For Every Believer

What does it mean to have God’s power at work in your life? Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV) says,

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This is not a comfortable parable. But these are Jesus’ words—red letters—and they’re not there to scare you, they’re there to transform you. A gospel that doesn’t produce good fruit in our lives and good works isn’t the gospel. A gospel without power isn’t the gospel. We can’t just have good morals and “positive vibes.”

Jesus said in Acts 1:8 (NKJV, emphasis mine), “... you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me …” This is not just for the apostles. It’s for every believer. The Spirit of God lives in us to reveal the Son and glorify the Father through us.

Without power, would you even have Christianity? That’s not a suggestion—that’s a foundation. The religious spirit has removed power from the Church because it makes things messy and uncomfortable.

But when you walk in power, you draw a line in the sand. You force people to either fight you or run with you. And that’s okay. Jesus said you would have tribulation—but be of good cheer. He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

The Holy Spirit working through you will sometimes cause conflict. But don’t be afraid of resistance. You’re not here to be liked—you’re here to be obedient. So preach, pray, love, heal, and move in boldness. Don’t settle for a powerless Christianity. He’s waiting to clothe you with power from on high. The fire on your life will expose what’s cold in others. Keep going.

Challenge for Today: Meditate on Acts 1:8, ask God for His power to be real in your life, and step out boldly today and pray for someone in public.

-Todd