I have noticed people like to get close to those in places of power and notoriety hoping that proximity will give them a similar power, leverage or an impression they are somehow on the inside. I know this because like most of you reading these words we have all done this at some point in our life. This has escalated in the age of the selfie. It isn’t just a problem in what we call “the world.” It’s in the Church as well when people who have a visible public ministry platform are promoted and displayed like a product to sell. 

True power and authority do not rub off. It is something we carry as believers. Yes, there are times of impartation, but those are purposeful and usually come with an invitation, not an assumption. 

Years ago, I knew a man who once met the President. In the man’s corporate office was a shrine of sorts with photos of him shaking the President’s hand. There were also letters of thanks from the President and various mementos surrounding his visit to the White House. The only thing missing was some burning incense. 

What was unknown to those who visited the man’s corporate office was the fact that thousands of people each year are hustled past the President for a 3-second handshake and a smile while the line of hand-shaking hopefuls snakes well past the captured image. The letter from the White House in the display was a thoughtful gesture, but not as personal as people think. Literally, thousands of these letters are written each month by a team of correspondent secretaries without the President ever knowing what was sent. I got to talk to one of those secretaries when I was in D.C. years ago. It’s a nice thought, but not an extension of power. 

Many of us have had times in our lives when we sought an association with someone in power to somehow make us feel more powerful. At some point, hopefully, we became disgusted with our self-promotion and realized we already carry the truest expression of power by the indwelling of the Spirit. That power was given to us the moment we believed before we knew its potential or could, in faith, display its power and authority for the glory of God. 

When we finally come to realize we already carry the power and authority of Heaven we won’t transmit a desperate self-promoting demeanor. In moments of introduction with someone in a position of power, we will display the life of the One we carry in purity. That display of confidence in God will transmit a message to those in positions of authority that we are someone in possession of even greater authority.  These encounters can create a follow-up invitation for a private meeting. Those private meetings will have no photos, selfies or social media advertisements. They take place behind closed doors where the real culture-shaping decisions are made. Walk in your God-given authority. You will be amazed where it will lead.