Transfer of Power

3/23/2022

Written By: Frieda Dowler

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Pro. 4:23 NLT

If you’re a Bible believing, Jesus follower, then you are experiencing a power struggle. And you can be sure, at the end of the struggle, there will be a transfer of power.

It’s natural to think this power struggle is about politics or money. We live in the natural realm and process according to our humanity. It’s obvious there’s a struggle going on. But the Bible tells us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12.

As chaotic as this struggle is in the natural world, for most of us, the struggle is in our hearts and minds. Every area of life is under challenge as we live through this shift in our culture.

For Christians, the struggle is do we trust in God’s goodness or do we believe the seeds of doubt God’s enemy sows?

From the beginning of recorded time, the first two humans lived through a shift in culture, and it has continued throughout history. It is the struggle of life. How to live, who to believe, and what to invest our lives in.

Daily, Adam and Eve communed with the almighty God. There was no power struggle. There was harmony and oneness of purpose. You think they would have protected this peace. But something lured them in, and they made the choice to separate from God by believing the lie of the serpent. From there forward, the course of their lives changed.

The serpent came to Adam and Eve and presented something they had never considered. He offered the possibility of life apart from God, where they could be in charge of their own lives. They had never concerned themselves with daily provisions because they communed with God almighty, and he took care of those things. But as gods of their own lives, their provisions were up to them, and this set in motion a life of struggle.

Isn’t that what today’s culture offers? That we can be gods of our own lives without guidance from our creator. But when we do, we reap the consequences of those decisions and that determines our course.

Eve considered what the serpent said. She took a thought into her heart, meditated on the lie, and took action. Then she seduced Adam into following. She did not guard her heart with the truth.

When we let our thoughts wander from God’s goodness, we may say God isn’t enough. We may doubt God is providing the best and decide to take matters into our own hands. Like Eve, do we want to be the god of our life? Or will we trust almighty God even when it seems like things aren’t going the way we think they should?

When tempted to believe something other than the goodness of God, we can look to Jesus as our example. After He was baptized and had fasted, the serpent came to tempt Jesus. The serpent intended to cause doubt in God’s goodness by offering what was not his to give. The serpent lied, the same as he did with Eve.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 4:8.

Jesus was tired and hungry when the serpent approached Him. We might be angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed when the serpent approaches us. But Jesus guarded the truth in His heart. He dispelled temptation by saying, Get away from me, Satan! I worship God and serve him only. Then the devil left him. Based on Mt. 4:10 NLT. In doing this, he gave us a model to resist the lies of the enemy.

The serpent’s voice in our head tempts us in every way to transfer the power over our lives from God to self. When we doubt, we are likely to take matters into our own hands, then a power struggle ensues. Weighing in the balance is our future. Will it be God’s way or our way? The power of God’s spirit alive in us gives us the ability to defeat doubt by standing fast on the side of truth.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (stand fast).” I Cor. 10:13 NLT.