Mensa Otabil - In the Power of the Spirit
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Well, we’re two days away from our 40 Days of Power, and I trust that your heart is ready, your spirit is ready, and we’re going to be in the presence of the Lord. In Luke chapter 4, verse 14, after Jesus had finished His 40 days of prayer and fasting, the Bible says about Him, «Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.» At the end of the 40-day fast, Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil, and right after that, the scripture says He returned in the power of the Spirit.
Fasting and prayer mean spiritual empowerment. There is something about the power of God that gets activated, released, and manifested during times of prayer and fasting, and Jesus obviously saw that in His ministry. Fasting and prayer allow us the time to turn our hearts to God, to be more God-minded, to be more spiritually minded, to dedicate more time to prayer, and it helps us to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. All of these enable the power of God to show forth in our lives. When Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit, the passage says that news of Him went through the surrounding region. It’s almost as if the Holy Spirit went ahead of Him; while He was away for 40 days in the wilderness, God was working ahead of Him, spreading news of Him, so when He returned, God had already advertised Him.
You know, when we fast and pray, we say that we are waiting on the Lord. However, when we are waiting on the Lord, God doesn’t wait; while you are waiting on Him, He is working for you. So Jesus comes, and the publicity has already been done. Something has already gone out about His ministry, and God had prepared the way for Him. I just want to encourage you that as you wait on the Lord, God is not waiting; God is not resting while you are waiting on Him. He is working on your behalf, and He goes ahead of you, making a way for you so that the path becomes clearer for you in the future.
I trust that after your 40 days of prayer, God will change the story about you. News of you will go out; God will make a way for you, and God will open doors for you. The power of the Holy Spirit anointed the words of Jesus. Before then, He was one of the men in the crowd waiting to be baptized by John; He was just a carpenter, everybody knew Him as the village carpenter from Nazareth or Galilee. After this time, this village carpenter was now a phenomenal preacher, doing things that carpenters don’t do, and it was because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
I pray that you will return in the power of the Spirit and come out different after these 40 days of prayer and fasting. In these 40 Days of Power, God will empower you; God will go ahead of you, and He’ll make a way for you. God will change the news about you. I don’t know what news has gone out that is not right in God’s will, but God will give a new story; He’ll make a new story about you. The news will change; the story of victory will be announced for you. In these 40 Days of Power, get ready—it’s two more days! And we all stand together. Pastor Mensa Otabil, shalom, peace, and life to you.