Dunamis – the Power of God!

We are approaching Resurrection Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. That resurrection power comes from the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used in the New Testament that refers to God’s power is dunamis. Let’s examine what it means.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

The word power in this verse correlates to G1411 in Strong’s concordance. It describes it universally as inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth. Let’s look at it now in Thayer’s Greek lexicon for its specific meanings and briefly discuss the following five:

1) the power of performing miracles

The Bible shows that healing was instantaneous when Jesus performed a miracle. Healing also occurred as they went or in that same hour, etc. We also see that Jesus healed and delivered people in different ways. I recommend reading the Gospels and seeing how Jesus ministered to people. He is our example and model to follow.

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have that same power living inside us, who anointed Jesus and gave Him power because it is the same Holy Spirit. We are empowered to live like Jesus. The Holy Spirit came into our spirit and made us a new creation in Christ Jesus, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16). He is the power that raised Christ from the dead and dwells in us!

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

Jesus came to represent God the Father and His will. And we can do the same because Christ lives in us.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Jesus declared He only did what He saw the Father do and what He heard the Father say. He was in union and one with the Father. We are in union and one with Christ.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

We need to believe in our unity with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in us and use that power to heal and deliver people in the name of Jesus. Our union is abiding in Him and His love. That is our identity – He is the head, and we are His body.

Therefore, we can declare that we are anointed even as Jesus was:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18–19

We have the power of Jesus, which is the power of the gospel! What we have, the whole world wants and needs. Jesus will do wonders through us if we let Him. We must believe and receive what Jesus said about Himself and what He says about us. We are to be a supernatural explosion of the kingdom of God. When we share the good news about Jesus, we are also to demonstrate the kingdom of God.

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.                 1 Corinthians 4:20

We are anointed and appointed for action. Jesus told His disciples that they would do greater works than He did. His disciples believed Him and did the works He did.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12

Jesus sent out His disciples and told them, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7–8

The 70 disciples Jesus sent out recorded in Luke 10 returned joyfully, telling Jesus that the demons were subject to them in His name.

Jesus gave them power and authority because they did not have the Holy Spirit in them. But we do as believers and followers of Christ. After Jesus rose from the dead, He declared in Matthew 28:18 that all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Then He gave us a commission as well:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15–18

We are sons of God (male or female) and mediators like Jesus was between heaven and earth. Heaven will come into the earth through us!

When we bring His presence and power, we are carriers of the kingdom (Matthew 6:10). When we release heaven on earth, we release Jesus, who is the embodiment of God. Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to whatever we need from heaven because we are sons and daughters of God through Christ.

We receive everything from God by grace through faith. The Holy Spirit gives us grace gifts for the profit of all (See 1 Corinthians 12:7–11). There are nine gifts mentioned in this passage: three gifts of revelation, three gifts of utterance, and three power gifts. The power gifts are the gift of faith, the gifts of healings, and the gift of the working of miracles.

Genuine faith is not just believing but doing or acting. When we actively work miracles through the Holy Spirit, we establish the spiritual realm inside of space and time of what is already ours in Christ.

Remember, Christ in us through the power of the Holy Spirit touches people’s lives with God’s love and compassion. We need a love for people, which we will have as a byproduct when we experience God’s love for us. It isn’t about us trying but receiving the Father’s love. We must believe that when we pray or lay hands and touch someone, Christ in us is doing the work. His hand with our hand. He is the Great Physician, and we are the Physician’s Assistant!

It is important to ask the Holy Spirit what He wants us to do when He highlights someone to us or when we see a need. We are to partner with Him and follow His lead. That is why building a relationship with the Holy Spirit is so important. He uses us as a vessel, but it is His power or dunamis at work.

Jesus manifested the kingdom of God through signs and wonders and demonstrated that He was the Christ. It is a spiritual kingdom reflecting God’s rule and reign and His dominion. The kingdom of heaven is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). 

The righteousness of God is God’s justice in making wrong ways right. Peace aligns with heaven, and joy results. Did you know that you can get healed through joy and laughter? Proverbs 17:22 says a merry heart does good like medicine.

Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness because He loved righteousness (Hebrews 1:9). Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence is fullness of joy. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that joy is our strength or empowerment. When we operate in joy, it is easier for the miracles to flow!

