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God bless you. I write training courses for home inspectors. I know how important a good instruction manual is. A good manual explains how that “thing” works. If you don't know how something works (like a tool, a battery-operated drill, or a machine, a car, or a clothes washer and dryer) then you won’t be able to use it properly. You’ll get frustrated. Might even hurt yourself. Someone has to teach you how this thing works.  Life is complex. Relationships are complex. Dating. Marriage. Raising kids. Doing your job. Running a business. It’s all challenging. And yet, many people try to navigate all of it… without ever consulting a training manual. So, here’s the main point that I’d love for you to remember:  God wrote down His will for your life. Just read the instruction manual for power. The Bible is God’s will in written form. That’s the manual. What does God want for you and me? We don’t have to guess. It tells us exactly how the machinery of life is supposed to work. So, in the next few minutes, let’s read what the manual actually says about life, about you, and about me. Let’s look at what’s written (written thousands of years ago) about what God wants for us… today. The Scripture — Read the Manual There’s a lot of confusion about what God wants for us. Does He want us to be sick  in order to teach us humility? Does He want us poor  in order to make us holy? Does He want us to struggle  so we can learn some lessons? I’ve heard many pastors from many churches… with many sincere and passionate opinions and personal interpretations. But we don’t have to take anyone’s word for it, because we can read it for ourselves. Let’s stop guessing and read the manual. It is written. Turn with me to 3 John, chapter 1, verse 2. Let’s read what the word says.  3 John 1:2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Let that sink in for just a second.  The very first word — “Beloved.” That’s us.  If we’ve confessed with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believed in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are beloved.  That’s not a quick, “Hey, there. Sup?” That’s God’s Word… telling you… that you are deeply, deeply loved. Beloved. The Greek Word Study — What the Manual Really Says  Now, let’s dig into this verse (3 John 1:2) a little deeper, because the English version doesn’t give us the full picture. If you go to BlueLetterBible.org  dive deep into what the Greek words are in this verse. And the Greek can provide a fuller understanding.  “I wish.” Beloved, I wish above all things… In Greek, this word is euchomai (pronounced yoo-khom-ahee). This “I wish” isn’t a casual “I wish you well” — like when someone says “have a nice day.” This is actually like a prayer. It’s an earnest request to God. “I wish.” “I wish above all things” means God’s deepest desire — His number one priority for you — is what comes next.  The word “prosper.”  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper… The Greek word “prosper” here is euodoō (pronounced yoo-od-oh-oh). It comes from two root words meaning “good” and “a road” or “a journey.” When you put them together, it literally means to have a good journey. To be led along a good path. To succeed. To move forward. God wants your road in life to be a good one — your work, your family, your decisions. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper…” The phrase “be in health.” Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health… The Greek word here is hygiaino (pronounced hoo-gee-ah-ee-no). It’s the root word for our English word hygiene. It means to be sound, to be well, to be whole in body. God’s will for you — written right here in the manual — is physical health and well-being. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health… So let’s put it all together. God’s earnest prayer is written down. It’s for us to read, believe, confess, and receive it. It is written that God’s prayer, above everything else, is that we have a good journey and that our bodies are healthy and whole. That’s the manufacturer’s intent. That’s what’s written in the manual.  The Explanation — Breakdowns Are Not the Maker’s Design Now, breakdowns are not the Maker’s design. Think about a machine. If the instruction manual says the manufacturer of the machine designed it to run smoothly and powerfully, then a breakdown is not the will of the Maker. A flat tire is not a feature. An oil leak or a squeaky wheel is not part of the original design. Sickness is NOT a gift from God. Poverty is NOT a teaching tool from the Father. Fear is NOT something He handed you to make you stronger. Those are breakdowns. Those are the result of living in this body in this world.  But the manual tells us… what the Maker intended. And the Maker intended what? (for you and me) Prosperity and health . And here’s where it connects to the power we talked about in our previous fellowship. Look at 2 Timothy 1:7. 2 Timothy 1:7 : "For God hath not given us the spirit of FEAR ; but of POWER, and of LOVE , and of a SOUND MIND ." God didn’t give you fear. He gave you power. He gave you love. He gave you a sound mind. That’s what’s written… in the manual. If the manual says the machine comes equipped with power, love, and a sound mind, then fear, doubt, and confusion are not factory-installed. Those came from somewhere else. God wrote down His will for our lives. We just need to read the manual. And the manual says: we were designed to prosper, to be healthy, and to operate with power, love, and a sound mind. That’s what the Word says. The Word says what it means, and means what it says.  The Application — How to Fix the Machine So if the manual tells us how the machine is supposed to run, how do we fix it when it’s not running right? That’s a great question. And the Word has the answer. Please turn to Romans 12:2. Romans 12:2:  "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." How do we fix the machine? We renew our minds. That’s the repair process. Start with the mind, and the body will follow. We take out the old, faulty information the world tries to install in our minds — the fear, the doubt, the guilt, the confusion, the suffering, the sin, the “you’re not good enough” thinking — and we replace it with what the Word ACTUALLY says. The world says you’re on your own. The manual says God is with you (John 14:18). The world says be afraid. The manual says you have power (John 14:27). The world says you’ll never be good enough. The manual says you are beloved (John 16:27). And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE  what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Just look at the result of renewing your mind to the Word: “THAT ye may PROVE what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The word “prove” means to test, genuinely examine, to scrutinize (to see whether a thing is worthy or not). When you align your thinking with the ultimate manual for living, you don’t just know God’s will — you begin to think like it. You start to confess it. You walk in it. You talk like it. You live like you're powerful, prosperous, healthy, and loved. Your life… becomes the living proof that the manual works. Your Assignment This Week Here’s what I encourage you to do this week. Pick one of these three scriptures – 3 John 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:7, or Romans 12:2 – and read it every day. Just one. Read it out loud if you’d like. Say it like you believe it (because we should). It’s what the Maker wrote… for us. When FEAR shows up, read the manual. When DOUBT creeps in, read the manual. When the world tells you that God doesn’t care about your HEALTH or your SUCCESS, read the manual. Summary God wrote down His will for your life.  The greatest secret is that God isn’t hiding His will from you. There’s no mystery here. It is written. It’s written that God wants you to prosper. He wants you healthy. He gave you power, love, and a sound mind. And when you renew your mind with His Word, you begin to live it. We are beloved. Let’s read the Word, believe what it says, and watch our lives transform.  Amen?

A Teaching on Ephesians 3:20 I want to talk about something that changed my life, and I think it might change yours too. I want to talk about the best deal you'll ever get. Better than any contract you've ever signed, any agreement you've ever made, or any offer you've ever received. Let's look at one verse — Ephesians 3:20 — and here's what I want you to walk away knowing: There are incredible things available to you in life. And there's only one requirement on your part in order to receive them: believing . That's it. That's actually my whole teaching. Believing equals receiving. So we could just stop right there, but let’s keep going and dive deeper into this a little more. Okay? Because I want to share with you what the Bible says is available in life, how you get it, and what you do with it once you got it. PART 1: THE VERSE — What God Can Do Let's read the verse. About what God can do. Ephesians 3:20: "Now unto him [God] that is able to do  exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. " God is able to do — how much? Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. That's NOT just "a lot." That's more than you can even imagine. More than you'd ever THINK to ask for.  But here's the part most people miss (and what many churches don’t teach) — the last part: "according to the power that worketh in us." According to what? The power that works INSIDE US. Not out there somewhere. Not in a building or cathedral. Not in the sky or the clouds. Not even according to Jesus. BUT, according to the power that works inside us. That's what the Word says. It interprets itself right in the verse. So, there’s something working inside of you? Yeah.  And what God can do… in your life… is connected to it? Exactly. That's what the Word says. So the question becomes: what is it? What is “the power that works in us?” And how does it work? I’m glad you asked.  PART 2: THE CONTRACT — How This Works Here's how I like to think about it. Think of the Bible like a contract — the best contract ever written. God is one party, and you're the other. Now, in any good contract, you've got to read the fine print… the details… the clauses. Each clause of a contract spells out what one side agrees to do and what the other side agrees to do. In the Bible, every promise God makes is like a clause of a contractual agreement. Every verse that says "I will" or "ye shall receive" — that's God telling you what he’ll do… for you… and it’s in his writing.  And I'm not the only one who sees it this way. I want to share a quick video. This is the comedian Katt Williams. Listen to what he says: https://youtube.com/shorts/xvdbLjU5B8Q?si=gJRulY39scF4wa6v   Did you catch that? He said God's got contractual obligations. There are certain things God has to do in certain situations. And it's okay if you put Him in those situations. It's okay for you to say, "I believe there's a God, and He loves me, and He would help me in this situation." That's right. And the Bible backs it up. Here are a few of God's clauses that backs up this idea of a contract with God and his contractual obligations. Philippians 4:19: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." That's a clause. God agrees to supply all your need. Not some. All. Romans 8:32: "He [God] that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" That's another clause. If God already gave you the biggest gift — His son — why would He hold back anything else? God freely gives us all things we need.  2 Peter 1:3: " According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." God has given to us all things that pertain to life. Health. Prosperity. Knowledge. Peace. Love.  Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Trust in God. Don’t lean into your own understanding. And you’ll know which way to go. Your path will be clear. That's what's written. Now here's the beautiful part: this contract is completely voluntary. God's not forcing anybody. You have free will. God put everything out on the table and said, "It's here it is…if you want it." It's an open offer. He’s written it down for us to understand. We get to read it. Study it. Question it. Talk about it. Test it… to see if it works (Malachi 3:10).  Why do I believe in God… and his promises? Take a look around. My most beautiful wife. My wonderful kids. My nice house. My wallet. The big stuff. And the little things. And everything in between. I know who I am. I didn't do all of this. This wasn’t all me. There’s something else at play here. God. And what was my part in all of this? What did I agree to? Well… it’s actually very simple. PART 3: OUR PART — Believing and Loving So what does God require from us? Two things. And they're 2 things we already know how to do. Believe. Love . Let's start with believing. What does the Word say? Romans 10:9-10: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This verse… is the starting point. This is how we can get INTO this contract. You BELIEVE in your heart and you CONFESS with your mouth... And that's it. You're in! And once you're in, that same act, that thing you do, BELIEVING — is how you access everything else in the contract.  Look at Mark 11:24 . Jesus said: “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and YE SHALL HAVE them."  That’s not me saying that. That’s what Jesus said. And it’s written down. That’s a universal law… written down. For you. To believe. What is it?  BELIEVING EQUALS RECEIVING. It's a universal law in God's Word. It works every time. You BELIEVE it in your heart, you CONFESS it with your mouth, and you RECEIVE it. This is how the whole thing works from start to finish. And remember what Katt said — it's impossible for you to believe, and watch something happen in your life, and NOT know where it came from. When you BELIEVE and then you SEE God move mountains in your life, then you know. That builds up your trust in God. You don’t just lean into yourself and your ability to make things happen. You realize what’s actually happening in life.  So what does God require from you? Two things. Number one: Believe. Number two: Love. Let's read about love. 1 John 3:23: "And this is his commandment: That we should BELIEVE on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment." You see that? God put both (believing and love) in one verse. Believe and love. That's it. That's your whole part of the contract. You trust God, and you treat people right. When you love God and love the people around you, your believing gets activated by that which works inside you. It's not complicated. So… God's side of the contract is: abundance, supply for every need, peace, power, a sound mind, direction, health, healing, prosperity, wisdom, strength, joy, freedom, no condemnation, righteousness, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, longsuffering, life more abundantly, more than conquerors, unconditional love, and on and on and on. And your side is: believe and love. That is the best deal anyone has ever been offered. PART 4: WHAT'S INSIDE YOU — The Power Now let's go back to Ephesians 3:20 — "according to the power that worketh in us." When we get born again, we receive a gift from God. You can’t see it. Can’t touch it. Can’t measure it. But you can see it manifesting in your life. You can see the fruit that it produces ( Galatians 5:22-23). It worketh in us. It works.  You don't have to earn it. You don't have to be good enough ( Ephesians 2:8-9). You just have to believe it's there and start living your part of the bargain.  And remember what Katt also said the video — make sure your relationship with God is one of the relationships you're working on, because it really is the difference maker in how things work in life ( Matthew 6:33) . That's true.  WRAP-UP & APPLICATION So, here's what we covered: God has written the most generous contract in the history of the universe. The clauses are His promises — and every single one of them is available to you. What's available? Everything that pertains to life and godliness.  How do you get it? You believe. B elieving equals receiving . That's the law. That's how it works. What do you do with it? You love. You walk in it. You live your life knowing that the God of the universe has your back, and you treat people the way He treats you. And what's required? Just your decision . This contract is sitting on the table. God already signed His part. This week, I encourage you to pick one promise from God's Word — just one clause in the contract — and believe it. Say it out loud. Write it on a sticky note and put it on your fridge. Let it get into your heart ( Colossians 3:16) . And watch what happens when you start believing what God already said is yours. Ephesians 3:20 — God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think. And it's according to the power that's already working inside you. That's the best deal you'll ever get. Amen?

