POWER                                                Submitted by: Merilee Ottoson

Words have power. Have you ever listened to a “motivational speaker”? He/she probably had a great presentation and you probably felt motivated to “do something.” His/her words may have been riveting and true......

However great those “words” were, they lacked spiritual power.

 “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Please read this verse again!! No lack of power there!! Why? These words are God inspired and it is God Who stands behind them.

IF the words in the Bible aren’t true, then our lives are no different than the lives of people who follow the prophet Mohamed, those who look to the Hindu gods or the millions who trust in Buddhism. We would be just as hopeless and lost......BUT, BECAUSE THESE WORDS ARE TRUE, we can have hope and our lives should reflect the difference.

“ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us...”   Ephesians 3:20

There are Christ followers in closed countries who yearn to have a Bible. They share Bibles and gently hold the tattered pages. The organization, World  Help, issued this statement, “For more than 15 years, North Korea has been ranked as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. If they are found with a Bible, North Korean Christians face years of imprisonment in labor camps where they are tortured and beaten daily. Bibles are confiscated and destroyed, and most believers have never seen more than a page of God’s Word.”

Why? Why are they so willing to risk their own safety to possess a Bible? They understand the power that lies within. Jesus speaking through His Word! Christ IS the victorious One Who is The Door, The Way, The Word, the True Vine and The Truth.....changeless and eternal.

“Help us dear Father, to truly know the power that You have provided through Your Word. Amen.”