THE SPIRIT OF MIGHT

A Revelation of Man's Ability in Christ

by Jerry Savelle

Contents

Introduction

1 Negative Voices

2 Equipping the Church of Jesus Christ

3 Communication with God—A Necessity

4 Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

5 Spirit of Counsel and Might

6 Availability of Wisdom and Might

Introduction

The Spirit of God has revealed a truth to me that has been such a great blessing in my life; in fact, it has revolutionized my thinking in many areas. I believe it will do the same for you. It is what I describe as the Spirit of Might.

I am persuaded that, as time marches on, the Body of Christ will become stronger and stronger.

I refuse to believe the prophets of doom who predict defeat for the Body of Christ. I refuse to believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is getting weaker and that because sin is abounding Satan has the advantage over the Church. I believe that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. (Rom. 5:20.)

Because we are experiencing Satan's greatest attacks does not mean he has the advantage, or that he has finally figured out a way to beat God.

Satan has been trying that for years, but he has not succeeded—and he shall not succeed!

I also refuse to be shaken by the energy crisis, by the increase in gasoline prices, or by any of the things the world loves to keep in front of us constantly. I refuse to believe that any of it will affect the preaching of the Gospel in these last days.

God has never said, "I want you to preach the Gospel until gasoline goes up to five dollars a gallon; then you will have to cease for a season."

As far as I can tell, the Good News will still go forth, even in the midst of adversity.

The Good News is that God is still El Shaddai, not El Cheapo! He is still Jehovah-jireh (Heb., the Lord will provide).

He is still the God of abundance, the God Who is the supplier of all our needs. We need to keep this in our thinking at all times.

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Negative Voices

Not long ago, I found myself in a church among people who said they believed the Word of God, but who kept talking negatively. There are many negative voices in the earth today, but it is a sad state of affairs when many of these voices are coming from the pulpit. It's bad enough to face the world's pessimism without having to hear it in church.

This particular preacher is convinced that the Body of Christ is headed for defeat. According to him, there is only a remnant, a small number of people, who will make it through these perilous times. As for the rest of us, he implied that . . well, it's just too bad what will come upon us.

When that man had finished preaching, he had painted the most horrible picture of failure you could ever imagine.

Whenever I hear that kind of talk, I just have to turn my ears off and refuse to listen. If I read my Bible correctly, I see that Jesus Christ is coming back for a glorious church (Eph. 5:27)—not for a handful of beaten-down, worn-out people who are barely making it. We're not getting weaker, folks; we're getting stronger!

You know, it seems to me that it would be foolish for God to wait nearly 2,000 years to finally wind up with a handful of beaten-down, worn-out, half-dead people in His Church. It would have been smarter on His part to have sent Jesus back for the Church on the day of Pentecost when Peter had just won 3,000 people with his first sermon. If all God was going to have after 2,000 years was just a handful of folks, He would have been a lot wiser to have just sent Jesus back the day those 3,000 got born again.

Jesus said that He has gone to prepare a place for us. Isn't it a shame that just He and a few others are going to spend eternity in that vast amount of space called heaven!

Then there are a lot of people who are so concerned about the Great Tribulation. Don't misunderstand me, I don't belittle these things, but we must rightly divide the Word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15.)

One time while I was holding a meeting in a well-known city, a group of people asked if they could put what they called "tribulation food" on our tape and book tables. I said, "No, you may not."

They were shocked and said, "Oh, brother, you're not preparing the Body of Christ for the Great Tribulation."

"Preparing them for what?" I asked.

"For the Great Tribulation."

"Oh, yes, I am," I replied. "I'm teaching them the Word. From what I understand, it's the washing of the water of the Word that makes them strong in the Lord and able to overcome the adversary."

These people were trying to set up a "tribulation booth" and sell some kind of dehydrated food that was sealed in cans. I don't know about you, but I don't plan to go to heaven on dehydrated food. It's a shame that people fall for that kind of nonsense. It's only an indication of not being established in God's Word.

The Sleeping Giant Has Awakened The Church of Jesus Christ is in its finest hour.

In the past, it has been somewhat like the vision Ezekiel had of the valley of dry bones. But God has breathed life into those dry bones; strength has come upon them; and a mighty army has arisen. (Ezek. 37:1-10.)

It's obvious that the Body of Christ has been a sleeping giant for a number of years, but in the last decade there has been a great awakening of the Body of Christ. It has shaken itself from its slumber and is no longer asleep.

We have not yet reached perfection, but we're closer to it than we have been in the history of the Church. We're not a sleeping giant anymore. We have awakened, and we're finding out who we are, what we are, and what we can do. We are learning what is ours, and we're taking it by force—whether the Devil likes it or not! Jesus is coming back for a glorious Church.

The Bride of Christ

You know, we talk about the Body of Christ being the Bride of Christ. As I was thinking about this one day, it occurred to me that I am very proud of my wife Carolyn. She is a beautiful, attractive woman, and I'm very proud of her. I enjoy taking her places with me. I like to be seen with her. She doesn't shame me. She doesn't follow along behind me looking as if she is just barely making it, beat down and worn out. No, she has adorned herself and made herself beautiful for her husband.