Have you ever been frustrated because something didn't go the way you planned? Maybe somebody let you down. Maybe your week didn't turn out like you hoped. We've all been there. But here's a thought that can change everything: trade your expectations for appreciations. See, expectations put the weight on other people and circumstances. We're basically saying, "My joy depends on you doing what I think you should do." That's a heavy load to put on anybody — and it sets us  up for disappointment every time. But appreciation? That flips it around. Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we start seeing what we do  have. And God has given us plenty. Now, even the Buddha recognized this problem. He taught that "the root of suffering is attachment" — attachment to how we think things should  be. And honestly? He wasn't wrong. That's a real observation about how people work. But here's what he was missing: willpower and philosophy alone can't transform a heart. Buddha offered a method. God offers power.  When you have Christ in you (John 14:20 — Jesus said, "I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you" ; Col 1:27 — "Christ in you" ; Gal 2:20 — "Christ liveth in me" ; 1 John 4:4 — "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" ), you're not just white-knuckling your way out of disappointment — you've got the holy spirit working in you to produce real joy, real peace, from the inside out. Jesus taught this . In John 6:11, he took the loaves, "and when he had given thanks , he distributed to the disciples."  Notice — he gave thanks before  the miracle multiplied . He didn't look at five loaves and say, "I expected more." He appreciated what was there, and God did the rest. Paul wrote this to you. Paul writes to all believers (past, present, and future) within Philippians 4:11: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content ."  That's a man who'd been beaten, shipwrecked, and jailed. He wasn't content because life met his expectations. He was content because he appreciated what God had already done. And in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul tells us plainly: " In every thing give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." That's not a suggestion. That's the will of God for your life. So this week, when something doesn't go the way you planned, pause. Don't get bitter. Get thankful. THANK FIRST. Look around and start counting what God has already blessed you with. Trade the expectation for appreciation — and watch your whole outlook change. God's already given us his best. Let's appreciate it. You're the best. Amen?

We talk a lot about what it means to believe . But have you ever stopped to think about who believed better than anyone who ever lived? Jesus Christ. He's the ultimate example of what a believing life looks like. Let's start with something powerful. Hebrews 12:2 calls Jesus "the author and finisher of our faith." That word "author" in the Greek is archēgos , and it means a leader, a pioneer — someone who goes first and blazes the trail. Jesus didn't just talk about believing. He lived it out loud, step by step, so we could follow. And what did that believing life look like? It looked like trust in his Father at every turn. John 5:30 says, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." Think about that. Jesus Christ, the most powerful man who ever walked this earth, said he could do nothing by himself. Everything he did came from his relationship with God . That's believing. Look at John 11:41-42 at the raising of Lazarus. Jesus prayed, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always." He didn't beg. He didn't wonder. He knew  God heard him. That Greek word for "knew" is eidō  — it means absolute, settled knowledge. No doubt. That's the kind of believing we're called to walk in. And here's the thing — Jesus believed under pressure . In the garden of Gethsemane, facing the cross, Luke 22:42 records him saying, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." He was honest about the weight of what was ahead, but his trust in God never broke. He kept believing, even when it cost him everything. Why does this matter for us? Because Philippians 2:5 tells us, " Let this mind be in you , which was also in Christ Jesus." We are called to think the way he thought — to believe the way he believed. And here's the best part: we have the same spirit working in us that God gave to him. First John 4:17 says, " as he is, so are we in this world." Not one day in heaven. Right now. Jesus Christ is the son of God, the perfect man, born of a woman, and he showed us exactly what a human being can do when they fully trust their Father. He's not some unreachable figure on a stained-glass window. He's our elder brother and our example. He pioneered this life of believing so that we could walk in it too. So the next time you feel unsure or overwhelmed, remember — Jesus walked that road first. And he walked it so you wouldn't have to walk it alone. Amen?

Please turn in your Bible to Proverbs 23:7 What if I told you that you have POWER to make things happen in your life? Supernatural power, power from God to live the more abundant life. Not just life, getting by kind of life, but the MORE abundant life. Having all your needs met all the time in every category of life? You’ve come to the right place. We’ll learn from the Bible how to have Power in our lives We have power in our lives by thinking, saying, and doing the Word.   You and I, born-again believers according to Romans 10:9 & 10 , have easy access to power in this world.   This power enables us to be more than conquerors in every situation ( Romans 8:37 ). This power brings release to any mental or physical prison ( John 8:36 ) and victory ( 1 Corinthians 15:57 ) to our lives.   This power is from God. Whatever we believe is directly reflected in what we confess.  What we confess in the innermost being (our heart) is what we bring into reality in our lives. Confession of belief = receipt of confession; believing = receiving The law of believing works for both believers and unbelievers.   However, believers, because of the spirit from God within, will bring forth more abundantly.  Right believing is constantly knowing God’s power and presence are in you and with you in every situation!  How you think about a situation at this very moment will determine the outcome. Mark 9:23 If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. We want to align our thoughts, words, and actions with what God says in His Word so that we receive the abundance and power He promises.  We can shape every part of our lives for success by thinking, saying, and doing the Word to the end that our confession of belief is God’s Word. Walk with power by thinking the Word Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he Thoughts are the seeds of words and actions, and we receive the outcome of the thoughts we hold in our hearts. What we think, we are. Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right. Henry Ford Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Think those thoughts Jesus Christ thought.  Jesus kept his thinking lined up with the Word, but he had to work at it.  He had to direct his thinking to the Word.   Keeping our thinking on positive truths is the key to power for abundant living. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. God tells us exactly what to think about.  Think about what you think about. Science tells us that the average human has about 6,200 thoughts every single day.  Retemorize (retain & memorize) verses. This means you memorize verses to believe them, to make them the joyful meditation of our heart, so we receive what we confess. Job 3 is an example of what continual negative thinking can produce in one’s life once it takes root in someone’s heart.  Job 3:25  and Job 1:5  show that Job continually feared. - This is not what we want in our lives. In contrast, Mark 5:25-29  is the record of a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. She spent all her money on doctors and only got worse. The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition of  Matthew 9:21  reads “ For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health ” - this is what we want in our lives. We continue to say the Word. This is the contest we have in our minds.  We have the freedom and authority to think the Word, which produces positive, successful fruit in our lives Walk with power by thinking the Word We just finished a class called Power for Abundant Living.  One teacher said that we replace our thoughts with God’s word.  He went on to say that if you go for a run or go to the gym and do a hard, sweaty workout, you don’t put on clean clothes over your smelly ones; you take off the old, smelly ones and put on new, clean ones. We replace our thoughts with God’s word to walk with power. How do I do this, Alicia? I’m glad you asked Here’s an example My friend has five kids. He told me that when his kids say something negative or something that doesn’t line up with the Word, he says, “Renew your mind”.   Renew - it’s as simple as that.  We put away our thoughts and think what God says.  For example, “I’m never going to get this project done, it’s just too hard.” NO! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Let’s go God!” We walk with power by saying the Word Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Spoken words are referred to in God’s Word as coming from the ‘tongue” and the “mouth.” Whether positive or negative, they have power.  Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. We can keep, or hold our tongue, until the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart are acceptable in God’s sight My mother always said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Our words can build up or tear down.  Before you say something, run it through your heart and ask, “Is this going to build up or tear down? This applies to words we say to others AND to ourselves. You are the person that you spend the most time with. You are the person who does the most talking to you. What are you saying? Is the Word dwelling in you richly  so that you speak it to yourself, so that you speak it to others? Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. We speak the positives and power of the Word, which minister grace to ourselves and others Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Can any challenge or issue in life be bigger than moving a mountain? We walk with power by doing the Word The “doing” of the word is sticking with our choices and refusing to back down on what we know to be the truth of the Word in any situation. “Doing” keeps us moving forward with power on what we decide to think and say. James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. This verse shows a man who looks in the mirror, sees his face, turns around, and forgets what he saw. We don’t want to read the Word and then turn around and forget what we read. We line up our actions with the Word; we do the Word. As we move, God can move and open doors for us to bring about godly impact, as you can read about in Acts 2, 3, and 4. To walk powerfully in life, we must do what we have decided to think and say.  We are fully equipped to be doers of the Word ( 2 Timothy 3:17). There are over 900 promises in God’s word; we can only do what we know.  We can search God’s Word to see what it says about our situation, or we can ask a fellow believer for help.  Once we find God’s promise that meets our need, we think it, say it, and take believing action (like the woman with the issue of blood - she continually said if I may touch his garment, and then she took action on her believing) and do the word. Believing = receiving.  What we confess in our innermost being withwhat we bring into our lives. We can determine to think, say, and do the world so that our confession of belief tracks with God’s Word and we reap God’s abundance and power in our lives. We can walk with power by thinking, saying, and doing the word.

