5)
For we preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake.
6)
For God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7)
But we have this treasure
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power
may be of God, and not of us.
|
I |
t is
difficult for men to understand why they cannot seem to accomplish the things they
think they should. One of the answers is that though we frequently speak of the
power of the Holy Ghost, this power is not under our exclusive control.
How does
this Power work? We all know that we spoke in tongues and felt the power of the
anointing. Even so, that power is and was not in what we "feel." If
that were so, what would be the state of those who do not feel saved, but are,
and those who "feel" they are saved, yet aren't?
What the
power of the Holy Spirit does operate through is the understanding of what the
Word says. Once one understands the Word, he is able to exercise its power.
There is no
such thing as a "weak saint." If this were true it would mean that
the power of the Holy Spirit is inadequate. The only reason that one does not
overcome and prosper in salvation is because he does not allow the Holy Ghost
the power of control over his life.
Since all
power in heaven and earth belongs to Him, He will allow no one to steal
His glory. This is why we are not permitted to usurp the authority of His Word.
It is probably safe to say that the plan of salvation is about living the life
of a risen Saviour. That life is one of holiness, righteousness and victory.
Many are blinded as to exactly what salvation is because of attempting to
receive spiritual blessings through natural means.
We will
accept that the revelation of the image of God comes only through the Holy
Spirit, yet we will try to acquire other equally important revelatory
information through our own understanding. Not only is it impossible to
understand the things of God without Him in our life, it is impossible to accomplish
anything without His power.
Too often
after salvation, we confuse His life with our "old" one. We are not
granted Power so that we might be able to "become" and "be"
someone. Our life does not become His, His becomes ours! Becoming
saved is not about suddenly being granted our "wildest dreams" for
ourselves. On the contrary we are accepted or grafted into the most powerful
family the World has ever known.
When we come
to the Lord, we are giving Him permission to make of us what He intended in the
first place. He can "rebuild" us from the "bottom up," free
from the impediments of our natural birth—but only if we will yield to Him.
Once we have
"signed on" with Him and received our directives we can execute them
only through His help and power. In Him we must worry about absolute, no
hindrances. However, we are perfectly capable of hindering ourselves, for the
harder we try to accomplish our own goals and carry out our own will, the
farther behind we get. You see, only that which God "authors" will he
prosper. Nothing done for Him will please Him unless directed by Him.
Often, it
seems as if the harder the Lord tries to lead and guide us, the more stubborn
and resistant Man becomes—and the harder he runs. Ironically, we are running
from the only means through which man can change.
Here is what
we have to cling to in these last days: God is good! He is good no matter how
much difficulty we face. He is good because He loved us enough to provide the
only means for deliverance out of sin. There is no deliverance but through
spiritual means. Had it not been for Him, we would never have been delivered,
for we could never have delivered ourselves.
In salvation,
there is no substitute for rest in the Lord. As "panicky" as some
are, you would think that there is no such thing as "rest" in the
Lord.
What we need
to face is that there is nothing that happens to us but that which God allows.
Because nothing takes Him "by surprise," we need not be surprised,
either.
We have also
been granted the power to overcome "feelings": our feelings about
other people, what they say about and what we think they "do" to
us. It makes no difference what others do or say as long as we stay
connected to God. In that the power...of God could not have been given to
us by anyone but God; no one else can take it. This, alone, is reason for
praise for the rest of our existence.