Discover the Joy of Leaning
A Boston pastor said that because he so sharply lacked the ability to administrate, he began praying and depending upon the Spirit to lead. He soon began noticing that the Holy Spirit led in new ways. Without any apparent prompting from the pastor, mission works of various forms began springing up spontaneously. He learned that the secret was dependence. As a result, he had no anxiety, and God responded to His confidence.
God has uniquely qualified us to do exactly what He wants us to do, but He wants us to have some area, often a crucial part of what we do for Him, when we can only say, "Lord, I simply cannot do it. I can only depend upon You."
If He is prompting You in some area, don't say, "But Lord, I can't do it." Instead, with your eyes focused on Christ, trust Him to give you the ideas He wants you to do, and then proceed with faith that He will use your efforts.
A minister said he had thought counseling was an area of ministry which he simply was unable to do successfully, and yet, because of his position, he often had people coming to him. Consequently, he had learned to approach counseling with a sense of depending upon the Holy Spirit. Counseling became a matter of trusting that God would teach him what to say. To his amazement, he found counseling to be the most rewarding part of his ministry.
Thank You, Lord, for the joy of discovering Your faithfulness when we learn to lean on You.
"When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities" (Ephesians 3:7, 8 The Message).
Memory Verse for April
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things" (Romans 8:32).
Please pray for the completion of new Come to the Fire resources and for Aletha as she writes a new Bible study on Solomon's Song of Songs. If you are willing to join her in prayer as she attempts to write of this maiden's progress from an unsatisfied life to union with Christ, she will appreciate hearing from you.