Let's turn to a section of the Word and just enjoy reading the verses one after another. Sound good? Please turn to John 17. And let's go verse-by-verse through the whole chapter. Let's do a John 17 Bible study. In John 3:17, we learn that "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." God sent his son to save us. And we're all saved by confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and we believe in our hearts that God raised his son from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). When you do Romans 10:9-10, you’re born again, receive holy spirit, and you’re on your way to living a powerful abundant life.  We’re in John 17. And this is before Jesus’s arrest. He is praying out loud. And we get to listen. Before this moment, Jesus told his disciples that he's going away, but the Comforter (the gift of holy spirit) will be coming.  And in John 17, Jesus is praying in 3 movements. First, he prays about himself. Second, he prays for his friends. Third, he prays for all future believers. Finally, he prays that we'd all be one, with him, and we'd know God's love. John 17.  Verse 1:  "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:" Right out of the gate - Jesus looks up and says "Father." He's praying to someone other than himself.  "The hour has come." Everything has been leading to this. Verse 2:  "As thou hast given him power  over all flesh, that he should give eternal life  to as many as thou hast given him." God has given Jesus power. That's important. If Jesus were God himself, he wouldn't need to be given anything - he'd already have it.  And this "eternal life" flows from Father, through the Son, to us. Verse 3:  "And this is life eternal , that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  This is one of the clearest verses in the Bible. Jesus defines eternal life as knowing two things: 1: “Thee, the only true God” (who he calls “Father”). And 2: knowing “Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Those two things. Knowing God and Jesus Christ.  Jesus is praying to the only true God, whom he calls “Father.” And he identifies himself as the one who was sent. There’s the sender and the sent.  Verse 4: “I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” God gave him work to do. John 4:34, we have Jesus saying that he “is to do the will of him  that sent me, and to finish his  work.”  Verse 5:  "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee (not "as thee") before the world was." Verse 6:  "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." Verse 7:  "Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee." Verse 8:  "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." God gave Jesus the words, Jesus then spoke the words, and the people received them, and believed, and kept them. Verse 9: "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Jesus is not praying for the whole word, but for those who followed and believed, and they belong to God.  Verse 10:  "And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." There is a sharing relationship here with God. What belongs to Jesus belongs to God and vice versa. They are unified in purpose. Jesus is glorified in the disciples, through their believing, their actions, their words, and their lives. Verse 11:  "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that  they may be one, as  we are." Jesus is about to leave. The believers will remain in the world. So he asks God to keep them (to protect them). For what purpose? "That." So "that they may be one, [just] as we are" one. What kind of "one" are Jesus and God here? Are they one being? No. They are not one being, one person. They are one in purpose, in spirit, in love. Jesus is praying that the disciples would be one, that they would have the same oneness, the same unity with each other, just as God and his son do. Jesus isn’t praying that all disciples (and all followers and all believers) would merge into one big human being. That’s impossible. But that they would be unified, like members of one body. My daughter and I "are one." A husband and wife are "one flesh."  Verse 12:  "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition (Judas); that the scripture might be fulfilled." (That's referring to Psalm 41:9 and Psalm 109:8). Verse 13:  "And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." Verse 14:  "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Verse 15:  "I pray NOT that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Verse 16:  "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Verse 17:  "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."  Believing and acting on the Word set us believers apart, sanctified. It’s almost like we’re not of this world. We’re different. The word makes us holy and separates us from the world. Through the truth. And what's the truth? “Thy word is truth.” God's word is truth.  Verse 18:  "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world."  God sent Jesus. Jesus sent disciples. We too have been called.  Verse 19: "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."  Jesus set himself apart with the Word.  Verses 20-26: Jesus Prays for All Believers Verse 20: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe  on me through their word." Now, his prayer expands to everyone who would ever believe. That includes you and me. 2,000 years later, we're in this prayer. We are connected to this moment through a long thread of believers. That’s really cool. Verse 21: "That they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee , that they also may be one in us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."  Here's that "oneness" again. And it's clearly explained in this verse. Jesus is praying to the only true God who he calls Father, O Father, Holy Father, and here again "Father." And here, oneness is explained. From verse 20, it says “them also which shall believe" … verse 21, “that they all may be one." So, being one is: all that shall believe may be one.” All that believe? That’s a lot of believers.  Does it mean that billions of people are squished into one big human being? No.  What does “may be one” mean?   The verse 21 says how this "oneness" is.  It’s God (who Jesus calls Father) God is in Jesus: "Father art in me."  And Jesus is in God: "And I in thee."  Father in me, I in thee. One. We’re one.  That's God in Christ right there.  Well, what is the purpose of that? Well, it’s in the verse. Verse 21. So "that they also may be one in us." We believers are to be one in them. This is relational unity. Having a shared purpose. And a shared love. So that the "world may believe that [God] has sent me." Our "oneness"? That's God in Christ in you. When I see a believer walk in my open door during fellowship, I don’t see “Bob”, I see Jesus Christ. I see God. That’s what the verse says. "That they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee , that they also may be one in us .” Verse 22 : "And the glory  which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" That glory (Greek doxa) is referring to a most exalted state or condition of unconditional love, one for another. So that we may be one, even as God and Christ are one. Wow.  