Well, praise God, the Lord is so good to us, and I know to each of you as well. The problem is never about God being good to us, but rather about the devil doing bad to us. After all, it’s all the devil knows how to do. You know the story; God is a good God, and the devil is a bad devil. Plain and simple. Why can’t people seem to get it straight then? I was on the phone the other day with a man whose wife was afflicted with cancer, that I called to pray for, and he was the most bitter man toward God I’ve ever spoken to. Why, the bitterness was so powerful that it raised goosebumps on my arms, and I wept and cried out to God after getting off the phone that he might be forgiven. He said that God was not healing his wife and he was mad at me and everyone else and the horse they rode in on. He wouldn’t even let me pray for her.
About an hour after he hung up, his wife called me and I prayed with her. She did not share his attitude, thank God. I believe the power of God went through to her and healed her. She went on to explain that they had been in a hard battle and were just tired. I understand that. The battle can wear you down if you’re trying to fight on your own strength.

People often try to fight Satan on their own power. Know what? They’ve lost before they even start. Satan doesn’t take vacation, or take a day off, or even sleep. He’s on the job 24/7, and while you’re asleep or too lazy to pray, guess what, he’s mounting a siege against you. And when you wake up, you’re further in deep doo-doo than when you went asleep. That is, unless you’re fighting with the strength of God.
Friend, when you learn to fight the battle with the power and strength of God, you’re assured of victory every time. Know why? God never loses. Go ahead, check me out! Read the Book…you see, God wins EVERY battle, hands down. So therefore, I know who to team up with, because, I want to win. And I want YOU to win!
Let me tell you, God is POWER! But all the power in the universe is not of much good to you if God is not willing to use that power to help you, right? Because God is Love, He is not only willing to use His power to help you, but He is actually looking for someone to be good to. Well, that someone might as well be you, right? It can be, if you will just line yourself up with His word, not just believing it, but acting on it as well.
I did a word study on every time the word “power” is used in the New Testament. Almost every time, it is comprised of these two words in the Greek:

G1849
exousia
ex-oo-see’-ah
From G1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, that is, (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: – authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
G1411
dunamis
doo’-nam-is
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): – ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
Now, I’ve taught on these words before, and it’s time to do it again, for some of you aren’t getting it yet. As it is written in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing; and hearing by the Word of God.” Therefore, you need to keep hearing it until it becomes a part of your daily life. You need to know it like you know your name. No one could convince you that your name is Tom if your name is George, and if someone is standing there calling out “Tom, where are you?” you wouldn’t even pay any attention, since that isn’t your name, would you?

 Well, when the devil says to you, “Hey you, yeah you…you’re sick. You’re dying“, and the word of God is down on the inside of you like your bones, then you won’t even pay attention to him, not even if your body has symptoms of sickness. No, you will just say what the Word says, that you are healed by the stripes that Jesus took on His body, and that He bore all your sicknesses and all your diseases, and you would tell the devil to shut up and take a hike. You wouldn’t be dealing with the devil on your own strength, you’d be operating in a higher authority than that of your own. You’re operating in the strength of the Holy Spirit. And like I said before, He doesn’t lose….ever.
Since I like to tell stories to get my point across, let me tell you one now. There was a man who cut fire wood for his living. On a good day he could cut three cords of wood with his hand saw. He was in a shop looking at a new saw, when the salesman told him, If you buy this chain saw, you could easily cut seven cords of wood a day. So, in the interest of being more efficient in his work, he bought the saw and took it home. Two days later, he came back to the shop looking really tired. He said, I want my money back. I worked all day yesterday and could only cut two cords of wood with this thing. I did better with my old saw. The salesman said, Let me check it out. He turned on the choke, and gave the cord a pull, and VROOOOM! It started right up. The woodcutter said, What’s that noise? You see, the man was not using the saw to it’s potential, but trying to cut wood by his arm power without using the power the saw had. He would have used it, had he known, but instead wore himself out for lack of knowledge!
Now I know I’ve told you about the power that God has given you, but unless you’re using it, you’re wearing yourself out for nothing. Remember, in Hosea 4:6 it is written, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge…..” You will notice God said “MY PEOPLE”. That means Christians. God wants us to walk in knowledge, not ignorance. He has given us His Word that has every answer for every situation of our life. But if we leave it sitting on the coffee table all the time and never pick it up and study it, we will go through our life never knowing what we could have had, and not walking in the authority Jesus died to give us.
We read in Luke 4:6,
And the devil said unto him (Jesus), All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.


The word used for “power” here is “Exousia”, which is the greater of the two words “Exousia” and “Dunamis”. Exousia absolutely prohibits the presence of a hindrance. That power was originally given unto Adam at creation. Adam and Eve sinned and gave Satan their Exousia power, and Satan rightly said “for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it.” Wouldn’t you like to walk in the power that was once delivered unto Adam? Well, you can, for Jesus took it back from the devil fair and square, by coming to earth in the form of a man. Then before going back to His Father in Heaven, gave it back to us again. Let’s pick it up in Matthew 28:18…
Mat 28:18 And2532 Jesus2424 came4334 and spake2980 unto them,846 saying,3004 All3956 power1849 is given1325 unto me3427 in1722 heaven3772 and2532 in1909 earth.1093
Mat 28:19 Go4198 ye therefore,3767 and teach3100 all3956 nations,1484 baptizing907 them846 in1519 the3588 name3686 of the3588 Father,3962 and2532 of the3588 Son,5207 and2532 of the3588 Holy40 Ghost:4151
Mat 28:20 Teaching1321 them846 to observe5083 all things3956 whatsoever3745 I have commanded1781 you:5213 and,2532 lo,2400 I1473 am1510 with3326 you5216 always,3956, 2250 even unto2193 the3588 end4930 of the3588 world.165 Amen.281
Well, there you see it….the same “Power” that was once delivered unto Adam, Jesus delivered back to us again…….question is, are we going to use it?

Let me show you what Jesus said in Revelation 2:25-29… please note that in verse 26, the word “power” again is “Exousia”. And note in verse 25 it says we already have it….
Rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 
Do you have an ear to hear what Jesus is saying to you today? You have POWER! USE IT ! Quit bawling and squalling to God, begging Him to remove the hindrances the devil is putting on you. He gave YOU the power, and He gave YOU the Word that the devil HAS to obey, and He gave YOU a mouth to speak forth God’s word in authority. It is written in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore unto God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” God isn’t going to resist the devil for you. He gave the job to you, and since God never makes a mistake, and He thought you were up to the job, and I have to agree, the rest is up to you…..Let’s pray.
Father God in Heaven, Hallowed and Holy is Your name. Thank You Lord for the Exousia power You have given unto us, Your children. We worship You, Father, for Your goodness, mercy, and grace, and most of all for the blood of Jesus that takes away our sin and gives us eternal life with You. Help us to use our power that You have delegated unto us to the fullest extent, that we may build Your Kingdom here on earth. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.


You can study more about “exousia” and “dunamis” power in my article “Power over the powers of darkness” on our website “Archives” page.