THE POWER OF THE NAME
12th Aug 2015
The disciples firmly believed that when Jesus ascended and returned to His Father, He not only had left them with a living and vital relationship but also with the power His Name. Paul believed this and wrote, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...” (Philippians 2:9-10)
When Peter and John met the crippled man at the entrance to the temple, their immediate response to his request, spoken boldly by Peter was, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” He was instantly healed and they proceed into the temple walking, leaping and praising God!
When Paul was being followed by a demon possessed slave girl in Philippi, he realised that this was the devil at work, turned around and addressed the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her.” She was instantly delivered, which didn’t please the slave owners and landed Paul and Silas in prison, but the power of the Name had clearly been demonstrated.
Even in the Old Testament we have these words from Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” We also need to remember the power of the Name when thinking about our personal safety. Psalm 138:2 says, “For you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
There was a time when you would constantly hear believers using the name of Jesus when confronting disease, sickness or attacks from the enemy. Have we lost our confidence in the Name, become lazy or now look for other solutions to our problems?
This has challenged me this week. When facing sickness, disease, the attacks of the enemy, or our personal safety, what is our reflex action? Fear, human solutions or the power of the Name of Jesus.
by Charles Sibthorpe