Verse 23:  "I in them [Christ in you], and thou in me [God in Christ], that [purpose?] they may be made PERFECT in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED them, as thou hast LOVED me." It's all about love. Love. Agape love. Unconditional love. God in Christ. Christ in us. And the result is perfected in one.  And look at the end of verse 23: "thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."  This "loved them" from verse 23 = ἠγάπησας (ēgapēsas) - agapao, VERB And "loved me" in verse 23 = ἠγάπησας (ēgapēsas) - agapao, VERB It’s the same word! God loves us with the same love he has for his Son. Let that sink in. That's God's heart for his children. God's agape love for his son is the same agape love he has for us believers. That's incredible. Same love. One love. Wow! And the word "Perfect" here in verse 23 is the Greek word teleioo - meaning completed, full maturity, and accomplished. Our unity reaches its accomplished goal when we're fully walking in love together as one.  Verse 24:  "Father [the only one true God], I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou LOVEDST me before the foundation of the world."  "lovedst" = ἠγάπησάς (ēgapēsas) - agapao, VERB.  God's love for his son (and us) existed before creation. That's that eternal love. Before I ever met my wife, I knew that I would fall in love with a woman who would be my wife. You could say that I had love for Alicia even before we met.  Verse 25: "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me." It's knowledge that sets us believers apart.  Verse 26:  "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith thou hast LOVED me may be in them, and I in them." That’s the love of God in you, and Christ in you. No ever taught me this! Right here, Jesus talking about God in Christ in you! Wow.  And this word "love" in verse 26 = ἀγάπη (agapē) - agape, NOUN And the word "loved" in verse 26 = ἠγάπησάς (ēgapēsas) - agapao, verb This is the only place in John 17 where the NOUN form "AGAPE" appears. And it's in the final verse - the conclusion of the whole prayer. Ain’t that something?  Jesus declared, explained, taught, and showed everyone God's nature. So that, and here's the goal again, so "that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them." God's unconditional agape love is in you. That's God in Christ in you. And it's all about being unified in love. That's the glory. That's the goal. God's unconditional love operating in us through our renewed minds, manifesting in how we live powerful abundant lives. Talk about power for abundant living!  Summary I hope you enjoyed reading the Word. In John 17, Jesus is praying, and we get to listen. He prayed to God. And we can too. We have the same access to God. When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised his son from the dead, then we receive the gift of holy spirit. And that's God in Christ in us, the hope of glory (2 Corinthians 5:19 and Colossians 1:27). Oneness is unity. God and his son were one in purpose. We believers are one in the same way. With unconditional love of God. That's power for abundant living.  You are the best. Amen? Further study: Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 1 Corinthians 12:20, Ephesians 4:4-6, Colossians 3:15, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5-6, Mark 10:8, Ephesians 5:23-25, Ephesians 5:30-32, 2 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Corinthians 6:17, and Galatians 3:28. Join the conversation on this study throughout the week. Follow us on Instagram: @raleighfellowship

In John 10:10 , Jesus Christ made a defining statement about his purpose: “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This wasn't a poetic metaphor; it was a statement of fact. If the Lord Jesus Christ said he came to bring abundance, then that abundant life must be available right now. It implies that there is a specific way to access it—a set of keys or signposts that can lead a believer out of lack and into power. The Word of God puts those keys directly into your hands. It serves as the practical instruction manual 2 Timothy 3:16  designed to teach you exactly how to live with the power of God. The Problem: Why Are We "Running on Empty"? If this abundance is available, why do so many believers feel drained, anxious, or powerless? The Scriptures point to two specific reasons: 1. We Rely on Defective Sources The prophet Jeremiah recorded a vivid illustration from God in Jeremiah 2:13. He compares God to a "fountain of living waters"—a source that never runs dry. In contrast, he describes human efforts and worldly systems as "broken cisterns." A cistern is a holding tank; if it is cracked, it can hold no water. When we try to find life in our own efforts or in the systems of the world, we are drinking from leaking tanks. That is not the abundant life. 2. We Lack Knowledge Hosea 4:6 states: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The issue isn't that God is unwilling to help; the issue is often that we simply don't know what He has offered. The Solution: Knowing the Will of God The greatest truth you can discover is that the Word of God is the Will of God   2 Peter 1:20-21 . It is not a secret to be hidden; it is a promise to be declared. To operate this "instruction manual" effectively, we have to understand a few fundamental principles. Principle #1: You Must Know What Is Available You cannot claim a right if you don't know you have it. The instruction manual is clear on what belongs to you: Health and Prosperity:   3 John 2  reveals God's heart clearly: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health..." That is the available standard. Total Victory:   Romans 8:37  tells us that "in all these things"—regardless of the challenge or circumstance—we are "more than conquerors." The literal Greek translation of this word is "super-conquerors." There are over 900 promises in God's Word that we can claim. Why can we claim this status? Because God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) , and Christ so loved that he willingly laid down his life to redeem us. That exchange is what makes us super-conquerors. God is not only able  to meet your needs (2 Corinthians 9:8) , He is willing  ( Matthew 8:2-3) . Principle #2: You Must Know How to Receive Knowing what is on the menu is the first step; ordering it is the second. How do we move God's promises from the page into our lives? The mechanism for receiving is believing . In this culture, we often think of believing as a passive mental state (like "I believe it will rain"). But biblically, believing is a verb —it requires action James 2:17 . It means acting on the Word of God with the same confidence you would have if you saw Jesus standing right in front of you. When you know what is available and you take action to claim it Mark 11:24 , the result is the abundant life Jesus promised. Ready to Learn the Rest? God’s ability always equals God’s willingness. If you are tired of broken cisterns and are ready to tap into the fountain of living waters, join us at Raleigh Fellowship. Let’s open The Word and learn how to live the more abundant life.

