July 6

The Secret of Power

Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases. — Luke 9:1 BSB

The first step is always to come to Christ Himself. We can’t do anything until we’ve been to Him. Every mission we undertake should come from His direction, and we should always go forward with the blessing of His touch upon us. It’s said that one of Wellington’s officers, when given a dangerous task, hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t afraid of the danger, but he turned to the Duke and said, “Before I go, let me have one grip of your all-conquering hand, and then I can do it.” There’s no task too dangerous, no burden too heavy, no challenge too great if we start with Christ’s empowering hand and encouraging words.

Christ alone gives us the strength for the work He calls us to do. His followers are given authority over devils. But if anyone tries to confront evil on their own, whether the evil is in themselves or someone else, they will fail miserably. A person might rule nations and conquer kingdoms, yet be unable to rid themselves of the devils of appetite or passion. Alexander the Great conquered the world, but was defeated by his own desires and emotions. People are constantly trying to fight the evil in their own hearts, but they fail.

The same is true of trying to help others. Once, when Jesus was away, His disciples tried to cast out an evil spirit but couldn’t. They should have been able to, but Jesus later told them that they lacked faith. He wants every one of His followers to have power over evil—not the miraculous power He gave the apostles, but real, effective power. If we have faith in Him, He will always give us the strength we need.