He said to them, "This kind [of
unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." —Mark
9:29
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 there 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 you can offer that water to others.
You must have the Spirit of
God in you to do that.
There are a few 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. CHARLEY
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