Now we are the Bride of Christ, but some folks have a very poor image of the Church that Jesus is coming back for. If I were Jesus and if the Church looked like what some people say she is going to look like, I would be nudging the Father, trying to get Him to postpone the wedding! I wouldn't want to be married to something like that for the rest of my life!

No, Jesus is coming back for a glorious Church!

In Ephesians 5:25-33, Paul makes a comparison between the union of Christ and the Church, and the union of a man and his wife. He talks about Christ's love for the Church, saying in verse 26: that he (Christ) might sanctify and cleanse it (the Church) with the washing of water by the word. Notice that the Church is cleansed by the Word of God.

Someone has said, "I thought it was trials and tribulations that brought perfection to the Church." If that were true, we would all be perfected now because we have certainly experienced plenty of trials. Do you know of anyone who has never had a trial? Do you know anyone who has never experienced a hardship? Is there anyone you know who has never faced pressure? Of course not. All of us have experienced these things.

That trial, hardship, or pressure will not perfect you. It is not designed by God to perfect you; it is designed by the enemy to destroy you.

The trial in itself won't perfect you; it's what you do with God's Word and your faith in the midst of the trial that brings perfection.

My friend, if you think it's just the trials and pressures, the hard places and the storms of life that bring perfection to you, you will be destroyed. It is not the trial alone that brings perfection. The trial is designed by Satan to destroy you, to make you non-productive, to get you to turn your back on God's Word.

Jesus said that Satan comes immediately to steal the Word that is sown in a man's heart.

(Mark 4:15.) But here in Ephesians, chapter 5, the Apostle Paul reveals to us that the Church—the Body of Christ of which we are a part—is going to be cleansed and sanctified, brought into maturity and perfection by the washing of water by the Word. Why do you suppose there are more people searching for the truth than ever before? Because the Word of God is setting people free and enabling them to overcome life's storms and problems.

What is the Lord doing? He is washing the Church by the water of the Word. His Word is what brings perfection. Jesus said to His disciples, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3).

The Apostle Paul told Timothy, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (Profitable for what?) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). It is the Word that brings us to maturity.

Notice that Paul said in Ephesians 5:26,27 that by the washing of water by the word, that he (Christ) might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

I am convinced that we are in the midst of that cleansing stage. The Word of God is going forth in our lifetime as never before. There are more people open to the truth than ever before. I want you to know that the Church is doing much damage to Satan's kingdom. In fact, we are dealing him misery because there are so many people being born again!

People are coming to the knowledge of the truth. Someone has said, "Satan is working hard."

Well, so is God!

"But there is so much trouble in the land." Yes, but we serve a mighty God Who is able to deliver us.

Satan will never get ahead of God; he knows his days are numbered.

That's the reason our world is experiencing all the crises and problems right now. Satan realizes that his days are numbered, so he is bringing on more pressure than ever before to try to get us to fold up and quit.

But, thank God, if we keep our ears tuned to the Word of God, it doesn't make any difference what Satan brings, we're more than conquerors.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

(Rom. 8:37-39.)

My friend, you owe it to yourself to become established in God's Word. Don't listen to negative voices any longer. God's Word is a message of victory, not defeat. We are on a winning team, and we shall be victorious!

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2

Equipping the Church of Jesus Christ

Jesus is returning for a glorious Church, a mighty Church, a Church that will do exploits in His name, a Church that will see the manifestations of the power of God like no other generation before us. I'm convinced that because God said, The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former (Hag. 2:9), we haven't seen anything yet.

Many people have the idea that the mighty works of God have passed away. No, Jesus is raising up a Church, and we will see the mighty things of God like no generation before us. I am convinced that the prophets of old would love to live in this generation. I'm thrilled to be in this generation, to be one of the saints who will see Him come for a glorious Church.

We're the generation that will usher in His appearing—the generation to be known as the glorious Church. Because of this, we need to be well equipped. It is obvious that the greater insight we receive into the things of God, the greater a target we become for the enemy.

A lot of people have the mistaken idea that if they could just get full of the Word, they would never be attacked again. No, to whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48.) Becoming full of the Word will not stop the attacks of Satan, but it will keep them from being successful. That's the difference. You are not going to become exempt from the floods of life by being full of the Word, but you will be exempt from being destroyed by the floods.

So this is where we stand. In the days in which you and I live, the Church of Jesus Christ is alive, full of power and well able to overcome.

We have to be well equipped to handle every situation that Satan throws at us. Knowing that his days are numbered, he will do his utmost to kill, steal, and destroy. This is not to frighten you in any way, but actually to put you in a position of advantage. If you are aware of how Satan operates, you are in a position of advantage. If you don't understand how he operates, then he has the advantage over you.

The Church Shall Be Victorious

The important thing is for us to be sensitive to the fact that we are the Church of Jesus Christ.

