Another Man’s Revelation
April 25
Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?
Acts 19:15
Jake had just returned to St. Paul’s from a pastor’s conference in Minneapolis and was on fire! Back in the pulpit, he preached a powerful, life-changing message. People were healed of diseases and set free of demonic oppression. It was awesome!
The next week saw a reduction in power. By the third week following the conference, God’s power was almost nonexistent; things had returned to ‘normal’.
Jake didn’t understand it. He couldn’t count how many times in the past eight years of ministry he’d returned from a conference to witness the miraculous for a brief time, only to see God’s power slip away. In frustration, he asked, “What’s going on, LORD?! Why can’t we hang on to the miraculous? Why can’t we maintain Your power and presence?”
God’s response came as quite a shock to Jake…. “The message you preach is a ‘right on’ message, Jake. It’s just not yours. You hear it from someone who knows My word…and you are temporarily inspired. But you are preaching another man’s revelation. Until you plant My word in your heart there is no personal seed of revelation. Only an intimate relationship can produce that kind of fruit. And then, only if you continue to plant the seeds.”
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We love the miraculous but fail to understand, or refuse to admit, that walking in power comes from continually planting God’s word in our heart. We cannot occasionally or indiscriminately pick up God’s Word, read a passage, and expect supernatural results. Living a power-filled life comes from hiding God’s word on the inside.
In Mark’s parable of the sower, chapter 4, verses16-17, we see how Jake’s cycle of power to powerlessness comes to pass. We hear a ‘right word’ and are encouraged by someone else…and because it is fresh, when we speak it, others respond in positive ways. But, since the revelation didn’t originate in our heart, we have nothing to draw on as the newness wares off.
God’s work is of a personal nature. If we intend to have an impact on the world around us we must first have a personal relationship from which to draw.
Prayer
“Draw me close, LORD. Make me hungry to know You and Your Word so that my heart burns with revelation. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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