Romans 8:37-39 “… we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…. neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Power is the authority or ability to control or influence others. It may due to strength/skill/resources/persuasiveness.
Prestige is the respect/honor/glamour/importance associated with Power.
Who are some of The Most Powerful People Today ?
We can see powerful people from every walk of life.Either they are well known or they have made some contribution in some field like Politics/ Religion/ Media/ Finanace/ Literature/Music/Sports /Art ,etc.
Let us see who are some of the most powerful people in the world according to Forbes:
Is POWER A BAD WORD?
Lord Acton once said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Lord Acton once said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Power in itself is not bad . It depends on how it is used.Infact,it is very important to have good and just leaders who are interested in power ; but not for power’s sake as the wise decisions they make will definitely have a great impact on all of our lives.
Martin Luther King Jr - “I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”
With the elections just round the corner, the common man is much smarter today.He has learnt his lesson well. He is no longer skeptical about whether or not the promises of the soon to be called leaders will be kept but is more interested to find out which of the contenders will turn out to be the biggest liars! We are well aware of the corruption among the powerful and particularly among our leaders.Let us pray that there will be many more Anna Hazares and strong enforcement of such Anti Corruption Laws as the LOK PAL BILL.
“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”-Blaise Pascal
“It is not power that corrupts but fear. The fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it”. -Aung San Suu Kyi
How to Handle Power? A Spiritual Perspective:
Satan’s strategy from time immemorial has always been the same:
When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness(Mathew 4:1-11) & Eve in the garden of Eden(Gen 3:1-6), he touched on the same three vulnerabilities of all human beings:
THE THREE TESTS:
1)Lust of the Flesh:
The lust of the flesh preys on our physical appetites and their gratifications in this world.
Gen 3:6 “the Fruit of the tree was good for food.”
Mathew 4:3 When Jesus was hungry after 40 days of fasting, Devil tempts him to turn the stones to bread.
2)Lust of the eyes:
The lust of the eyes appeals to self-interest and tests the Word of God.The lure of riches,luxuries, power, prestige, authority all comes under this category.
Gen 3:6 “the fruit was pleasant to the eyes.”
Mathew 4:8-10 “Finally, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory."If you bow down and worship me," he said, "I will give you all of this." Jesus said to him, "Get away from me, Satan! It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve."
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Devil takes Jesus to a very high mountain and shows him the splendor and glory of all the kingdoms of the world and promises to give all this POWER AND AUTHORITY to Jesus if he would bow down and worship him.
3)The Pride of Life:
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The pride of life stresses self-promotion and self-exaltation.More about this in my subsequent blogposts.
Gen 3:5,6 : A tree to be desired to make one like God.”
Mathew 4:5-6 Devil who very well knew that Jesus was the Son of God ; asks Jesus to prove Himself.
THE RESULT?
FAILURE :
FAILURE :
Adam & Eve disregarded the Word of God (the command given previously to Adam) and gave in to the temptation.
SUCCESS:
Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit,Jesus quotes the Word of God relevant to each temptation to defend Himself and thus successfully resists the temptations of the Devil.
SUCCESS:
Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit,Jesus quotes the Word of God relevant to each temptation to defend Himself and thus successfully resists the temptations of the Devil.
STRATEGY:
Let us follow Jesus perfect example and“Put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate,and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace.At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people.”-Eph 6:13-18
Let us follow Jesus perfect example and“Put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate,and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace.At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people.”-Eph 6:13-18
CONCLUSION:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" -1 John 2:15-17
Thus we can now see that though we are all powerful, it is also essential to remember that we should not allow the lure of power or authority to choke us and rob us of doing the one thing needful and that is to nourish our soul with the Word of God and to fulfill His will in our life.
Have a blessed week!
Take care, God bless,
Sparky Laurie
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" -1 John 2:15-17
Thus we can now see that though we are all powerful, it is also essential to remember that we should not allow the lure of power or authority to choke us and rob us of doing the one thing needful and that is to nourish our soul with the Word of God and to fulfill His will in our life.
Have a blessed week!
Take care, God bless,
Sparky Laurie
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