Christ's Mighty Power

Philippians 3:10

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death” (NLT)

Who wants to experience the “mighty power” of Christ? If that were asked in a church, I bet that almost everyone’s hands would be raised in the congregation. When you think of the power of Christ, you think of His miracles. I first think of Jesus casting out demons into swine, walking on water, calming the wind and the waves, healing the sick and wounded, raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus raising from the dead and Jesus rising up into Heaven. I want that power, but how do I get it? See Paul doesn’t just say he desires this power, but he also desires to “suffer with Him” and share “in His death”. We can only gain this power through death of self by crucifixion. This is a painfully slow process that is never complete until our time on earth is complete. But with that said, the process of death of self is the most rewarding process; for the more you die to self, the more you are filled with Christ and are filled with His power.

Yeah, when it is put this way it seems like a hard but rewarding objective, yet it is easier said than done. For me personally, I struggle with growth in Christ because I struggle with death of self. Before this training program I refused to give certain luxuries I had, but I eventually did and am now in Antigua, Guatemala where I have a set schedule, have no T.V., eat chicken and rice every meal (except breakfast, which is eggs) and I have none of my pleasures that I indulged in at home. Now being here I have learned that with sacrifice of self there is exponential gain, but there are still times where I grudgingly give them to God instead of wanting to do it; for it is important for you to do an act, but for an act to be valued by God you need to do it with the right heart). It is not easy to become willing to die to self, but I pray for all Christians that we may get to a place in our lives where we will yearn for death of self and through that yearning be given life.

To gain a desire to die of self and through that gain Christ’s power, I am going to pray for a yearning for Him to fill me.