How to Access God’s Power, Part 3
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.’”
Exodus 14:15-16 (NLT)
The story of Moses in the Exodus offers a living model for how to access God’s power for our future. My friend, Lee Strobel, calls these steps the five “A’s” for accessing God’s power. Here’s a review of the four steps we’ve looked at so far:
1. Admit you’re too weak without God.
2. Affirm God’s power and presence.
3. Align yourself with God’s will.
4. Ask God for the power you need.
This isn’t a magical formula that’s going to make God respond. You may even take each of these steps and still feel just as afraid and powerless as you did before you started. So, what do you do if you still feel weak and afraid? Moses may have asked this exact question when he was sandwiched between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Moses cried out to the Lord, and I love what God tells him. Remember: Moses had upwards of two million people with him, complaining about his leadership and fearing they were all about to die! So, he took his problem to the Lord, and here’s what God said, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.” Exodus 14:15-16 (NLT)
God said, “Moses, get a move on!” I love that! God was not waiting for Moses to feel courageous to act. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting anyway out of obedience to God despite your fears! This is the fifth step to accessing God’s power.
5. Act out of obedience to God.
What are you waiting for? Sometimes, we are supposed to wait on God, but there are also times when God is waiting on us. Faith is belief gone courageous! It’s stepping out even when you don’t feel empowered to, trusting that God will provide the power as power is needed. The ten lepers that Jesus healed in Luke 17 did just that! They cried out to Jesus to be healed, and He told them to go show themselves to the priest. Jesus left them, and they still had their fatal disease. But the Bible tells us that they did what Jesus instructed them to do, and “on their way they were healed!” Luke 17:14 (CEV)
They received the power when they acted in obedience to the revealed will of God. If you want to access the power of God but still feel weak, act anyway out of obedience and see what He alone can do!
Take a moment and review these five steps to accessing God’s power. Where do you find yourself in your journey of faith? Share which step you’re on with another Christ follower, and choose today to take the next step.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.