The Secret to a Life of Power // Seminar Notes

My notes from a Dwayne Lemon seminar (in bold)

At a convention last August, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar entitled “The Secret to a Life of Power.” Sounds interesting, right? 

Well, I took some notes at that seminar, and I thought I’d do a post about some of the things that stood out to me.

~James 1:22-25 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, an is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” 

These verses in the Bible are encouraging us to be doers of the the word and not only hearers. Doers of the word? What does that mean? To me, it means walking the walk and not just talking the talk. It means actually doing acts of love instead of just talking about it. Actively following the Bible and not just preaching it. It’s following Jesus’ example and living the Word. Doers of the word, and not hearers only.

~What are you doing with what you have?

Dwayne Lemon posed this question, and it gave me pause. What am I doing with the talents and resources I have? I think it is good to ponder such a question and really examine what we are doing in our walk with Jesus and how we are showing others love. God gives us so many opportunities each day, and sometimes we let them pass by because we get so wrapped up in ourselves, life is just too “busy,” it’s too awkward, out of the comfort zone, etc. Whatever the case or excuse may be, sometimes we let these rare opportunities—to share our faith or to act out our faith—just slip by. That’s why it is important to do a reality check every now and then and really ask ourselves what we are doing with what we have.

Then he went on to say.

~It’s not as much what how much you know, but how much you do with what you know.

To me, this means: you don’t have to be perfect and extremely knowledgeable for God to use you. 

You don’t have to become a pastor or have a leadership role in the church to share God’s love and be God’s hands and feet. Sure, if it is your calling to take on those roles in the church or even in other areas of life, follow God’s guidance. But know that a title isn’t what you need to shine a light for those around you. God can use you right here and right now. He can use your imperfections and even these obstacles you face this very minute. If you let Him, He can turn your messes into beautiful ones. Acting on this faith is crucial.

~God wants us to search our hearts. God doesn't require a perfect person to do a perfect work in witnessing to others.

^^ Exactly what I was trying to explain above! None of us are perfect, but God's work is perfect, and He has given us each a unique calling. 

~We are all on the road. Everyone has a different journey. 

Just as we all have unique callings, we also have different journeys. Everyone is on this road, and everyone is going through something different. And that is so important to keep in mind when we catch ourselves trying to fit into boxes or trying to make others fit into boxes.

~There should be a higher goal in our workplace. 

What you do for work shouldn’t just be for the money. Obviously, money helps pay the bills and puts food on the table, but what if you used this time you had at work (even when it's not the work you want to be doing. Even if you are in a season of transition between jobs, etc) what if you used this time to smile at a stranger, or pray for a coworker? God is calling you to be a witness and love others now. Right now, not when the stars align for you to get the perfect job.

So we seem to have gone off topic, what is the secret to a life of power? 

~The gospel is the answer. 

Sharing about Jesus our Savior and following His example is what truly matters if we desire a life of power. There is power in the blood of Jesus. 

~The Bible is our map. The Bible is the knowledge, but what are we doing about it? 

Christians are given a map as a guide. The Bible has so much knowledge in it, but sometimes we don’t study like we thirst for that knowledge. Sometimes we just let our Map collect dust on our nightstand. What are we truly doing with the knowledge we were given? 

We are all guilty of not studying out Bibles. One of the saddest things I’ve realized in my own Christian walk is that sometimes I don’t read my Bible for weeks, only to open it up to search for a Bible verse I had in mind to share on social media. Every time I feel like such a big hypocrite. But you know what, my Christian walk isn't perfect. In fact, it’s very flawed. But God forgives our mistakes and is right by our side through each rough patch when we don't necessarily feel like we have a good relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

~”having a form of godliness but denying its power.” 2 Timothy 3:5

I know for sure that I do not want to be comfortable with just a form of godliness. I don’t want to deny the power of God. But sometimes we do get comfortable and then we are never pushed to improve. We become desensitized to a “form” of godliness.

And that's when we really need to sit down and reprioritize some things.

~Jesus had the power of the Holy Spirit and was a witness to others. Acts 1:8

If Jesus lives in your heart. If we have opened up our hearts and surrendered our dreams into His hands, then God will give us a life of power. Maybe not how the worlds sees power, but how it truly matters. 

~Be like Jesus, not others who seem powerful. What you see in Jesus, others should see in us.

Jesus is our example and when we follow His guidance then His light will shine through us and touch other hearts. 

~When you’re full of something (Jesus) there is no room for anything else. 

Let Jesus be our focus. So that we can nurture a relationship with Him. And if we have that relationship and focus, when we pray, we will feel close to Him and our connection will be stronger than any storm we might face.

~My peace I leave with you.

In all this chaos, God promises us peace. His peace. His peace is a powerful tool when everything seems like it’s falling apart. What a awesome promise!

~~~

So those we're a few of my take away's from that seminar. I hope some of these points gave you food for thought. Have a blessed day, and know that God loves you so much! <3 

Do you like taking notes? Lets talk about it in the comments below!