Are We Walking in God’s Power or Our Own Strength?
Key Scripture — Romans 1:16–17 (NIV) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes… For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last…”
Key Truth: Spiritual maturity is not becoming increasingly capable of serving Jesus independently. It is becoming increasingly dependent upon Him, receiving His righteousness, hearing His voice, and following His Spirit.
HAVE WE LOST THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL?
Paul declares that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Yet if the Gospel is God’s power, why do we so often settle for a powerless Christian life?
• Could it be that we have embraced the message of the Gospel while overlooking the righteousness of God revealed through it? We have learned to preach, teach, organize, lead, and serve. We have become increasingly capable of accomplishing what we believe is good.
• But have we become increasingly dependent upon Jesus? There is a profound difference between doing something good for God and doing what God has actually instructed us to do.
• One may be accomplished through human ability. The other requires faith, surrender, and obedience.
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE
• In Eden, Adam and Eve attempted to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. Yet God Himself provided their covering (Genesis 3:7, 21).
• Abraham later believed God’s promise, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
• The Law exposed humanity’s sin and need for righteousness. Then Jesus came, fulfilling the Law and revealing a life of complete obedience to the Father. Jesus declared that He did only what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19).
Consider this: If the Son of God demonstrated complete dependence upon His Father, why would we imagine spiritual maturity means becoming capable of operating independently of Him?
Romans 6 calls us to present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. We are not being invited to manufacture our own righteousness, but to surrender to the One who makes us righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The question is not simply, Is what I am doing good?
• The greater question is, Is this what Jesus is asking me to do?
THE POWER IS IN OUR DEPENDENCE
In 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, Paul explained that his ministry did not rest upon human wisdom or persuasive speech, but upon the demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
• He wanted people’s faith to rest upon God’s power, not human ability.
We can become so proficient at ministry that we fail to recognize when we are operating without the Holy Spirit’s direction. We may accomplish tasks, meet needs, and receive affirmation. But activity is not necessarily evidence of obedience, and visible success does not always mean we are following Jesus.
Jude 20 calls us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not empower us to become independent of Jesus. He empowers us to hear Him, trust Him, and follow Him.
WHEN GOOD SERVICE BECOMES DISOBEDIENCE
Recently, the Holy Spirit brought personal conviction to my heart. I recognized that I had accepted a responsibility in an area where I had already sensed the Lord directing me otherwise. The need was legitimate. The work was important. But I had allowed the importance of a good responsibility to compete with obedience to my God-given assignment.
Acts 6 reminds us that serving practical needs is valuable, but the apostles understood the importance of remaining faithful to their assignment of prayer and the ministry of the Word.
The Lord confronted me with this truth: Just because I am capable of doing something good does not mean Jesus has assigned me to do it.
When conviction came, I faced a choice. Would I defend my intentions and justify my service, or would I repent? Sometimes repentance is not turning away from something obviously evil. It is surrendering something we believe is good because Jesus is directing us otherwise.
He is not asking us to defend our competence. He is inviting us to return to dependence.
RETURNING TO THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL
We cannot produce God’s righteousness, manufacture His power, or form Christ within ourselves through religious determination. But we can believe Him, surrender to Him, receive His grace, and follow His Spirit.
Philippians 2:12–13 reminds us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because God Himself works within us to will and to act according to His good purpose.
What a beautiful picture of spiritual maturity! We are not working independently to accomplish something for Jesus. Jesus is working within us, producing both the desire and the ability to follow Him.
The righteousness of God is received through faith in Christ, and our obedience becomes an expression of that living faith. This is where the power of the Gospel becomes evident: Christ being formed within us and Jesus being revealed through us.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
• Have I become more confident in my ability to serve Jesus than in my dependence upon Him?
• Am I pursuing what I believe is good, or listening for what Jesus is asking of me?
• When the Holy Spirit corrects me, do I defend my intentions or respond with repentance?
Today’s Activation
Spend time praying in the Spirit. Ask Jesus to reveal any area where your abilities, responsibilities, or good intentions have replaced dependence upon Him.
• Resist the temptation to defend yourself or immediately develop another plan.
• Listen to His voice, agree with His correction, and follow His direction.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive us for trusting our own understanding and abilities more than Your voice. Thank You for the righteousness You provide through faith in You. Teach us to live in complete dependence upon Your Spirit. Give us an undivided heart that welcomes Your correction and follows Your direction. Continue forming Christ within us so that Your life and power may be revealed through us. In You name Jesus, Amen.
Final Thought
Spiritual maturity is not measured by how much we can accomplish for Jesus independently, but by how completely we have learned to depend upon Him