There are so many classes of power referred to in the scriptures, yet a clear and accurate enough understanding of each one isn’t something so many Christians have had the liberty to explore.

We’re about to go on yet another exciting journey to understand these different classes of power and we’ll take a little time to discuss how to activate some of them and put them to use so as we may take advantage of them in our daily lives.

So, without further delay, let’s begin… enjoy the ride!

DUNAMIS

Now the Bible—particularly the New Testament—is filled with information suggesting so very emphatically that we are part of a Godly Heritage (the Celestial Pantheon, if you will) thus among other principles, the topic of power is simply an obvious case of discussion.

One would only beg to understand the concepts of power that Christians possess because—well, as we’ve discussed already so far—things as we’ve been taught so far about Christianity aren’t exactly what they are made out to be.

Reading through the New Testament, there are so many verses that suggest different kinds of power that Christians possess; some translated wrongly from the initial intentions of the writer, and others more or less an accurate definition of them.

So, the first of the four main classifications of power that Christians possess is one coined by the Greek as “Dunamis”. And as such, it shouldn’t be too great a shock that its one of the several classes of power Christians possess but have never taken the time to discover or learn about.

Dunamis is a word frequently heard about and spoken of in Christian circles hence it shouldn’t be too great a stretch to assume that many of you may have already had some introduction to this kind of power. However, the aim again is to ensure that everyone has a concrete understanding of each classification hence discussion of the topic remains necessary.

Take for instance, your life was the personification of a Hollywood movie about the Greek gods, and you discovered you were the son of either Zeus, Poseidon, or any of the other ones; wouldn’t discovering what power you posses as a child of that particular deity be one of the first things you would have lingering in the back of your mind? And this isn’t just some religious cliché that I’m simply throwing around mindlessly, but I assure you it’s very real and very true.

Jesus was speaking one time and uttered the timeless words:

“Behold, I give unto you the power (Exousia) to tread over serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Dunamis) of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

The master, Jesus, used these words in perfect context not simply because he was trying to voice out a thought and mindlessly pull words from think air, rather he used those words so very carefully, accurately, and in perfect context because he completely understood them in every way to the point of Epignosis!

N.B: if you aren’t familiar with the term Epignoses in our teachings I urge you to take a moment and read my article series on “Biblical Knowledge”.

In case, perhaps you are the kind of man I used to be and taking those words lightly then consider the man uttering those words; this wasn’t a man who came short in the understanding of power. He healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, controlled nature, defeated Satan and Death, repossessed the keys of death and hell, and performed all manner of exhibitions of power over everything both on earth and in heaven.

Consider his words carefully now. He said he has given us power (take not he is speaking in the affirmative and in the past tense). I’d love to end it right there and not go into the long-winded monologues of describing the levels of spirits he has given up power over.

That verse perfectly describes how it’s so that we’ve actually been granted a level of power. So then what kind of power is this verse referring to? Have you noticed that there are two “power” words highlighted for you in the verse above? One of them is the one Jesus has given us (Exousia) and the other referring to the power that these spirits have i.e. Dunamis.

Now we’ll get back to this very same verse in the next article but as for the moment, let’s continue on with the power “Dunamis” that these spirits have because that’s the word that we are currently interested in.

WHAT IS DUNAMIS?

Dunamis refers to “inherent power” meaning power that you possess characteristically i.e., the power is a part of what you are or the kind of being you are.

If I may put it in greater context for you, consider the superheroes that modern culture has created—Superman, for instance. Superman has all kinds of supernatural abilities such as shooting rays from his eyes, flight, super strength and so on. All of those supernatural abilities are what are classified as his “Dunamis”—his power by nature of who he is and what he is characteristically.

The same principle applies with spiritual beings: Angels, Devils, Demons, Evil Spirits—all spiritual beings possess a type of Dunamis that were bestowed upon them by God. Different angels possess different powers as defined by their responsibility e.g., health, nature, light, heat, fire, wind, gravity, life, etc.

Similarly with Christians, we are spiritual beings too and thus have an inherent ability characterized by who and what we are (a concept we discussed in previous chapters on who and what a Christian really is). And the scripture above proves that we truly have been given power.

So the question therefore becomes what are these powers that we have by virtue of being Sons of the Supreme Deity, God?

DO I HAVE DUNAMIS?

As a Christian, emphatically, yes!

The very first scripture we read revealed that we had been given power, although it was referring to a different type of power than Dunamis.

So then how do we know that Christians too possess Dunamis?

