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Judges 15:14-15
And when he (Samson)
came unto Lehi, the
Philistines shouted
against him: and the
Spirit of the LORD
came mightily upon him,
and the cords that were
upon his arms became as
flax that was burnt with
fire, and his bands
loosed from off his
hands. And he found a
new jawbone of an ass,
and put forth his hand,
and took it, and slew a
thousand men therewith. |
So nice to have you here today,
to share more wonderful TRUTH
together! When you saw the title
of this Step, you may have
wondered how little ole you
could possibly be used by Me for
anything.
My precious friend, the
possibilities are endless!
A good thing to remember is the
difference between Me working
in you, and Me working
through
you.
My working
in
you, is for the benefit of
your
soul. My working through
you is for the glory of God and
for
other
souls. Another important thing
to understand, is that whether
I'm working in you
or working through you,
the credit belongs to God.
Nobody praises the hammer for
the work that the carpenter did.
So, you are a tool, but the
ability for you to do
extraordinary spiritual things
comes
from God, by
Me, through you.
GOD'S SPIRIT USES CHOSEN VESSELS AS TOOLS FOR
GOD'S SPIRIT PURPOSE.
FROM FOOLS TO TOOLS
If you ever thought, or if
anyone ever made you feel like
you have to possess certain
qualities or skills or education
or physical strength or
anything else
in order to be used by Me as a
tool for God's purposes ... It's
just not true.
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1 Corinthians
1:26-29
For ye see your
calling, brethren,
how that not many
wise men after the
flesh, not many
mighty, not many
noble, are called:
But God hath chosen
the foolish things
of the world to
confound the wise;
and God hath chosen
the weak things of
the world to
confound the things
which are mighty;
And base things of
the world, and
things which are
despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and
things which are
not, to bring to
nought things that
are: That no flesh
should glory in His
presence. |
What you
should
be, however ... Is willing.
Just keep hold of My hand and
allow Me, without reservation,
to do God's will through you.
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Zechariah 4:6
Not by might, nor by
power, but
by My Spirit, saith the LORD of
hosts. |
I have a little something
special to tell you concerning
all of this. Sometimes, whether
you are willing or not, the Lord
will
still
use you. Some of the greatest
men of God in the Bible were not
without reservation at first
about allowing Me to work
through them.
Moses was apprehensive to lead
God's chosen people out of Egypt
because he didn't think he was
eloquent of speech. This angered
God, and He sent Moses
anyway,
with Aaron his brother to do the
talking.
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Exodus 4:14-15
And the anger of the
LORD was kindled
against Moses, and
He said, Is not
Aaron the Levite thy
brother? I know that
he can speak well.
And also, behold, he
cometh forth to meet
thee: and when he
seeth thee, he will
be glad in his
heart. And thou
shalt speak unto
him, and put words
in his mouth: and I
will be with thy
mouth, and with his
mouth, and will
teach you what ye
shall do. |
Gideon also doubted at first
that he could lead Israel
against the Midianites, thinking
that he was unworthy, but God
sent him
anyway.
|
Judges 6:15
And he said unto
Him, Oh my Lord,
wherewith shall I
save Israel? behold,
my family is poor in
Manasseh, and I am
the least in my
father's house. |
What about king Saul? The first
anointed king of Israel was
sheepish about his calling at
first. Knowing ahead of time
that he would be brought before
all Israel to be introduced, he
hid among the baggage. God
anointed him king
anyway.
|
1 Samuel 10:22-24
Therefore they
inquired of the LORD
further, if the man
should yet come
thither. And the
LORD answered,
Behold he hath hid
himself among the
stuff. And they ran
and fetched him
thence: and when he
stood among the
people, he was
higher than any of
the people from his
shoulders and
upward. And Samuel
said to all the
people, See ye him
whom the LORD hath
chosen, that there
is none like him
among all the
people? And all the
people shouted, and
said, God save the
king. |
Jeremiah tried the excuse that
he was too young to be a Prophet
... but God used him
anyway.
|
Jeremiah 1:5-9
Before I formed thee
in the belly I knew
thee; and before
thou camest forth
out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and
I ordained thee a
Prophet unto the
nations. Then said
I, Ah, Lord GOD!
behold, I cannot
speak: for I am a
child. But the LORD
said unto me, Say
not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to
all that I shall
send thee, and
whatsoever I command
thee thou shalt
speak. Be not afraid
of their faces: for
I AM with thee to
deliver thee, saith
the LORD. Then the
LORD put forth His
hand, and touched my
mouth. And the LORD
said unto me,
Behold, I have put
My words in thy
mouth. |
Jonah is a serious example of
what
can
happen if you're not willing to
do the Lord's bidding.
