Power comes through intimacy

The power of God flows from intimacy with the Lord. Miracles and anointing are not the goal; they are the beautiful, natural fruit of a deep relationship with Jesus. If you long to see breakthroughs in your life and ministry, your connection with God must always, always come first. So read that article, from Marcin Zieliński’s predication, and dive into what that truly looks like.

 

The power born of an extra hour

I will never forget my first international trip to Lithuania. I was young, nervous, and overwhelmed. Though the first night I saw a long line of healed people, the true lesson came on the third day, during a healing service at a local parish.

I saw a girl named Amelia being carried in. She was twisted and looked paralyzed. Honestly, I didn’t have faith for her case. I prayed, “Lord, this is too much for me. This is not a case for my level of faith.” I felt completely unqualified. But I preached, and we prayed.

Moments later, the quiet parish erupted. Amelia was walking, praising, and completely whole! The priest rushed over, confirming she was Amelia, demon-possessed for three years, whom many exorcists could not help. She testified that when I invited the Holy Spirit to come, she saw a light and heard a voice: “Rise up, you are free”. This miracle opened many doors for ministry in Lithuania.

The real point came later in my hotel room. I asked Jesus why this had happened, especially since my faith was lacking. The Holy Spirit reminded me: “Do you remember the extra hour with Me?” Before the service, exhausted after two days of preaching, I chose to spend my rest hour worshiping and praying instead. That extra time of intimacy was the reason I saw the deliverance.

This is the key lesson: the power you long for is not earned; it’s a fruit of the time you spend with Him. If you want to see God’s power regularly, you must decide that His presence is the number one priority in your life. The power is a result of your relationship with Him.

 

Jesus: the ultimate model of intimacy and power

If anyone could have relied on inherent ability, it was Jesus, the Son of God. Yet, He constantly modeled the necessity of deep, focused time with the Father. He is the ultimate example that the relationship comes first, and the power is the result.

Consider the powerful account in the Gospel of Luke. “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before one of His most impactful ministry days. What happened next?

“And He came down with them and stood on a level place… and a great multitude of people… came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits, and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:17-19)

Many people focus on the incredible healing, but the story starts with the all night in prayer. Relationship first, power second.

The Gospels confirm this pattern over and over. Before He walked on water, a tremendous miracle, we read: “He went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” (Matthew 14:23)

There is something profoundly special about your quiet time, the moments you spend alone, one-on-one with the Holy Spirit. Even when we are together in praise, God still desires that intimate, individual time with you. Don’t miss it. It is in this place of solitude and worship that the power for walking on water is cultivated. The relationship with the Father was the source of power in Jesus’ ministry, and it is the only true source for yours.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6)

 

The unseen price: why the anointing is not cheap

Apostle Paul understood that power is born in weakness and surrender. “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:30)

I want to share a recent weakness: I was too busy on that day. I was fielding calls and planning to “find the right moment” for prayer. Finally, I fell asleep playing worship music. I woke up in the middle of the night, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me seriously: “Yesterday, Marcin, yesterday you were adoring everyone and everything but Me.” I knelt and opened my Bible to Psalm 123. “I raise my eyes to You who are enthroned in heaven. Yes, like the eyes of servants on the hand of their masters, like the eyes of a maid on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God.” (Psalm 123:1-2)

The Holy Spirit was showing me that what you adore is what you focus on. That focused attention is the core of adoration, and it’s where miracles are born.

The anointing of God is not cheap. Think of Saint Patrick, whose ministry in Ireland was so powerful that historical writings speak of him performing miracles not seen “even among the great apostles”, including raising dead people who had been buried from many years! But what was the price?

At 16, Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. After six years, he escaped. The normal path was to go back home to his family. But he had a dream of the enslaved Irish people asking him to come and help them. He made a sacrifice—he chose the voice of the Holy Spirit over his own comfort and security. He returned to the very place of his captivity, and that act of obedience and sacrifice unleashed his extraordinary power.

The anointing of God is not a cheap thing. The price is the daily faithfulness to put Jesus first. I fight every day to make Him the first person in my new day—before I eat, before I check my phone, before I do anything else. That is the price. It’s not always easy, but it is the place where the Lord meets us and transforms us.

 

And now if you want, pray this prayer with me:

Come, Holy Spirit. I need you forever. Come with your strength and power. I am so sorry that I spent so little time with you, o God. Come and forgive me my wrong decisions, that I didn’t take enough time for you in my daily life. Be the first one again. Be the Lord of my time. Be the Lord of my days. Be the Lord of my heart. Come, Holy Spirit, and renew me, renew your whole Church, renew us all. In the name of Jesus. Amen.