Devotion: Where Is the Power?
Scripture, Personal Reflection, Contemplation, and Prayer
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:5 (ESV)
“Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV)
“And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Personal Reflection
There is a sobering truth we must face: the church today, in many places, lacks the power we read about in the Book of Acts. The question is not whether we have buildings, programs, followers, and podcasts—we do. But do we have power? Do we see transformed lives, conviction of sin, revival of holiness, and the fear of God? Sadly, in many cases, we do not.
I once heard of a scandal involving a senior pastor entangled in an affair with the youth pastor’s wife. My heart broke—not just for the betrayal, but for the spiritual casualties that surely followed. New believers. Young people. Faith shaken. Hope bruised. How can this be? Why such spiritual ruin from the very ones called to be shepherds?
The answer is painful: when pulpits become platforms for personality, when pastors become performers or self-help lecturers instead of prophets of God, the church becomes weak. Men and women who once thundered truth with the fire of heaven in their bones have been replaced by professionals more concerned with image than integrity.
Where are the ministers who speak with Holy Spirit power? Where are those unafraid to preach repentance, holiness, hell, and the cross—those who carry eternity in their voice and tear-stained prayers in their closet?
But before we point fingers, we must examine ourselves. Are we contributing to a powerless church by expecting comfort over conviction, entertainment over exhortation, tolerance over truth? The people in the pews shape the pulpit just as the pulpit shapes the pews.
Contemplation
When was the last time I was deeply convicted during a sermon?
Do I pray regularly for my pastors to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Am I living in a way that supports or sabotages the work of God in my church?
Have I become too comfortable with sermons that don’t challenge me to repent or grow in holiness?
What do I really want from my spiritual leaders—truth or affirmation?
We long for revival, but revival will never come through lifeless pulpits or passive pews. We must pray for ministers who fear God more than man, and we must live as disciples who reflect Christ in every sphere of life.
Prayer
Righteous Father,
Forgive us for tolerating a powerless Christianity. We have settled for polished words without the piercing power of Your Spirit. We have allowed entertainment to replace edification, and in doing so, we have quenched Your fire.
Today, Lord, we lift up our pastors, teachers, and spiritual leaders. Make them holy. Set them apart for Your glory. Fill them with the Holy Spirit and boldness. Let them be voices crying in the wilderness—calling the church to repentance, to truth, and to life in Christ.
And Lord, change me. Let me not demand what is easy to hear, but what is necessary for growth. May my life reflect holiness and honor to Your name. Make me a true disciple—alive in the Spirit, anchored in truth, and walking in love.
Raise up a generation of ministers who preach with tears in their eyes, fire in their bones, and eternity in their hearts.
In Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen.
Today’s Challenge:
Pray by name for the leaders in your church. Ask God to purify their hearts, anoint their preaching, and give them boldness to stand for truth. Then look inward and ask the Lord to make you a vessel of honor, fit for His work (2 Timothy 2:21). Power returns to the church when purity and prayer return to God’s people.
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