Power, Strength, Boldness........& Weakness

Acts 4:13 - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 

  • In verse 8, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began speaking to the rulers of Israel. God moves His instruments / vessels when there is need – be ready and yielded.

Acts 4:29-31 - Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."  And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 

  • The believers prayed for boldness.

Colossians 1:9-12 - For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father,

 who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 

1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be on the alert,

stand firm in the faith, act like men, be brave, be strong. This often involves sacrifice – pray for endurance.

Ephesians 6:10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

  • Be conscious of our own weakness & inability and rely upon Him.
  • The foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor 1:25)
  • Men’s wordly wisdom sees God as foolish and weak

Ephesians 6:19,20 - and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

Exodus 15:2 -  The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Hebrews 4:16 - Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need. 

  • The price has been paid, the redemptive work has been done. We may receive means to take hold of it and use it.

Hebrews 10:35,36 - Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise

Isaiah 40:29 - He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 

Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. 

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' 

1 John 4:4 - You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

  • With humility, we are to move through life with freedom and confidence. False teachers and evil spirits have no power over us.  We will recognize them for they are not of God and will not be like us.

Luke 11:8,9 - I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

  • If we will eventually respond to our friends persistence how much more will God respond to our asking, seeking and knocking with humility, in agape love and in faith?

1 Peter 5:8-10 - Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.  After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 

2 Peter 1:3 - for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  See notes in the Daily Scriptures section of the Tool Box

Philippians 1:19,20 - for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

 

  • Eager expectation and hope comes from the God’s love through the Holy Spirit. This hope NEVER fails.  Prayer for boldness is key.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Proverbs 3:27 - Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

Psalms 18:32 - It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. 

Psalms 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 

Psalms 31:24 - Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who wait for the LORD. 

Psalms 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 

Psalms 56:3,4 - When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 

Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

  • The love of God is the soil that nourishes the roots of our hope by the Holy Spirit in us.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

  • Always remember who we are in Christ Jesus and come with boldness and assurance before our Father.

 

Weakness

Is there more to weakness than meets the eye?  Why does God choose to show strength through the weak things of the world?  The world seems to mostly look at weakness as something undesirable to be hidden.  In these modern and accepting times, we acknowledge weakness but it is really only acceptable in the sense that we have ways (strengths) to overcome it.  We don’t “lean into” weakness in the world’s way of going about life yet Paul delighted in weakness for Christ’s sake.  This means he approved of it, thought well of it, took pleasure in it. 

  • Jesus is our hero that gave His life for the guilty; the villains and criminals
  • His loss brought our victory - Our life was born out of His death
  • The darkness and heaviness of His crucifixion gave birth to new life. Freedom – Joy – Power – Rest – Hope

In the world, strength and status is coveted.  In God’s Kingdom, stepping into and putting an end to striving for the sole purpose to escape and eradicate our weakness creates the space for our Glorious King to fill us with His ability and might.

2 Corinthians 12:9,10 - And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Mark 14:38 - Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing (ready to move forward), but the flesh is weak." 

  • Just as a manual transmission must be fully in gear or it will fall back into neutral, we must be firmly in the spirit or we will fall into temptation.
  • Take caution that we don’t find ourselves “coasting” in the natural, disengaged from the Spirit.
  • It is tempting to play and relax to deal with our weakness and frailty when we should be coming to sit with Him.

Philippians 4:13 – (also see Phil 4:19 notes in God’s Glory section)  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

  • It is not by our own doing. We must learn and practice to let go in our minds this constant machinery that tells us to – do – to accomplish – to be strong and overcome in our own talents and strengths.
  • We must instead let all of that fall off of us before the Father and simply rest in Him and in His presence. Worship and let Him fill us; enable us to go forth in His power and strength.