46. And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48. And ye are witnesses of these things.

49. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for who You are. We thank You, Lord, for what You do. Father, hide Your son (hallelujah) behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. And Father, as I decrease I ask that You would increase. And let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ Name.

In verse forty nine... And you may be seated. He said,

49. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

When we begin to talk about power, just like with faith, just like with love, there are different levels. There are different dimension. There are different measures (glory to God) of power.

You see, if I’m going to be effective in the things of God, if I’m going to be effective in the Kingdom of God, I’ve got to have the understanding that there are certain levels and certain measures of power.

Different things in the house of God, and different things in the Kingdom of God require different levels of power. You see, one thing may require one level. But then when you try to do the same thing with something else, that what you tried before won’t work. Because it demands another level of power.

Power is energy. It’s the ability to put out effort or force. And God said, “Be here or stay here until I deliver this source of power to you.” In other words, “I’m going to deliver a force to you that is greater (glory to God) than any other force that’s able to do anything. Glory to God. Hallelujah to Jesus.

He said, “You’re going to need this power for what I have called you to.”

You see, many of us don’t understand that you just cannot get up to do something for God. You’ve got to have power.

We as Christians deal in a spiritual world. And we have got to understand this concept, that we as Christians should deal more in the Spirit than we do in the natural. But what happens is, we spend most of our time in the natural, so when it’s time to get in the Spirit, we’re trying to labor to get there. But the Bible says to walk in the Spirit.

We spend our time laboring to get somewhere that we should already be. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? We spend our time (glory to God) spitting and crying and slobbering (glory to God), trying to get into a place (glory to God), that belongs to us already.

Go with me in your Bibles to chapter nine of that same book of Luke. And just... This is what Jesus told the disciples here in chapter nine. He said in verse one,

1. Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them (What? Power. He gave them what?) power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

He gave them power to do something. You see, I don’t just receive power to receive power, so I can say I have power. But I receive power to do the work. He gave them authority. He empowered them to go forth. Glory to God. He gave them what we’ll call legal approval in the Spirit.

You see, I am authorized and you are authorized as a child of God (glory to God) to have authority over every principality, power, ruler of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. As a child of God, you have legal authority.

Just like when Adam and Eve were in the Garden. And they disobeyed God. They gave Satan legal authority. But Jesus has come and taken that authority back for us. So now we have obtained our authority all over again.

But we’ve got to learn how to walk in it. It’s one thing to talk about it. Oh, do you hear what I’m saying? I can talk about it all day long. But it’s another thing to what? To do it, to walk in it, to have a manifestation of it.

He gave them power and authority. And the Bible said not over some devils, but he said over all devils.

But there are different levels and measures of power.

Go with me to Matthew seventeen. I want to show you this tonight. Even though He gave them authority over all devils, it still required different levels of power. In Matthew seventeen, verse fourteen through verse twenty-one, it says,

14. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15. Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is (what?) lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Wait a minute. You already told me I got power over all devils. So something needs to click in my mind. There must be a greater level than where I am. Oh, hallelujah, somebody.

You see, you don’t need to get discouraged when there’s a devil that seems like it won’t move. You just got to go back to the power source. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? You’ve got to get back there and get more power.

Don’t get discouraged. Somebody hears me tonight. Don’t feel down because it seems like the devil got the upper hand. You’re the head and not the tail, above it always, never beneath.

We all know that old saying. For every level there’s another devil. But see, now we got Scripture to back it up.

You see, it wasn’t that the disciples... Listen, listen. It wasn’t that the disciples didn’t have power. They didn’t have enough at that time. It’s not that you don’t have any power. Hello, somebody. Jesus came to build the body, not to tear the body down. You may not have enough right now, but let me tell you something, baby. That devil better look out.

In verse sixteen he said,

16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could...

Now this is what I like about them. You can say what you want about the disciples. But they were inquisitive.

