Listening to the Holy Spirit:
The small are dominated as weak. Those with power lord it over those with little. Without the Spirit of the living God, power seeks only for self. It seeds for a harvest, but reaps corruption. Power in the hands of the believer must protect; a standing shield against unrighteousness; a fortress to the oppressed; strength given that others may live; a sacrifice of self that others might prosper. Love perfects power and is a reflection of the Father. Your position gives power; do not lord it as the unbeliever, but lift up those pressed down, for as you lift those I love, so too you will be lifted. Hear My Spirit. See those about you with My eyes. Power and love fuel great works of the living God. Those you can lift are already around you. Take what I have given, and bless.
Prv 3:27 (ESV) – Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Esther 10:3 (ESV) – For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
2 Chron 29:12 (ESV) – Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Taking It to Work:
How do you define “power”? Google has eight different definitions, but the one that is most “powerful” to me, is “the ability to influence or create change”. It make sense. When we say a cannon is more powerful than a BB gun, we are really talking about the amount of “change” that will occur when each projectile hits its target. A boxer’s right may be more powerful than his left, based on how well you can recover from the blow.
And like a punch, power also has the property of being able to be directed. The same power released in the detonation of a nuclear weapon, can be released in a reactor and produce electricity for a large city.
What the Lord is reminding us of today, especially if we are in positions of power, and by definition, that’s any position where we can influence others or create change, that we are granted that power by Him, and we are to be directing it the same way He does, through the guardrails of love and good selfless intention.
We have all seen individuals use power for selfish motives, and we see it in the workplace often. Those with power that abuse and misapply that power in a way that those of us with the Spirit of God living within us, well, we cringe at the misuse, and wonder how in the world they can get away with that.
What we all have to remember, is we all have power, at some level. We all have the ability to lift others with that power, directed by the Lord and law of love we live by, or we can use that power to press down, and push around those same people we should be lifting. It can happen to the best of us. Hence our reminder.
As you contemplate your position and power in the world and workplace, and prayerfully work your way through the rest of this devotional, pray that you might use your power well; blessing, protecting, and lifting, as His Word works through you, today.
