Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

A while back, we studied Romans 8:37, where we are more than conquerors. Super conquerors. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” 

Today’s question is: How does that power to be a conqueror actually work in normal life? How do we make our lives better with power? How do we actually apply what we know about spirit and power… and make things better? That's a fair question. And we’re going to answer it right now. Please turn to Ephesians 1.

Because here's what Alicia and I have noticed. A lot of people believe spiritual power is real. But they’re just not sure what to do about it.

So today we're going to look at five different Greek words in our King James Bible that translate into “power.” Five words: Dunamis. Energeia (en-erg'-i-ah). Kratos. Energeo (en-erg-eh'-o), and Exousia. But they don’t mean the same thing. They are five distinct links in one chain. Five things to do… one after another. And when we see the process of how to put spiritual power into action, we can stop waiting around for something to happen in our lives. 

Let's start with Ephesians 1:15. 

(15) Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, (16) Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; (17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (19) And what is the exceeding greatness of power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (20) which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. (21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

That's a mouthful. But look what's written in those last three verses of Ephesians 1:19, 20, and 21, Paul uses five words in sequence, linked together like a chain. 

• "exceeding greatness of power" in v19 — that's dunamis, inherent miraculous power, potential power to perform miracles, Strong's G1411.

• "according to the working" in v19 — that's energeia (en-erg'-i-ah). Noun. It’s the active operation of superhuman powerful energy, G1753. 

• "his mighty power" in v19 — "mighty" there is ischys (is-khoos'), G2479, great forcefulness. And "power" is a different word, kratos (krat'-os), G2479, strength. So that’s forceful strength or a great manifested force with an impact.

• "which he wrought in Christ" in v20 — "wrought" is energeo (en-erg-eh'-o), G1754, the verb form of energeia (en-erg'-i-ah), it’s to energize, to actively effectively operate our powerful energy. 

• “principality and power” in v21 – “power” is exousia, G1849. Authority. The authority or right to use power. Authoritative power. 

Paul is not being repetitive here in Ephesians 1:19-21. He's describing a sequence (dunamis, energeia (en-erg'-i-ah), kratos, energeo (en-erg-eh'-o), exousia). And notice who it's for. To us-ward who believe (v19). Not to us… someday. To us-ward. Present tense. That's you and me. Now. 

I spent years in residential construction. And every house has an electric service panel. That gray metal box in the garage or the basement with all the breakers in it. The utility runs a line to a house, and that panel is live. It is sitting there… with two hundred amps of live capacity behind it, every second of every day, whether someone’s turning on the lights or not.

So, let’s keep that electrical panel as an example in our minds. 

And dunamis is our first word. Dunamis is the inherent potential power. Ability. Capacity. It's where we get our English word "dynamic" and "dynamite.” Dunamis is the ability behind the electric panel.

When we were born again, God gave us the gift of holy spirit. And it included that ability. Real spiritual ability. Potential power. Dunamis. 

Let’s look at Romans 15:13:

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

"the power" — dunamis again, Strong's G1411. It’s that capacity that we abound by. And we live with joy and peace. In believing. 

Way back in Acts 1, power was promised to us. Jesus himself told his apostles in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power — dunamis — after the holy spirit came upon them. And then Pentecost came. 

And then Paul… writes to born-again believers, like us, and tells us what power means for our lives today. The Book of Acts shows us that power arrived. Romans through Thesallonians… tell us that power is available, as potential power, sitting there, waiting to be applied to our lives… right now. 

Dunamis is potential power.

Which brings us to word #2: “working” in Eph 1:19. “According to the working of his mighty power.” That's energeia (en-erg'-i-ah). Noun. It’s the active operation of superhuman energy, G1753. 

That’s electric current moving through a wire. Potential power (volts) moving. And the verb form, energeo, (en-erg-eh'-o) means to energize, to effectively operate. So, in life, we can take action… to energize the working… the potential power… inside us… and get things moving and operating. How? 

Turn to Colossians 1:29. It says, “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

Paul labors. Paul strives. He fights like an athlete in a competition in life. That's his doing. And then in "according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." The word “working" is that noun, energeia (en-erg'-i-ah). "Worketh" is the verb, energeo (en-erg-eh'-o). "Mightily" is that word dunamis again.

So just like Paul, we can act (labor and strive)... and God works… God energizes in us mightily. 

Not: God energizes, and then Paul feels like acting. We are to act, and God energizes. That order is the difference between a life of power and a life of waiting for power to come about. Paul acts... God energizes. Stop waiting to feel ready.

God gave the capacity (dunamis). But I have free will… to act. If I act, God energizes. 

Which brings us to the third word: kratos. Power with an impact.

Kratos, G2904, is manifested strength. Force that leaves a mark. Power you can see… and point to. Like fruit on an apple tree. So, we have potential power, we labor and strive, and God works and energizes inside us. To have an impact. 

Turn to Ephesians 6:10. It says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power (kratos) of his might (ischys, is-khoos').”

