Power!

Power! 


     David had the people bring the Ark back to Israel on a cart. This was not the God prescribed plan of action. God had previously established that it must be carried by Levites and that they must carry it by the polls. In this case it was on a cart, which had previously carried who knows what unclean things. It was treated as a show piece and not as a holy sacred thing. The oxen stumbled and Uzza put his hand to stabilize it and died because of it.


     The raw power of God was released into this man and it killed him instantly. It was this same raw power of God that hit Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and killed them. However it also the same power that was used in creation and the same power that raised Jesus from the Dead... 
 
     The Spirit of God hoovered over the waters in Genesis one... The Word (who is God, who is the Word)(John 1) said LIGHT BE! That single explosion is still expanding over 6000 years later violently. That same WORD said "MAN BE IN OUR IMAGE..." That same statement caused Jesus to come and rectify the mess of the first man to ensure that MAN BE IN OUR IMAGE would still come to pass.



     That power now dwells in your mortal body, quickening it... making it alive. It is that same power that BURST onto the scene in Acts 2 empowering 120 people to turn the world upside down. Every time you come in contact with someone, if you are saved, you have the potential of releasing that power... 
 
...the power that created the universe, the power that created man, the power the raised Jesus from the dead, the power that created miracles, signs and wonders in the ministry of Jesus and anyone ministering in Jesus Name from the beginning to now...


     ...THAT POWER could be released from you the same as it was the day a woman with an issue touched Jesus and it left Him! 


     THAT POWER was released... BUT it caused different reactions depending on how it was handled. That creative power killed three people on two occasions because it was mishandled. In 1 Chronicles David's mishandling of it caused another man to die. The POWER of God is serious, weighty, electric... 


     Take a moment to reflect on how you may have mishandled the power. How could I? The WORD IS the POWER OF GOD. The word is power. The power is the Word. The Spirit of God is God. God is the Word. The Word is God. The ARK contained the Word and Power and Presence of God. The three (Power, Word, Presence) are inseparable. To mishandle one is to mishandle the three. 


     To mishandle the Word of God is to mishandle the spirit and power of God. I find that sometimes I've mishandled it by ignoring it, treating it as a non important activity. Sometimes I've mishandled it by choosing something else. Sometimes by not believing it. If God says healing is His will in His Word, which he 100% unmistakeably and undeniably does... and I refuse to speak his word into my health especially when sickness is attacking me... I am treating his word as less important than my symptoms. If He tells me to go somewhere, do something, say something, work somewhere, take part in some activity, volunteer here, write this or that... and I do not, I either choose not to, or ignore it, or become distracted... I mishandle his Word which is His presence which is His Power... 


     To mishandle the Word of God when he gives it is to say that you don't want His help... which makes it MUCH harder to hear Him in trials, temptations or any other crisis and therefore MUCH harder to heed his Word. This is where people die and others say "God must have wanted an angel in heaven..." Or some other such non sense. They have been mishandling His Word and therefore don't know His Word. Yes... sometimes disobedience will cost a life, yours or someone else's.

    If I am called to minister to people in location A, but I'm still working as a shoemaker in location B because I've grown so accustomed to ignoring the leading of God... how many people will miss out on the blessing God wanted to bring because of me? 


    Darrell... DO NOT MISHANDLE THE WORD OF GOD!

Exodus 25

¹³ And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. ¹⁵ The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.

1 Chronicles 15

¹¹ And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, “You arehouses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³ For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” the heads of the fathers’

1 Chronicles 13:6-12 (New King James Version)

⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Baalah,^[a] to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. ⁷ So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.
⁹ And when they came to Chidon’s^[b] threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. ¹¹ And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza^[c] to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?” 

Exodus 37

Making the Ark of the Testimony

 ¹ Then Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. ² He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it. ³ And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners: two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it. ⁴ He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. ⁵ And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. ⁶ He also made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. ⁷ He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat: ⁸ one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. ⁹ The cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Exodus 37:5
And he put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

Deuteronomy 10:7-9 (New King James Version)

⁷ From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of rivers of water. ⁸ At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day. ⁹ Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God promised him.) 

Genesis 1

The History of Creation

 ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was^[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Acts 5

Lying to the Holy Spirit

 ¹ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. ²part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ⁴ While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
⁵ Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. ⁶ And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
⁷ Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?”
She said, “Yes, for so much.”
⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. ¹¹ So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. And he kept back
 Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Matthew 9:21-23 (King James Version)

 ²¹For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
 ²²But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 

Luke 4:32
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

1 Thessalonians 1:5
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

2 Corinthians 6:7
By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,