God is equipping this body of people so that if we will follow the instructions in His Word, there is absolutely no way Satan can gain a victory in any area of our lives.

Let me explain what I am getting at here. I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life when I knew the Spirit of God was instructing me to do something. (Perhaps He had created a goal or vision in my life, or perhaps I would see something in His Word that I knew rightfully belonged to me.) When I set out to accomplish it, it would be like running into a brick wall.

Have you ever had that experience? Have you had God tell you to do something; but when you set out to do it, it looked like all hell broke loose the moment you left your prayer closet? While you were in your prayer closet, it seemed as if it would be the easiest thing in the world to do. You got up from your knees and went out to accomplish it. But the moment you shut the door to your prayer closet, it seemed like you ran right into a brick wall. Nothing seemed to work. Then you began to think to yourself, Dear me, I must have missed God!

You know, some people think the evidence that they are in the will of God is when everything goes smoothly. Well, if that's so, then Paul never got in God's will. Things were never very smooth for Paul! No, Paul took his faith and caused things to become smooth. There was never a red carpet rolled out for him. He took his faith and rolled it out himself. There were never any open doors for Paul.

Some folks think that if there are open doors, then it is the will of God. That's not always true.

Sometimes you have to take your faith and knock the door down.

So I began to pray about this which the Lord had instructed me to do. I was tired of running into that brick wall. I knew there had to be a reason why I wasn't overcoming. We must realize that failure is never the fault of God or His Word.

That only leaves us.

We should not be satisfied with failure. Have you ever been fed up with anything?

You know, sometimes we put up with the Devil in some areas of our lives, knowing all the time that we have authority over him, but not doing anything about it.

We tend to go along thinking, "One of these days, I'm going to get free of this thing."

Sometimes we act like Pharaoh with all those frogs. He had them in his oven, in his dough, in his bedchamber. Everywhere Pharaoh turned, there were frogs. Everywhere! Big frogs, little frogs, green frogs, brown frogs, slimy frogs, old ugly frogs. Finally, he called for Moses and said, Entreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me (Ex. 8:8).

Moses said, "All right. When?"

Pharaoh answered, "Tomorrow." Can you imagine that? He was actually saying, "I want to spend one more night with them."

That's about how we've been many times. We tolerate things and put up with them when we don't have to. If we can get rid of the frogs, let's get rid of them now! If we can get rid of failure, let's get rid of it now! Why put up with it one more day?

If we are a glorious Church, then we ought to be winning. We ought to be succeeding. We ought to be accomplishing. We ought to be productive.

If God tells us to do something, we ought to be able to do it, and not compromise just because things aren't working out too well.

In my own life there have been times when I have said, "I'm going to do this!" I would say it in all sincerity, fully intending to do it. But then it seemed that all hell would break loose. The next thing I knew, I would just pass it off and hope nobody remembered I had said I was going to do it. Have you ever been in that situation?

Well, that's not good enough. We're the glorious Church—the Church of Jesus Christ—and Jesus accomplished everything He said He was going to do.

Success in Every Area

I have noticed several great men of God, men for whom I have great respect and admiration, who simply will not accept failure. One of these men is Oral Roberts. I began to question God about Oral Roberts and his successes.

"Lord, I have watched Brother Roberts over the years. I've read about him. People have told me many things about him. I've read from his own writings the great and mighty things that have been accomplished in his ministry. Lord, why do men like this seem to be able to accomplish so much?"

Years ago I remember wondering about this, and some well-meaning but misguided soul told me, "Why, brother, don't you know? It's because his name is Oral Roberts. You can't expect to accomplish things like that because you haven't been given a name like his."

"What does his name have to do with it?"

"Why, brother, his name is Oral Roberts."

"So?"

"Don't you know the spiritual meaning of the word Oral? It means 'the spoken word.'"

So I thought, Lord, do You mean to tell me it's a person's name that puts him over?

I decided to look up my name and see if there was any spiritual significance to it. When I looked up the word Jerry, I found that it was a slang name for a German. I thought, Now, God, that isn't fair! Why did You give Brother Roberts a name which means 'the spoken word' and give me a slang name for a German?

Well, that's not the key to a person's success. It doesn't make any difference what your name is or what it means. The key to a successful ministry is not in a person's name. You can be a winner if you are determined.

Somebody else told me, "You'll have to remember, Brother Savelle, God has given Brother Roberts ultimate faith."

"Well, why didn't I get any of it?"

As this misinformed one explained, "God has a special call on Oral Roberts. You just can't expect to achieve or accomplish like he does; you just can't ever hope to be as productive as he is."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because God has given every man a measure of faith. He gave Brother Roberts a large measure, and He just gave you a little dab."

I thought, No. That couldn't be true. God is no respecter of persons. And it isn't true! According to Romans 12:3, God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. God revealed to me that the only difference between Oral Roberts and other people is that Brother Roberts took the measure which was dealt to him (the very same measure which was dealt to you when you were born again) and increased it by using it. Many people have never done anything with their measure of faith. It is lying dormant inside them.

