Do you realize the power you have?

If you are a believer (and follower) of Jesus, then the Bible says you are an ambassador

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

What exactly is an ambassador. The dictionary says it is a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative or a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.

What caught my eye were the phrases, "highest rank" and "representative".  When our president sends an ambassador to let's say, Russia, that person represents the authority, will, and character of the United States. His or her duties include

• Negotiating treaties
• Expressing the will of the president
• Delivering messages back and forth between the 2 countries
• Keeping appraised of the goings-on of the country and reporting back the status to the president
• Displaying the status, authority and character of the U.S. at various events and meetings
• Managing the embassy as a safe haven for citizens to run to for protection

I'd say that's a pretty powerful job, wouldn't you?

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

Since our citizenship is in heaven, we are ambassadors of heaven to earth.  In other words, we represent God here on earth, and hence, our duties would reflect those of a real ambassador.

This, of course, is an over-generalization, but I wanted to emphasize the point because many of us, including myself, don't realize how important our role is OR the power we wield.

So, how do we make this practical?

The first and most important thing for any ambassador is to stay in close contact with the president. I would say, daily calls and most likely several times a day would be necessary to convey the information required and to receive instructions back. Especially during times of crisis. Of course this means prayer and lots of it!

Also in order to best represent the character of God to people on earth, we need to become more like Him. The process is called sanctification and only occurs as we read the Bible, pray, and spend time with God.

But the point I want to get to here and the thing that most of us don't understand is the incredible power of our prayers. You see, like the president, God is not present here on earth. He is on His throne in Heaven. He exists within His ambassadors as the Holy Spirit. He must rely on us to do His will here on earth. I've run into so many Christians who believe God can just do whatever He wants here on earth to whomever He wants. But that is NOT so. God gave dominion of this planet to Adam and Eve. Essentially he gave the title deed for earth to them. When they rebelled against Him and believed Satan in the garden, that title deed went to Satan.  He is now the ruler of this earth.  I know people don't like to hear that, but it's the truth. Otherwise during his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, he could not have offered Jesus every kingdom on earth, past, present, and future, if only Jesus would bow down to him.

We all know that God...a.k.a the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He does not force himself on anyone (or anything) here on earth. He lures, he woos, he whispers, but He never forces anyone to accept Him or His help.  We have to respond to Him first, essentially giving Him permission to enter our lives and our situations.

Here's where your power comes in. Every day many of us encounter tons of unsaved people... at the store, office, post office, park, mall, wherever we happen to be. God may be trying to help them, to save them ultimately, but also to heal them or help them with a problem or struggle. But He can't do so without permission. Have you ever felt led to pray for a complete stranger? I have. Sometimes when I'm walking up on the hill behind my house, someone passes me and I feel an urge to pray for their salvation and anything else they need.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that (because I'm an ambassador of Heaven) my prayer gave God permission to help that person, perhaps to heal them or make Himself known to them in a way they can't deny. Of course they still have free will and can reject Him, but my prayer opened a door for God to act.

The same thing happens when we hear an ambulance go by and we lift up a quick prayer for whoever is injured or in trouble. We open the door for God to intervene in their lives.  When you think about it, that is ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL  and extremely important.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

I know this may be a new concept for some people.... that God needs our permission. It sounds almost sacrilegious and I don't mean it to. But this is how He sets things up. Think about it for a minute. Jesus never went around healing people who didn't ask for His help. He only helped those who came to Him or who had a conversation with Him. Neither did the disciples or apostles. 

One of the first recorded miracles that happened after the disciples received the Holy Spirit was Peter healing the lame man who sat at the temple gate.  This man probably sat there day after day, year after year, begging for any morsel of food or money. No doubt God wanted to heal him all those years. But it wasn't until Peter and John happened by and intervened by the power of the name of Jesus, that the man was healed.

Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk  Acts 3

Notice that the man didn't have to repent, say a prayer, answer an altar call or even say he wanted to be healed in order for God to intervene and heal him. By Peter's use of the name of Jesus and his command for the man to walk, God was able to do His mighty work.

We, too, have the same power. All it takes is a sensitivity to what the Holy Spirit is saying and obedience to pray for the people whom He directs us to pray for. Sometimes when I don't hear Him, I just pray for everyone I come across during the day. :-)  

Don't underestimate your power here on earth, and remember you are an ambassador of Heaven!


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