This week, I would like to share the story behind a song of mine that is nearly 33 years old. It came into my life and ministry on August 21, 1989. It is called He Is the Mighty One. This song was given as a call to the church to rise up and be who God called us to be – Light in the midst of the darkness! How can we do that? By proclaiming the truth of who Jesus is (the answer to any question – the solution to any problem) and by declaring with boldness that He is Almighty God! He is the Mighty One.
Even though I received this song so many years ago, the message is more relevant than ever. Let’s think about it. When mankind declares ‘there is no God’ and declares itself to be the savior of the world, reality is that mankind reveals its own arrogance.
We have witnessed the very things we are experiencing right now throughout human history. Our political climate is nothing new. Wars and rumors of war are nothing new. Even major weather events and climate change are nothing new. Groups of people being enslaved by other groups are nothing new. Groups of people trying to completely wipe out other ethnic groups are nothing new.
We have political systems that strive for power, preaching compassion and tolerance and freedom to live as one wishes and freedom to speak as one believes while, at the same time, silencing its critics with complete intolerance and humiliation and hate disguised as progressive thinking.
We are currently witnessing a segment of society that feels it has the right to tell other people what they can and cannot think. I run into what I call the thought police every day in some form or fashion. One quote I ran across on social media puts it like this:
Society says, out of one side of its mouth, “Be authentic and unapologetic.”
Society, speaking out of the other side of its mouth, then says, “Just not like that.”
My question is, “Should one person have the right to dictate what another person thinks?” The answer, of course, is no, but reality is quite another thing.
Even though I feel much of my life has been cancelled by the current cancel culture, God still proves His might to me on a daily basis. I personally believe God gives mankind any wisdom it has attained. I personally believe that God created science and math and uses them to reveal His genius to mankind. I personally believe God created the human intellect and uses it to lead men to the final conclusion that God is real and is good and is the ultimate answer to every question asked. I personally believe God created the human imagination to help us get a glimpse of how awesome and magnificent and absolutely wondrous He is.
When I recorded the collection of songs which includes He Is the Mighty One (called Break My Heart, O God), I wanted to make a statement of faith as a means of encouraging others that the God of the Old Testament - the One Who saved the world from a flood; the One Who parted the waters of the Red Sea; the One Who provided manna for millions of His people while they wandered about a desert for 40 years; the God Who gave a young shepherd boy the courage and wisdom to stand up to a 9 foot giant and defeat that giant - is the same God who longs to reveal His might to us today.
One of the best ways to open our eyes to the power and might of our God is to declare Who He is and declare what He has done for us.
I began this collection of songs with a brief personal testimony that has proven to be more and more controversial as these past 33 years have gone by. I will post a link to the podcast version of this teaching at the end of the blog so you can hear that personal statement of what God has done for me. What you will hear is that testimony and then the song, He Is the Mighty One. I pray it brings encouragement to your soul and grace to believe in the might and power of our God’s love and ability to deliver us from this present darkness.
The bottom line is simple: Our God is mighty. Always has been. Always will be. Even while still in His mother’s womb, Jesus demonstrated His might. When Mary, the expectant mother of Jesus, was paid a visit by her cousin, Elizabeth, the power of God was so evident in the unborn baby that even Elizabeth could sense the coming Messiah. This caused Mary to begin to praise God. We find this account in Luke 1 beginning at verse 46:
Luke 1:46-55 NASB
46 And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now [on] all generations will call me blessed. 49 "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. 50 "And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. 51 "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered [those who were] proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 "He has brought down rulers from [their] thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 53 "He has filled the hungry with good things, And sent the rich away empty-handed. 54 "He has given help to His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 Just as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Brothers and sisters, whether you realize it or not, we are in a spiritual battle right now. You are equipped to do battle. You are assured the victory - whether you live or die. The utter truth is this: God is still doing great and mighty things. He is still the Mighty One - in spite of what the world and the current culture would have you believe.
I urge you to continue to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus no matter how dark the times grow…no matter how much the world tries to silence you or tries to force you to believe something you do not believe. Just as He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den; just as He brought down the walls of Jericho; just as He raised Jesus Christ from the dead, our God can do the same for us.
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/he-is-the-mighty-one/
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