I remember reading an article about Oral Roberts in a Tulsa newspaper. The article was about the City of Faith and about how it seemed at the time of the writing that it was impossible for it to succeed. After discussing all the reasons why it looked like it would never be completed, the author wrote, "Many times when Oral Roberts speaks and says what God told him to do, it sounds far-fetched and even presumptuous. But he has become a specialist at making scoffers eat their words."

I thought, What a tribute to a man! They may disagree with him, criticize him, even oppose him; but they all recognize the integrity of his heart, the power of God in his life, and the fact that if he says he is going to do something, then you can just "hide and watch" because it is going to happen!

That's the kind of ability I desire and the kind of ability the Church of Jesus Christ should be operating in. If we say we are going to do something, we ought to be able to do it—no matter what kind of pressure comes against us.

You know, I'm convinced that we have reached a time of determination. We must get determined to do what God tells us to do, even if it looks like everything around us is falling apart when we set out to do it.

We should not accept anything less than total success in every endeavor.

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Communication with God—A Necessity

If we expect to accomplish great things, then we must maintain constant communication and fellowship with God. As a minister I know that it is easy to get so wrapped up in the mechanics of the ministry that I lose contact with my Source.

The Lord told me one time, "The Devil doesn't really care how busy you are for Me, just as long as you don't have any time to talk with Me."

Think about that. The Devil doesn't really care how busy you get for God (and as ministers it is very easy to get busy for God), as long as you have no time to commune with God.

Many times as ministers we get so caught up in schedules and so stretched out with responsibilities that it just becomes a lot of hard work with no inspiration. If we can't hear from "headquarters," we're not going to get the job done.

Lay people are just as guilty as ministers. God tells you to do something or you are believing God for something; but before long you are so wrapped up in all the affairs of life, you aren't hearing from God. Then you can't understand why this thing isn't working.

If you get cut off from headquarters, it won't work. The Bible says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Ps. 37:23). If you can't hear Him, you can't receive your orders and won't be able to perceive the next step to take.

Necessity of Accomplishment

I don't enjoy setting out to do something, then not being able to accomplish it. In these last days Jesus Christ is raising up a glorious Church, and He is expecting it to accomplish everything He instructs it to do.

We have a tremendous responsibility: get the Word out to the masses in these last days. We have to do it effectively; so if that means taking over every form of communication then, thank God, we will be able to do it.

There will come a time when we will try to buy prime time on television to get the Word out to the masses, but the station managers will refuse to sell it to us. When that happens, I believe we'll just be able to turn around and tell them, "Then we'll just buy the station!"

We have a job to do and we have to be equipped to carry it out.

Many men in our generation are known for their accomplishments, their reliance upon God.

But I'm convinced that in this generation God is not raising up a man; He is raising up a people.

There will always be men who will stand head and shoulders above the others, but this is not the day of the great evangelist; it is the day of the great Church. This is the day of a great people, and we are all a part of it. When the world looks upon a man like Oral Roberts, even though they may not believe in him, they know that what he says, he can and will back.

That's the way the world ought to look upon the Church, the Body of Christ, as a whole. What it says it will do, it will do! We should be setting the example for the world to follow where success is concerned. But in order to accomplish this, we must stay in tune with God.

4

Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

What was Jesus equipped with that made it possible for Him to successfully accomplish whatever task God had for Him to do?

In Isaiah 11:1-3 the Old Testament prophet is speaking of the coming of the promised Messiah: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord ... and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.

Notice these words: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. . . . Were you aware that there is a Spirit of wisdom and understanding?

You know, many times I think we magnify evil spirits and don't put enough emphasis upon the Spirit of God. I'm aware that there are evil spirits, and we must deal with them, but I want you to realize that God has something to offer.

Many Christians talk about people being possessed of the Devil. That's true. Some are. But have you ever seen anyone possessed by the Holy Ghost?

Did you ever notice that when a person is possessed of the Devil, how controlled that person is by the evil spirit? Have you ever seen anyone possessed by the Holy Spirit? How would you like to be absolutely consumed and controlled by the Holy Spirit?

Notice the Bible says that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Jesus—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

I've experienced times when the Spirit of wisdom has come upon me. There have been times in my ministry when I have found myself in a situation in which I just didn't have an answer at that moment. Perhaps I would be counselling with someone. He would confront me with a problem and expect me to have an answer for it when, dear God, I had never heard of any such situation in my life! That person would be sharing his heart with me, expecting me to hear from God and tell him what to do.

Many times in situations like that, I just tell them frankly, "Look, I don't know the solution to your problem. But I'll agree with you that as we call upon God, He will provide it for you." There's no need in my trying to fabricate an answer. That would be dishonest, as well as dangerous.

There have been other times when I would have no idea what to tell the person, but the Spirit of wisdom would come upon me. I would open my mouth and hear myself say things I didn't even know I knew. Has that ever happened to you?