Easy: the scriptures say so:

“But ye shall receive power (Dunamis) 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 (NKJV)

That was Jesus talking, by the way, and he clearly states that once the Holy Spirit comes, he will bring Dunamis; he will be the source of our Dunamis. Analyzing the tenses here, he was talking of the future, right? So, if I may be so bold, allow me to prove to you that the day you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in your hearts, thus, you presently have Dunamis within your spirit as we decipher these passages of scripture.

“In whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God in (through) the Spirit” – Ephesians 2:22 (NKJV

What that verse is telling you is that God has prepared you to be his dwelling place, and he dwells in you through the Holy Spirit, or rather as the Holy Spirit.

With that in mind, consider the words of Paul from a different account:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” – Corinthians 6:15

Notice the question in the first part of this verse and how that he speaks in the affirmative. In case you haven’t grasped it yet, he used the word “Eido” there translated as “know”. So the question actually reads “Are you not aware that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit dwells (present tense) in you?”

Observe also, how he is asking whether or not you are aware that God’s Spirit lives in you; and who is God’s Spirit? The Holy Spirit, right? Confirming his statements in Ephesians 2:22 that we have been prepared to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

I could go on proving that as long as you are a Christian then you actually do have the Holy Spirit presently with you, but I’m sure its clear enough by now already.

Thus, if you have the Spirit, according to Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 then you have received Dunamis. Which means He is now your inherent ability characteristically. Imagine that, having the Supreme Deity as your inherent ability.

So now that you the “Ginosko” of it, “Eido” it from now onward and move with the consciousness that you have Dunamis.

N.B. If you are unfamiliar with the terms ‘Ginosko’ or ‘Eido’ then I strongly urge you to refer to my article series on “Biblical Knowledge”.

Now, what’s next then? Learn how to use Dunamis! Gain Epignosis and understand how to use it, how it works and start taking advantage of it for the benefit of your own lives.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DUNAMIS

“And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power (Dunamis)”—Mark 9:1

These were the words of Jesus.

The master, Jesus, is a man who was very careful with words. He never said the wrong thing and never spoke out of turn or for no reason. Each one of his words was uttered for a reason that still holds relevance in our minds and in the hearts of others today.

When he made that statement, he wasn’t exactly saying what many might assume at first glance that he was saying. When you consider his words versus the teaching ministry of his whole gospel, you will discover that the times Jesus was actually talking about were none other now (the modern day: present day: everyday of the lives of you and I).

When he speaks of the Kingdom of God coming to earth, he isn’t referring to a spiritual Kingdom manifesting into this physical world, and neither is he referring to a heavenly city from above ripping a whole in the sky and hovering its way down to some location here on earth. He is referring to the people—his people—realizing their power and starting to function in this earth with the principles of the Kingdom of God. And its my sincere hope that in coming chapters, we will begin that transition.

And when he talks about the Kingdom coming with power, he means his people manifest heavenly realities with the Dunamis they possess.

Dunamis is the miracle working power of God. Perhaps that’s the reason it mostly appears in phrases such as the “power of God”, or the “power of the Spirit”, or the “power of the Lord”, etc.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power (Dunamis) to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power (Kratos),” – Ephesians 1:17-19

That was the Spirit’s prayer through the apostle Paul and He prays that we be granted more Epignosis. The reason the Spirit makes this prayer for us is stated in the above: so that we may be aware of wat his calling for us is, and so that we may discover what our inheritance in him is, and finally what type and level of power (Dunamis) which he has directed (pinpointed, ejected) towards us which clearly comes from God’s own strength.

Now contrary to what certain people might be thinking, the power used in the first verse we read (Luke 10:19) isn’t Dunamis. What does that imply?

“Behold, I give unto you power (Exousia) to tread over serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Dunamis) of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

When he says he has given to us “power”, he isn’t referring to Dunamis. He is referring to the next level of power we are going to be discussing in the next chapter. So what does that mean, you ask?

The power he gave us wasn’t to fight against demons and evil spirits and such. He gave us Dunamis alright, but not for the purpose of war; rather for the purpose of effecting changes in our own lives. If we don’t like a particular situation we find ourselves in or the way world systems are governed or anything, God says he wants us to be aware that he has given us power (Dunamis: dynamic ability to effect changes) to change anything on earth or even in the heavenly realms that we don’t like or aren’t so fond of. That’s the reason for his prayer through Paul in Ephesians 1:17-19, that we might gain complete, full, and mature understanding of how to use this kind of power. Dunamis is the power that Jesus, as well as the apostles, exercised from time to time when performing certain miracles (though not all miracles).

