Our God’s power is greater than all earthly power combined

I listened to a very powerful sermon by Megan Du Toit called prayer for the church http://www.tcbc.org.au/sermons/prayer-for-the-church/

 

She reminded us that we don’t have to seek power or position in the world because our God’s power is greater than all earthly power combined. She also talked about how we deal with other Christians when it is difficult and she talked about the movie Hamburger Hill and the man that refused to take up a gun but served unarmed in WWII rescuing injured soldiers in the midst of horrifying battles.

 

It reminded me that many (but not all) of those very irritating people I interact with online are just injured soldiers on a battle field.  I believe this because when I was younger I worked at a veterinarians for a year and then a couple years as an aide in an e.r. People can get really mean and testy when they are in pain, when they are in excruciating pain like one I witnessed that had 3rd degree burns scalding their face- sometimes injured people scream and even physically lash out at the people trying to help them. I also know this because before I met Jesus I had excruciating emotional pain and I covered it up by being angry and rejecting help from everyone because I had no trust left.

 

Sometimes we get afraid of people and of being harmed, especially if we are preaching the Gospel.

A terrific thing I learned at the Veterinarians is how to wrap a cat really quick in a sheet or towel so they don’t scratch you before they can be sedated.
Vicious dogs are caught with lariat attached to the end of poles and then quickly muzzled. This reminded me of scriptures about binding and loosing, like this one  “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” Matt 12:29

And this one: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matt 18:18

 

Jesus said “be still” often when He was dealing with demon possessed people. In one place it says “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.” Luke 4:41

I believe that was done spiritually, not by Him talking to the person like: ‘be quiet Mr Smith’ but Jesus speaking to the demons. “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;” Mark 6:7

 

Another thing I saw that was amazing was a vet doing what is called a ‘rodeo castration’ that means its done in the field, not in hospital, and the vet walks right up to a huge stallion and slaps him on the rump with an open hand (that has a syringe in it) and within a few seconds that horse goes down and then the vet works very quickly and then runs away very fast. This reminds me of the angels blinding the men at Lots door. And the power of Jesus when they went to arrest Him but they all fell to the ground, if it weren’t time for Him to lay down His life it would have been a perfect escape.

 

I remember Corrie Ten Boom shared a story (I don’t remember it verbatim) of an orphanage in a very hostile country and missionaries were huddled inside praying because there was an overthrow of government power and all white people were being slaughtered and they were white people. Day after day they waited for the inevitable and one night it came. Looking out the window they saw a large group of men with torches and machetes coming to the orphanage but for some reason the group stopped halfway down the street and turned around and left. The next night same thing, but they had gone closer all the way down the street right in front of the building and then turned and ran away. One of the mob guys had fallen and hurt his leg and couldn’t run away with the others so they went outside to help him and asked why they kept coming close and running away. The man said ‘What?!! Didn’t you see those men in white with all those swords protecting the orphanage?!!!’
The missionaries didn’t see that, but the enemy sure did! Jesus can do miracles like this for any of his followers not just the white ones.

 
When I read Jesus saying “…because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel” in the book of Revelation I thought, what? Jezebel was thrown off a wall, eaten by dogs and is long gone! And then I thought, what if Jesus is talking about the unclean spirit of Jezebel? And now I think the old testament physical wars are a type of new testament non-carnal battles done by the Holy Spirit.

 

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zech 4:6

 

When I read about Jehu pretending to be a Baal worshiper and calling a feast and when they were assembled having his men kill all the Baal worshipers, I pictured them getting slain with the sword of the Lord which is the word of God, and them all getting saved!

 

When I read about “Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty…” I thought about the power of the Holy Spirit coming down and destroying every evil spirit in them and them being set free indeed.

 

And when Elisha was surrounded by enemy troops he prayed that his young associate’s (who was freaking out) eyes would be open and the young man saw the armies of the Lord…and they took them captive and then Elisha fed them and took them back to their master.

 

Our God certainly does have more power than any other in the earth!

 

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  Matt 28:18-20

 

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2Cor 10:4

 

Lord Jesus open the churches eyes to Your great power and remind us, like Megan Du Toit did, that we don’t have to seek the power of the world because our God’s power is greater than all earthly power combined, amen.