Discover the instruction manual for living with real spiritual power. Many people assume that simply being born as a human being makes them a child of God. However, the Bible makes a vital distinction between being a creation of God and being a Son of God (John 1:12-13) . The Word of God clearly teaches that mankind’s natural state was one of separation from God—not physical distance, but spiritual alienation caused by sin (Isaiah 59:2; Ephesians 4:18) . Yet God, in His love and wisdom, provided a perfect solution through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8) . Through Christ’s accomplished work, those who were once merely alienated creations can now be reconciled and born again as true sons of God (2 Corinthians 5:18; 1 Peter 1:23) . Once Alienated from God Prior to the work of Jesus Christ, humanity stood in a state of estrangement from God. The apostle Paul addresses this reality directly: “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works…” (Colossians 1:21, KJV) Alienation was a condition of the mind and heart, expressed through works that were contrary to God’s will. Likewise, Gentiles were described as being completely outside God’s covenantal blessings: “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, KJV). To be “without God” meant lacking relationship, life, and promise. Humanity could not restore itself to God through law, ritual, or human effort. Reconciled by the Man Christ Jesus God’s solution was not philosophical or symbolic—it was accomplished through a man, Jesus Christ, whom God ordained and sent. Scripture teaches that reconciliation was achieved through Christ’s obedient sacrifice: “…yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death…” (Colossians 1:21–22, KJV) Reconciliation is God’s work, not man’s. When Jesus Christ gave his life, the barrier between God and mankind was removed. Those who were enemies were made at peace with God: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:10, KJV) This reconciliation restores fellowship with the one true God, the Father, and makes relationship possible once again. Brought Near and Made Members of God’s Household Through Christ’s redemptive work, believers are no longer outsiders: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13, KJV). Paul continues by declaring the believer’s new standing: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19, KJV). This household language reflects belonging and access, not distance or fear. God’s desire was not merely to forgive but to restore relationship. Sons of God by the New Birth One of the central truths taught in Scripture—and emphasized in Dr. Wierwille’s biblical research—is that believers are not merely adopted in a legal sense but are literally born again as sons of God by receiving Holy Spirit. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12, KJV). This new birth is spiritual in nature. God places His gift of holy spirit within the believer, creating a new identity: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV). Believers no longer live under fear or bondage: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15, KJV). In biblical usage, this “adoption” reflects placement as mature sons—those with full standing and inheritance—rather than Trinitarian concepts of deity. Paul states this plainly: “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7, KJV). Conclusion The Word of God reveals a powerful truth: those who were once alienated and without God have been fully reconciled through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. By believing on him, individuals are born again, receive holy spirit, and become sons of God—members of His household with full access and inheritance. This is not tradition, philosophy, or theology built on creeds. It is the instruction manual for life.  God’s plan was not merely to restore fellowship but to create sons—people who can walk in newness of life and manifest God’s power and love in the world. We don't just talk about God; we teach you how to operate the power He gave you.

One of the most confusing stories in the Bible is Genesis 22, where it appears God told Abraham to kill his son. If God is love and the giver of life, why would He ask for a human sacrifice? The answer is found when we look at the original language and the customs of the time. We discover that God never wanted Isaac dead; He wanted him dedicated. The confusion came because Abraham misunderstood God’s instruction, viewing it through his own cultural filter. Here is the breakdown of what really happened. 1. God Does Not Tempt with Evil The King James Version of Genesis 22:1 says, "God did tempt Abraham." This translation creates immediate confusion because James 1:13 clearly says: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." The Correction: The Hebrew word used in Genesis is bachan, which means "to prove" or to test. God was not enticing Abraham to do evil (murder); He was testing Abraham’s commitment. 2. The Meaning of "Burnt Offering" God told Abraham: “Take now thy son... and offer him there for a burnt offering...” (Genesis 22:2). To us, "burnt offering" sounds like death by fire. But in the Eastern culture of the Bible, when this term was applied to a human, it often meant total dedication. It meant giving a person over completely to God’s service, not killing them. Scriptural Example: In Judges 11, Jephthah vowed to give whatever came out of his house as a "burnt offering". It was his daughter. He did not kill her; instead, she was dedicated to the temple service for her entire life, never marrying. She was a living sacrifice. This is what God wanted from Abraham: the total surrender of his son to God's will. 3. Abraham’s Mistake: "Sense-Knowledge" If God only wanted dedication, why did Abraham take a knife and wood? Abraham added to God's Word because of his "sense-knowledge". The Command:  God said, "Offer him" (Dedicate him). The Mistake:  Abraham looked at the pagans around him. The Canaanites actually did  burn children to their gods. Abraham filtered God's command through what he saw in his culture and assumed God wanted the same thing. The Addition:  The Bible never says God told Abraham to take a knife or wood. Abraham gathered those things himself because he misunderstood the method of the offering 4. God Stopped the Act, Not Just the Test Abraham was about to make a terrible mistake based on his misunderstanding. Genesis 22:11-12:   "And the angel of the Lord called unto him... Lay not thine hand upon the lad." . God had to intervene immediately. If killing Isaac had truly been God’s will, He would not have stopped it. God stopped Abraham because He does not accept human sacrifice. He accepted Abraham’s heart  (his willingness to give up his most precious gift), but He rejected Abraham’s method  (death). Had this been God’s will, as Abraham thought it was, there never would have been an angel needed to suddenly terminate the action because God cannot contradict Himself (2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:2, 1 Corinthians 14:33); He cannot change His will (Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, James 1:17). It was not God’s will to literally burn and kill the young man. This was Abraham’s idea. Yet, even though Abraham went beyond God’s request and was wrong in so doing, he proved his utter willingness to relinquish his son. Therefore, the angel of the Lord could make the following declaration in Genesis 22:12, not because Abraham went beyond God’s request, but because he was committed to total relinquishment of his son. Genesis 22:12: for now I know that thou fearest [has awe or reverence for] God, seeing thou hast not with- held thy son, thine only son from me. 5. The Lesson: Be A "Living Sacrifice" God wants us to live for Him, not die for Him. He wants our lives to be "burnt offerings"—totally dedicated to His service. Romans 12:1  sums this up perfectly for us today: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice , holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." . God is not the author of confusion or death. He is the God of life. He asked for Abraham's trust, and once that was proven, He provided a ram for the physical sacrifice and preserved Isaac for the spiritual dedication.

