Holding to Truth

holding to truth in love for the building up of the Body of Christ

The Secret to Switching on the Divine Power to Live the Christian Life

The Christian life is not only difficult—it’s impossible! But God commands us to live a life that we can’t live. Does this present a problem? Yes—if you don’t know the secret.

What’s worse—people are often taught to live according to the Bible, without the power to fulfill it. That’s enough to make you give up or to feel like a hypocrite.

 What then is the power to live the Christian life? And what’s the secret to  practically employ this power?

 In this post we’ll consider what is the divine power to live the Christian life and a practical secret to employ it.

God’s power is in Christ and is Christ Himself—1 Cor. 1:24.

First, we can never separate God’s power from God Himself. God does not give us “power.” He gives us Himself. When we receive Christ, the Son of God, the divine power is “installed” in us.  All the power we’ll ever need to live the Christian life is in this wonderful Person, Jesus Christ! And now He lives in us (Gal. 2:20).

In 1 Corinthians 1:24 Paul said,

“But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Yet once this “installation” is made, we still need to receive the continuous “transmission” of this divine power to live the Christian life.

God’s surpassingly great power is “toward us” who believe—Eph. 1:19.

Second,  the application of this divine power has a particular condition.

In Ephesians 1:19-20, Paul says,

And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies.

When Paul says, “toward us” he was indicating a “transmission.” It’s like the electrical power that’s being transmitted into our home from the power plant.

This power  that is toward us who believe is the same power that God caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand!

This power is also the power that subjected all things under Christ’s feet and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church. It is this fourfold power—resurrecting power, transcending power, subduing power, and heading up power—that is toward us!

This power is able raise us out of  our spiritual deadness, elevate us above every problem, subdue Satan under our feet, and head up everything in our lives. Moreover, the transmission of this power will produce the church, as Christ’s Body (Eph. 1:22-23).

But this fourfold power is toward us on one condition—that we’re the “believing ones.”

Our Speaking God’s Word switches on the divine power to live a normal Christian life and produce the Church, Christ’s Body.

 How can we personally experience this transmission of divine power to live the Christian life? And how can we corporately appropriate the divine transmission to make us the church as Christ’s living Body?

By being the “believ-ing ones.” God’s transmitting is to the ones who are presently believ-ing. This is the condition for  switching on the divine power!

Here is the secret, the key. Our believing depends on our speaking!

In 2 Corinthians 4:13 Paul says,

And having the same spirit of faith according to that which is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we believe therefore we also SPEAK.

Doubts are in our mind, but faith is in our spirit. And our spirit of faith is connected to our mouth!

If we say, “I’m so pitiful. I can’t make it as a Christian…” we’ll surely fail.

However, if we lay hold of God’s living Word and declare the verses in Ephesians 1:19-23  we’ll “switch on” the dynamic transmission of this fourfold power. We’ll enjoy a transmission from the heavenly “power plant”—the Christ on the throne of God—directly into the deepest part of our inner being—the Christ living in us (Rom. 8:34, 10).

This is what genuine pray-reading does. It causes us to speak God’s Word and switch on the divine power that makes all the divine realities in God’s Word our experience.

Take this 10-day challenge!

Don’t take my word for it. I’d like to invite you to take a ten-day challenge. Let’s try speaking Ephesians 1:19-23 ten times a day for ten days straight. Then let’s comment at the end of this post on what we have experienced in speaking God’s Word with our spirit of faith.

However, maybe some of us already have some confirming experience of speaking God’s Word by the spirit of faith to enjoy this divine transmission. There is no need to wait. Go ahead and share it . We’d love to hear from you!

This post was inspired by my reading of the Life-study of Ephesians, Messages 16 and 17 by Witness Lee. You may want to read them online or listen to the radio broadcast archives, Program # 16. 

About Tom Smith

Hi. My name is Tom Smith. I'm the writer behind Holding to Truth in Love, and I love the Lord Jesus and His life-giving Word. Please feel free to send me an e-mail through the contact page if you have any questions. I hope you'd take a moment to subscribe to the Holding to Truth blog. Then you'll be sure not to miss a post. Thanks!

29 Replies

  1. Tom Smith

    Day 1 of the 10-day Challenge.

    Reminder: The 10-day challenge is to practice speaking or declaring Ephesians 1:19-23 ten times a day for ten days straight to learn how to switch on the divine power to live the Christian life.

    I have to confess that I have an advantage. I took this challenge a number of years ago so I have already received much benefit. That’s why I wanted to share it with you also.

    Part of my advantage is that I already memorized these 5 verses from the time I took the challenge before. I just recall the verses whenever I remember the challenge and declare them with my whole being.

    On the first day of the challenge these verses were fresher than ever. Each time I declared them I got elevated out of my condition into Christ’s ascension. But I think I only made it to declare the verses about six times. On day two I’ll plan to record the number.

