Power: Believing the Gospel

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 
 – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 

It is not unusual for people to use the word “gospel” as a synonym for truth. When not believed, truth can appear unimportant. Oddly, a lie can even seem powerful at this point. However, the potency of the truth is revealed in how deeply it is believed. Belief activates the energy of the truth. 

In a similar sense, the gospel isn’t just a message for salvation, it is the power of God at work in those who believe. “But we preach Christ crucified…to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) 

To believe the gospel is to access divine power. Power is the ability to do work. Power is the rate at which success happens. Therefore, if power is missing in any area of your life, it is revealed by stagnation and frustration. 

In summary, power confirms identity. Without power, identity is a liability.

When God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27), He didn’t stop there. He blessed them and, in doing so, He empowered them to function in dominion. That blessing was lost at the fall, but it was recovered on the cross. The crucified Christ is not just a Good Friday story; it is the strategy of heaven for daily victorious living. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, we regain access to divine enablement. 

So, believing the gospel goes beyond mere surface-level identification as a Christian, it is about harnessing the ultimate power. Power in the sense that one is no longer bound by the limitations of the natural realm (time, space, and matter). Belief is demonstrated in the way thoughts are cultivated, the way prayers are raised and through the motivation behind words and actions. 

In summary, power confirms identity. Without power, identity is a liability. Power is activated by believing. Believing is the channel through which the finished work becomes a present reality.  

I ask you today, do you believe the gospel? Not just in theory, but in the way you pray, expect, and act? Does your belief in the gospel show in the power that flows through your life? Are you walking in daily victory or simply holding on to a social label? 

Prayer – Father, help me to truly believe the gospel, not just as a story, but as Your power at work in me. I yield to the work of the Spirit and eliminate every form of doubt and unbelief in my heart. Let my life demonstrate the victory of the cross. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Bible in 1 Year: Psalms 1-3; Acts 17