You have been endowed with power from above, and it must be evident every day.
Matthew 5:14-15 (NKJV)
One popular track and field event is a relay race. Most people know it and have even run in such a race in primary and secondary school or at university. The idea is simple: one runner holds a baton and has to run and pass it to the next teammate to do the same. So, you receive something, and you move with it.
If someone stands still during a relay race, it slows or halts their team's progress, likely resulting in a disqualification or a big loss because the baton won't move forward in time. This isn’t too far-fetched from what you have received this season. As God has orchestrated impactful teachings, power-packed believers' meetings and services for you, standing still with what you have received defeats the aim of why it was committed to you.
Matthew 28:19
New King James Version
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
After Jesus’s resurrection, His mandate to the disciples was clear: Go. All they had received was not to be hidden from the world. Instead, they were to use it to propagate the gospel everywhere their feet touched.
Acts 1:8
New King James Version
8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Right after they received the Holy Ghost, we see them fulfil this mandate till the world as you know it today
Acts 2:40-41
New King James Version
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
What you have experienced from camp is expected to produce this and even more results in the world around you. You did not receive words and impartations to take nations and cities for Jesus to rejoice and sit at home doing nothing afterwards. You have been endowed with power from above, and it must be evident every day.
Ways to run with the word:
- Go and do
The camp meeting gave us fresh fire and power, but standing still defeats the whole point. You can’t pass a baton if you are standing still on the track. God gives us instructions so we can move with them.
Look at your notes from camp. What is that one specific instruction God gave you? Did He tell you to start something new, correct a wrong step, or step up in service? Write it down and take the very first step today. Don't wait for things to be perfect before you obey.
- Don't hide the fire
You did not receive that heavy deposit of the Spirit just to keep it to yourself. Running with the word means your environment must feel the impact of your encounter. If you go back to your office, your school, or your home, everyone must see a change in your speech, your character, and your zeal.
Live out the word out loud. Stop blending into the background; let your light give answers to the people around you in this dark world.
Matthew 5:14-15
New King James Version
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Light of the world, are you hiding? Remember the mandate is for you to shine every single day this year and beyond.
- Speak up and witness The power you received is meant to make you bold witnesses, not silent believers. The word moves forward when we open our mouths to share it.
For Peter, the same day they received the Holy Ghost, three thousand souls were saved on his account. What will be your story in one week, one month and a year after? Will you return to the next meeting without any result? Or would you have passed the message of the gospel to someone as you have been empowered to do?
Prayer
Lord, nothing deposited in me remains dormant. I run with every word and every instruction you have given me, and I see the results in my life and the world around me.