    It’s not too late to take the challenge! You can start today. Even one day of the challenge will make a difference. Give it a try!

    1. Krupesh Kashvena

      God bless you..

      1. Tom Smith

        May the Lord richly bless you with His divine transmission, the divine power, to live the Christian life. Just keep contacting His Spirit with yours by calling, “Lord Jesus!” from the depth of your being, your spirit. In this way you will contact the Lord, He promises to be rich to us whenever we call on His name (Rom. 10:13).

  2. Tom Smith

    Day 2 of the 10-day Challenge.

    After declaring Ephesians 1:19-23 a second day, I can say that the impact of these five verses is incredible. They are full of heavenly transmission. Whenever I speak them by the spirit of faith, I feel that I am being inwardly elevated me into the realm of Christ’s ascension. I spoke them when I woke up this morning and shared them with my wife. What a blessing!

    I encourage you to jump in, even for just one day or even just once a day. It will make a difference. Give it a try and leave a comment. This is an awesome way to hold to truth in love.

  3. brother, I fully agree and say AMEN! I realized in my personal life that, no matter what the circumstances are and what the situation looks like, I need to speak the truth as revealed in the Word of God! By speaking the truth and declaring it in faith, I get uplifted to the level of the truth! These verses in Eph. 1:19-23 and also those in Eph. 3:16-20 are especially loaded with the divine things, lots of riches, and they bring us in the divine transmission whenever we declare them in faith! Thank you for this encouragement…

    1. Tom Smith

      Thank you for the encouraging comment. I realize that the Triune God has an incredible transmission of divine power for us in order to work out everything of His economy in us and to build up the Body of Christ. He only needs us to cooperate with Him by switching on this divine transmission. I’m so glad that this Body-building transmission is to the believing ones and that we can exercise our believing by our speaking in the spirit of faith–declaring all that God has spoken concerning His plan. Yes, we need to not only declare Eph 1:19-23, but go on to declare Eph 3:14-21. That will be a good continuation!

  4. Tom Smith

    Day 3 of the 10-day Challenge.

    By declaring Ephesians 1:19-23 a third day, I was impressed that there is an incredible transmission of God’s fourfold power awaiting our experience. This power is to those who believe, to those who switch on by their speaking in the spirit of faith.

    Today, I’m especially impressed that an excellent way for us to switch on this divine power is to SING hymns that are full of the light and life from God’s Word.

    You may enjoy speaking and singing this hymn on the fourfold power:

    http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1176

  5. Rachel deWit

    I really enjoyed that God’s power is not separate from Christ Himself. For a long time in my Christian life I thought I had to try to do things by my natural effort, but this realization is a huge key. We have Christ as God’s power in us! And I also agree that there are so many doubts in my mind, but faith is in my spirit! I remember once feeling like I wasn’t qualified to share about the Lord with someone. I had so many doubts in my mind. But once I started to speak, I was encouraged and enjoying!

    1. Tom Smith

      Amen. I was touched that we can’t separate divine power from Christ Himself. We don’t want something, but Someone. This Someone is in our spirit. So when we exercise our spirit of faith to speak God’s Word, we contact Him in our spirit and “switch on” the transmission of this fourfold power to live the Christian life–we get plugged in to the One who divine power.

    2. AJ

      I used to believe I had to “clean myself up” before I could come to God and submit myself to Him. I’m so excited to know the truth now! Hallelujah!

      1. Tom Smith

        AJ,

        Thank the Lord that we do not have to clean up ourselves. We simply need to “confess our sins [to the Lord Jesus] and He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In this way we are washed in the “blood of the Lamb” and have boldness for entering God’s holy presence, the Holy of Holies, in the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19). Here we can receive His mercy and find His grace for our timely help (Heb. 4:16).

  6. Mari

    Praise the Lord we have a way to live this life today. God’s power is nothing less than this wonderful Person living in us. I do appreciate the reminder that in order to switch on & experience the divine power we must be the believing ones. Lord continue to make us the believing ones & when we fall short we would speak Your Word.

    1. Tom Smith

      That’s right. We’re the believing ones when we make ourselves one with God’s Word by speaking in the spirit of faith. This post is a continuation of my previous posts on pray-reading God’s Word and musing on God’s Word. When we sense some shortage or lack, we need to come back to the Word and speak–by praying, singing, thanking, praising, etc.

  7. Tom Smith

    Day 4 of the 10-day Challenge.

    By declaring Ephesians 1:19-23 a fourth day, I am impressed with the inexhaustible light that is in God’s Word. It seems that every time I declare these 5 verses there is more new revelation and new transmission!

    I’m so happy that there is One in this universe under Whose feet are all things and Who is Head over all things. And we are attached to this wonderful One! In fact, He is transmitting all that He is into us so that we may become His Body, His fullness for His expression.

