At what point did the Church become powerless? It was several months ago that I asked this question to a preacher. I asked him what he thought about the current events in the world. In his response, he stated that there is nothing we can do about any of it, and that God has total control over the situation? When I asked him, when did the church become powerless he didn't have an answer.

Truthfully, I have asked God this very same question many times before. During my studying and learning of His Word, I have often asked myself "What happened?" What has caused us to fall from the works that we have seen in the Scriptures? Don't get me wrong, God is still healing. There is still a great deal of healing and deliverance taking place, as well as the casting out of demons. Since we do not see those demonstrations as often, we must be honest with ourselves. The next question I asked was, "How do we return to that place in God?"

As a result of becoming too comfortable in Zion, we are not seeing the power and demonstrations as we should. We have become laden with sin. Again, I am referring to the body of Christ as a whole. It is a sad reality that those who live holy lives are few and far between, regardless of whether you believe it or not. Therefore, I am not implying that God does not have a people. Preachers no longer preach the way they used to, nor do they believe the way they used to. Our fasting and praying habits have changed over the years. The disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 17:20-21 why they were unable to cast out the demon. Jesus told them that fasting and prayer are the means by which these kinds come out. 

Now let's talk about covid and I'll tell you about myself. I am guilty of allowing fear to creep into my life and worrying about others as well as my family. It was to the point that I was physically ill and I would throw up. It was necessary for me to take a break from social media and watching the news. As the numbers increased, I became increasingly concerned. With that in mind, we are aware that many things were shut down, including churches. Many people began holding church services online if they were not already doing so, as well as in parking lots. After two years, some have not reopened their doors. Don't you know that Satan cannot dwell where the spirit of God is. At the mention of the name of Jesus, the Bible tells us that demons tremble. What am I saying? As Saints of God, if we had gotten into the place that we needed to be in God, this virus would not have caused the harm it has caused.

As a child, I remember when the land on which the church was located was prayed over. As they walked around the church, they prayed over the ground. I am not sure if people still do that today. Are you not aware that if someone had come on those grounds with the virus, it would have fallen to the ground? The other day I read a post in which someone stated that they went to church depressed and left the church happy. In essence, that is what it is all about. We should not go in sad and come out the same way. We should not enter sick and leave sick. Where is the demonstration of God's power, the power that was promised to us?

Now people are holding seminars on gun safety and security in the church? I don't think that people understand how major that is. In what manner have we fallen that we carry guns within the house of God? Regardless of whether you like it or not, God is not pleased. As for the pastor who was robbed of jewelry worth $400,000. How do you allow the devil into your home and take control? As far as that situation is concerned, there is more that I could say. When the spirit of God is present, the devil must flee. As a regular reader of my writings, you already know that I have a personal experience to share.

About six years ago, my Mother and I were standing outside after service talking to a visitor. In normal circumstances, we would have been heading home, but my mother believes that God had us there for a reason. During our conversation, we noticed this car approaching a red light. In a joking manner, the pastor's daughter said they appear to be planning a drive-by. She was unaware and neither were we that they were about to swoop into the parking lot. After getting out of the car, they stormed into the church. It was clear that they were prepared to fight, and we followed behind them. Of course, I will not elaborate on the reasons for their anger. The pastor of the other church called out the pastor and his wife of our church. There was no doubt that he would beat them senseless.

I have never seen anything like this in my life. The madder he became, the bigger he became. I am not lying when I say it was like a cartoon; he grew larger and larger. There were many ministers present in the church, but no one spoke except for my mother. Who, by the way, is not a minister. She yelled, "Pastor where is your Holy Ghost, well let it abide". It appeared as if he was going to strike her as he swung around. Mind you, I was standing behind him and prepared to leap on his back if he had hit my mother. He only had to sling me off and I would have gone flying across the room. It was almost as if he snapped out of it when she said that he had come to his senses. The people with him told him to leave, and they left with him. Even though she was a member of the guilty party, the pastor's wife was crying in the corner. The pastor thanked my mother for deescalating the situation. You allowed this man to come into your church and basically punk you and your ministers. 

We are not supposed to allow the devil to take over the House of the Lord. This doesn't align with scripture, as I previously stated that the enemy cannot dwell wherever God is. The devil does not have any power when it comes to God, he has no power over Him. In fact, he has to ask God's permission before he can do so. We see this in the book of Job, so why are we allowing him to run amok in our churches? I know that I am not the only one because I have heard others say it. As we have stated, we desire to see miracles, glory, and the power of God. Being able to witness people being healed and delivered, receiving the spirit of God. Okay, so how do we get back there? Our first step should be repentance, admitting that we have made a mistake. Accepting that our walk with God has become slack.

In this context, I am not referring to outright sin, but to our relationship with God. Do you still pray the same way you did when you were first saved? Are you still fasting, are you still worshipping Him? Are you still spending time alone with Him the same way that you used to? Are you still studying and reading your Bible? We are strengthened by our relationship with Him and the time we spend with Him. Is there still a hunger and thirst for Him in your heart? My personal prayer has been for God to take us back? Take us back to the time when we first fell in love with Him, when we could not get enough of Him. There was a moment when all we wanted was Him, nothing else mattered. All of us have fallen short in our relationship with Him, and I am not referring to sin here. Consider your relationship with God and ask Him what you need to do more of? Is there anything that is interfering with your quality time with God? These are the things we need to let go of. 

Yes, it is so easy to become caught up in the cares of this world. Trying to accomplish this and that while worrying about this and that. Being responsible for others, working, and taking care of yourself as well. I know that it is sometimes difficult to give all of that to God. However, I believe wholeheartedly that if we take care of God's business, He will take care of ours as well. In spite of what the enemy would like us to believe, let's take back our rightful place. We are not a powerless church.

Remember that God loves you and so do I with the love of Christ.