Internal Power
W. Carl Ketcherside
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A jet engine does not know the power within itself, nor the thrust which it develops. It is insensible and material and thus whines and roars without consciousness of its energy or lift. But man is more than a mechanism. True, he is a physical machine, wonderfully synchronized and composed of elements. But he is more than that, for he is made in the image of his creator, and possesses rational powers by which he can know himself and his capabilities.
It is, therefore, a tragedy that men live beneath their potential so often, and are oblivious of the power of Christ which can be theirs. That power is a transforming power when it is released from the inhibitions and restraints with which we so often shackle and sublimate it. It may seem incredible to some that we could limit the power of Christ. This is the power which was operative in the creation of the whole universe.
But we overlook the fact that man, in the image of God, possesses a will, and that it is sovereign. God respects it to the extent that he never imposes the divine will upon it. Man is never reduced to an automaton or mere mechanical device by the power which made him. Jesus will not come in to dwell in the heart without permission, and once admitted will only work as we allow or permit.
Jesus is a tremendous power. Before he left the earth he declared that all authority was given to him. Principalities and powers are subject to him. Things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth, are all under his direction. They will bow the knee to him! He is God's dynamo by which the world was created and by which it is still maintained. It is not simply that he possesses power as an attribute bestowed. His is power by nature.
This is personal power. In a sense I have thought that all power is personal when traced to its origin. Whether we talk about electrical power, magnetic power, physical power, or spiritual power, none of it was self-generating. Atomic energy began with a Prime Cause which created and contained it. The power by which energy is confined must be present before the energy to be confined and must be greater than that energy. If the universe is composed of atoms and thus of contained energy, there had to be a power preceding the universe and it had to be superior to the universe.
And that power had to be governed by intelligence, else it could not have created the design for the containment of the energy, and energy uncontained dissipates itself. Both the creation and continuity of the universe bespeak a divine and intelligible source of primal power. In Jesus this power is found in its fulness, the fulness of God. And that power is available unto us. Jesus is not a weak person outside of us. He is a tremendous power inside of us.
If one truly believes this it will work a change in him. For one thing, he will lose his fear of men. One who accepted the indwelling of Jesus as a reality said, "I will not fear what men shall do unto me." Jesus himself said, "Fear not him which is able to destroy the body and after that has nothing that he can do." He said that we were blessed when men persecuted and reviled us, and that we should rejoice and be extremely happy. John wrote, "For we realize that our life in this world is actually his life lived in us. Love contains no fear -- indeed fully -- developed love expels every particle of fear."
The indwelling Jesus frees one from fear of death. He now holds the keys to death and the unseen. Consider this statement, "He also became a human being, so that by going through death as a man he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their
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It is Christ within who gives us the power to overcome self. This is a greater victory than that over death, for it is victory by death and through it, the crucifixion of the old man who has dominated us. Paul describes our struggle. "My own behavior baffles me. For I find myself not doing what I really want to do but doing what I really loathe... I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power... It is an agonizing situation, and who on earth can set me free from the clutches of my own sinful nature? I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord."
In our outward thrust into the world Christ will open up the door and supply the divine propulsion to enable us to go as far as we are willing to go. This requires absolute trust and complete surrender. It means a sort of inspired recklessness, the courage to risk and adventure in knowledge of the fact that if we walked alone we would be helplessly crushed and beaten. It means playing for high stakes, throwing all we have and are into the game, keeping no reserve with which to cover. God must either have all or he can use none. It does not take much of a man to be a Christian but it takes all of him there is. Only when we give in to him can he freely give out to us!