Magnify God and See His Power

Written by Pastor Nathan Gonmei | 16 February 2011

Philippians 1:20
". . . according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."

The Apostle Paul lived an exemplary life for all of us. He lived radically for the glory of His Savior Jesus Christ. He was totally determined to know Christ, to make Him known, and to live to magnify Him.

The word magnify means, to make (or declare) great, i.e. increase or enlarge, show something or someone to be great. I believe that's the same way our lives ought to be. In everything, we ought to magnify Christ and His finished work at the cross. We ought to magnify Him in our words, our thoughts, and our conversations, always declaring the greatness of God.

Now it is obvious that God is always great. His greatness cannot change. But we can magnify God in our minds and hearts. Many times we spend our time magnifying our problems and all the negative things in our lives. The Lord wants us to learn that what we are consistently conscious of is what we magnify, and what we are conscious of is what will manifest in our life. Too often, people magnify sickness and disease, poverty and lack, bitterness and hurts, and past failures and regrets. Today, I want to encourage you to turn that around and magnify God's healing power, His abundant provision, His enduring peace, and His awesome plan for your life! Speak and think about these things instead of your problems.

In Acts 4:23-24, the believers lifted their voices together in the midst of fierce persecution and declared the greatness of God and they were filled with the power of God. In Acts 16:25-26, Paul and Silas magnified God by praying and singing praises to God. They were in a horrible situation and had every reason to whine and complain but instead they chose to magnify God. As a result the power of God hit that prison and their chains were broken and the prison doors flung open. Nothing can keep you in bondage when you magnify God! Joshua and Caleb magnified the promises of God while others were magnifying the giants. David magnified God in the face of Goliath. They saw the power of God work on their behalf.

Friends, no matter what negative situation you may be in today, make the choice to magnify God. Magnify His goodness, His love, His power, His wisdom, His favor, and His blessings and watch the power of God bring victory in your life!

Psalms 69:30
"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving."