A Devotional for such a time as this: - from: DeMoss, N. L. (2012). The quiet place: daily devotional readings. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers. _______________________ Fresh Oil My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.—1 Corinthians 2:4 NASB WHEN PEOPLE ASK HOW THEY CAN PRAY FOR ME, my most common answer is this: “Pray for ‘fresh oil’—that God will grant the anointing of His Spirit on my life and ministry.” That is perhaps the prayer I pray most frequently for myself, for I know that I am helpless, powerless, and useless apart from the energizing, enabling work of His Spirit. Oil in the Scripture is often used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil, signifying that they had been set apart and empowered for ministry. The Bible tells us that when Samuel anointed a young shepherd boy as king of Israel, “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13 NASB). The apostle Paul recognized the importance of the Spirit’s anointing in his ministry: “Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thess. 1:5). This divine enabling of the Spirit is not reserved for some select few saints. Every New Testament believer has been “anointed” by God, who has “given us his Spirit” (2 Cor. 1:21–22). Whether you are a small group or worship team leader in your church, a parent of toddlers or teens, or are serving God in some other capacity, you undoubtedly know what it is to feel weak, inadequate to accomplish what He has given you to do. That is a good place to be! Pray for an outpouring of grace and the fresh supply of His Spirit. Ask Him to enable you to serve Him in a way that is unexplainable apart from His supernatural hand and power. And by faith, believe Him to grant the anointing you desire and need. What will likely be the result of our lives and ministries if we remain satisfied with business as usual, with simply doing the best we can do? - via Logos 5 - via Vyrso #devotionalforsuchatimeasthis #christjesus #vineofchristministries #theword #studyscripture #god #biblestudy #bible #jesus #faith
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 15:24:50 +0000