J.I. Packer on the Power of God

A great word on God’s power by J.I. Packer from his book Rediscovering Holiness (p. 187):

God does not give His power as a possession of our own, a resource to use at our discretion. It should not be necessary to say that, but the amount of talk today about using the power of God shows that this misconception is common. God uses us, calling into play the powers He has given us, as channels through which His own power flows. But we are not storage units like batteries, or receptacles like buckets, in which the potential for power in action can be kept until needed. And we do not use God, or God’s power, as we use electricity, switching it on or off as we like.
Wanting to possess divine power to use at his own discretion was the sin of Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:18-24). His sin is recorded as a warning, not as an example to follow. The right desire at all times is to be “an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). The King James Version reads, “a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,” which is stronger and clearer.
Should Christians speak to us of using the power of God, red flags should flash before our mind. If however, the talk is of how to be usable and useful to God, we should be nodding our heads. Let us see to it that we do not go wrong here.