by Hazel Holland
Do you remember the power crisis in California that hit twelve years ago? The power failure affected nine western states, including parts of Canada and Mexico. Some of you who were affected by the high temperatures may remember that hot Saturday afternoon, August 10, 1996, when thousands of people lost power for many hours.
Two days after that power crisis the newspapers reported that power system managers had been called to an emergency meeting to determine what changes needed to be made in the present power system in order to make it more reliable. Next time there was a power shortage they assured us that they would determine who should receive power and who should be cut off so that another complete blackout could be avoided in the Western power grid.
We were informed by the Deputy Energy Secretary that “it is impossible to build an entirely failsafe system.” Unfortunately power outages will become more common in the future as deregulation and increased competition change the power industry.
As is so often the case, what happens in the physical realm often parallels what God is doing or about to do in the spiritual realm. Is there a better way to get our attention than to have our source of power cut off? Electricity is something we are all very dependent upon. But are we just as dependent upon God who is our source of spiritual power?
Listen to how one newspaper article described the power failure back in 1996. “There are islands of power within the darkness.” Hasn't God promised His children that as thick spiritual darkness covers the earth, our light will shine? Nations will be drawn to His light—the light and glory of His Presence. For the Lord's power rises upon His people, and His glory appears over them. (Isaiah 60:1-3). Aren’t we Christians called to be "islands of power,” fingers of light in a dark world, pointing the way to the Father?
In recent years when parts of Northern California were “cut off” with rolling blackouts and power failure was barely averted in other places, I heard the Lord speak a word into my spirit. While power administrators are trying to determine who "should receive power" and whose power should be "cut off," what is God saying to His children through His Spirit in regard to His Power System?
Hasn’t God designed that each believer will become a conduit of Holy Spirit power? Hasn’t God assured us that we will have no shortage of Holy Spirit power if we remain in His presence and stay connected to Him (John 15:4)? Only through the power of the Spirit can we carry the light of the gospel to every corner of this dark world.
Just as the newspapers warned us that outages will become more common in the future as increased competition changes the face of the power industry, so God’s Word also warns us that He has plans to determine who should receive power. God is on the verge of making a dramatic breakthrough in His power industry—changes that the world has never witnessed before.
Listen again to what God promises. "In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on ALL people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. Even on My servants both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below . . . And every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:17-18).
What a demonstration of Holy Spirit power! As God continues to pour out His Spirit power on ALL flesh, the enemy continues to launch his counter attack, trying to force people to buy into his defective power system—reliance upon self. If we choose to depend on our own source of power we will most certainly find ourselves left in darkness. Separated from God, we can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from Him is like deadwood (John 15:5).
Instead of becoming deadwood, we are called to be “islands of power” that will illuminate the spiritual darkness around us. We are called to be the light of the world. So let’s not hide our light, but let it shine forth for the world to see. For Jesus is the treasure that we each carry in our earthen vessels. He is the Light that lights up every man.
For our God is at work making sure His "customers" receive all the power they need. In fact, God has marked His customers with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing their inheritance until their redemption (Ephesians 1:13).
God is assuring us as His children that when we stay connected to Him, we are connected to His failsafe system! God's Power Grid will never become overloaded because of our excessive use of it during dry seasons of spiritual drought. We will never be cut off. We can rest in Him 24/7 knowing that His power system will never fail us.
Since God is for us, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom.8:39). As long as we stay plugged into Him, we have all the power of the Spirit that we need. Signs and wonders will follow those who believe as they share the light of the gospel to those who are still in darkness.
I believe this natural power failure is a warning of a deeper spiritual power failure within us. We are being called to repent of our dependence upon our own source of power and turn to God. Over the years many of us have tried to tell God how to manage his Power System. We have wanted to make changes in the way He ran His Power Grid. We have wanted to "help" Him manage His power by trying to control it, because we felt uncomfortable at times with the way He chose to distribute His power.
Although man’s source of power has failed, and will continue to fail, what is God’s promise to us? Listen to His words of encouragement. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Only through the Holy Spirit can we receive the spiritual power we need. Only by our reliance upon His promises can we become conduits of His power that will erase the darkness.
When everything around us seems to be falling apart we will be able to look up to our mighty Power Manager and say with the psalmist, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. For the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:2-3, 7).
“You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!" (Psalm 68:35).
