Friday, October 3, 2008

Devotional 031008

After Jesus had (driven out demon from the boy) gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘why couldn't we drive it out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer.’” (Mark 9:28-29)

"Why could not we drive it out?" The answer lies in a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. This kind of evil forces can come forth by nothing but by concentration and redoubled concentration on Him. We can ever remain powerless, as were the disciples, by trying to do God's work not in concentration on His power, but by ideas drawn from our own temperament. We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him.
You are brought face to face with a difficult case and nothing happens externally, and yet you know that liberation will be given because you are concentrated on Jesus Christ. This is your line of service - to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it in irritation, or by mounting up, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ, then that very thing, and all you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way you will never know till you see Him face to face.
We must be able to mount up with wings as eagles; but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and the living down. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me," said Paul, and the things he referred to were mostly humiliating things. It is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say - "No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountain top with God." Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they are wearing out my faith altogether in Him, and put me into a panic?
The challenge of Christian living is to stay focus on Christ or draw close to Him while we serve in a humble manner each day. We tend to desire supernatural power or glorious experience of seeing God at work through us – this is a common temptation to our pride. If we fail to concentrate on Christ in whatever big project we try to accomplish for the Kingdom of God, it will not edify us at all even if we are successful. Satan knows whether we deal with challenges in life by our own ideas or by our dependence on Christ. It makes a huge difference in the spiritual realm if we do all things through Christ that strengthens us. The way to make sure that we let the Holy Spirit work through us is by contemplative prayer. We wait in silence (calm all our ideas or compulsive reactions) and listen to what our Holy Spirit has to say and how He wants to accomplish His task through us.
May the power of God continue to dwell in you and flow through you in overcoming the evil forces that may hide within you and around you… Have a blessed weekend!
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you, Pastor Fung. I prefer to reading your devotions on your blog. Good job! May God continue to make you a blessing to many.