Possessed by God

Our theme verse for today’s devotion is 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” This verse begins with the phrase “But you are…”—expressing all we are as God’s beloved children through Jesus Christ.

To allow these truths to move into our minds and hearts, let’s reread this verse, putting that initial phrase in front of each one of the specific descriptions included in it:

But you are a chosen people.

But you are…a royal priesthood.

But you are…a holy nation.

But you are…a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Revival breakthrough will occur as we fully enter into our relationship with God as His chosen people, His royal priesthood, His holy nation, and a people for His own possession.

What Does It Mean to Be “God’s Own Possession”?

Gideon’s Reward: Clothed and Possessed by God

A vivid picture of being possessed by God, filled with the power of His Spirit, comes in the account of Gideon in the Old Testament. Judges 6:34 reads, “But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him….” (AMPC).

This is God’s way: possessing His people by His Spirit. Being possessed by God was Gideon’s reward for tearing down the idolatrous high places that his father had set up. Gideon knew he would face retribution from his father’s household and the city's men if he did that, so he had to overcome his fear of persecution and danger. Despite that threat, he tore down the altars, and God responded by “cloth[ing] Gideon with Himself.” I love that!

No wonder Gideon had the authority to call forth thousands of fighting men and then bring them to the river to reduce their number to three hun­dred who had no common ground with fear. (See Judges 6:11–7:22.) It was because Gideon had had the fear driven out of his own life. Do you want a bib­lical basis for the idea of being possessed by God? Here it is: “But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him.” And this happened even before Jesus’s death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit on Pentecost.

Charles G. Finney: “Waves of Liquid Love”

To continue to unfold what it means to be the Father’s own possession, filled with His life, let us look at the example of an individual from church history who had firsthand experience with such intimacy with God. Charles G. Finney (1792–1875) was instrumental in the Second Great Awakening, an American revival in the mid-1800s. He was a lawyer before he became a fabled evangelist, and he was referred to as a “logician on fire.” I find that designation quite fascinating, indicating the blending of his natural gifts with the fire of the Holy Spirit to win souls for Christ.

The following is a quote by Finney that reveals his earnest and passionate love for the Lord:

As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.… He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at His feet. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind, for it seemed to me a reality that He stood before me and that I fell down at His feet and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me as if I bathed His feet with my tears….

This experience continued for a lengthy period. Finney describes what happened next:

…The Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves, and waves of liquid love—for I could not express it in any other way. And yet it did not seem like water, but rather as the breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense wings; and it seemed to me, as these waves passed over me, that they literally moved my hair like a passing breeze.

In this state I was taught the doctrine of justification by faith as a present experience.… I could now see and understand what was meant by the passage, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I believe that Charles Finney was “possessed by God.” His experience gives us a window into what God calls us to in our relationship with Him: first, full surrender; then, possession by Love Himself. To be possessed by God is to be completely taken by His glory, holi­ness, and love. This is a key element of revival breakthrough.

May the Lord take possession of you in a subtle or dramatic encounter. Your life is not your own. You were bought with a price. Give your all to Him. He has given His all for you.