    There is still time to take the challenge and practice declaring Eph. 1:19-23 with your spirit of faith to enjoy the transmission of divine power to live the Christian life.

  8. As believers in Christ,we should be those who are acquainted with the word of God.It’s only when we masticate God’s word that we can testify; speak or prophesy. According to1cor 14v2,3it says …especially that you may prophesy.what then is prophesy?Prophesy means to speak building up,encouragemen and consolation to men. It means also to speak forth Christ and to speak Christ into people for building up,encnuragement and consolation to them.Therefore, before we can speak God’s Word,we need to be constituted with the three elements of prophesying- 1. We need to be equip with God’s Word,2. We need the instant inspiration of the Holy spirit,3 we need the vision of God’s heart desire,God’s economy,the local Church.we don’t just speak for speaking seek but for the building up of the body of Christ which will consumate in the new Jeruselem for eternity.Hallelujah!

  9. I like this matter of switching on by speaking. This is something I’m learning to put into practice. While it seems simple, it’s a wonderful secret to help us tap into the divine power in order that we can live the proper Christian life. Thanks for the post.

    1. Tom Smith

      Thanks for the confirming comment. It’s so good to realize that we don’t have to remain in our condition but can exercise our spirit of faith to speak the divine facts and tap into the divine power. When we exercise to speak what God has spoken, He transmits the reality of His Word into our being making it our experience and enjoyment. I really enjoy John 17:17 with the footnotes in the Recovery Version especially note 3.

  10. I like the post, switching on by speaking, I have been having a problem to live Christian life, because I was always found my self speaking lies. Am going to practice to do it. even when I was reading I, say to myself I have to change . and am going to do this. I want to change I want to go to heaven

    1. Tom Smith

      Actually, even our “actual” condition can be a “lie.” It’s not according to the divine facts revealed in God’s word. We may have called on the Lord’s name. The Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). If we have called on the Lord, according to God’s faithful word, we’re saved regardless of how we feel. We need to call “Lord Jesus!” strongly, from deep within. Try it. It is the real deep breathing to a Christian. Then declare strongly, “Lord Jesus, I love You! Thank you I’m saved. I’ll never perish (John 10:28-29). Just keep speaking the Lord’s words. Read the Bible out loud and say “Amen!”–even if you don’t understand it. Thanks for the comment. Keep in touch.

  11. Samuel

    Yeah I once heard the testimony of these two scriptures since last year but now let me give it a try and become living testimony myself. Most time we our way from Almighty God due to ignorance or been lazy to do what Bible required of us do.most a times we don’t ask the holy spirit to give us the in dept of the word of God but if we lost our ground on earth we blamed God or our faith or Christianity that we.God is that God of principle,so we the children must follows his principle.

    1. Tom Smith

      Samuel, As believers in Christ, we need to see that our human spirit has been reborn of God’s Spirit (John 3:6). Now these two spirits have been mingled together such that we can boldly say that we are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). To experience this practically, we need to keep switched on. By exercising our spirit of faith to contact Him continually. By calling on the name of the Lord (1 Cor. 1:2), always rejoicing, unceasingly praying and in everything giving thanks (1 Thes. 5:16-18) we can allow His Spirit to energize us to live a normal Christian life.

  12. Ps Patrick Dankwa

    Mr Smith
    You have done well and am really bless by your post and am still following you .
    hope we will have good time God bless you.

    1. Tom Smith

      Glad you were blessed by the post on switching on the divine power to live the Christian life. Sadly many Christians are only familiar with miraculous power, but that kind of power is not something that will sustain us in our our every day Christian life. What we need constantly is the transmission of the “life-power” that operated in Christ in raising Him from the dead. This life-power is toward us who believe. Just like electricity flows toward your house every time you turn on the switch. Whenever we call on the name of the Lord Jesus from deep within, our spirit enjoys “the current” of the divine Spirit, supplying us to meet our every need. Thanks for your comment.

  13. omondi joseph

    i begin my declaration now

  14. John Bosco tumwesigye

    Thank you Mr.Smith. Your post inspired me on the very first time I read it. I experienced that power going through my mind, body and soul. God bless you in abundance.

    1. Tom Smith

      Glad you found the post helpful. Using our spirit as the means to “switch on” the divine power to live the Christian life is something we can practice every day. The simplest way I’ve found to exercise my spirit is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. When we call on Him, we are in the divine transmission of His Spirit into our spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Then we can simply speak to Him about everything in our daily life to stay switched on to the divine fellowship (2 Cor. 13:14).

  15. ISRAEL

    Thank you sir, God has used you to bless me. I have been struggling with my Christian life but now I know that there will be a change through the transmission of that four-fold power from God’s power plant…. I am greatly blessed.

    1. Tom Smith

      Great! keep practicing the secret to switch on the “four-fold power.” We can’t live the Christian life by ourselves. Remember, “it is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). Thanks for the confirming comment.

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