The Greatest Power that Man Possesses

Introduction:

I'd like to take this opportunity to speak to you on how to use your greatest power to change your life. You possess a powerful force that you either use, or misuse, hundreds of times every day. Every action you take has its origin as a thought, and the sum of all your actions produces the person you are. When we fail, when we wallow in self-pity, when we complain we do so because we fail to use the greatest power we possess or we misuse it with disastrous results and it brings grief to us and to those lives they touch. Since you, and only you, are in charge of your mind, you also have full reign over this great power and by using it wisely you cannot help but become a better person in every area of your life. You are the possessor of a great and wonderful power.

I. NEW LEASE ON LIFE

A. This power you possess will give you a new lease on life. It was present in Eden. It is a power that can turn success into failure. It is a power that can turn tears into laughter. It is a power that can turn a life of disappointment into a life of interesting experiences.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)

B. When we fail to find the abundant life we sometimes look around for something or someone to blame. We attribute our success in living to good luck or bad luck, as though luck was a god or goddess intervening in the affairs of men. We look outside ourselves blaming others rather than tapping the great power we possess in our own hearts.

C. Oh! How many times have we contacted this Great Power and did not recognize it? In fact, God gave this power to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden it was a power that eventually determined their destiny in life. It was a power that we inherited from them. How many times have we had THIS GREAT POWER right in our hands and we threw it away, because we did not recognize it? How often have we seen it before our very eyes? How many times have we seen THIS GREAT POWER demonstrated right before us? Yet, we did not see it with all its possibilities, with all its wonder working effects. THIS GREAT POWER IS THE GREATEST POWER THAT MAN POSSESSES!

D. The amazing part about this power is that anyone and everyone can use it. It doesn't require any special training or education. It isn't a power that requires any special aptitudes to make it work successfully. It isn't a power than anyone has any special claims to, nor does it require wealth or prestige to make it work. It is a power that everyone is given at birth, whether he be rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful, whether he be born on the right side of the tracks or not. The sooner we recognized this power, the quicker we get on the main road and stay there.

E. There is no power outside yourself that that has control of this power you possess ... God or Satan does not have the power to overrule this power at your disposal. You use this power every time you go into a shoe store, a clothing store or a car dealer. It is the power of choice. You may blame someone else for the choice you made, but you and only you had the power to make the choice.

F. Today's parents have been taught that children are born neutral and good, and that other behavior is caused as the child grows. The parents accept too much blame for everything their children do. This is a relatively new trend. It denies the power of choice that children exercise as they grow, and the responsibility we each have for ourselves and the choices we make. It is also a misinterpretation of Proverbs 22:6. Ezekiel 18 is more helpful in understanding the behavior of children.

Ezek 18:1-4
The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: "'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son-- both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Ezek 18:20
The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.

F. We've heard the old saying, "God helps those who help themselves." God does give each and every man and woman the right TO HELP HIMSELF/ HERSELF. . . OR IN OTHER WORDS, THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE.

1. In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Carl Lewis won four gold medals. Despite his outstanding performance, he was accused of holding back in the long jump. Instead of going for the world record, he stopped competing after his first jump, knowing that he had won the gold. His response to criticism is inspiring. Carl said that the Olympic trials had taken more out of him than he had expected, so he decided to save his strength. He explained that he was there to win gold medals-- not to set records that would probably last only a short time. So rather than risking injury or overexertion in pursuit of a world record long jump, he conserved his energy and went for the gold in his other events.

2. Carl's decision reminds us of an emphasis made in the Word of God. The Bible tells us that we must make choices about what we are going to do. Those choices determine our success or failure.
 

II. "CHOICE" AND ITS POWER

A. The right to choose gives the power to life and death.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (KJV)

Gen 2:17 LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (KJV)

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (KJV)

B. This power that God has placed in your heart is so great that you can never be defeated unless you choose to be defeated. The beauty about this is that if you stumble you can make a choice to turn to God and receive forgiveness and as long as you have his forgiveness your are safe.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (KJV)

1. In the Christian's battle with temptation, the will is vitally important. This is because we choose to sin; that is, with our will we make the decision to break God's law. Behind every sin is the choice to disobey.

2. Too often we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well if we stopped using the term's "victory" and "defeat" to describe our progress. Rather, we should use the term's "obedience" and "disobedience." When I say I am defeated by something, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may, in fact, be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey. We have chosen to entertain lustful thoughts, or to harbor resentment, or to shade the truth a little.

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (KJV)

3. "What we do today is the product of all the choices we have made." Making choices is seldom simple or clear-cut, and we all have wound up making average choices.
 
 

III. IT'S YOUR CHOICE

A. By now you know that it's your choice and yours alone, as to what you will do with the rest of your life.

B. It's futile to live for some future time when things will be different, believing that as soon as "I'm older," "richer," "more educated," (or in a more sophisticated vein: "when I finish my therapy") then all will be well . . . dream on, these are futile delusions.

C. It's just as futile to live in the past when: "I was younger," "stronger," "my spouse was living," or before: "my marriage," "my divorce," "my surgery," "my heart attack," "I lost my job," "the children were born" . . .

2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (KJV)

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (KJV)

CONCLUSION:

Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. (KJV)

Matt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (KJV)

God made a choice and He chose to give you a choice.