in your local nursing home.
The Hero Movement
There’s a hero in all of us. That hero is Christ.
Join me in the hero movement as we release the power of God to the world through Christ’s fruit within us. It’s time to unleash the hero within. So let’s do it!
Submit your hero testimonies to www.powerforlifebook.com.
Notes
INTRODUCTION
1. Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 2002), 144.
CHAPTER 2
THE POWER OF INTIMACY
1. As quoted in Phil Pringle, Inspired to Pray: The Art of Seeking God (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2009), 3.
2. Smith Wigglesworth, Ever Increasing Faith (Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2007), 120.
3. Albert Hibbert, Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret to His Power (Tulsa, OK: Harrison House, 2009), 32.
4. Brother Lawrence, The Brother Lawrence Collection: The Practice of the Presence of God (Radford, Virginia: Wilder Publications, 2008), 23, 95, 19, 29.
5. As quoted in Bill Hybels, 1 Peter: Stand Strong (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 52.
CHAPTER 3
THE POWER OF GRACE
1. As quoted in Thomas C. Oden, The Justification Reader (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), 34.
2. “Proclamation for National Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer—April 30, 1863,” Intercessors for America, http://www.ifapray.org/archive/PrayerGuides/ProclamationforNationalDayofHumiliationFastingandPrayer.htm (accessed April 27, 2011).
3. Dwight Lyman Moody, D. L. Moody’s Little Instruction Book (Colorado Springs, CO: Honor Books, 1996).
CHAPTER 4
THE POWER OF TRUTH
1. Dictionary.com, s.v. “align,” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/align (accessed April 28, 2011).
CHAPTER 5
THE POWER OF IDENTITY
1. Ian Gilbert, Essential Motivation in the Classroom (London: Routledge Falmer, 2002), 175.
2. David W. Freeman, “Tyler Perry, Oprah Talk Sexual Abuse: Who Victimized Little Tyler?,” CBSNews.com, October 22, 2010, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20020438-10391704.html(accessed May 12, 2011).
3. AllSands.com, “Gene Kelly Biography,” http://www.allsands.com/entertainment/people/genekellybiogr_yzn_gn.htm (accessed April 28, 2011).
4. Yahoo! Movies, “Sidney Poitier,” http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800025653/bio (accessed April 28, 2011).
CHAPTER 6
THE POWER OF FAITH
1. Hibbert, Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret to His Power , 91, 95.
2. F. F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2008), 92.
3. TheVoiceMagazine.com, “Dr. Lilian B. Yeomans: A Physician’s Experience With the Gospel,” http://www.thevoicemagazine.com/health-and-healing/health-healing-drugs/dr-lilian-yeomans-experience-with-a-physicians-the-gospel.html (accessed April 28,2011).
5. Ibid., 15–16.
6. As quoted in Nuggets of Wisdom, http://www.savedhealed.com/nuggets.htm (accessed April 28, 2011).
7. Creative Bible Study, “The Charles Blondin Story: A Lesson on Faith,” http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Blondin-story.html (accessed May 12, 2011). Permission to quote requested.
CHAPTER 7
THE POWER OF INTEGRITY
1. Ron Flatter, “Secretariat Remains No. 1 Name in Racing,” ESPN.com, http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016464.html (accessed April 28, 2011).
2. Gus D. Nichols, “Secretariat—All Heart,” HubPages.com, http://hubpages.com/hub/Secretariat-All-Heart (accessed April 28, 2011).
3. Derek Prince, Rules of Engagement (Ada, MI: Chosen Books, 2006).
4. Nathalie K., “Breaking in a Horse,” EzineArticles.com, http://ezinearticles.com/?Breaking-in-a-Horse&id=1303437 (accessedApril 28, 2011).
5. Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Brokenness: The Heart God Revives (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2005), 51.
6. Kathryn Kuhlman, A Glimpse Into Glory (Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos, 1979), 142.
7. Smith Wigglesworth, The Teachings of Smith Wigglesworth (Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2007), 107.
8. John MacArthur, Matthew 1–7: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 66.
9. FamilyLife.com, “FamilyLife Today Series: Love Renewed—the Reconciliation of Clint and Penny Bragg,” http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.6468077/k.3984/Love_Renewed_Clint_and_Penny_Bragg.htm (accessed May 12, 2011).
10. As quoted in Paige Lanier Chargois, Certain Women Called by Christ (Birmingham, AL: New Hope Publishers, 2008), 86.
11. Derek Quizon, “Tempe Homeless Man Returns $3,300 in Cash to ASU Student,” The Arizona Republic , November 17, 2010, http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2010/11/17/20101117tempe-homeless-man-returns-money1119.html (accessed April 28, 2011).
12. Herbert Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 56.
13. As quoted in James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom (Ada, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 49.
14. R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006), 154.
15. Diane, “Little Decisions Add Up to Big Benefits,” Fit to the Finish (blog), October 27, 2010, http://www.fittothefinish.com/blog/2010/10/little-decisions-add-up-to-big-benefits/ (accessed April 28, 2011).
16. Ibid.
17. Stanley Howard Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1948), 125.
18. Jim Kasparek, It Is Appointed (Summerville, SC: Holy Fire Publishing, 2007), 109.
19. Frank E. Grizzard, George Washington: A Biographical Companion (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2002), 363.
CHAPTER 8
THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE
1. Rob Garofalo Jr., A Winner by Any Standard (n.p.: Teen Winners Publications, 2004), 48.
2. BaldEagleInfo.com, “Bald Eagle—Nesting and Young,” American Bald Eagle Information, http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle4.html (accessed April 29, 2011).
