Resurrection Power NOW

Let’s be honest…

We hear many people preaching, singing, tweeting, facebooking, etc…about resurrection power, but is it a reality in our lives? Does our experience match all the hype?

Many born-again Christians live an ineffective, powerless life and that does not align with what we read in Scripture. So what’s up with that?

Apostle Paul fervently prayed for us to have the eyes of our heart enlightened in regard to this potential within us in Ephesians 1:

8 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Pardon me while I step aside and do a little holy jig!

I see a few things in this passage that may hinder the unleashing of the resurrection power in us.

1. Our eyes may be dulled; after all, Paul prayed for our eyes to be enlightened in verse 8. Dull eyes result from being too focused on this world and its trappings. We all need some holy Visine to clear our eyes! This world’s offerings will pale in comparison to the “riches of His inheritance to all the saints”. Eyes on Him! 
2. Do we really get from what we have been saved? The power toward us who believe is one that kicked death to the curb…”O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” I Corinthians 15:55. Resurrection power is what brought Jesus back to life.  It is this power that doesn’t leave us utterly hopeless when we or a loved one faces death. It is the power that will someday raise us into new life and gives us a NOW kind of power to live a victorious life.  Praise Jesus! 
3. If we could, just for a split second, see with spiritual eyes all of the demonic forces working against us, we would probably drop dead in fear. The resurrection power allowed Jesus to be far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion (Eph. 1:21). Remember we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). Jesus’s resurrection power does spiritual battle for us!
4. Finally, our dimmed eyes do not comprehend the Christian’s spiritual position of power in the here and NOW. We know according to Ephesians 1:20 that Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand in heavenly places. But by extension, we are too! “…and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  We fight from a position of power!

So the question still remains…How do we practically and literally experience the resurrection power? I am tired of just hearing about it – I want to live in it!

Death always precedes resurrection.

To experience this life-altering resurrection power, we must die to self.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

I am going to pray for the eyes of my heart to be enlightened so I can fully experience the resurrection power in my life each and every day. It is not just for Easter, it is not just for being raised from the dead some day. It is an untapped source of power for the here and now.

RESURRECTION POWER FOR THE HERE AND NOW!