You see, a lot of times we’re not inquisitive enough. You see, a lot of times we just say accept it just to accept it. Do you hear what I’m saying? All we know is that God... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. All we know is that God moved. But they had enough inquisitiveness about them to ask God, “How did you move?” Do you hear what I’m saying?

It’s one thing to get into the flow. But it’s another thing to ask He that causes the flow, “How do you flow?”

The disciples said, “Why could we not cast him out?”

See, we have things that are going on in our lives. Listen. Listen. But we don’t ask enough questions. Do you hear what I’m saying? I’m not talking about coming to a man or a woman and asking them questions. But I’m talking about the one that knows all things. And asking, “Why, Lord, won’t this devil get out of my way?”

In verse twenty. And it said,

20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

“I have given you power over every devil.” But here’s the key in verse twenty-one.

21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

You want more power? You just got the key. Let me tell you something tonight. I can’t give you nothing. I can lay hands on you all I want to lay hands on you. But He’s the power source.

He said, “You want the power to get the...” Listen. He said, “You want the power to get the devil out?” He said, “Fast and pray.” You want the mountain moved out of your way? Fast and pray. It’s not easy. Anything that affects this flesh is not easy. It’s going to cause us to have to sacrifice something.

You want a real deliverance, you got to sacrifice something. Somebody can cast the devil out of you, but if you don’... Oh, my God, my God. If you don’t maintain... Somebody say, “Maintenance.” I got to have maintenance to maintain my deliverance.

He said, “This kind is only going to come out by fasting and praying.”

“What are you saying, preacher?” We as the body of Christ, we’ve been going through hell. Every time you turn around it’s always something. Every turn around it seems like the devil got the upper hand on us.

But this kind only goes out by fasting and praying. When the devil gets a stronghold in a place, that kind only comes out by fasting and praying. When he sets up a seat in the house of God, that kind only comes out by fasting and praying.

The more I fast, the more I pray, the more power I’m going to have. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? He gave them the key.

They had to have a little faith. Listen. Do you know why? Because the man said, “I brought them to the disciples, but they were not able to do it.” So they had a measure of faith, didn’t they? And also with that measure of faith they had a measure of power. But their measure of faith was not high enough. Their measure of power was not great enough. Somebody’s getting a revelation tonight.

You want more power? It’s going to cost you something.

Turn with me in your Bible to the book of First Kings.

Oh, it ain’t no hocus pocus, alacazam. Bam! You got power. It don’t work like that.

In First Kings chapter seventeen, look at verse... Let’s see here. Eighteen.

18. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

19. And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

20. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

21. And he stretched himself upon the child (one time, two times) three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

He prayed three times. I believe he prayed three times, because each time he prayed he received more power. Do you hear what I’m saying? You see, every time you pray you receive more power. You see, there’s something that’s trying to hold up your blessing.

But when I enter into a prayer life with God. When I enter into (oh, my God) a relationship with Him, I understand that sometimes it’s going to require me praying more than one time.

It can’t be laxidasical. Do you hear what I’m saying? It can’t be lazy fair, can it? The Bible said the effectual, fervent prayers (in the book of James chapter five) of a righteous man availeth much.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed three times. Every time they prayed there was more power that was launched into the Spirit realm. Every time you pray there’s more power launched into the Spirit realm.

You see, you are at the brink of giving up. But don’t give up yet. Pray one more time. If nothing don’t happen, pray again. If nothing still don’t happen, pray again. Oh, you hear what I’m saying to you tonight.

He prayed three times, because more power was needed. He cried out to the Lord as he laid himself over that child. It required so much.

If you’re going to resurrect something that’s dead, it requires more than just...(tongues.) We want to give them a...(tongues.) And we want the miracles to come forth. It doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t work like that.

Jesus prayed in that garden until sweat like drops of blood came from His face. Do you hear what I’m saying? I cannot just be in a place where I’m praying, and I pray for just about three minutes. And I expect all heaven and hell to be moved for me.

