| Empowerment by Gods Strength By Rev. Mark Vatcher |
| “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 |
Have you noticed the passive approach to the Christian walk that many Christians adopt
without realizing it. When I say “passive” I mean the lack of engaging the scriptural truths
that God has provided in His Word and working them out in everyday experiences.
I am guilty of this myself and became aware that Christians are satisfied to fill up on
knowledge and do very little with it. Many seem to believe that acquiring the knowledge is
sufficient concerning their obedience to God. But in reality, it is only the beginning of the
process that God has called us to partake in. We are told to read and study the word (2 Tim. 2:
15 )- “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”),Meditate on the truth
(Psalm 119:97 “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”). Work the Word daily
in our lives. (Phil. 2:12-13 “… work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God
who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good purpose.”)
There used to be a saying, “let go and let God.” My, how that expression his been misused. It
became a spiritual excuse to not be actively engaged in the Christian struggle; just wait on the
Lord to intervene. If He does not, it must be His will. Christian passiveness is extremely
detrimental to personal accountability in our living for God. So many Christians today lack
personal commitment and a submissive attitude. It is quite apparent on the local church level.
I have noticed how many Christians migrate to a host of bible studies and conferences. Many
seem to be searching for a formula for the truth that will turn their lives around to victory.
Yet, after many such meetings, they are just as empty as before. They have acquired
information, but there is little apparent change in their lives. Many have become bewildered
and confused as to why this is happening to them.
Are Christians waiting for God to do something for them? Maybe they are not taking
responsibility and applying His truths to their lives, or yielding to the Holy Spirit, or trusting
Him to help them work out their salvation daily, or depend on the cooperative relationship
God desires us to have. I think fewer Christians are taking the time to study their Bible daily.
Then spend time meditating on what the have read. If this is not done, it is like gulping food
down without chewing it. This does not help the digestion process.
It is not enough to do your duty and read a bit of scripture each day. Have you noticed how
little of it you retain? God wants us to desire His Word like food, and chew on it and digest it
with the enlightenment that the Holy Spirit provides. When we hunger and thirst for the
riches of the Word, it will be opened up to us. A superficial reading of the Word will not cut it
, as far as spiritual growth is concerned. It is also very disrespectful of the wonderful
revelation that God has provided us.
There are other reasons why passivity has crept into the lives of Christians. One has to do
with “wrong priorities.” We live in a fast paced society where there are many demands upon
ourselves and our family members. There will be little time for our spiritual lives unless they
are given a place high on the list of our priorities. If we just hope to find time after we have
taken care of other responsibilities, we will never have a consistent time with God, His Word,
His people or for His service. Trying to squeeze everything in to a given day does not work
either. We have to take inventory of our lives and start pruning away the non-essentials.
God has to be first, the marriage second, the family third, work and then other things.
Setting right priorities is often painful at first, but in the end it is liberating. The enemy will
provide you with many reasons why you should continue to hang on to some things in your
life.
Do you have a garage or basement full of junk? I do, I have a tendency to hold on to every
little thing that has any value. I hate to throw anything away. Needless to say, I have shelves
and rafters in my garage that are completely full. I have not used nor do I intend to use these
things, but I still hold on to them. It is almost impossible to find anything when I decide I
want it. In reality, I have wasted valuable space with things I may never use. That is what we
are doing with our daily lives; letting a lot of insignificant things clutter our day and rob us of
the benefit of the more important things. Jesus pointed out this problem in his interpretation
of his Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:14 (“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those
who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures,
and they do not mature.”)
Another symptom of passivity is evident when it comes to the biblical teaching of spiritual
warfare. The apostle Paul is very clear in Ephesians 6 that Christians are in a struggle with
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. There are many Christians who choose to let
God fight the battle rather than get involved. It is clear that they feel ill equipped to deal with
such a battle and they are not eager to find out. But all through scripture we are commanded
to resist our enemy. James 4:7 (“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you.”) and in 1st Peter 5:8-9 (“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing
firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing
the same kind of sufferings.”)
