He said to them, "This
kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
—Mark 9:29
{CHAMBERS} ““His disciples
asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer
lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. […] We can remain powerless
forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work
without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we
draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very
eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him. When you are brought face to face
with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know
that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration
on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is
nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus
even now? […] Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me” (Philippians 4:13)“
{ELGIN} You cannot do anything for God unless it is done by faith in
God. Oh, you can do things in His name,
but it really amounts to work accomplished by your own effort. Ephesians 2:8,9 says we are saved by grace
through faith not of works lest any man boast that somehow he had saved himself
by his own effort. And so it is when you
step out for God. There is nothing I can
do that pleases God in terms of effort, what God wants from me is a broken and
contrite heart and a willingness to pick up my cross and follow Jesus. But God I am so smart. Who gave you your
intelligence? When you serve God you
must lay a spiritual foundation. If you
say “yes” God will take you places that would crush your spirit and cause you
to feint in the intensity of the circumstances. Whether it be a lion’s dens, a
fiery furnace, or ministering to a difficult person in a difficult situation,
God is sufficient to meet your needs. (Philippians
4:19) “… my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his
glory in Christ Jesus.”
Have you ever wondered what
the difference was between a Christian giving someone a drink of water and a non-Christian
doing the same thing? The person
receiving the water has their thirst quenched either way. Sometimes we are guilty of thinking that only
Christians can do “good” things. Not true. But the is something supernatural going on
when a Christian serves others. Jesus
told the woman at the well that He had living water to give her. He could offer water to her soul … and so can
you. You must have the Spirit of God in
you to do that. There are organizations involved
in disaster relief that have the
reputation for being “spiritual” but, in fact merely have a religious
veneer. They will not allow Christians to share their faith in their desire to
be “ecumenically correct” and not offend people of other beliefs or no belief at
all. Disasters are not an opportunity to
take advantage of people’s vulnerability.
But they do give opportunity for the Church to rise up and be ready to
give a reason for the hope that is within them. (1 Peter 3:15) There are no
spiritual strings attached to our serving others, but there is spiritual power
behind it. God uses circumstances to
speak to the lost. Sometimes He whispers
and sometimes He SHOUTS! In any case we
must be ready to shine the light of Jesus whatever the situation and circumstance.
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