Weak and Powerless Christians | Why Is This?

During one of my recent fasts, I questioned why so many Christians are weak and powerless. Before you find offense, could you hear me out? We have power and spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, yet we are not using any of it.

Instead, we chose to live stressed out, weak, powerless, peaceless, poor in spirit, and broken in the soul.

Imagine how Jesus must feel when He looks at us living this way. It’s so sad when I witness so many professing Christians trampled over by the enemy. We need equipping to fight in a spiritual battle. We operate in warfare defensively and not offensively.

It’s like a child that grew up in a wealthy family but refused to live as such. When the child grows up, they choose a life of poverty instead of gaining the knowledge to take over the company their parents built.

OVERCOME WHAT’S BEEN HOLDING YOU BACK

 

Let’s look closer

If you’re a Believer, you have the blessing of approaching the throne of God boldly with full confidence. But when you have hidden sin in your life, you won’t take God up on this offer. You then experience discouragement because your prayers go unanswered.

 

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV says, Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

 

You come to the throne, naked in full humility, willing to expose your soul before our Lord. Your boldness and confidence come from spending regular and consistent time with God without a mask. If you don’t believe me, pull out your Bible and read about Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, Peter, John, Paul, and others.

 

Related Posts:

What is the Cure for My Soul?
How to Improve Your Life and Bear Good Fruit [6 Tips]
Sow Good Seeds and Reap an Abundant Harvest

 

If your prayers are unmet, there is a reason. In most cases, it’s because of you! Also, it’s not that your prayers don’t get an answer, but the answer is probably NO or not right NOW! The answer is perhaps YES, but your inconsistency in worship and how you live your life won’t allow the blessing to manifest.

You keep putting both feet in but take one out. You can’t do that and expect God’s power to manifest in your life.  

If you don’t have a lifestyle rooted in prayer, you will never succeed the way God purposed it.

I won’t get into the details of prayer today. Just know you must step your prayer life up, or you will continue not to see them answered—guaranteed.

 

Abide in the Vine

Jesus tells you to abide in Him. You cannot be double-minded or lukewarm. Your prayers will continue not to actualize, and you will not produce much fruit. You can do nothing apart from God.

 

John 15:5-7 NKJV says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered;…” If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

 

Read the entire chapter passage of John 15:1-14 for more context here. If you are lukewarm, how are you going to:

• Trample over and cast out demons
• Live out your purpose in faith
• Hear from God
• Get answers to your prayers
• Help others move closer to God
• Be victorious and more than a conqueror
• Boldly declare the gospel to others without fear

You cannot do any of these things when you fail to abide in God. You cannot worship Him in spirit and truth if you are not regularly abiding in Him. You abide in Him by praying, reading and studying His Word, and meditating on His goodness and what He said.

Your family, friends, and even strangers should never have to question who you are. They will see who you are through your consistency in serving God.

 

Prayer and Power

To operate in the supernatural power of God, you must dedicate yourself to a lifestyle of petitioning. Prayer is talking to God, but it is also about listening. I heard many people say you never question God, but how do you get to know Him if you don’t ask questions?

King David asked of the Lord questions daily before going forth with his day and asking God questions. You can start with where would you like me to go today? Who would you want me to encourage or help today? How can I grow the business, Lord?

I hope I’m making sense. Even if you’re angry about something, don’t hold in your emotions. Talk to God with respect and ask Him to help you understand why certain things had to happen. Besides, if you don’t understand something, ask Him for the meaning. God finds pleasure in communicating with you and providing answers.

Relationships grow with excellent communication. You experience high power and confidence when your prayer life escalates. You will then see answers to your prayers when you:

• Spend more time asking questions
• Listen instead of talking
• Praying scripture
• Have more focused prayers

Sin in the Camp

If you have sin in your heart, God will reveal it to you as well. When He shows, your wrongs make sure to make confession and repent of them. Repentance is when you turn away from that wrong. Don’t let sin linger because it separates you from intimacy with God. Many stories in the Bible confirm this.

If you’re a parent and witness your child treat another child terrible and disrespectful, you wouldn’t like that. Although the young child feels they have a valid reason, you want them to go over to little Jimmy and apologize.

Jesus wants you to get things right with others, too; that way, when you’re in His presence, you can have no barriers.

Idol Worship

You must be consistent in this walk and stop serving two masters. Let’s be real, it’s going to be hard for you to surrender your idols, but it’s vital. You can’t serve God and something else.

 

Matthew 6:24 NKJV says, No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

You will continue being weak and powerless as a Christian if you keep holding on to your idols. God’s Word commands us not to place any god before Him, yet you still do it. Exodus 20:3 NKJV says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Just in case you are not clear on what an idol is, let me share. An idol is not necessarily a statue or image (although you shouldn’t have a figure of Budda). If you make time for other things you enjoy and refuse to make time for The Lord, you are participating in idol worship. An idol is anything you allow to take priority in your life, such as:

• Career and work
• Watching too much TV
• Seeking more worldly knowledge and education
• Following the opinion of others
• Engrafting yourself into sports and entertainment
• Your unhealthy desire for marriage and children

 

1 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV says, When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

 

Maturity

Paul said when he was a child, he spoke like one. When he matured, he talked differently. When I was a child, I played with Barbie and Cabbage Patch dolls. My brother played with GI Joe action figures and Transformers.

When I grew up, I tossed my dolls in a bin and moved on to my next phase. It’s time to get in the game and enter the race. Take your salvation seriously because you will need to respond to God with what you did with it.

Take your position on the field and stop spectating on the bleachers.

Until you remove the idols from the alter in your heart and put God first, you will never experience God’s supernatural power. Prayers will continue going unanswered, and you won’t ever operate in the Holy Spirits power.

 

PIN ME:

A Supernatural Encounter

When was the last time you had an update to your old testimony? Have you ever experienced a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit? God’s mercies are new each morning, and He gifts you with new evidence. God will put a new song in your heart.  

If you haven’t been up close and personal with the King, you are missing out. The reason you see some Christians walking boldly in Christ is that they had an encounter like Moses at the burning bush.

Moses was never the same after that consuming fire experience. You will never be the same after your moment, either. If you had one, please spend time meditating on it and go back to the time when you didn’t let anything come between you and God.

God promised in His Word if you draw close to Him, He will bring near to you.

 

Conclusion

Soulful, I encourage you to take stock of your life. Look at where you are and ask yourself if you are doing enough as a Christian.

Soul Actions:

Start again; walk with God today.

Bless the Lord at all times and make an effort to abide in the Vine.

Pray daily for God to protect and cover your new journey.

 

How do you feel about maturing in order to experience more of God and His supernatural power?