Sometimes I've experienced this special anointing of the Spirit while preaching. It would seem as if I had stepped out of my body and was standing there, hearing myself say things I didn't even know I knew. Sometimes I have had to listen to a tape of my own sermon to find out what I said!

There is also the possibility of a Spirit of intercession coming upon you in the same way.

Perhaps you have decided to intercede for some person. You go into your prayer closet and begin to pray in the Spirit or in your own understanding. Then a Spirit of intercession comes upon you, almost like an uncontrollable force that takes charge and intercedes through you.

I've seen that happen many times. My wife Carolyn has always been an intercessor. I've seen times when a Spirit of intercession would come upon her and she would begin to pray in tongues and travail in the Spirit. Many times it would be for the protection of some particular person. Later when we came in contact with that person, he would say, "Dear Lord, I want you to know God just delivered us from what would have been a tragic accident. Somebody was surely praying for us!"

Just moments before, Carolyn had been under a Spirit of intercession.

Now let me ask you something. Do you believe that if you could be clothed with the Spirit of wisdom, just as you are clothed with a suit or a coat, you would make wise decisions? Do you believe that in every decision you were faced with, you would operate in the mind of Christ because the Spirit of wisdom was upon you? Do you think that whatever you were confronted with, you would do exactly what God would do if He were in your situation because the Spirit of wisdom was upon you and it would be His thoughts you would be drawing from?

I believe this Spirit of wisdom is worth looking into. It seems to me that it could be a key to success.

I don't want it to just come upon me every once in a while. I want to be clothed with it. How about you?

Wouldn't it be great that in any given situation the wisdom of God would come out your mouth?

Well, let's find out how we can obtain it. Let's first look at the ministry of Jesus. You'll notice in the Scriptures that while everybody else was busy with their own affairs, Jesus was in constant fellowship with God. And no matter what the situation Jesus was confronted with, not one time was He without the wisdom necessary to handle that situation.

Not long ago as I was preaching on the subject of prosperity, the Lord revealed something about this to me. The Lord asked me, "Do you know what true prosperity is?"

"No, Lord," I answered. "What is true prosperity?"

"Being in control," He replied. "Prosperity does not mean just having a lot of money. There are many people who have a great deal of money, but are not in control. I was prosperous because I was in control of every situation."

Why was He in control of every situation?

Because the Spirit of wisdom was upon Him.

Suppose you had just finished preaching a victorious message and everybody in the house, instead of shouting and praising God, jumped up and rushed at you to throw you off a cliff. In a case like that, you had better have the Spirit of wisdom or you're going to die!

Because He did have the Spirit of wisdom upon Him, Jesus had the presence of mind to calmly turn and walk through the crowd. And no one even touched Him. (Luke 4:29,30.) I wonder what we would have done?

What would you have done, for example, if some people had brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to you, trying to trap you? How would you have handled that situation? Talk about a "cool operator"—Jesus was! He just bent down and started writing in the dirt. Then He said, "You that are without sin cast the first stone," and kept on writing in the dirt. He looked up in a minute and everybody was gone. (John 8:3-11.) Now that's being in control.

And what about the time He stepped into the boat and told His disciples to take Him to the other side? He went to the back of the boat and fell asleep. Later in the midst of the storm, Peter woke Him up with good news, "I hate to disturb You, Master, but we've got problems! We're drowning!"

Did you notice that Jesus didn't begin to worry? He didn't say, "Oh, my God, we're going to die!" He didn't start wailing, "Oh, my God, what are we going to do?" He just firmly ordered, Peace, be still! Then He turned to His disciples and said, "Now, boys, I said to get Me to the other side, and I don't intend to drown before I get there." (Mark 4:35-41.) That's being in control.

In every situation that Jesus encountered, the Spirit of wisdom was in operation in Him. I don't know about you, but I want that in my life. I don't want to just win a few and lose a few. I want to be in control all the time. I want to win them all! I want to be the head and not the tail all of the time!

I want to be above and never beneath all the time!

How about you?

5

Spirit of Counsel and Might

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might....

Isaiah 11:2

The spirit of counsel and might. When I read that the first time, the word might just leaped out at me.

Then the Lord spoke to me and said, "Son, I want to teach you something about the Spirit of might."

What God revealed to me about this subject has changed my whole life!

Spirit of Might

It is very possible that many of you who are reading this book didn't even know that there was a Spirit of might. We usually just talk about the Holy Spirit.

On the Devil's side, the Bible speaks of evil spirits—the spirit of fear, the spirit of bondage, dumb spirits, deaf spirits, etc. Well, if the Devil has all those evil spirits, why should it sound strange to say that God has some good ones?

After all, the Devil has done nothing but counterfeit what God has created. All Satan has ever done is to pattern in a perverted manner what he saw God do.

We might say that the Spirit of the Lord—the Holy Spirit—is the parent force behind all these

"good spirits," just as Satan—an unholy spirit—is the parent force behind all the evil spirits such as a spirit of fear, a lying spirit, an unclean spirit, etc.

