How is real spiritual power obtained?

“God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:6b-7

Who actually is the cause of the resistance in your life? Satan? Demons? Evil? Or is it God Himself? Why would God cause resistance / blocks in our lives? Who watches us closer than any other, and might be causing our hindrances, closing doors, and spoiling our plans? Could it actually be God?

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

What do the proud inherit from God?

What secret did the apostle Paul discover?

“…when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10b

Is there really a spiritual kingdom principle of strength out of weakness? That certainly isn’t the world’s principle. According to the world we must build ourselves up and seek dominance over others. We must seek to be stronger, take up authority, rise up, and get more according to the world’s ways. All sorts of systems, plans, formulas, and techniques to become bigger and better have been devised to do those very things, and the institutional church has adopted many of them. Yet… the results can be very disappointing and cause much disillusionment and hurt. Why? Are they done out of our own pride, plans, and human efforts? Who would be resisting those plans?

The Lord Jesus has another approach for us to learn. He invites us to accept our weaknesses in order to be strengthened by Him. Obviously, this makes no sense in the natural realm, but the teaching in James in the verse above gives clues to the spiritual kingdom principle of strength.

What’s our first step in this process? Real humility. Being honest with God and ourselves that we can’t obtain His spiritual power on our own. Jesus IS the vine and we are only the branches and we really can’t do anything spiritual without Him. (John 15:5) In our pride are we actually wrestling with God instead of cooperating with Him? And in the end what do we have to show for that process? Does God actually give grace to the humble? Yes. If spiritual power is released by Him through our weakness, then what can we really do outside of agreeing with Him?

God’s real power is not for those with natural charisma, talent, leadership skills, education, training, or ‘connections’. God isn’t looking for volunteers to serve at their own convenience as their schedule permits, but calls His disciples to ‘lay down their lives’.  Our natural talents and ideas count for nothing in spiritual matters. Be wary of any demonstration of spiritual ‘power’ manifesting through a proud person, don’t trust them. Spiritual gifts can be faked, spiritual fruit cannot. What is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Meekness.

Step 2. Submit to God / Holy Spirit. Listen to Him and His instructions to you and be obedient.

What really happens when we are submitted to Him? We find peace and rest. His yoke is “easy”. (Matthew 11:30) If we are truly submitted to the Lord then all things are in His hands, under His care, under His guidance, and under His protection, then what shall we fear? What can anyone really do to us? In His due season He will exalt us if we are totally submitted to Him in real humility.

Why do the enemies of God defeat us? Simply we are trying to resist them in our own strength BEFORE we have really submitted to God. If we are truly submitted to God what will the enemies of God do? They will absolutely FLEE from us.

(For further reading of an example of this process done wrong read Acts 19:13-16.)

James goes on in verse 10 to say this…

 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.

And what does our pride do?

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18