This past month The Wigs had a ton of power stored in our house! Yep. Thanks to a few FCA coaching families who run a firework stand each summer, our neighborhood gang enjoys a spectacular display after dark every 4th of July! My hubby loves the names on the boxes of these colorful explosives. Fireworks like “Thunder Run, Red White and Boom, and American Patriot” light up the sky and are followed by collective oohhs an aahhs from all the families sitting at a safe distance on lawn chairs and blankets in our front yards.
Where did we store all this fire power for the weeks leading up to July 4th? Surprisingly, we stacked them in a hidden corner of our dining room! No one entering our house would have assumed those ordinary cardboard boxes housed all kinds of power. All varieties of potential force were ours. We owned them. But it all stayed dormant, useless, and virtually “powerless” for weeks. It was only when exposed to FIRE that each one exploded and fulfilled its designed purpose. The same is true for us. If we are going to be POWER-FULL mommas and daughters, we need to identify, ignite, and interconnect the internal FIRE POWER placed in us by God Himself!
Identify THE POWER of God within you!
Both Ephesians 6:10 and Ephesians 3:16 exclaim THE Power God has given us.
- “Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of His explosive power flowing in and through you.” (Eph. 6:10 TPT)
- “And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and His explosive power.” (Eph. 3:16 TPT)
The word translated power in these verses is “DYNAMEI” (where we get our English word “DYNAMITE”)! This explosive word is used over 120 times in the New Testament to describe God’s power in us!
- 2 Corinthians 4:7 also identifies that we who have Jesus, “have this light and POWER that now shine within us—held in jars of clay (perishable containers)–our weak bodies. So that everyone can see that the glorious POWER within us must be from God and is not from us!”
Yes. God’s powerful DYNAMITE (Holy Spirit) is packaged in our unassuming human bodies (like cardboard boxes).
During my college summers I worked in an upscale Jewelers in Dallas, Texas. Every week all the most valuable gemstones were shipped in velvet cloth covered by brown paper! Wow! The worth and value is determined by what (or WHO) is on the inside, not the wrapping on the outside. So, whether your “jar of clay” looks more like a torn teenage tent or a broken middle-aged storage bin, the valuable POWER of Christ is designed to transcend any container.
So, if you have Jesus, YOU’VE GOT THE POWER!
But what if my jar of clay is full of cracks? Even better! Why? Picture holding a cracked pot in one hand and then pouring a pitcher of “light” into the pot with the other hand. When you cover the top of the clay pot (once it is full), where does the light shine? Through the cracks! Face it, ladies, we are ALL cracked pots. But the truth that brings us daily confidence is that through our weakness and cracks the POWER and light of Christ shines most brightly! (2 Cor. 12:9)
Sadly, however, many of God’s powerful women are keeping all this powerhouse of Holy energy boxed up, dormant, and virtually useless! You may remember from my last blog a question God has been asking me to unpack daily is: Am I living as a POWER-FULL woman or a pitiful woman in this dark season? When we sense a lack of power, all we have to do is lean into our mighty Match. We need to get FIRED UP!
Ignite THE POWER of God within you!
Like fireworks, to live powerfully requires a source of FIRE. Over and over again God’s Holy Spirit is referred to as “FIRE” in the Bible. From God’s fire seen in the burning bush, the pillar of fire that led His people to the Promised Land, fire that came from heaven when Elijah called it forth, chariots of fire, tongues of fire etc. all highlight that our God is a consuming fire!
So how do we get fired up? As a lighter or a match must be ignited, God’s Holy Spirit can be activated in us simply by a spark of faith!
- In Luke 12:49, Jesus expresses this fiery passion. “I have come to set the earth on fire. And how I long for every heart to be already ablaze with this fiery passion for God!”
- In 2 Timothy 1, we are encouraged “to fan into a flame the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you.”
God knows that what this dark world needs is more FIRE-works! Not works of moms and daughters pulling ourselves up by grit and guts alone, but by His SPIRIT exploding within our daily lives as we stay connected to Jesus and each other! Heart of Womanhood Bible studies, Heart Groups, and social media encouragements are all designed to spark your faith—-to fan the flame of God’s POWER within you! To keep you fired UP! The result? Our homes become powerhouses. Our families can light up this dark world!
Interconnect with THE POWER of God in others!
Our neighborhood firework display was definitely fun on the 4th of July. But the other firework show we enjoyed this summer was not a rinky-dink neighborhood deal…it was a choreographed professional display! It was razzle-dazzle! Our friend, who coordinated the fireworks, let us see behind the scenes. He had taken weeks to skillfully wire fireworks together, adding timers and music to add even more POWER to the experience.
Truth is, it’s one thing to enjoy a single sparkler in your hand, but the impact is taken to a much higher level when dozens of fireworks explode together, filling the night sky with light! Same with us. God has wired us to be able to sparkle on our own, but to EXPLODE with God-honoring POWER together! Like a cheerleading squad exclaiming from the sidelines of an athletic competition, God’s Holy Spirit is proclaiming to us today, “Let’s get FIRED UP!” “Let’s STAY fired UP!” Stay ablaze with this fiery passion for God—both individually and together! When this world sees God’s dynamite on display through our FIRE-WORKS it will cause them to look UP.
Our cardboard boxes may look like ordinary middle schoolers or carpool moms. But with Gods dynamite POWER identified, ignited, and interconnected in us, He will use us to light up this dark world. And sisters, our FIRE-works display will pale in comparison to what we will see soon. Ours is a little “neighborhood deal” compared to what Jesus said is to come!
- In Mark 14:62, “Jesus said, “I AM! And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of POWER at God’s right hand and returning to the earth in the sky!”
God knows that our holy FIRE-works today will keep others looking UP for Jesus. Our dynamite deeds will point toward Him returning POWERFULLY to the earth very soon—to the collective oohhs and aahhs, the collective hallelujahs of those who are ablaze with fiery passion for Him!
So, live today confident that You’ve Got THE POWER!
Live dynamically today knowing that together We’ve Got THE POWER!!!
Live fired UP, looking UP, and pointing UP today—ready for our POWERFUL Savior to fill the sky with His glory as He returns for us—His little firecrackers!