The Holy Spirit then is the parent force behind the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of knowledge, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of counsel, and the Spirit of might.

The Spirit of might is the one I want to deal with in this study. When God called my attention to the Spirit of might, I began to study it closely. I went from one end of the Bible to the other searching out references to this Spirit of might.

The first thing I wanted to do was to see how it operated in Jesus' ministry because Isaiah had said that the Spirit of might would rest upon Him.

In Matthew 13:53,54 we read:

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Another translation reads, this wisdom and these works of might?

I want to call your attention to the two characteristics, or attributes, of Jesus which these people recognized: wisdom and might. I want to establish something here that will be very important for the rest of this study. Wisdom and might operate together; they always flow together.

You see, it's one thing to have wisdom; it's something else to have the ability to put that wisdom to work. Wisdom and might go hand in hand, but they are not the same thing.

We can define might as inherent ability. It denotes capability. Might is the ability to perform something, the power to work or to carry something into effect.

Have you ever heard someone say that our God is able? Do you believe that God is able?

What do we mean when we say God is able? We are talking about an "all-mighty" God—a God to whom nothing is impossible as far as ability and might are concerned.

I'm convinced that God has inherent ability. If there is one thing the Body of Christ is established in, it is that God is able. Not all Christians believe God will do what He is able to do for them, but they do believe He is able.

I've heard many people give testimonies like this: "Oh, dear Lord, the Devil visited us this past week. You just don't know what we've been through. It looks like if God doesn't intervene, we're going to lose everything we've got. But we all know that our God is able."

Somebody else will then jump up and say,

"Yes, and the Devil visited us too. Oh, you think you've got problems. My husband got laid off. We don't have any money to buy groceries, and the refrigerator quit working. My God, we've had a hard time. But we know that our God is able."

But if you should ask these folks, "What did you say?" they'll answer, "I said that our God is able."

"Well," you ask, "do you believe He will?"

"Oh," they'll respond, "you never know what God's going to do."

"Well, why don't you go on and believe that He will do what He's able to do?"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to assume that God would do that!"

People like this have never really established themselves in God's Word. The Bible doesn't talk about God's ability nearly as much as it talks about His willingness to use His ability.

I remember reading F. F. Bosworth's book, Christ The Healer.* It contains one of the most powerful statements I have ever read. Bosworth said, "It is not so much what God is able to do, but what God is willing to do that is the solid foundation for faith."

* Bosworth, F. F., Christ The Healer (Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1973).

It isn't enough just to say our God is able. If you don't know He will do what He is able to do, then you don't have a solid foundation for faith.

The Bible does not say God is power; it says God is love. Because God is love, He will use His magnificent power in behalf of His people if they will believe He is able and He will act!

The Might of the Believer

I believe that God is able, but let me ask you a question. How would you feel about adding something to that confession? Say, "God is able. . . and so am I!"

"Now wait a minute, Brother Jerry, you're trying to pull God down to your level."

No, I'm not. He came down to my level, then pulled me up to His level.

"Do you mean that you're going to go around saying you are able?"

Yes, if I can get the Spirit of might on me, I am!

You see, might denotes inherent ability. It's one thing to know God is able to do something, but it is even more wonderful to know that the God Who strengthens you and the Christ Who abides in you will enable you to do the job. We are simply God's temple. If He is able and is in us, then He should be able to make us accomplish what He needs done in this earth.

Might means the ability to perform anything.

The word anything is all inclusive. Is there anything God can't do? No. Then there shouldn't be anything you can't do. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Phil. 4:13).

Some would say, "But God didn't really mean that, brother." Well, He shouldn't have put it in the Bible because I don't have any better sense than to believe it.

"But God didn't really mean we could do all things." If God said, all, He meant all! I can do all things. The words can do denote ability. Can do. It didn't say I can do some things; it said I can do all things.

Repeat that verse out loud to yourself right now!

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Say it again. This time emphasize I and me: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

You should always remember this verse when you are tempted to say, "I can't." Yes, you can! But you need to have a grip on this revelation. It is us— the Church of Jesus Christ—who are being equipped in these last days to do the things that must be done before Jesus can return to this earth in triumph.

Get this revelation of power and might inside you: I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.

Wisdom and Might in Jesus' Ministry

The first thing people noticed about Jesus'

ministry was wisdom and might. Wisdom is knowing how to do something; might is the ability to perform it. They go hand in hand.

Here is what the Lord told me: "Son, your problem has been that you've always come to Me for wisdom, but you didn't allow Me to cloth you with might. " That's true. I have had a quest for wisdom, but many times I didn't possess the ability to do what I knew to do.

When faced with pressure, there has never been a time that I didn't go to God and say,

"Father, what do You want me to do? What is the next step?" I would get in my prayer closet and stay there until I got the wisdom of God, no matter how long it took.

My problem was that I would get the wisdom I needed, but not let God equip me with the might to go along with it. When I found out what God wanted me to do, I would run off and try to do it without the ability. Many times I would leave my prayer closet so enthusiastically, then run into a brick wall and wonder if I had missed God.

