The power of God does not flow independently of the purpose of God. Many Christians are after the power of God today and are wondering where it is. But His power is right there, ready and waiting to accomplish His purposes in the earth.
What is the purpose of God for your life? Only when you align your life with His purpose can you expect the power to flow. God is not going to empower you to pursue your own private agenda, no matter how noble you may think it is. It is only when you align your life with the purpose of God – the salvation of the lost – that you can expect the power to flow.
God’s power is not intended to entertain, to give you goose bumps or to deliver you from whatever your introverted need may be. That may shock you! He loves us as a heavenly Father. He wants us to be healed and provided for, but that is not the purpose of His power in our lives!
In Acts 1:8, we see very clearly what the purpose is:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and the end of the earth.”
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The power of God does not flow independently of the purpose of God. Many Christians are after the power of God today and are wondering where it is. But His power is right there, ready and waiting to accomplish His purposes in the earth.
What is the purpose of God for your life? Only when you align your life with His purpose can you expect the power to flow. God is not going to empower you to pursue your own private agenda, no matter how noble you may think it is. It is only when you align your life with the purpose of God – the salvation of the lost – that you can expect the power to flow.
God’s power is not intended to entertain, to give you goose bumps or to deliver you from whatever your introverted need may be. That may shock you! He loves us as a heavenly Father. He wants us to be healed and provided for, but that is not the purpose of His power in our lives!
In Acts 1:8, we see very clearly what the purpose is:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and the end of the earth.”
God’s power and purpose are forever linked together. He does not say, “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be healed, delivered, set free, prosperous and able to retire early….” No.
You will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come on you to evangelize the world, beginning in your own neighborhood and working outward into the uttermost parts of the earth.
If the power of God is conspicuously absent in your life, the first thing you might want to ask yourself is this: “Is my life turned outward? Am I concerned about other people? Do I use my life’s resource of time and money to get people saved or to influence this world for God in a way that will prepare them for salvation?”
Ask yourself those questions. Regardless of the call of God on our lives, we all share this mandate. If that is not the way you see life, then you have another agenda, and that is why the power is not going to operate.
Mac and Lynne Hammond are senior pastors of Living Word in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, which they started in 1980. Many outreaches and ministries have launched from Living Word since that time, including Maranatha Christian Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 school with nearly 900 in attendance, and Living Free Recovery Services, a licensed outpatient treatment program.
Most recently, Mac and Lynne have launched a vision to plant fifty churches across the globe in the next five years. As of August 2024, nine churches have been planted in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala with construction underway for seven more churches in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Mac was a pilot. He served in the Air Force, served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, and was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of Captain. Between 1970 and 1980, Mac was involved in varying capacities in the general aviation industry, including ownership of a successful air cargo business serving the Midwestern United States. A business acquisition brought the Hammonds to Minneapolis, where they ultimately founded Living Word. Currently, Mac is the host of The Winner’s Way and The Winner’s Minute broadcasts and the author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.