A Teaching on True Spiritual Strength All year long in our church, we've been learning about power—who we are in Christ, what we have because of what God gave us, and what we can do with it. Walking powerfully in abundance and love. I want to talk about meekness. And I want to clear up a misunderstanding right from the start. Meekness isn't weakness. A lot of people think being meek means being passive. Being a pushover. Never standing up for yourself. But that's not what the Bible teaches at all. Here's the truth: If you can't do something, you don't get credit for not doing it. You can't call it peace if you never had the option of war. You can't call it restraint if you never had any strength to restrain. Real meekness requires power first. And as believers, we have power. So let's look at what meekness really means. THE JESUS EXAMPLE Let's start with Jesus Christ. And let's start with something a lot of people skip over—Jesus was a working man. In Mark 6:3, the people of Nazareth say, "Is not this the carpenter?" The Greek word there is tekton. It means a craftsman, a workman—someone who worked with wood, stone, and building materials. This wasn't desk work. Jesus spent years doing hard physical labor. He had strong hands. Calloused hands. He knew what it meant to work. So when we picture Jesus, let's not picture someone frail. Picture a man who could handle himself. A man who worked with his hands his whole life. Now look at what that man did in John 2:15: "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables." Notice what's happening here. Jesus didn't lose His temper and grab the nearest object. He made a whip. Deliberately. He took the time to fashion it. Then He drove out the merchants, flipped their tables, and scattered their coins. That's not weakness. That's controlled, purposeful, physical action. Jesus was capable—and He chose when and how to act. Now look at Matthew 26:53. Jesus is being arrested in the garden, and He says: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" That's over 72,000 angels. Jesus knew who He was. He knew what He had available. He could have ended it right there. But He chose not to—not out of weakness, but out of love. Out of purpose. He had a mission and He walked in it. That's the difference between being harmless and being peaceful. Jesus wasn't harmless—He was the most powerful man who ever walked the earth. He knew it. And He chose peace. He chose the mission. He chose to do the work that had to be done. That's where the virtue is. Not in inability. Not in ignorance. But in knowing what you have and choosing how to use it. MEEKNESS: THE WORD WE'VE GOTTEN WRONG In Matthew 5:5, Jesus says: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Most people hear "meek" and think doormat. Pushover. But that's not what the word means. The Greek word here is praus. And here's what's interesting—over 300 years before Christ, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote about this word. In his Nicomachean Ethics, he said the praus person—the meek person—is one who feels anger "at the right things, with the right people, in the right way, at the right time, and for the right length of time." Did you catch that? Aristotle didn't say a meek person never gets angry. He said a meek person knows when to get angry, how to get angry, and how long to stay angry. It's not the absence of strength—it's strength under control. The word was also used for horses that had been broken and trained—powerful animals brought under the control of their rider. A praus horse wasn't weak. It could charge into battle, kick through a shield wall. But it was disciplined. It responded to its master. That's meekness. Power under control. WHAT SCRIPTURE, MARTIAL ARTISTS, AND LEADERS UNDERSTAND The Bible makes this point crystal clear. Look at Proverbs 16:32: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Did you catch that? A man who rules his own spirit is BETTER than a warrior who conquers a city. The Bible is saying self-control outranks military victory. Ruling yourself is the greater accomplishment. And the flip side is in Proverbs 25:28: "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." A man without self-control is defenseless. Vulnerable. Wide open to the enemy. His strength means nothing if he can't govern it. This isn't just an ancient concept. People understand this today. Think about a martial artist . They train for years—sometimes decades—to be capable of serious damage. They can break bones. They can end a fight in seconds. But the whole point of the discipline is not using it unless absolutely necessary. The better they get, the less they need to prove. That's meekness. That's Proverbs 16:32—ruling your spirit is better than taking a city. Think about a police officer . They carry a weapon. They train to use force. But the goal is control, de-escalation, protection. The power is there so it doesn't have to be used. That's meekness. Think about a boxer . Outside the ring, a trained boxer could knock out just about anyone who picks a fight with them. But that discipline translates to self-control, not street fights. They don't need to prove anything. That's meekness. Think about a good leader —a boss, a father, a reverend. They have authority. They could throw their weight around, make demands, dominate. But real leadership is using that position to serve and protect, not to control people. That's meekness. Trained. Capable. Even dangerous. But under control. And here's something that needs to be said—especially to the young men hearing this. Masculinity gets a terrible rap these days. The world is telling young men that strength is the problem. That being capable and assertive and powerful is somehow toxic. That you need to be softer, smaller, less. That's a lie. We need men to be masculine. We need men to be capable. We need men to be strong. But we need that strength under control. Directed toward good. Used to protect, to provide, to serve. The problem was never masculinity. The problem is masculinity without control. Strength without wisdom. Power without love. That's the city without walls. That's the man who can take a city but can't rule his own spirit. God isn't looking for weak men. He's looking for strong men who know who they are, know what they have, and choose to walk in love. KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE This connects directly to what we've been learning all year in our ministry. When you confessed Jesus as Lord and believed God raised him from the dead—Romans 10:9-10—something happened. You received the gift of holy spirit. And with that gift came power. Look at Ephesians 1:18-20: "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, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead..." Paul's prayer is that you would know. That your eyes would be opened . Why? Because you already have it. The power is already there. The inheritance is already yours. But you have to know it to walk in it. It's like having a million dollars in the bank and living like you're broke because nobody ever told you about the account. The money's real. It's yours. But until you know it's there, you can't use it. Same with your spiritual power. Same with who you are in Christ. The knowing comes first—then the walking. And once you know? Now meekness means something. Now you're not weak—you're a powerful son or daughter of God who chooses to walk in love. That's strength under control. That's abundance with purpose. WALKING POWERFULLY IN LOVE Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." That's the test. Not what you do when everything's easy. What you do when you know who you are, you know what you have, and you choose to walk in love anyway—even when you could do otherwise. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the spirit. And look at the last one: "...temperance." That word means self-control. The ability to govern yourself. To have power and use it with wisdom. To walk in abundance and still choose love. Rocky Balboa said it this way: "It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Rocky's not scripture—but even the entertainment industry figured out that real strength isn't just about what you can do. It's about what you choose to do. It's about standing. Enduring. Walking forward in love when the world gives you every reason not to. When you believed and confessed, you were born again into a family. And this family isn't made up of weak, harmless people. We're sons and daughters of the living God who know who we are, know what we have, and walk powerfully in abundance and love. CLOSING So here's the question for this week: Do you know who you are? Do you know what you have? Are you walking in it? Because once you know—really know—then every act of patience, every act of kindness, every time you choose love when you could choose something else... that's not weakness. That's meekness. That's power under control. There's no virtue in being harmless. There's no virtue in being weak. The virtue is in knowing you're powerful, knowing you're a child of God filled with holy spirit, and choosing every single day to walk in that power with abundance and love. Jesus could have called down legions of angels. He knew it. And he chose to finish what God sent him to do. Know who you are. Know what you have. Walk powerfully in love. Main point to remember: Meekness isn't weakness—it's knowing who you are and choosing to walk in power and love. You're the best! Amen.

