GREEK
WORD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION: ενέργεια (energeia)
PRONUNCIATION:
en-ERG-ee-ah
STRONG’S
CONCORDANCE #: 1753 (also 1754, 1755, and 1756)
MEANING:
the idea of putting something into motion (giving it energy)
ENGLISH
WORDS DERIVED FROM: energy; energize
BACKGROUND
OF WORD (ETYMOLOGY): from two words meaning literally
"to put power into"
HOW
TRANSLATED IN KJV AND/OR ESV: effectual; powerful; working; operation
#
OF TIMES USED IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: 34
VERSES
IN THE BIBLE WHERE GREEK WORD USED:
Philemon 6 - “That the
communication of thy faith may become effectual (ενέργεια) by the acknowledging
of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word
of God is quick, and powerful (ενέργεια), and sharper than any twoedged sword.”
James 5:16 - “The
effectual (ενέργεια) fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
Paul said we need to speak good things
about ourselves! In Philemon 6, he said, “That the communication of thy
faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in
you in Christ Jesus.” Today I want to especially draw your attention to the
part of the verse that says, “...May become effectual by the acknowledging of
every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
First as background, we must remember
that without Christ we are NOTHING. The
Bible even says our righteousness is as “filthy rags.” Yet, as a balance we need to remember that IN
Christ, we are something wonderful. NOT
because of who we are…but because of Christ IN us. Even though God has done great things in you
and has planned a powerful future for you, it is up to you to activate His blessings in your life!
This is why Paul says, “That the communication of thy faith may become
effectual....”
The word “effectual” is the Greek word energeo. It is where we get the word energy. However, in this verse, the word
energeo carries the idea of
something that has suddenly become energized
or activated. Paul's words could
actually be rendered, “That the
communication of your faith may become energized and activated....”
Let me give you an example to help you
understand what this word energeo means
in the context of this verse. An automobile may be filled with enough fuel to
drive a long distance, but it won't go anywhere until someone puts the key into
the ignition and then turns the key. The moment that key is turned, the spark
plugs are sparked, which fires up the engine. Once the engine has been
activated, the potential in that car is ready to be unleashed.
The car always has the capability of
moving, but if it is never activated, it sits silently in the driveway. No
matter how much fuel is in the tank or how much horsepower that car possesses,
its power and potential will never be realized until someone turns the key in
the ignition.
Now
let's apply this to you. In Philemon 6, the apostle Paul writes that
“every good thing” has been placed in you by Jesus Christ. Think of it — He
saved you, healed you, redeemed you, and protected you. He has given you a
sound mind; He has given you the mind of Christ; He has imparted gifts and
talents to you; and He has planned a future for your life that is simply
glorious. You are loaded with phenomenal potential that is just waiting to be
activated!
You may say, “Yes, well, I know that the
Bible says I've been given all those good things, but I don't feel like any of that is true about me!
I feel so defeated. Even though the Word says I'm healed, the reality is that I
feel sick. Even though God's Word says I have a sound mind, I continually feel
like I don't have control of my thought life. And in spite of the fact the
Bible says God has blessed me with gifts and talents, I feel like a dope who
has nothing to offer to this world. There is a big gap between what the Bible
says about me and what I feel about
me!”
My friend, you are like a car that is
loaded with enough fuel and horsepower to get anywhere you need to go. But for
that potential in you to be released, you have to hold the right key in your
hand.
Furthermore, it isn't enough for you to
just possess the key. You have to put that key into the “ignition” and turn it
so the latent potential that resides inside you will be ignited. When you turn
the key in the ignition, suddenly the potential you possess in Jesus Christ is
supernaturally ignited, activated, energized, and released inside you!
·
So
what is the key that sparks all the good things God has placed inside you into
becoming an outward reality?
·
What
is the key that causes all that God declares about you to become manifested in
your life?
·
How
do you “turn the key in the ignition” so that the great work God has done
inside you is activated and released?
Paul says, “That the communication of
thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which
is in you in Christ Jesus.” The word “acknowledging” in this verse holds the
answer to the questions above. This word is from the Greek word epignosis, which describes a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge
of the facts.
The word epignosis pictures a person who knows his facts like a
professional. This is a person so sure of his information that when he speaks,
he does so with confidence and boldness. He has no reason to be ashamed or to
fear that others may accuse him of being incorrect because he is well
instructed and has an intensive, deep knowledge of the facts.
But how did he obtain such knowledge of
the facts? No one becomes this knowledgeable accidentally.
For example, consider maybe your
favorite book on theology or doctrine. The information contained in that book
didn't just come to the writer while they were sleeping. It is the result of
many years of study and very hard work.
