The Power of Christ in You

 

Petit Piton St. Lucia

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

The power of Christ in you is the presence of His Holy Spirit on the inside of you. The Holy Spirit empowers you to do all that God has called you to do; the Holy Spirit empowers you to face all that this life presents.

God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! – Psalm 68:35 (NLT)

Don’t look at life as burdensome, instead be grateful that your weakness allows God to manifest His power in you.

God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you – Psalm 62:11 (NLT)

Keep ever present in your mind that it is not by your human effort that all you need to do will be accomplished but it is all done only by the power of Christ in you; you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (ref. Philippians 4:13).

Beloved, you can do so much more through the power of Christ in you – the Holy Spirit – than you can ever do on your own. It is very important that you understand this.

At those times of weakness, when you feel powerless, cling to this Truth: “The Lord is my strength” (ref. Psalm 28:7)

When you are weak, the Lord is strong! He is your strength! Remember His power!

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless – Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)

The Lord’s power is in you – He strengthens you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (see Ephesians 3:16).

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT)

Now, “Rise up, O Lord, in all your power!” (Psalm 21:13 NLT)

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “The Power of Christ in You” ©2013 (9-Jul-13) revisited September 27, 2026

Inadequacy

 

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

(Philippians 4:13 NLT)

Remember, as a Christian, you are never alone. Jesus Christ is the One who gives you His strength, you and Jesus are a majority, so there is no reason for you to feel inadequate. Allow Jesus to empower you today; just pray,

Lord, I thank You that in the midst of my limitations and frailty Your strength and power are perfected. 

I thank You for the sufficiency of Your grace which empowers me in times of weakness. 

Strengthen me in every area of my life. 

Now to You in Whom all things are possible, be all honour and glory. In Jesus’ Name I pray.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Inadequacy” © 2012 (18-Dec-12) revisited September 26, 2026

How can I swim upside down?

How can I swim upside down? I can't. I may try but I cannot swim upside down. Just ask my poor goldfish.

I believe that some of us are like this upside-down fish. We've accepted Jesus as our Saviour but are still attempting to live as the world lives and we find ourselves struggling to survive; labouring to breathe in an atmosphere to which we no longer belong and in which we can no longer "swim".

When you've reached that point of being upside down in the "tank", then it's time to get out of the tank; you're no longer the fish, you're the fisherman!

Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen…immediately left their nets and followed him. – Matthew 4:19, 20 (ERV)

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “How can I swim upside down?” ©2012 (25-Sept-2012) revisited September 25, 2026

Hiding your story

 

Every person on this earth has a story. Our lives relate our story. Your story, even though it is your own personal tale, is not meant to be hidden. Stories are for telling.

What has God done in your life? How has Jesus rescued you?

Your story has tremendous potential to expand the Kingdom of God but you’re hiding your story.

“I will sing the wondrous story Of the Christ Who died for me. How He left His home in glory For the cross of Calvary.”

God has given you this new life through Jesus Christ and that story must be told, after all, your story is a unique life message that He has given to you.

Time is short and people are dying to hear the story you have to tell, they’re dying to hear of the victory that Jesus has given to you over sin and death. Won’t you tell your story?

“I was lost, but Jesus found me, Found the sheep that went astray, Threw His loving arms around me, Drew me back into His way.”

Yes, it’s true that your story may contain some things that you’d prefer to remain hidden, especially those things you never want to remember or speak about, but people need to hear.

People need to know of how wonderful it is to be in relationship with Jesus. Sharing your story with others gives glory to God.

“I was bruised, but Jesus healed me, Faint was I from many a fall, Sight was gone, and fears possessed me, But He freed me from them all.”

When you tell your story, as difficult as it may be, Jesus will bring to you and to others, through you, great healing, and renewal.

Jesus made your life new, and He wants to do the same for someone else too, if you’d only stop hiding your story.

Beloved, people are longing for a new life and if you continue hiding your story, it never gets told and you rob them of the greatest gift – a relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Won’t you tell your story?

“Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story Of the Christ Who died for me, Sing it with the saints in glory, Gathered by the crystal sea.”

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Hiding your story” © 2016 (20-Oct-2016) revisited September 24, 2026

Hymn: “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story” – words by Francis H. Pritchard (1886) & Ira Sankey (1887)

Your Unemployed God

God wants you in a position or a place where you need Him – that position where you recognize, without a doubt, that without Him you will never get through. That state of being where you finally come to the realization that with God all things are possible and the only thing you can repeat over and over again to yourself is:

“This is impossible for me, but not for God”

The truth is, God allows you to get to that place so that you will let Him “do” in your life. He longs for you to employ Him in every area, even the smallest of things. God yearns to be a part of your life, but you have to let Him in. Employ your God!