Part 1: Setting the Stage Let's open up Ephesians Chapter 1. Ephesians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul. Inside his letter is a prayer that he wrote for the believers in Ephesus—and it's for us too. Here's the main idea: We can live bold, confident, and powerful lives, if we KNOW who we are, what we have, and what we can do with it. Let's learn those three things (who we are, what we have, and what we can do), because God has given us power. But if we don't know it's there, we can’t live like it is. I want to live powerfully. How about you?  Think about it like this. Imagine someone with a million dollars in the bank, but they don't know it. They never opened their bank app to check. They're living paycheck to paycheck, stressed about bills. And this whole time, they've got a ton of cash just sitting there. The money was always there. They just didn't know it. That's how a lot of believers live. When you get born again, God gives you a gift—holy spirit, inside you. There’s a Greek word used in the Bible that describes this gift of holy spirit— it’s dynamis — means inherent, potential power. Spiritual ability. It's like having an F-350 with a full tank of gas parked in the driveway. The power is there. It's ready. But just because it's sitting there, that doesn't mean it's being used powerfully.  The power that raised Jesus from the dead? That power? It's already in us who believe. But if we don't know it's there, we can’t use it. So, let’s go back to the letter.  So what does Paul pray for? Let’s read the entire prayer. Ephesians 1:15-23.  (Eph 1:15 ) 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 his 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: (22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Reading those verses can be hard to understand, right? In short, Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would have their eyes opened—so that they'd see and know what they have. That’s what he prayed for.  Quick Background Paul writes Ephesians from a Roman prison. But he had spent about three years in Ephesus—a wealthy, pagan city in what's now Turkey. While he was there, God did amazing things through him: healings, deliverances, casting out spirits (Acts 19:11-12). The Ephesians had seen the power of God in action. So, later, when Paul writes to them about the exceeding greatness of God's power, they already know what he’s talking about. Look at how Paul opens this letter in Verse 1 of Ephesians 1: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints  which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful  in Christ Jesus." To the saints and the faithful. In the Bible, a saint is simply a believer—someone who is born again. This letter wasn't written to a special class of Christians. No. It was written to ALL the faithful believers at Ephesus, AND to us too. This Letter Is Doctrine 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us the Bible (every part) is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Each letter or book of the bible leans into one of these. Here's a simple way to think about it: Doctrine  = teaches us how to believe rightly Reproof  = shows us where we our believing is off Correction  = gets us back on believing rightly For example, in Galatians, Paul shows people how their believing action is wrong (reproof). In Corinthians, Paul corrects people on what they’re doing wrong. But in Ephesians? None of that. No correcting. He opens with a blessing in Verse 3 of Ephesians 1: Let’s read Eph 1:3: " Blessed  be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed  us with all spiritual blessings  in heavenly places in Christ." He's not fixing something broken. He's speaking to blessed people, and teaching us what's true. This letter is doctrine — a foundational truth that we, ourselves, can build our lives upon. Because it’s written to us.  So let's look at Paul's prayer. Verse by verse. Turn to Ephesians 1:15. Part 2: The Prayer — Ephesians 1:15-23 Verses 15-16:  "(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." Paul is thankful for them. Their faith. Their love. He prays for them continually. And what does he pray for? Not for their circumstances to change. Not for their problems to go away. Look at what he asks God for… in the next two verses. Verses 17-18:  "(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..." Paul prays that they would know. That phrase "eyes of your understanding" can be translated as "eyes of your heart." He wants them flooded with light so they can see something. What does Paul want them to see? Three things that he wants them to know: " (Second part of Verse 18) ...that ye may know (1) what is the hope of his calling, and (2) what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and (3) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe..." The First Category: The Hope of His Calling Hope is something we look forward to—something we don't have yet but will. We hope for Christ's return, when we'll be gathered together (1 Thessalonians 4:17). That's the hope. The Second Category: His Inheritance in the Saints The 2nd thing he wants us to know? God's inheritance is us. We belong to Him. He put His spirit in us. And Colossians 1:27 says we have "Christ in [us], the hope of glory." We are God’s inheritance. But The Third Category: The Exceeding Greatness of His Power! And here’s our focus right now. Verse 19 — Read This One Slowly "(19) And what is the exceeding greatness ( megathos ) of his power ( dynamis ) to us-ward who believe, according to the working ( energeia ) of his mighty ( ischys ) power ( kratos )." Look at the language Paul uses. He piles up words: exceeding greatness... power... working... mighty power. It's like he can't say it big enough. Remember the dynamis  we talked about at the beginning? That full tank of gas? That million bucks? Now Paul shows us what happens when we put it to use. Let me break down the Greek words that Paul uses in this letter with a simple picture of a truck. “greatness” Megathos  – that's an F-350 crew cab truck. The magnitude of that truck is big.  “power” Dynamis  — the full tank of gas. Inherent, potential power. It's parked there, but it's not being used yet. Is gassed up and ready to go.  “working” Energeia  — turning the key and putting the pedal to the metal. Power in action. God energizes it as we believe and act. “mighty” Ischys  — the big 7.4 liter diesel engine under the hood. Mighty raw force, strength. “power” Kratos  — actually driving down the road. Manifested power with impact. Paul is saying: You've got all of this! A magnificent, full tank, key, engine—everything. The exceeding greatness of God's power is already in you - in us - who believe. And notice, in verse 19, it says: "to us-ward who believe." Not just the apostles. It’s not just for special-Christians. Not just for pastors, reverends, or popes. This is to us. Who believe. Verses 20-23 (the rest of the prayer) “(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: (22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Now, here, Paul tells us what power he's talking about. It's the same power that (a) raised Christ from the dead (verse 20), (b) seated him at God's right hand (verse 20), and (c) put him above every principality and power (verse 21). And here's what changes everything—Ephesians 2:6 says we were raised up and seated  with him (Jesus Christ). And Colossians 2:10 says we're complete  in him. We are, right now, in a position of power and completeness . We lack nothing. Right now. Because of this position of being complete and powerful , that’s why Jesus says in John 14:12 that we can do the works he did—and greater works than these, we can do also. How? Because we have holy spirit, power, in us, when we’re born again. The Book of Acts is filled with stories of born-again believers walking with great power, speaking boldly, walking with confidence, giving love, there are signs, wonders, healings, raising people, casting out spirits, and miracles. We have access to that same power as the Apostles—when we know who we are, what we have, and what we can do. Part 3: What This Means for Us So what does all of this mean to us? Think about the Ephesians way back then. The Ephesians, who first read this letter, had seen Paul heal the sick. They saw miracles and wonders. They knew what power looked like. But Paul wasn't writing to tell them about his  power. He was telling them about theirs . The same power that worked through Paul was also available to work in them who believe. And it's available for us today who believe . Paul prayed that their eyes would be enlightened . And that same prayer is also for you and me. Why?  Because, just like Paul knew, that when we know who we are, and what we have, we can live a powerful life.  If people don't know the power that's available, they can't believe for healing. They can't expect miracles to happen. They can’t effectively pray for other people. They can’t expect power and abundance in their lives. They'll live without everything… that God has made available. BUT when our eyes are opened —when we see what's already ours in Christ—and we believe, that's how we walk powerfully. Not by striving and working long hours. Not by earning a lot of money. Not by suffering or following or carrying a cross. But… by knowing and believing. We're All in This Together And here's the beautiful thing—we're not alone. Look at and read Ephesians 4:4-6.  (4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. One body. One Spirit. One Lord. One faith. One God and Father. It doesn't matter what denomination someone grew up in. When we get born again, we become part of one body. The power that's toward us who believe is available to all the saints. Every faithful believer. Everywhere. Every fellowship. Every church.  Two thousand years later, we're still that same body. Connected to the same head. Walking with the same power. Closing Paul wrote a letter from a prison cell, but he wasn't writing as a defeated man. He knew who he was. He knew what he had. And he wanted us to know it too. When we believe who we are in Christ, and when we live according to our new human nature as God's children, when we live with the unconditional love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation, we are demonstrating in the physical world that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And we have that power.  So let's walk out of here tonight with our eyes open just a little bit more. Knowing the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. We can walk with confidence because that’s what we know. You are the best. Amen?

Holiday Party at the Gromicko home bible fellowship in Raleigh, NC, on December 20, 2025. Open house at 3:00 - 6:00 PM. Text Alicia at (303)884-8488. Merry Christmas!