Living By Faith

CRANK THE CHAINSAW

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.
(Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit is a genius. If you will listen to Him, He will make you look smart!
B.B. Hankins

There is a funny story about a country boy who cut trees for a living. He heard of a new piece of equipment that was supposed to make work a lot easier and faster called a chainsaw. He bought one from the store because the man said he could cut up to 30 trees a day with this new chainsaw. After using it for a few days, he took it back to the store and complained that he was only able to cut 2 or 3 trees a day. The store manager took the chainsaw from him and pulled the starter rope. With a loud noise, the chainsaw started. That country boy jumped back, startled by the noise, and said, “What’s that?” Being as ignorant as he was, he had never cranked the engine!

Many people struggle in the work of the Lord because they have never been filled with the Holy Spirit. He is the power that enables us in every area of life. We must give the Holy Spirit His proper place everyday.

Confession: Greater is He that is in me that he that is in this world. (1 John 4:4) I choose to give the Holy Spirit His proper place everyday. Thank God for the Holy Spirit!

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REVELATION…CALCULATION

Calculate, if you can, the gigantic power behind all this. Sons, quickened into life and consciousness. (Ephesians 1:19 Carpenter Translation)

This power that raised Christ from the dead, will do, in the believer, the same thing it did in Christ! – Mark Hankins

We must get a revelation of the power that is on the inside of us! For just as with natural things, we cannot grasp and use them if we cannot see or sense them. When we have revelation of the power that is in us, and when we activate that power by our confession of it, that power begins to work in us. It duplicates in our souls and bodies what has already been accomplished in Christ.

Paul prayed for believers to have a revelation of this power. This power that raised Christ from the dead will do in the believer the same thing it did in Christ. It will not make our bodies immortal just yet, but it will melt down, undo, break up, and dissolve anything the devil has done in us. It will melt away and dissolve disease, break up bondages, undo complexes and restraints. This power will also deliver us from demonic powers and activities.

Confession: Now the Son of God came to the earth with the express purpose of liquidating the devil’s activities. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen and dissolve) the works the devil (has done). (1 John 3:8 Philips and AMP)

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MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER

And how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power is the same as the mighty strength which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at his right side in the heavenly world. (Ephesians 1:19-20 Good News Bible)

Christ’s resurrection was more than a triumph over rigor mortis; it was a triumph over all the forces that held us in bondage! Mark Hankins

Paul used four different words for power in an attempt to describe what great power was released in the resurrection of Christ:

dunamis = dynamite; ability
energia = energy; operative power in exercise
kratos = manifested strength
ischuos = an endowment of strength

Paul said this power, power, power, power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead is not just great but exceeding great. Paul said that this power is great beyond measure — surpassing power — more than enough power.

Confession: The same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in me! This power is overwhelmingly great, incomparably great, immeasurable and unlimited! “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working working of His mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:19)

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THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. (Ephesians 1:19 NKJV)

The power that raised Christ from the dead made Him supremely triumphant over hell and all its hosts! -Mark Hankins

The resurrection of Christ was evidently the greatest display of omnipotence ever set forth, surpassing even that of creation. Paul prayed that we would get a revelation of the power that was released in the resurrection of Christ.

When God raised the body of Jesus, the material substance of His body changed so dramatically that from that time on that Jesus had no difficulty walking through solid walls. Somehow the very structure of the atoms of his body was altered. This took tremendous power — even more power than God used to create matter in the beginning.

This is what Paul had in mind in his prayer for the Church. Not just the power that was loosed in His body in His triumph over physical death, but also the power that was unleashed spiritually in His triumph over hell and all its forces! That is the power that is at work in us now!

Confession: 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. (Ephesians 3:20)

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X-RAY VISION

I pray that your inward eyes may be illumined… (Ephesians 1:18 NEB)

The entire Bible is written from the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Mark Hankins

The Apostle Paul saw something by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that was even greater than what Moses must have seen when he wrote the book of Genesis. Paul’s letters are even different from the four Gospels. The Gospels are photographs of redemption; Paul’s letters are X-rays.

Paul was not physically there for the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but he wrote about what happened by revelation knowledge. He saw what happened In Christ. God saw us there In Christ. We died with Him, were buried with Him, were made alive with Him, and were raised up together with Him.

The Word of God describes spiritual or unseen realities and explains the mystery of your redemption. You can read the Bible with just your intellect and read it like a regular book, or you can allow the Holy Spirit to open up revelation to you.

Confession: And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:19-20)

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