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Jonah 1:1-3
Now the Word of the
LORD came unto Jonah
the son of Amittai,
saying, Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great
city, and cry
against it; for
their wickedness is
come up before Me.
But Jonah rose up to
flee unto Tarshish
from the presence of
the LORD, and went
down to Joppa; and
he found a ship
going to Tarshish:
so he paid the fare
thereof, and went
down into it, to go
with them unto
Tarshish from the
presence of the
LORD. |
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Jonah 1:17
Now the LORD had
prepared a great
fish to swallow up
Jonah. And Jonah was
in the belly of the
fish three days and
three nights. |
As you probably know, the Lord
used Jonah
anyway.
In this case, Jonah continued to
be apprehensive, and his pride
made him a miserable man.
Note however, that God's will
was
done, and Nineveh
was
saved.
GOD'S SPIRIT POWER IS GIVEN TO GOD'S SPIRIT
CHOSEN SOULS.
POWER PLAY
We started out this Step with a
scripture about Samson, and how
I worked powerfully
through him. Power
is probably one of the first
things that comes to mind when
you think of the Holy Spirit of
God, because Jesus said ...
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Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive
power,
after that
the Holy Ghost
is come upon you:
and ye shall be
witnesses unto Me
both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost
part of the Earth. |
What does that mean ... What
kind of
power
should you expect Me to use
through you?
CONTINUE WITH ME AND YOU WILL
FIND OUT
As I transform your life, you'll
start to see the difference
between carnal knowledge and
spiritual wisdom.
I'd like you to read this little
poem concerning wisdom and
knowledge.
|
The Difference
between Knowledge
and Wisdom
William Cowper
Knowledge and
wisdom, far from
being one,
Have oft times no
connection.
Knowledge dwells
In heads replete
with thoughts of
other men;
Wisdom in minds
attentive to their
own.
Knowledge, a rude
unprofitable mass,
The mere materials
with which Wisdom
builds,
Till smooth'd and
squared and fitted
t' its place,
Does but encumber
whom it seems to
enrich.
Knowledge is proud
that he has learned
so much:
Wisdom is humble
that he knows no
more.
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THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
GOD'S SPIRIT BRINGS WISDOM TO THOSE WHOM
GOD'S SPIRIT CHOOSES FOR
GOD'S SPIRIT CAUSE
Where do you think wisdom comes
from?
|
James 1:5
If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask
of God, that giveth
to all men
liberally, and
upbraideth not; and
it shall be given
him. |
Wisdom comes from God.
Now, remember in Step 2 you
learned that God said, Let there
be ... And by the power of His
Holy Spirit ...
Me
... Whatever God said came to
pass.
So, you know that
I
fulfill God's will.
Now this is very interesting ...
Solomon, the
wisest
man to ever live, said this:
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Proverbs 3:19
The LORD
by wisdom hath
founded
the Earth; by
understanding hath
He established the
Heavens. |
Well, hmmmmm, was it Me, or was
it wisdom that manifested God's
blueprint of the Earth?
Maybe ...
Wisdom
is
of
God,
by
the Holy Spirit.
King David explains it
well:
|
Psalms 104:24,30
O LORD, how
manifold are thy
works!
in wisdom hast
thou made them
all:
the Earth is
full of thy
riches.
Thou sendest
forth thy
Spirit, they are
created:
and thou renewest the
face of the
Earth. |
Have you
ever
felt something was wrong before
it happened? Have you ever met
someone and just knew something
was wrong before you had any
evidence? Your understanding
came from Me.
Are you absolutely
sure
that you are not a spiritual
person, and have
never
encountered Me?
Does the possibility of Me
working
through you
seem more possible and real now?
Remember I showed you above
where James said that if you
lack wisdom, ask God and He will
give it to you? Let Me give you
another tip to attaining wisdom
... It's an important element in
your spiritual growth, and it's
called
fear of the Lord
... That is, to revere, respect,
praise, honor, and glorify Him.
