I know what you’re thinking: Why put up a picture of somebody getting beat up on a post about intimacy with the Lord? Well, read the story below from the book of Acts and you’ll begin to understand:
“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” (Acts 19:13-16)
Whew. That’s a pretty graphic account of attempted spiritual warfare gone wrong. This is an example of what happens when people attempt to fight against the enemy on their own power.
In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, ” And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Notice that the power to prosecute and win spiritual battles was given to Jesus, not to us. We can vicariously exercise that power through our relationship with Jesus, but never in and of our own strength.
There can be no victory without a relationship with Jesus. The extent to which you are intimate with the Lord is the extent to which you will be capable of defeating the enemy.
In Ephesians 6:10 Paul says, ” Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” You’ll notice that we are required to be strong “in” the Lord. Your strength for spiritual battle lies in Jesus. The power and the might that you need in order to win are “his” power and might.
Read Ephesians 1:19-23 and you’ll see this, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might….And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Again, you can see that God has given all authority and power to Jesus, and that the only way that we can access that power is to “believe,” which is, to have a relationship with Jesus.
How to build a relationship with Jesus:
1) Study the word. If I wanted to make friends with a person who had written a book, I would be sure to read the book. Why? Because a person’s writing can give you insights into the way that he thinks, and can tell you things about his personality. How much more then should we desire to study the Word of God knowing that the Holy Spirit will actually bring the words to life as we study and teach us the hidden wisdom of God?
2) Spend time with Jesus. What I’m talking about here is prayer. Spend time every day talking with Jesus. If you and I were to talk for a period of time every day, you’d eventually grow to know a lot about me.. The same is true of your relationship with Jesus. Make sure that you spend time listening and not just talking. Allow the holy spirit to speak to you.
Check out these other scriptures about the power that God gives us. Look for threads about how intimacy is important to attaining that power:
Ephesians 3:20
Colossians 1:16
2 Timothy 1:7
Check out our other Basic Training Articles:
