12 Keys to Operating in Power

I am so excited! I got me a new toy and it’s not even Christmas… a brand new power washer! I got to use it for the first time yesterday, and let me tell you, it was like taking a class on operating in power. Here are just a few of the things I noticed.

 You must pay a price for power. I’ve been wanting to get a power washer for a few years now but was never willing to pay the price. The longer I waited, the more dirt accumulated on the exterior of my house. The more dirt accumulated, the harder I was going to have to work to remove it. The more I thought about how hard I was going to have to work to remove it, the less interested I became in actively pursuing the purchase. Then one day, someone who didn’t even know I wanted a power washer, told me where I could go to buy one. I knew that was my indication that it was time. I went the very next day to purchase one, only to find out it cost way more than what I was told. My heart sank. I stood there for I don’t know how long contemplating what I should do. Should I not get it at all? Should I get a less powerful one than I really want to help minimize the cost? Or should I just go ahead and pay the price? Still unable to decide in that moment, I loaded my cart with the one I went in the store to get, and one with a little more power. I walked around for a while as I prayed and thought and thought and prayed. I finally decided to go to the counter to ask them to do a price check on both of them. All that did was confirm they both cost way more than I expected. As I was tempted to put them both back, that still small voice instructed me to buy them both and give one away. The excitement of the person I gave the other power washer to was well worth the price I paid. We may never know that it’s actually worth the price we have to pay to operate in our God-given power, until we give it away to others.

 You need to read the manual to learn how to operate in power properly. When I opened up the box, the first thing I did was read the instruction manual. I didn’t even pretend like I knew what I was doing. I was humble enough to learn from those who have operated in this countless times before me. As I read the manual, I noticed not all the instructions were spelled out for me and everything that was needed was not handed to me. I had to get up from where I was to go to my toolbox to get a screwdriver. I had to have my own water hose to attach to the water supply. I really would have liked those assembly pictures to be more descriptive so I wouldn’t have had to sit there as long as I did to think through what I needed to do next. But praise God I already had everything I needed to access the power that was available to me. And just by taking the time to read the instruction manual, I was able to learn about all the different parts, how to properly assemble them, how they were designed to function, and how to operate the power effectively.

 You don’t have to be loud to be powerful. Once I got everything assembled, it was time to plug the power washer in and get to work. I wanted to start at the entrance, so I attached it to the water hose closet to the front and plugged it in the outlet right near my front door. I pressed the ON button, it made a “vrrrmmm” sound, and then it went silent. “Oh, no!” I thought. I immediately went over to the outlet and moved the plug from the bottom to the top. (Don’t ask me why. It seemed perfectly logical at the time.) There was no change. I tried pressing the reset button on the cord. Silence. I went to check the circuit breaker, but nothing was tripped. So, I moved the cord from the outlet at my front door to one of the outlets in my garage. Same thing. So then I tried pressing the reset button on the garage outlet, but it didn’t need to be reset. After all of that, I finally remembered that the instruction manual said the device may be on and have power even if you can’t hear it. After that was brought back to my remembrance, I simply went back and pulled the trigger. Immediately, power was released. So, don’t let the fact that you’re reserved or soft-spoken to convince you that you’re not powerful. Just press the trigger and see what happens!

 You may have to bleed before you experience power. Once I finished in the front, I moved to the back. I had to disconnect the water hose from one spigot and reconnect it to one closer to the back. Once I did that, I was fully expecting the same level of power to flow as I had previously experienced. To my surprise, the flow was jerky and sporadic. Fortunately, this time it didn’t take me as long to remember what the instruction manual said. It said you must bleed any air from the pressure hose before the power will flow smoothly. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” If you want your God-given power to flow smoothly and continuously, you’re going to have to continuously die to self – which means you may have to bleed.

 You change the atmosphere when you operate in power. My daughter had been inside the entire time I was power washing the house. There came a point where she stuck her head out the door to ask me something and the first thing she noticed was the fog. Before she even asked me her question, the first thing out of her mouth was, “Ooooh… humid!” There was a noticeable, lingering humidity in the places I had released the power. I also noticed when I washed the corners of the patio, a cool breeze would always arise from the place where the power was pointed. Power will change the atmosphere and you don’t even have to say anything for other people to recognize it.

 You have to be sensitive enough to know how much pressure to apply. Though I applied full power to the patio and driveway, I knew I needed to be more delicate with the windows and doors. What I knew one could handle, I knew the other could not. What was beneficial for one, would have been destructive to another. We have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when operating in power. He’s the only One who really knows what’s needed in any given situation.

 The more you operate in power, the more powerful it becomes. I didn’t pick up on it at first, but after flowing in it for a while I realized the longer I operated the power, the more powerful it became. When I pulled the trigger, it would flow out softly initially and build up gradually. It wouldn’t reach its maximum potential until it had been flowing for a while. So, don’t gauge your potential based on the level of power that’s released when you first pull the trigger. Stay at it. Keep operating in it. Do not despise small beginnings. 

 The dirtiest places are those that remain covered up. I thought it was very interesting that the place where I spent the most time was where I have a mat at my front door. All kinds of dirt and yuckiness had built up around the perimeter of it. When we try to hide, or cover things up, or just put something pretty on display for all to see; we often don’t realize all the filth that’s progressively accumulating. We all should have someone in our lives that has access to see what we’ve swept under the rug or attempted to cover up.

The power loosens the dirt, but the soft touch is what removes it. There were some places that I power washed and yet the dirt was still visible. After multiple attempts to wash it away, I realized these areas didn’t just need to be showered, they needed to be touched. I asked my daughter to bring me a towel and I began to take my time to address each area. The before and after of these areas were the most dramatic of all. Never minimize the power that lies in your soft touch.

The closer I was, the more effective the power was. When I was cleaning the hard concrete areas, it became very apparent that proximity is important. The further away I was, the less that area was affected by the power. The closer I was, the more that area was affected by the power. In other words, where I was positioned in relationship to what I wanted to impact, greatly influenced the outcome. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how powerful you are if a person hasn’t given you permission to speak into their life. Take the time to develop relationships. There is power in proximity.

There are some things designed to withstand even the strongest pressure. Of all the dirt I cleaned off, it was the tiny little dirt dauber nests that withstood the most amount of pressure. I’m telling you the three little pigs should have taken a construction class from them! Even under maximum pressure at the closest proximity, they did not want to move. Some people have built up reinforced walls around their heart as a protective mechanism to withstand pain. In cases like this, it’s not only going to take power, it’s not only going to take proximity, but it’s also going to take patience. Never underestimate the power of patience.

Operating in power without resting is dangerous. I was so enjoying the results I was getting, that I just wanted to keep going and going. But at some point, after going at it for a couple of hours, my hand started getting tired of pulling the trigger. The more fatigued I got, the less accurate my aim was. When dirt started flying out of my flowerpots because I had misaimed, I knew it was time to shut things down. Don’t allow the enemy to convince you that you’re being ineffective when you power down. Anything that’s powerful needs time to recharge.

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy Everyday Wisdom Podcast Episode004.