And what the Spirit is praying for there is that we too (his Children) may learn and understand how to use this power.

HOW TO USE DUNAMIS

Okay, so today you discovered that you can fly or shoot laser beams from your eyes as the fictional Superman does. So obviously the next question would be “how do I use it?” or “what do I need to do to activate it?”.

Let’s explore a few ways on how we can use the power given to us by examining some practical examples set by our predecessors. Now I should mention again that the concepts discussed in this article are just the basics and more complex and detailed studies will be tackled in later articles.

So on to the question: how do I use Dunamis and what do I need to do in order to get it working producing results in my life?

Here are three ways:

By actions of faith

There are so many accounts in the Bible in which Jesus and the apostles exercised Dunamis. So this will cover only a few examples of times and scenarios when some of these apostles exercised the Dunamis that all Christians possess.

It’s not always that specific examples are always the most appropriate examples. So in this case of using Dunamis through actions of faith, I won’t necessarily use examples of direct uses and quotations of uses of Dunamis that might suit this explanation, rather for the sake of keeping it basic, I’ll use a few of my favorite examples.

Saul one time had an encounter with Jesus while on is way to Damascus and he fell blind in the process. In the grand scheme of things, that one fateful event and encounter with the Lord, Jesus, led him to a meeting with Ananias who restored Saul’s sight. Observe carefully the way in which he restored Saul’s sight:

“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and having his hands on him, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized” – Acts 9:18

Notice how Ananias knew exactly what to do in order to restore Saul’s sight. He did nothing but lay his hands on Saul. He didn’t even command that Saul’s sight be restored. He just touched him and his sight was restored. So the question is how did he know what to do in order to restore sight? Through Epignosis, brothers and sister. Don’t take it lightly!

So that’s just one way that we can exercise Dunamis: through actions!

I’d love to give a few more examples and a little more of a detailed explanation on how to use Dunamis, but my goal for this article series is to give you a gentle introduction to knowledge from level to level gradually. So I will be covering this topic in further detail in later articles

By Prayers of faith

Another way to exercise Dunamis is through prayers of faith.

Let’s take a look at an example:

“And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber… But Peter put them all forth [Mark 5:40], and kneeled down, and prayed: and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive” – Acts 9:36-41

In this scenario Peter prayed and spoke afterward to Tabitha. Prayer is almost sort of multifunctional in that you can achieve so many things through it, and one of them is exercising Dunamis as illustrated by Peter in the account above.

Following divine instructions

This is by far my personal favorite way of exercising Dunamis. The ways of exercising Dunamis that I’ve listed at this point aren’t to suggest that they are the only ways to exercise and activate Dunamis, there are more ways. But the reason I’ve selected these three is because we are dealing with subjects at basic levels and I’d rather not introduce complex topics for the purpose of making this article more exciting, rather for the sake of your understanding I’d rather keep it at this level and move you from stage to stage.

Now another wat of activating and exercising Dunamis is simply by following instructions given by God. Really this one is more the same as actions of faith but this one is largely influenced by spiritual forces and sometimes even without our knowing or awareness.

Let’s take the account of Philip below:

Philip had just preached the word to an Ethiopian Eunuch who was on his way back to Ethiopia. So after preaching the word to him, the Eunuch accepted the gospel and requested to be baptized at an oasis right there when they were in the desert.

The account below takes place after the Eunuch is baptized:

“And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus.” – Acts 8:26-40

Similar things occurred to and with Elijah from time to time and as well with Jesus—so its nothing new really.

Now just in case you never really understood what happened because of the wording that King James Version uses, here’s what its saying in modern day English:

“And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip, that the eunuch never saw him anymore: and he (the eunuch) went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was later found at Azotus.”

In case you still haven’t gotten it yet, Philip just teleported from the desert to Azotus. The assumption was that teleportation is fictional, right? Well, not with Christians: Jesus did, Elijah did; its not a new thing for people to teleport as a result of the activation or exercise of Dunamis. Elijah and Philip were mostly teleported without so much of them expecting it but Jesus was a man that teleported at will (again, to be discussed in later articles).

When you follow the story of Philip’s account, you will discover that all of his actions where based off direct and specific instructions he was receiving from the Holy Spirit and hence when necessary, he was teleported as was required.

So, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. That’s it concerning Dunamis for now. I hope your have understood it a little more and hopefully at least have a basic understanding of what Dunamis is, why its so relevant, and how to use it.

Join me in my next article on the next type of Celestial Power that Christians possess.