"The power of his might" — that's kratos and ischys (is-khoos'), together. And look at the verse, we are to "be strong.” That’s written to us. Be strong, labor, strive, compete, take action. God energizes. 

Turn to Colossians 1:10-11. It says: (10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. (11) Strengthened with all might (dunamis), according to his glorious power (kratos), unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

And look what we receive when we walk and increase our knowledge of God. We are strengthened with patience, longsuffering, and joyfulness. That’s fruit of the spirit right there.

And Galatians 5:22 and 23, says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. 

People around us may never know the words dunamis or kratos. But they will absolutely notice the joyfulness in our hearts. And the gentleness in our words. And how peaceful and patient we are in times of trouble. 

They notice we're quick to learn from our own mistakes (meekness) and quick to forgive others for theirs (longsuffering). That combination is rare. Most folks do the opposite: hard on everybody else, easy on themselves. Or hard on themselves and hard on everybody else. But when you know you're already justified and sanctified by what Jesus Christ did, you don't have to defend yourself… you don’t have to suffer… when you make a mistake. You just learn and move on. 

And you can hand that same loving grace… right over to the next person, because it wasn't yours to begin with — you got it free.

That's kratos in real life.

So here's another good question. If patience and joy and gentleness are the fruit — how do I make it? How do I get more of it? Do I just try harder… to be patient… to get more patience? 

No. And here's why.

I've never seen an apple tree… strain to make an apple. It doesn't grunt and work hard at making fruit. The apple is what shows up when the tree is alive and connected. 

If I sit here and try to make myself be patient, all I'm doing is grunting. That's not fruit. That’s fake.

I have never once seen electricity. No one has. Nobody's seen a volt. What you see is the light on in the kitchen. Fruit is the light coming on. It's the evidence that something is actively working effectually.

Turn to Philemon (Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Philemon verses 4-6 says, “(4) I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, (5) Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; (6) That the communication of thy faith (your believing) may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Effectual. That word “effectual” is energēs (en-er-gace'). Same root word with energeia (en-erg'-i-ah) noun and verb energeo (en-erg-eh'-o). May become “effectual”. Effectual is “power, energy.”

Paul writes that our believing, “thy faith,” becomes power… energized by… what? acknowledging every good thing which is in you. Acknowledging what God already put there. Dunamis. Potential power. And the switch. To turn on the power. And make more fruit?

We take action, as we already saw in Colossians 1:29. Paul labors, Paul strives, and competes, and God works in him (and us) mightily. 

And back in Colossians 1:10 which we already read. It says, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” The fruit shows up in the work. Not on the couch. Fruitful in every good work. I get patient in a situation that requires patience and doing a patient thing by… thankfully acknowledging… every good thing… that is… God in Christ in me. Cool, right? 

Back to Eph 1:21. Our last verse. It says in verse 21, “Far above all principality, and power…

“power” in v21 – “power” is exousia, G1849. We have the authority or right to use power. Above all principality, and power, and might.

So, am I allowed to use this spiritual miraculous power? Yes. 

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:8: “For though… I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed.”

So, "our authority" — that’s exousia. Has been given to us. It was NOT earned. I didn’t have to work for this gift of power to apply to my life. Some people believe that… they’re somewhere on a path of reincarnations, each working towards becoming a complete being with the ability to connect with God. Nope. You’re complete already. And you have authority. Given to you. To build you up. Strengthened with all might. And there’s no reason to be ashamed of that. 

Think about the electric panel again. You have the right to turn on any breaker in your electrical panel at any time, because you have the potential power and authority to use this glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

And that's who we are. The Word calls us children of God — and we have rights as sons and daughters of God. We are heirs, with a legal standing. 

Somebody might say, "Well, I don't feel like I have the ability or authority." Feelings come and go. The fact is… born again believers have been given a gift. The spirit of wisdom and knowledge, so that the eyes of our understanding are enlightened. So that we may know what is the calling (God’s called us), and what are the riches… in us. And so that we know what is the exceeding greatness of that power… to us-ward… who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought (energized) in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places. Far above all principality, and power.

In summary:

• Dunamis, inherent miraculous power, potential power to perform miracles, that God gave us when we got born again. Our electrical panel is live. 

• Energeia (en-erg'-i-ah). God energizing that potential ability once we get moving. 

• Kratos. The impact we have. Power that shows up where people can see it. Fruit. 

• Exousia. Our God-given right to use spiritual power to have an impact in our lives.

Pick one thing this week. Maybe it’s a conversation with someone. Maybe it’s some task at home or at work. Pick one thing. 

Remember, the power is on. The ability, dunamis. And the right, exousia. Then take action. Go, do. Don’t wait to feel energized. We labor and strive. And compete. And God works in us mightily.

Then, afterward, check the results. Look for the fruit. Were you more peaceful? More patient? Were you joyful? Look for the fruit in your life.

God bless. You’re the best.