2) moral power and excellence of soul –

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16

Dunamis transforms us. Our soul was not born again and, therefore, needs transformation. Our soul gets wounded through trauma, sin, and the sin of others against us, which can open the door to the enemy and bring bondage, sickness, and disease.

When we get discouraged and weary from life’s battles, we may sin by murmuring and complaining, speaking against others and even God, leading to bitterness (See Numbers 21).

Jesus wants to make us whole in spirit, soul, and body. We can ask the Holy Spirit to examine and reveal the hidden things that have wounded our souls and kept us from our healing. He brings the divine counsels of God and knows which area needs work first because it may affect other areas. He will help us get to the root.

Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (AMPC)

We can then repent of any sin and apply the blood of Jesus, forgive those who have hurt or sinned against us, release dunamis power to heal our soul, and cast the enemy out in the name of Jesus. We can decree we are excellent of soul!

Healing often occurs in our bodies after we offer forgiveness to someone who has hurt us or ask for forgiveness when we have sinned.

When our soul gets healed, our mind thinks the right thoughts, we have godly emotions, and our will makes the right decisions and choices.

Getting our souls healed will also allow us to prophesy from healthy, clear lenses rather than faulty ones. When there are unresolved issues in our mind, it can lead to a false concept of God, a rejected heart, bitterness, and even rebellion, which pollutes our filter. Healed souls allow us to align our thoughts with God to release His words with clarity and power!

3) power and resources arising from numbers – one can put a thousand to flight, two can put 10,000 to flight; there is a power that comes from the increase in number

4) power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, and hosts

“The stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:25–26

We are not to preach doom and gloom. We are to preach dunamis and position ourselves for revival and the harvest. In the parables Jesus shared about the kingdom of God, we can see that the kingdom is expanding. We are to arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord is upon us.

Please don’t assume this is the end because we hear of wars and rumors of wars. They have gone on throughout the centuries. We could have more decades of peace. We are to preach the good news of the gospel of the kingdom. We have the power to wipe out any demon power. Only the Father knows when the end is! We initiate the warfare of the Spirit and see this world transformed. The answer for the world today is more dunamis!

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12

5) the power and influence, which belongs to riches and wealth. We create wealth for God’s glory and advance His kingdom.

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18

Even though this verse is from the Old Testament, the word used for power correlates to dunamis in the New Testament. Having wisdom in three areas is key in managing wealth: 1) the wisdom to create wealth, 2) the wisdom to steward wealth, and 3) the wisdom to distribute wealth. We are blessed to be a blessing. The church should be coming against those who are creating wealth to spread evil, such as pornography, drugs, human trafficking, etc. Our wealth and riches will influence the world to advance God’s kingdom!

When we sow seed intentionally, we can reap the returns on our seed, and riches can come to us as an overflow of blessings even when we are living humbly. Riches do not just relate to money, but they can be love, prophetic anointing, etc. While our seed remains in the ground and we wait for it to bear fruit, don’t curse it with negative words. Call in the harvest and demand the seed to produce fruit. We receive it by grace through faith (2 Corinthians 9:8).

How do we receive and activate dunamis to get it flowing and manifest in our lives?

1. By the fear of the Lord and righteous living, so when we receive and release dunamis power, it brings the kingdom into the earth. The rule of the kingdom is righteousness.
2. Believe and receive by grace through faith that we have this power in us, and we can release it. We need to use the power we have inside us.
3. Worshiping God – worship brings God’s presence, power and heaven
4. Honor God with our tithes and offerings, sow a seed, and believe for an increase.
5. Receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit

“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.” Acts 1:8

After baptism with the Holy Spirit, born-again believers can receive fresh filling anytime needed. If you would like a fresh filling, you can pray the following prayer (remember it is Jesus who baptizes with the Holy Spirit – Matthew 3:11):

Lord Jesus, I pray for a fresh in-filling of dunamis power. Thank you for pouring the Holy Spirit upon me and immersing me in Him.

We must agree with God and activate the dunamis inside of us. We are not powerless but powerful! We walk in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit, and this is how we flow!

Ask the Holy Spirit this week to show you opportunities to release His power into people’s lives and situations.

I release the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God’s glory upon you so you will bring heaven to earth in the name of Jesus!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (AMPC) are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright© 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.