While we are in our prayer closets finding out what God wants us to do, we should not be in such a hurry to rush out and do it. We should remain there fellowshipping with Him, allowing Him to equip us with the might or ability to perform what He has shown us to do. Then we can walk out of that closet knowing what to do and possessing the ability to do it. When we do that, no devil in hell can stop us!

Now let's look at Matthew 14:1,2: At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works (or works of might) do shew forth themselves in him.

Now this is what Herod actually meant:

"What I'm seeing in this man is the ability to perform anything."

How would you like for people to say that about you? Would you care to have such a personal reputation as that?

Evidently that was the kind of reputation Jesus had because the Bible says His fame spread abroad. Notice that Jesus wasn't out trying to promote His own reputation or fame. All He did was keep in constant fellowship with God, then operate in the wisdom and might He received from God. His fame spread abroad by itself. He didn't have to promote it.

The things people noticed and discussed about Jesus was His wisdom and might. When the name of Jesus was mentioned, people instantly thought of the miracles He performed.

But the miracles were a product of the wisdom and might. Even Herod recognized the works of might in Jesus' ministry.

Remember, Isaiah had prophesied that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Jesus—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might. The first thing we notice in Jesus' ministry is how wisdom and might were operative. He not only knew what to do, He had the ability to perform it. Nothing could stop Him.

We need to understand that Jesus was confronted with adversity just as many times as you and I. But no matter what situation He encountered, He never once failed to accomplish His mission. Not one time did He have to say,

"Well, I guess I missed God. I guess this wasn't God's will."

I'm so tired of having to stand up and say,

"Well, I guess I missed it. I don't know whether that was God's will or not." From now on, I'm not going to open my mouth unless I know it is God's will. Then when I know it's from God, I want the ability to perform it—not only the wisdom to know what to do next, but the ability to perform it.

This is what I have noticed in the ministries of men like Oral Roberts, T. L. Osborn, Kenneth Hagin, and Kenneth Copeland. If these men tell you they are going to do something, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are, how difficult the job looks, or what the world thinks or does—that job will get done!

This is what God wants in the Church—not in just a few good men, but in the Church, the glorious Church of Jesus Christ. If the Church says it's going to change things, then the world might as well get out of the way—things are going to be changed! If the Church says it's going to take authority over the economic situation of this nation, then it doesn't make any difference what the economists say, what the conservatives or liberals, the Republicans or Democrats say, the economy shall be under the authority of the Church of Jesus Christ! If the Church says it's going to get on its knees and get hold of God, that God is going to heal the land, then everybody better get out of the way because there is a healing coming!

But do you know what we've done in the past? We've said we were going to change a few things. We've taken hold of wisdom; but then when Satan slapped us in the face a few times, we have backed off. We should never back off. If we've set our mind to have healing in our land, then let's not settle for anything else.

God can change the entire destiny of a nation if one believer will get in tune with Him. And there is certainly more than one of us in God's glorious Church today!

6

Availability of Wisdom and Might

We have seen that Jesus operated in the Spirit of wisdom and might, but I want to see if that wisdom and might is available to anyone else.

First, let's look in the Old Covenant. First Chronicles 29:10-12 says:

Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

Thine, O Lord, is (Here David lists the attributes of God) the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honour come of thee, (If you want riches and honor, where do you go? David says God is the Source of greatness, power, glory, victory, majesty, riches, and honor.) and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; (Now where does might come from?) and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

1 Chronicles 29:10-12

All these things of God, including strength, might, and power, are available to all.

Now notice verse 29:

Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, with all his reign and his might.

David had talked about God being the Source of might, so evidently he had tapped into God's might in his life and reign.

This might of God is exactly what came upon Samson to enable him to perform his great feats of strength.

Then went Samson down ... and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand.

Judges 14:5,6

No ordinary human being has the natural ability to rip a lion apart; but when the Spirit of might comes upon you, you are able to perform anything.

It was also this Spirit of might which came upon the prophet Elijah when he outran the king's chariot for twenty miles. The Spirit of might came upon him and gave him supernatural ability. (1 Kings 18:46.)

In Daniel 2:19-23 we read these words: Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. (Notice how wisdom and might flow together; and remember, that is what the people recognized in Jesus' ministry.)

And he changeth the times and the seasons:

he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee.

It would seem that Daniel also tapped into God's wisdom and might. Why not? It's available to all.

Wisdom and might were operative in Jesus'

ministry. Obviously they were also operative in David's reign and in Daniel's life. Now the question is: Can the Church of Jesus Christ today be possessed with wisdom and might? If we can, then, dear God, the Devil better get out of the way because we can accomplish anything!

In order to answer that question, let's look into the New Testament. In the first chapter of Colossians we find a scripture which has been there all along, staring us in the face, but we seem to have missed its real significance. Beginning with verse nine Paul writes:

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his (God's) will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.