3. Personal testimony sent in to author. Also, see AbortedYetAlive, “From an Ultrasound to Planned Parenthood,” http://christian-topics.info/Article/From-An-Ultrasound-To-Planned-Parenthood/10229 (accessed April 29, 2011).
CHAPTER 9
THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE
1. The information for this was given in a sermon James Goll preached at one of the author’s conferences after Michal Ann Goll died.
2. The Quote Garden, “Quotations: Hang In There!,” http://www.quotegarden.com/hang-in.html (accessed April 29, 2011).
3. Jeanine Basinger, The Star Machine (New York: A. A. Knopf, 2007), 79.
CHAPTER 10
THE POWER OF VISION
1. As quoted in John H. Zenger and Joe Folkman, The Extraordinary Leader (Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002), 16.
2. As quoted in Jakki J. Mohr et al., Marketing of High-Technology Products and Innovations (Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009), 112.
3. As quoted in Steve Little, Leading God’s Way (Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks, 2010), 25.
4. As quoted in Mark Herringshaw and Jennifer Schuchman, Nine Ways God Always Speaks (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009), 169.
5. Ibid.
CHAPTER 11
THE POWER OF BLESSING
1. Dictionary.com, s.v. “blessing,” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessing (accessed April 29, 2011).
2. James Allen, Above Life’s Turmoil (New York: Cosimo Books, 2007), 39.
3. Joanne Ford, “Interview With Eduardo Verastegui, Film Producer and Pro-Life Advocate,” L’Osservatore Romano , weekly edition in English, September 23, 2009, 10.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Hialmer Day Gould and Edward Louis Hessenmueller, Best Thoughts of Best Thinkers (Cleveland, OH: Best Thoughts Publishing, 1904), 33.
CHAPTER 12
THE POWER OF JOY
1. James B. Smith, Embracing the Love of God (New York: Harper Collins, 2008), 23.
2. Gwen Costello, Spiritual Gems From Mother Teresa (New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2008), 19.
3. Liz Szabo, “Number of Americans Taking Antidepressants Doubles,” USAToday.com, August 4, 2009, http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-03-antidepressants_N.htm (accessedMay 2, 2011).
4. Harriet Fraad “Why are Americans Passive as Millions Lose Their Homes, Families and the American Dream?”, Alternet.org, February 2, 2010, http://www.alternet.org/media/145481/why_are_americans_passive_as_millions_lose_their_jobs_families_and_the_american_dream?page=5 (accessed May 2, 2011).
5. Szabo, “Number of Americans Taking Antidepressants Doubles.”
6. Charles Barber, “Are We Really So Miserable?”, Salon.com, August 26, 2009, http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2009/08/26/barber_age_of_anxiety (accessed May 2, 2011).
7. Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine , ed. Temple Scott (New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1900), 255.
8. Sonja Lyubomirsky, “Buying Happiness,” Spirit Magazine , n.d.
9. Ibid.
10. As quoted in Mary Kathryn Clark, In the Morning . . . Joy (Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, 2010), 356.
11. As quoted in Robb Dunn, Will God Heal Me? (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications, 2007), 238.
12. James Botkin “Laughing to Live Longer,” Navy.mil, June 10, 2002, http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=1896 (accessed May 2, 2011).
13. Meredith Melnick, “Lack of Sleep Linked With Depression, Weight Gain and Even Death,” Time , September 2, 2010, http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/02/lack-of-sleep-can-cause-depression-weight-gain-and-even-death/ (accessed May 2, 2011).
CHAPTER 13
THE POWER OF GENEROSITY
1. Pay It Forward Foundation, “The Miracle of Innocence: A Bittersweet, Unforgettable Novel About a Twelve-Year-Old Child Who Changes the World,” http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/about_novel.html (accessed May 2, 2011).
2. Famous-Quotes.com, “Famous Quotes by Bob Hope,” http://www.famous-quotes.com/author.php?aid=3553 (accessed May 2, 2011).
3. Lloyd Cory, Quote, Unquote (n.p.: Victor Books, 1977), 130.
4. Adam Mayers, Acts of Kindness: Inspirational Stories (Toronto: Durdorn Press, 2010), 5.
5. As told to author by a friend who attended an April 2010 house meeting where Dr. Bree Keyton spoke. More information on Dr. Bree can be found here: www.breekeytonministries.com.
6. As quoted in Mark Victor Hansen and Art Linkletter, How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 45.
7. James S. Hewitt, Illustrations Unlimited (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988), 262.
8. As quoted in Mary Beth Simmons, Second Acts That Change Lives (San Francisco: Red Whee
l/Weiser LLC), 83.
9. Costello, Spiritual Gems From Mother Teresa , 2.
10. As quoted in Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007), 361.
11. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, St. Peter’s , vols. 1–4 (New York: Interest of St. Peter Lutheran Church, 1913), 288.
CHAPTER 14
THE POWER OF LOVE
1. Mother Teresa and Jose Luis Gonzalez-Balado, Mother Teresa, in My Own Words (n.p.: Liguori Publications, 1996), 18.
2. Taken from a transcript of the sermon Heidi Baker preached at Matt Sorger Ministries Conference in New York.
3. ThinkExist.com, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta Quotes,” http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_biggest_disease_today_is_not_leprosy_or/193811.html (accessed May 5, 2011).
4. GOD.TV, “The Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival,” November 5, http://www.god.tv/node/839 (accessed May 6, 2011).
5. Costello, Spiritual Gems From Mother Teresa , 9.