Throughout the body of Christ there is a fear of aggressively resisting the enemy who seeks
to rob us and hinder us from attaining what God has called us to be. Part of fulfilling the
Great Commission is setting the captives free. In order to do that, we must often confront
the enemy in the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Warfare is about
having a biblical world view which includes the reality of an ongoing battle with the forces of
evil for the souls of mankind. To join this battle we must have faith in the sovereign power of
our God, assurance of our identity in Christ and faith in the promises of God. God uses the
struggle to strengthen His people in their faith and teaches them to not depend on their own
strength or understanding. We learn to be led by the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
Passivity can be all encompassing. It affects people mentally, emotionally and their wills.
Mentally, we do not challenge the thoughts that come to us that are inconsistent to the Word
of God. Many of our thoughts have their source in the enemy. We are told to 2 Cor.10:5
(“take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” ) Emotionally, we let our feelings
have undue influence in our lives, even at times having more weight than the Word of God.
The enemy is very effective in stirring up our emotions with his intimidating suggestions.
The will is powerless to take any action or stand firm against what is being experienced. The
enemy likes to suggest the hopelessness of our situation and that God will not be there when
we need Him. As a result, people get into a fatalistic acceptance of the inevitable. These are
some of the dangerous outcomes when passivity is allowed to become a way of life for the
Christian. God has called each of His children to an active relationship with Himself and with
others. The enemy wants to isolate us into passivity, but we must resist this. Our faith is
about an intimate relationship with our Savior and a daily resisting of the temptations of the
world and our enemy.
Passivity in and of itself can provide an opportunity for the enemy. First, we are living in
disobedience and lacking in faith. Second, we are not prepared to stand against temptations
and persevere during trials. We are not trusting in the omnipotent power of God to enable us
and to protect us. We have allowed the enemy to become as big as God in our lives by
blaming everything that happens in our lives on demonic activity. That is exactly what Satan
wants you to believe. We allow ourselves to become easy prey to fear and stop trusting in the
promises of God, the victorious finished work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross and
His triumphant victory over the enemy through the resurrection.
2 Corinthians 13:5 ("Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you - unless,
indeed, you fail the test!").
I hope none of you have been trying to live your lives on the basis of an emotional religious
experience you once had, but have never really experienced the fruits of inner
transformation by the Spirit of God in your lives. Head knowledge of religious truth is never
an adequate substitute for heart knowledge that brings about inner joy and faith in God
despite the circumstances you experience. Such an experience brings freedom from fear and
the desire to glorify God through your lives.
without realizing it. When I say “passive” I mean the lack of engaging the scriptural truths
that God has provided in His Word and working them out in everyday experiences.
I am guilty of this myself and became aware that Christians are satisfied to fill up on
knowledge and do very little with it. Many seem to believe that acquiring the knowledge is
sufficient concerning their obedience to God. But in reality, it is only the beginning of the
process that God has called us to partake in. We are told to read and study the word (2 Tim. 2:
15 )- “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”),Meditate on the truth
(Psalm 119:97 “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”). Work the Word daily
in our lives. (Phil. 2:12-13 “… work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God
who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good purpose.”)
There used to be a saying, “let go and let God.” My, how that expression his been misused. It
became a spiritual excuse to not be actively engaged in the Christian struggle; just wait on the
Lord to intervene. If He does not, it must be His will. Christian passiveness is extremely
detrimental to personal accountability in our living for God. So many Christians today lack
personal commitment and a submissive attitude. It is quite apparent on the local church level.
I have noticed how many Christians migrate to a host of bible studies and conferences. Many
seem to be searching for a formula for the truth that will turn their lives around to victory.
Yet, after many such meetings, they are just as empty as before. They have acquired
information, but there is little apparent change in their lives. Many have become bewildered
and confused as to why this is happening to them.
Are Christians waiting for God to do something for them? Maybe they are not taking
responsibility and applying His truths to their lives, or yielding to the Holy Spirit, or trusting
Him to help them work out their salvation daily, or depend on the cooperative relationship
God desires us to have. I think fewer Christians are taking the time to study their Bible daily.
Then spend time meditating on what the have read. If this is not done, it is like gulping food
down without chewing it. This does not help the digestion process.
It is not enough to do your duty and read a bit of scripture each day. Have you noticed how
little of it you retain? God wants us to desire His Word like food, and chew on it and digest it
with the enlightenment that the Holy Spirit provides. When we hunger and thirst for the
riches of the Word, it will be opened up to us. A superficial reading of the Word will not cut it
, as far as spiritual growth is concerned. It is also very disrespectful of the wonderful
revelation that God has provided us.