Colossians 1:9-11

Here Paul is praying for the Church.

His desire is that we not only be filled with wisdom, but that we be strengthened with might. Do you know what happens when you are strengthened with might? You possess the ability to perform anything. It gives you the ability to say, "My God is able, and so am I!"

In Ephesians, chapter three, Paul is once again praying for the Body of Christ. In verses 14-16 he says:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

Strengthened with might—the ability to perform anything. God wants the Church to have ability. He wants us to possess wisdom, knowing what to do; then He wants us to be clothed with the ability to perform it and to let nothing stop us.

Now let's look at a scripture we have read, quoted, and preached many times—one which should take on new meaning in the light of what we have just learned: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might (Eph. 6:10).

Does that mean we have at our disposal the might of Almighty God? Why do you think He is called Almighty God? He can do anything; so can His Son, Jesus. Well, I have news for you: so can the Body of Christ! As he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). When we have that Spirit of might upon us, we are able to perform anything Jesus can perform.

Would you like to know how to get that might? Then continue reading.

Appropriating the Might of God

Isaiah 40:26-29 is a passage of Scripture which has been preached countless times. Yet we haven't really seen what God is revealing to us in it.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

To them that have no might he increaseth strength.

The writer could just as easily have put it this way: "To them that have no might he increaseth might." If you study the words might and strength in the Hebrew text, you'll find that they mean the same thing: might, power, or strength.

The important point is that this might is given by God.

Verses 30 and 31 read:

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

The word renew in Hebrew means "to exchange." I like to explain it this way: When you wait upon the Lord, there is an exchange which takes place. You become involved in a transaction.

You go before the Lord and exchange your little six-volt battery for His power plant!

God grants, or gives, His supernatural might, power, strength, and ability to us in exchange for our human strength or power.

But what do we have to do in order to receive this gift of God's might? The key is found in verse 31: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Waiting upon the Lord does not mean what some folks think. Many people call waiting on the Lord just doing nothing. Waiting on the Lord is serving Him, ministering to Him, praising Him.

The Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people. (Ps. 22:3.)

We receive the Lord's might just as Jesus did: by waiting upon God, spending time in prayer and meditation and praise.

Now I will tell you why many people are not doing this. They simply will not take the necessary time. You see, we're in the generation that wants everything fast, quick. Everybody is in a hurry. We demand instant gratification.

"I can't spend hours with God," people say.

"I've got to have it now!"

Even the Church has gotten into such a hurry, it doesn't have time to wait on the Lord.

But God says,

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (v. 31).

The way you and I receive the Spirit of might is in our time of waiting on the Lord. You don't get it by confessing it or by praying for it. You get it only one way: by being in the presence of God, waiting on the Lord.

That's how it operated in Jesus. While everybody was off doing something else, He was fellowshipping with His Father. Why? Because He knew that was the way to lay hold upon the ability of Almighty God. When He came out of those times of waiting on God, the Bible says mighty works, great signs and wonders, followed Him everywhere He went.

Jesus was always in control. He always possessed the ability to perform. Why? Because He waited upon the Lord.

Then He passed this secret on to His disciples: Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

At Pentecost the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, transforming them from failures to champions. That is what God wants His Church to become today.

Psalm 34:10 says, They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. There is only one step to receiving God's might: Wait upon Him. Get in His 62

Availability of Wisdom and Might presence. You'll start exchanging your weakness for His strength, your lack of wisdom for His wisdom, your lack of understanding for His understanding.

If you will remain in His presence, you will begin to be conformed to the image of His dear Son. Then when you walk out of that prayer closet, you will be in control. The Spirit of might will fall upon you.

Jerry Savelle is a noted author, evangelist, and Bible teacher who travels extensively throughout the United States. Jerry teaches the uncompromising Word of God with a power and authority that is exciting, but with a love that delivers the message directly to the heart. His down-to-earth approach and dynamic illustrations clearly present the absolute authority of God's Word.

At the age of twelve as Jerry was watching the healing ministry of Oral Roberts on television, God spoke to his heart and called him into the ministry. Several years later, on February 11, 1969, Jerry made Jesus Christ the Lord of his life. Since that time, he has been moving in the light of God's calling on his life. Prior to entering his own ministry, Jerry was an associate minister with Kenneth Copeland Evangelistic Association.

The scope of Jerry Savelle Ministries is far reaching. Besides traveling throughout the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, Jerry is the founder and director of Overcoming Faith Christian School and Overcoming Faith Bible Training Center, both located in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, Jerry conducts a daily radio program, "Adventures In Faith."

The anointing of God upon Jerry's life is powerful, and people are set free as the Word goes forth unhindered.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Negative Voices

Equipping the Church of Jesus Christ

Communication with God—A Necessity

Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

Spirit of Counsel and Might

Availability of Wisdom and Might

er.*

Table of Contents

Introduction

Negative Voices

Equipping the Church of Jesus Christ

Communication with God—A Necessity

Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

Spirit of Counsel and Might

Availability of Wisdom and Might

er.*

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