Matthew 12:22-28
...But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
The Lord says, "if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." This seems the way how kingdom of God will come, isn't it? Jesus plus Holy Spirit can cast away the work of demons. Relying on the Holy Spirit is very important. Christians in this world need not only the salvation of Jesus, but the power brought forth by the Holy Spirit even more. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:20, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." It is not about what we can do with our power, but rather about relying on the Holy Spirit. The biggest reason that Christians feel powerless is they don't understand the work of relying on the Holy Spirit.
The first time I understood the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit was when I was a young man attending a gospel training class for campus evangelism. They used a booklet, "Have you heard four spiritual principles?" The procedure was to find someone who needed gospel, and read the booklet with that person. At the beginning of the training, I was very excited. I never thought that preaching gospel could be so easy. After five week's training, we graduated. An evangelist coworker and I went out to preach the gospel. A few days later, more and more, I was afraid of going out with him. On the surface, we did the exact same thing, reading booklet with people. When he read it, someone would receive the Lord. But when I read it, there is no effect. I was frustrated. Later on, he told me that before every time we went out to preach, he spent many hours praying in front of God, asking the Lord to prepare him, to use him. Moreover, he prayed for those who he would meet, prayed that the Lord would see them. Even when we went out, he prayed that the Holy Spirit lead him, so that he could meet those who were thirsty. I witnessed the difference between him and me. He was humble, relying the guidance of the Holy Spirit, when I relied on the wonderful method I learned, not knowing to rely on God.
The secret of a victorious spiritual life is to rely on the work of the Holy Spirit. You need to rely on prayer to get closer to God, to receive the power of Holy Spirit. May branches like us be connected to the grapevine so that we receive revival power every day! Pray with Pastor Tong 
Lord, we thank you. You are our grapevine, the source of our supplies. Whenever we come to you with our needs, you always give us wisdom, power, and happiness. May your Holy Spirit filled us again, pour down on us so that we can live a victorious life every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! |
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