Church 6/14/2026
Offertory scripture:
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”Psalms 27:14 NKJV
Sermon message:
Thesis: God gives power to change things.
The unseen can change the seen.
Gospel of John and book of Hebrews - first two books that our pastor recommends Bible newbies read.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”Hebrews 11:3 NKJV
“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”I Corinthians 2:13 NKJV
“while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”II Corinthians 4:18 NKJV
You learn to see things in the Spirit, and not by your own understanding, or through your flesh.
Repeated for emphasis:
“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”I Corinthians 2:13 NKJV
People who aren’t saved and who aren’t interested in the spiritual things, they think that such things are foolish. Ironically they’re often interested in demonic things, but not good things.
But for those who are interested in Godly things, they have access to unseen power that is still real.
Point 1: There is power in prayer.
God has given us a supernatural power that actually does move things around in the spirit realm immediately.
For example, Daniel and the lions den. The lions were real. The edict to worship only the human king was real. But Daniel believed that only prayer could solve the hard circumstance.
Peter healed a lame man by using Jesus’s name. There is power in His name. The Jewish leaders tried to shake Peter and John’s faith. But they got together with other believers and prayed to strengthen their faith. And when they prayed, the Holy Spirit showed up in power and strengthened them.
“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”Acts 4:31 NKJV
Use the power of prayer. Others may not see where your prayers go. And you might not see it right away. But the power of prayer in Jesus’s name is already working.
“Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.”Psalms 107:28 NKJV
Pray and receive strength in Jesus.
Prayer also stops satanic attacks. Use prayer to stop spiritual attacks. Oftentimes people don’t pray and the attacks continue.
“So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.””Mark 9:29 NKJV
[Note: the translation that my pastor used had only the reference to prayer but not to fasting. That said, what I would say is that depending on the caliber and intensity of the demonic attack, either only prayer, or both prayer and fasting, are necessary.]
Prayer can also strengthen us against temptation. It is a supernatural force that shows up in the natural.
Point 2: There is power in praise.
Praise is a weapon. There is a supernatural force that shows up and takes place.
Consider the case of Gideon. He surrounded his military forces with the praise team. The enemy started turning against themselves.
Consider the case of Joshua and marching around Jericho. It had never previously been defeated. The solution was not by human effort, but by divine instruction and by praising God. Only them did the walls of Jericho falls. God brings victory when we pray and when we praise.
Consider David. He lost his wife and kids, as did so many people around him, and even then they started to blame him. Even he started to get down. But then he strengthened himself in God, praised Him, got everything back, and got spoil as well.
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”I Samuel 30:6 NKJV
Consider Paul and Silas in the prison cell. They began praying and praising God at midnight.
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”Acts 16:26 NKJV
“But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.”Psalms 22:3 NKJV
Here, “Israel” refers to “the people of God,” which today means all believers of Jesus Christ.
Point 3: There is power in speaking the Word of God.
It is better to speak the Word of God than giving the devil credence.
Like with praying and praising, speaking the Word of God changes things, first in the spiritual, and then eventually in the natural.
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which is a key part of the armor of God. This is what we use to fight back against the devil as a counteroffensive. (The shield of faith stops the lies of the devil, and the sword of the Spirit counterattacks him to hurt him and weaken him.)
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”Ephesians 6:17 NKJV
Consider Moses vs Pharaoh. He spoke what God told him to say. Things didn’t materialize right away. But eventually they did.
Focus on the spiritual realm. It will change the natural as well.
Point 4: There is power in the name of Jesus.
There is power in speaking the name of Jesus.
Peter did this when he commanded the lame man to rise and walk. There indeed is power in His name.
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,”Philippians 2:9-10 NKJV
Point 5: There is power in the blood of Jesus.
Whenever Satan is trying to hold your sin over you, speak the below verse:
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”Ephesians 1:7 NKJV
“The blood of Jesus Christ has forgiven me.”
If Satan tries to force you to identify as a sinner:
“in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”Colossians 1:14 NKJV
“The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed and purified me.”
If Satan tries to dissuade you from approaching God at all:
“Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,”Hebrews 10:18-19 NKJV
“The blood of Jesus Christ has forgiven me.”
Submit to God. Then you can be assured that God will do all the above.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”James 4:7 NKJV
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”I Peter 5:6 NKJV
Testimony on how believers overcame Satan:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”Revelation 12:11 NKJV
Note after sharing the sermon: I think learning to see events and incidents through the spiritual lens rather than the natural lens is one of the most difficult things a person can do. It is absolutely necessary, however, for the strengthening of one’s faith. Bad circumstances can drain a person’s strength when they rely on said strength. But when truly trusting God and His perspective, it has the power to reshape how one sees circumstances as well as the individual(s) that may be responsible for causing them. It’s a lesson I’m still learning, and one that I’ve continued to be slow to grasp. I can still think of arguments for why people can still be my enemies or evil. But it’s times like these when I know I desire to learn, that I must lay aside any arguments. After all:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV
At the end of the day, the power that is found in prayer, praise, the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus, is rooted first in receiving Him as your King and Savior, surrendering your life to Him, submitting your will to Him, and receiving Him into 100% of your heart. It’s rooted in this key relationship that has the power to transform you in ways that no other relationship can. The power found in prayer, praise, the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus, is available to anyone who truly believes. And from there, anything truly is possible, as long as it agrees with God’s sovereign will.
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