Stop trying to work everything out on your own, instead, seek the hand of God. Apostle Paul assures us in Romans 8 that it is God who works all things together for good for those who love Him, for those whom He has called according to His purpose. That’s you – you love God and are here for a purpose, His purpose; even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Listen, contrary to popular belief, God does not want you bursting your brain figuring out this and that, putting mismatched pieces of your life together like a crazy 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, in an effort to devise solutions to your problems. Only God can do that, and with ease.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:31-33, not to worry or be anxious about anything. He says that God knows your needs. He says to be concerned with God, His Kingdom, and what He requires of you, and God will provide you with everything else.

Employ God, utterly depend upon Him for your every need, whatever the need. David understood this completely, he said, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 (AMPC)

Beloved, if you have truly and sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, then you belong to God; He is your God and His Word says that those who belong to Him, He will sustain:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” – Psalm 55:22 (HCSB)

Take God at His word – do not have Him as your unemployed God. Reach out to Him every single day, whether things are bad or good. He is waiting for your call.

 Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Your Unemployed God” © 2017 (January 27, 2017) revisited September 23, 2026

Prayer Focus: Pulling Down Strongholds – Time to be Bold

 

“I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.”  – 2 Corinthians 10:4 (TLB)

Lord, I pray that You would set me free from anything that holds me other than You.

Deliver me from any memory of the past that has the power to control me or keep me trapped in its grip.

Teach me how to forgive, especially anyone who has hurt me, so that unforgiveness will not be able to hold me captive.

Set me free from everything that keeps me from being all that You created me to be.

Protect me from the plans of the enemy, and cause me to always remember that no-one, including the evil one, can affect the deliverance and healing You want to bring about in my life, after all, Your Word declares that no plan or purpose of Yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2).

Restore all that has been stolen from me until I am lacking no good thing.

I know that in Your presence there is healing and wholeness. Teach me how to live in Your presence so that I can be made and remain totally whole.

Lord, Your Word tells me that “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ESV). So, I know that I cannot use my own human plans and methods to win any battles but instead I use Your mighty weapons.

And today is my time to be bold and declare, in the name of Jesus,  

I pull down any stronghold the enemy has erected around me – the Lord sets me free and I am indeed free.

In the name of Jesus, I declare that for my sake,

God will not rest, until [my] righteousness blazes down like the sun and [my] salvation flames up like a torch (Isaiah 62:1 MSG); He will make the darkness bright before [me] and smooth and straighten out the road ahead. He will not forsake [me]. (Isaiah 42:16 TLB).

Lord, You have said in Your Word that he who walks in [skillful and godly] wisdom will be rescued (Proverbs 28:26 AMP): I boldly declare that I will walk in wisdom and find full deliverance, in Jesus’ mighty name above all names, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, Amen†

 

“Prayer Focus: Pulling Down Strongholds – Time to be Bold” (Adapted from a prayer by Stormie Omartian)

Jesus wants to…

 

Matthew 8:2-3 (GNT), as it is written,

Then a man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Him, knelt down before Him, and said, “Sir, if You want to, You can make me clean”. Jesus reached out and touched him. “I do want to”, He answered. “Be clean!” At once the man was healed of his disease.

Beloved like this suffering man, you must never be in doubt of Jesus’ ability to heal you or whether He wants to. The man somehow knew that if Jesus wanted to, if it was His will, He could easily make him clean. The man demonstrated great humility by kneeling before the Lord and strong faith by what he said; his approach was both humble and bold.

This passage shows us that Jesus not only cares, He cares enough to reach out to us and touch us. His touch gives us a sense of comfort and calms our spirits – it’s reassuring. Jesus has compassion for us and is willing to attend to our condition whatever it may be.

Jesus wants to come into contact with us today. He wants to form a very personal relationship with every one of us; Jesus wants to be close to us, to literally touch us wherever we’re hurting – our pain and our affliction.

Jesus wants to fulfill our hearts’ desires because the desires of our hearts are His desires. Jesus has a heart for all of us and wants to bathe us in His love. When we realize the love of Jesus, something happens within us and at once we become clean. We no longer feel shunned or rejected but accepted and embraced by a love we’ve never known. We no longer focus on the condition of our skin, but we feel the cleansing that starts taking place from within.

When we kneel before Jesus, He reaches out, touches us, cleanses us and heals all our diseases because Jesus wants to.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Jesus wants to…” ©2013 (20-Mar-13) revisited September 21, 2026