Job 28:28
... Behold,
the fear of the
LORD, that is wisdom;
and to depart from
evil is
understanding. |
Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of
wisdom:
a good understanding
have all they that
do His commandments:
His praise endureth
for ever. |
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of
wisdom:
and the knowledge of
the holy is
understanding. |
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD
is the instruction
of wisdom;
and before honour is
humility. |
THE POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT
Don't let the word "Wisdom"
intimidate you. Wisdom isn't
something all gussied up or
incomprehensible to the average
person. God doesn't want you to
struggle to understand Him. Paul
explained that he made sure
people understood that he wasn't
some fancy intellectual, but by
the
power of the Spirit
he spread the Gospel.
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1 Corinthians 2:1-5
And I, brethren,
when I came to you,
came not with
excellency of speech
or of wisdom,
declaring unto you
the testimony of
God. For I
determined not to
know any thing among
you, save Jesus
Christ, and Him
crucified. And I was
with you in
weakness, and in
fear, and in much
trembling. And my
speech and my
preaching was not
with enticing words
of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of
power:
That your faith
should not stand in
the wisdom of men,
but in the
power of God. |
Here is a great example of
the
power of the Spirit
working through Paul:
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Acts 19:11-12
And God wrought
special miracles by
the hands of Paul:
So that from his
body were brought
unto the sick
handkerchiefs or
aprons,
and
the diseases
departed from them,
and the evil spirits
went out of them. |
And another example of My
power
working through Peter:
|
Acts 5:14-16
And believers
were the more
added to the
Lord, multitudes
both of men and
women.) Insomuch
that they
brought forth
the sick into
the streets, and
laid them on
beds and
couches, that
at the least the
shadow of Peter
passing by
might overshadow
some of them.
There came also
a multitude out
of the cities
round about unto
Jerusalem,
bringing sick
folks, and them
which were vexed
with unclean
spirits: and
they were healed
every one. |
People were healed by
handkerchiefs, aprons
and shadows ... Only by
the
power of the Spirit
could such miracles
happen ... No specific
education necessary.
Just Faith and Love ...
A DIFFERENT STORY
Now, I am sure there are still
voices that tell you that the
chances of anything spiritually
powerful happening through YOU
... Are about nil. My friend,
I'm here to tell you the TRUTH.
How can I work through you?
In many ways.
What do you like to do? Is music
your thing? Have you ever
thought of writing songs that
glorify God? That would
certainly be considered Me
working through you.
Many of the Psalms in the Bible
are songs that king David wrote
to God. You can feel My work
in and through
David's words. What about
painting or art or craftwork of
some kind that exudes glory to
your Father? Teaching?
Organizing? Helping?
Photography? Care giving?
Writing?
There are so many things ... But
only by your wish to use your
Spiritual gifts for God's glory,
can you turn an average skill
into a gifted talent. There are
dozens of things that you can do
right here at the Oasis that
will allow Me to work through
you.
The next time you spend time
alone with Me, offer your heart
to God and ask in Jesus' name
for Me to work through you. Be
confident. Ask Me to show you
exactly what to do. Ask Me to
develop your gifts and talents
to glorify the Father. Pray
about it. Don't doubt. You have
what it takes ... It's part of
you. All you have to do, is
unlock the door of desire and do
it!
|
Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do thy
will; for thou art
my God:
thy Spirit is good;
lead me into the
land of uprightness. |
Remember, I am your guide and
your Counselor.
You are
supposed
to consult with Me about God's
plan for your life. In the game
of life, I am your coach. You
wouldn't just run out into the
playing area without your
coach's instruction.
Train with Me, and you'll see
amazing things happen in your
life.
|
Micah 3:8
But truly I am
full of power by the
Spirit of the LORD,
and of judgment, and
of might ... |
|
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not
given us the spirit
of fear; but of
power, and of love,
and of a sound mind. |
Surrender your life, submit to
Me, yield your time and your
service and your self to the
cause for which you were born.
Spirit of the living God, I want
to live for Jesus today. I give
you my mind, my emotion, my
will, my intellect, my lips, my
mouth, my ears, my eyes. Use
them for the glory of God.
