If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God. Instantly the power of God will be in you. “Look to Me…” (Isaiah 45:22). Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there. We lose power because we don’t focus on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these. We are to preach “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God’s focal point in your preaching, and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. If I share my own words, they are of no more importance than your words are to me. But if we share the truth of God with one another, we will encounter it again and again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross.

If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings, the focus tends to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on the effects of the Cross.The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption.

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Journal Entry for Today

November 26 2014

Lord, thank you for the lessons on spiritual power. Thank you for teaching me that when I am down and feeling lost inside difficult circumstances that you provide relief and rescue in the person of Jesus and the cross. The circumstances may not change, however I become acutely aware that the circumstances mean nothing compared to the power of the cross.  And it becomes abundantly clear when you tell me to pick up my cross and follow You, you have told me to pick up my circumstances, difficult and challenging times and follow Jesus. And when I do focus on Jesus while picking up my cross daily; I am transformed.

And God says…”That is correct.  Your cross is defined as the daily issues of your life; good times and bad times: Family times, holidays, all the time. You pick up your cross by focusing on Jesus, all the time. Do not focus on your circumstances, do not dwell on your pain or the “what ifs” of life. Focus on Jesus, as you live in your circumstances for this day, and be transformed. Your transformation and resurrection above your circumstances is and always will be the result of your connection to Jesus. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart.”