There are other reasons why passivity has crept into the lives of Christians. One has to do
with “wrong priorities.” We live in a fast paced society where there are many demands upon
ourselves and our family members. There will be little time for our spiritual lives unless they
are given a place high on the list of our priorities. If we just hope to find time after we have
taken care of other responsibilities, we will never have a consistent time with God, His Word,
His people or for His service. Trying to squeeze everything in to a given day does not work
either. We have to take inventory of our lives and start pruning away the non-essentials.
God has to be first, the marriage second, the family third, work and then other things.
Setting right priorities is often painful at first, but in the end it is liberating. The enemy will
provide you with many reasons why you should continue to hang on to some things in your
life.
Do you have a garage or basement full of junk? I do, I have a tendency to hold on to every
little thing that has any value. I hate to throw anything away. Needless to say, I have shelves
and rafters in my garage that are completely full. I have not used nor do I intend to use these
things, but I still hold on to them. It is almost impossible to find anything when I decide I
want it. In reality, I have wasted valuable space with things I may never use. That is what we
are doing with our daily lives; letting a lot of insignificant things clutter our day and rob us of
the benefit of the more important things. Jesus pointed out this problem in his interpretation
of his Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:14 (“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those
who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures,
and they do not mature.”)
Another symptom of passivity is evident when it comes to the biblical teaching of spiritual
warfare. The apostle Paul is very clear in Ephesians 6 that Christians are in a struggle with
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. There are many Christians who choose to let
God fight the battle rather than get involved. It is clear that they feel ill equipped to deal with
such a battle and they are not eager to find out. But all through scripture we are commanded
to resist our enemy. James 4:7 (“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you.”) and in 1st Peter 5:8-9 (“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing
firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing
the same kind of sufferings.”)
Throughout the body of Christ there is a fear of aggressively resisting the enemy who seeks
to rob us and hinder us from attaining what God has called us to be. Part of fulfilling the
Great Commission is setting the captives free. In order to do that, we must often confront
the enemy in the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Warfare is about
having a biblical world view which includes the reality of an ongoing battle with the forces of
evil for the souls of mankind. To join this battle we must have faith in the sovereign power of
our God, assurance of our identity in Christ and faith in the promises of God. God uses the
struggle to strengthen His people in their faith and teaches them to not depend on their own
strength or understanding. We learn to be led by the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
Passivity can be all encompassing. It affects people mentally, emotionally and their wills.
Mentally, we do not challenge the thoughts that come to us that are inconsistent to the Word
of God. Many of our thoughts have their source in the enemy. We are told to 2 Cor.10:5
(“take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” ) Emotionally, we let our feelings
have undue influence in our lives, even at times having more weight than the Word of God.
The enemy is very effective in stirring up our emotions with his intimidating suggestions.
The will is powerless to take any action or stand firm against what is being experienced. The
enemy likes to suggest the hopelessness of our situation and that God will not be there when
we need Him. As a result, people get into a fatalistic acceptance of the inevitable. These are
some of the dangerous outcomes when passivity is allowed to become a way of life for the
Christian. God has called each of His children to an active relationship with Himself and with
others. The enemy wants to isolate us into passivity, but we must resist this. Our faith is
about an intimate relationship with our Savior and a daily resisting of the temptations of the
world and our enemy.
Passivity in and of itself can provide an opportunity for the enemy. First, we are living in
disobedience and lacking in faith. Second, we are not prepared to stand against temptations
and persevere during trials. We are not trusting in the omnipotent power of God to enable us
and to protect us. We have allowed the enemy to become as big as God in our lives by
blaming everything that happens in our lives on demonic activity. That is exactly what Satan
wants you to believe. We allow ourselves to become easy prey to fear and stop trusting in the
promises of God, the victorious finished work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross and
His triumphant victory over the enemy through the resurrection.
2 Corinthians 13:5 ("Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you - unless,
indeed, you fail the test!").
I hope none of you have been trying to live your lives on the basis of an emotional religious
experience you once had, but have never really experienced the fruits of inner
transformation by the Spirit of God in your lives. Head knowledge of religious truth is never
an adequate substitute for heart knowledge that brings about inner joy and faith in God
despite the circumstances you experience. Such an experience brings freedom from fear and
the desire to glorify God through your lives.
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