Every time I pray, I charge up the Spirit realm more and more and more and more and more.

Go with me to First Kings eighteen. In verse one it said,

1. And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

God gave the man of God the word, didn’t He? But even though God spoke the word, the man of God prayed seven times before the rain came.

You see, God already spoke a word to you, didn’t He? Do you hear what I’m saying? If He said it, that settles it. But there’s got to be more to charge up the atmosphere. My prayers are going to charge up the atmosphere. Oh, somebody, somebody.

Why? He already said it was going to rain. Why in the world would I have to pray seven times before the rain comes?

You receive a prophecy, and you ain’t prayed about it yet. And you’re waiting for it to happen? Hello, somebody. Do I need to finish the rest? We need to learn how to charge up the atmosphere.

You remember when Daniel prayed, don’t you? The Bible said he waited for twenty-one days. Twenty-one days. What if Daniel gave up and got up off of his knees and said, “Forget this. I ain’t waiting on God no more”? He would have missed his breakthrough.

He kept charging the atmosphere with prayer and fasting. He kept charging it with prayer and fasting. You want your healing? Charge the atmosphere with prayer and fasting. You want a devil to leave you? Fast a little while. That devil going to come out of you.

Prayer and fasting is what’s going to give us power.

Go with me to Ephesians chapter three. In Ephesians chapter three, and verse twenty and twenty-one, it said,

20. Now unto him that is able to do (what?) exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the (what?) power that worketh in us,

21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The power source is not the problem. We’ve already got the power on the inside of us. But now God has given us the key to draw this power out. There’s not a power outage in God. There’s not a shortage of that energy, of that Anointing in God.

When we look at the Bible, God wanted to use man to take care of this earth. He wanted to use man to work this earth. And even in His plan of redemption He still wanted to us man. Because Jesus is the light, and now we are that light.

So anything that He wants to get done in the earth, most of the time He’ll use a man. Sometimes He will use an angel, wouldn’t He? But He wants to use you.

But the devil is our enemy, and he is our opposition. And he wants to make us believe that he has more power than we have. But He gave me power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all of the works of the enemy. And nothing is going to harm me.

You’ve got to believe that for yourself. Nothing. The Bible says there’s no evil that shall befall the righteous. We’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

But you and I have got to come to a place that we believe it. We’ve got to come to a place...(tongues)...that there is no doubt. Get this mind set that if you were not able to do it yet, you need to go back in the prayer closet for a little while. Because you already have the victory. It’s just a matter of getting more power.

If you get that mind set and I get that mind set, we’ll never be defeated. We’ll constantly walk in victory. People will call it pride, but we’ll call it confidence in Him. Power. You and I have power.

The Bible said in the book of Mark chapter six that Jesus went into Nazareth. He was only able to do a few miracles there, because of their unbelief.

But see, when saints get together in a place, there should be miracles, signs and wonders. Do you hear what I’m saying? When real saints... I ain’t talking about aints. I’m talking about when real saints get together. There’s power. Power.

Just like at the tower of Babel, nothing shall be impossible for us. We’ll cause God to come down just like He came down to that city. We’ll cause God to come down to this little house, to find out what’s going on on the inside of there. Do you hear what I’m saying?

I don’t know about you, but I want God to visit me. I want Him to say, “What’s going on down there? Isn’t that My beloved son, whom I’m well-pleased in?” Hey. I want Him to visit me.

I don’t want to just look like I’m having church. I want to be having church. I want it to be real. I don’t want it to be something that’s worked up. Do you hear what I’m saying? I want it to be real.

Power. Look at your neighbor tonight. I don’t want you to say, “I got power.” I want you to look at your neighbor and say, “You got power.” Now look at your other neighbor. Say, “Neighbor, how you doing? You got power.”

Now lift up your hands to Jesus. Hallelujah, somebody. Say, “Jesus, thank You for the power, Lord...”