Do you remember the power crisis in California that hit twelve years ago? The power failure affected nine western states, including parts of Canada and Mexico. Some of you who were affected by the high temperatures may remember that hot Saturday afternoon, August 10, 1996, when thousands of people lost power for many hours.
Two days after that power crisis the newspapers reported that power system managers had been called to an emergency meeting to determine what changes needed to be made in the present power system in order to make it more reliable. Next time there was a power shortage they assured us that they would determine who should receive power and who should be cut off so that another complete blackout could be avoided in the Western power grid.
We were informed by the Deputy Energy Secretary that “it is impossible to build an entirely failsafe system.” Unfortunately power outages will become more common in the future as deregulation and increased competition change the power industry.
As is so often the case, what happens in the physical realm often parallels what God is doing or about to do in the spiritual realm. Is there a better way to get our attention than to have our source of power cut off? Electricity is something we are all very dependent upon. But are we just as dependent upon God who is our source of spiritual power?
Listen to how one newspaper article described the power failure back in 1996. “There are islands of power within the darkness.” Hasn't God promised His children that as thick spiritual darkness covers the earth, our light will shine? Nations will be drawn to His light—the light and glory of His Presence. For the Lord's power rises upon His people, and His glory appears over them. (Isaiah 60:1-3). Aren’t we Christians called to be "islands of power,” fingers of light in a dark world, pointing the way to the Father?
In recent years when parts of Northern California were “cut off” with rolling blackouts and power failure was barely averted in other places, I heard the Lord speak a word into my spirit. While power administrators are trying to determine who "should receive power" and whose power should be "cut off," what is God saying to His children through His Spirit in regard to His Power System?
Hasn’t God designed that each believer will become a conduit of Holy Spirit power? Hasn’t God assured us that we will have no shortage of Holy Spirit power if we remain in His presence and stay connected to Him (John 15:4)? Only through the power of the Spirit can we carry the light of the gospel to every corner of this dark world.
Just as the newspapers warned us that outages will become more common in the future as increased competition changes the face of the power industry, so God’s Word also warns us that He has plans to determine who should receive power. God is on the verge of making a dramatic breakthrough in His power industry—changes that the world has never witnessed before.
Listen again to what God promises. "In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on ALL people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. Even on My servants both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below . . . And every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:17-18).
What a demonstration of Holy Spirit power! As God continues to pour out His Spirit power on ALL flesh, the enemy continues to launch his counter attack, trying to force people to buy into his defective power system—reliance upon self. If we choose to depend on our own source of power we will most certainly find ourselves left in darkness. Separated from God, we can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from Him is like deadwood (John 15:5).
Instead of becoming deadwood, we are called to be “islands of power” that will illuminate the spiritual darkness around us. We are called to be the light of the world. So let’s not hide our light, but let it shine forth for the world to see. For Jesus is the treasure that we each carry in our earthen vessels. He is the Light that lights up every man.
For our God is at work making sure His "customers" receive all the power they need. In fact, God has marked His customers with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing their inheritance until their redemption (Ephesians 1:13).
God is assuring us as His children that when we stay connected to Him, we are connected to His failsafe system! God's Power Grid will never become overloaded because of our excessive use of it during dry seasons of spiritual drought. We will never be cut off. We can rest in Him 24/7 knowing that His power system will never fail us.
Since God is for us, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom.8:39). As long as we stay plugged into Him, we have all the power of the Spirit that we need. Signs and wonders will follow those who believe as they share the light of the gospel to those who are still in darkness.
I believe this natural power failure is a warning of a deeper spiritual power failure within us. We are being called to repent of our dependence upon our own source of power and turn to God. Over the years many of us have tried to tell God how to manage his Power System. We have wanted to make changes in the way He ran His Power Grid. We have wanted to "help" Him manage His power by trying to control it, because we felt uncomfortable at times with the way He chose to distribute His power.
Although man’s source of power has failed, and will continue to fail, what is God’s promise to us? Listen to His words of encouragement. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Only through the Holy Spirit can we receive the spiritual power we need. Only by our reliance upon His promises can we become conduits of His power that will erase the darkness.
When everything around us seems to be falling apart we will be able to look up to our mighty Power Manager and say with the psalmist, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. For the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:2-3, 7).
“You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!" (Psalm 68:35).
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