To become astute requires study,
meditation, digging deep into truth, and applying oneself to know the facts
inside and out. The result of this hard work is such a thorough knowledge of
the facts that a person has a strong confidence regarding what he says or
writes.
Now Paul uses this same idea when he
says we are to “acknowledge” every good thing that has been placed in us by
Christ Jesus. Of course, this means we are to confess the truth about ourselves
— but before we can confess the truth, we must first know the truth!
Because the word epignosis depicts a well-instructed, intensive, deep knowledge of
the facts, Paul is letting you know that it is essential for you to possess:
·
a
knowledge of exactly who you are in Jesus Christ.
·
a
knowledge of what Jesus has purchased in your redemption.
·
a
knowledge of every good thing that God has placed in you by Jesus Christ.
·
a
knowledge of all these truths that is so concrete and so unshakable that you
are immovable in what you think and believe.
If you don't know the facts of who you
are in Jesus Christ, it's time for you to get serious about digging into the
Bible until you know these truths like a professional. The truth about who you
are in Jesus Christ is the key to your victory. You should study, read, listen
to teaching material — in other words, you should use every available resource
to discover what God's Word says you've been given in Jesus Christ. This
knowledge is the key that will set you free. However, merely possessing the key
won't activate these realities in your life. You must put the key into the
ignition and turn it, sparking these truths into manifestation in your life!
A key in the ignition switch does no
good unless it is turned. Likewise, the truth in your life does no good until
it is spoken! The moment you open your mouth and start confessing the good
things that are in you by Jesus Christ, a supernatural connection is made between
your faith and all that Jesus has deposited inside you. At that moment, the
gifts and treasures God has placed inside you become supernaturally activated.
The confession of your mouth — your acknowledgement of the truth — is what
sparks these spiritual blessings and causes them to become operative,
activated, and manifested realities. I
am not talking about a “name it and claim it” type of theology here. I am talking about fulfilling the Word of God
in you and activating the ministry of His Holy Spirit.
Sadly, many people who know the truth
remain in bondage because they never align their mouths with the truth. Instead of speaking what God says about them, they
ridicule themselves, put themselves down, and speak badly of themselves. They
possess all the potential that God has placed inside them, but they never
experience that potential because their mouths have never sparked and activated
those spiritual blessings into becoming manifested realities.
To make these truths real in your life, you have to put the key in
the ignition switch.
·
The
key is the Word of God.
·
The
ignition is your mouth.
·
The
key is turned in the ignition when you open your mouth and start to speak the
truth.
·
The
good things in you are activated the
moment you start confessing the truth.
·
The
way to make these blessings real in your life is to: 1) thoroughly know them
through diligent study; 2) put these truths into your mouth; and 3) speak them
out loud!
·
That is how you
turn the key in your ignition and energize these truths until they begin to
manifest in you!
You see, it's time for you to stop
speaking so badly about yourself. Instead, you need to open your mouth and
start acknowledging who you are in Jesus Christ! By acknowledging the basic truths
of what you have been given in Jesus, you will release so much divine energy
that it will radically transform your life. The recognition of these spiritual
treasures that reside within you will pick you up, lift you high, and carry you
right over into the realm of victory you desire!
So quit talking negatively about
yourself, and begin to bring the words of your mouth into agreement with the
truths God has deposited in your life.
·
God's
Word says you're spiritually healed, so begin to say you're healed.
·
God's
Word says you have the mind of Christ, so begin to say you have the mind of
Christ.
·
God's
Word says you're blessed, so begin to say you're blessed.
You
turn
the key in the ignition by getting your mouth in agreement with God's Word. And as you start speaking what God says
about you, all your potential will start becoming a manifested reality!
CHALLENGE
FOR THE DAY:
Stop right now and identify three things about you
that you know for certain are things you KNOW God created you that way. Think of those three things and right now
thank God specifically for each one of those three things. After that, stop and thank Him for caring enough for
you to send His Son, Jesus Christ to die for you and your sins.Now stop and thank Him for the ministry of His Holy
Spirit, whom He left with you after you trusted Jesus Christ as your personally
Savior. Thank God for the presence and
ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now thank Him that He gives you the strength to live
for Him. No “go ye and do likewise.”
PRAYER
OF THE DAY:
Lord,
I know I have been speaking badly about myself. When I hear my own words, even
I can tell it's wrong for me to speak so lowly about myself. You have done a
great work in me, and I have kept myself bound by the words of my mouth. Forgive
me for speaking so wrongly and for allowing myself to remain imprisoned in
self-defeat. I am truly repentant for these actions, and I ask You to forgive
me and to give me the power to change my behavior. Holy Spirit, I can only do
this by Your power, so I am asking and expecting You to empower me to make
these changes in my life and in my mouth! I pray this in Jesus' name! Amen.
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