Dont Deny The Power: Rediscovering God's Power

Don't Deny the Power' is a theme that has been on my heart for a while. You go to some churches and you get a sense that maybe the people are denying the power. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 we read: But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.Now this is interesting. We could say, 'Look at the world out there. All this is happening out in the world.' In the end times, treacherous times, people may have a form of godliness but deny his power. They may be treacherous, rash, unforgiving, slanderous, abusive, disobedient to parents. Actually, Paul is showing this to Timothy about the early church. Isn't that scary? Paul showed this to Timothy. I find that quite remarkable. John Wesley, with his brother Charles and a man called George Whitefield, saw this nation shaken by the power of God. They saw revival all across this land, and even the great awakening in America through George Whitefield. Wesley's greatest fear was that the church he left behind would have a form of godliness but would deny the power. That's the Methodist church now. How many Methodist churches are dying cold of a form of godliness but deny the power? I'm not judging; I'm just sharing where we're out.The answer to 2 Timothy 3:5 is in 2 Timothy 4:5: But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. I'm coming to you with the gift of the evangelist to help encourage you; to mobilise you in your call, your gifting, your career, your studies; to mobilise you in your dreams in God that you can reach out to others. It's interesting, I think, that sometimes in the church we try to reach out to others when we really are running very empty and very dry ourselves. I want to encourage you. Don't deny the power of God in your lives. Don't deny the power of the blood, the name, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. If we take a look at Revelation 12:11 it says:They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.Don't deny the power of your testimony, church. Can you say 'amen' and smile? It's so we stay fresh and alive. It's so we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. I'd like to share a little of my testimony to encourage you and to help mobilise you into this next season in God so that you see breakthroughs like never before. If God can do it for one he can do it for all.