Reality #3 Part 5 Things only GOD can do!
Scripture reveals to us certain things that only God can do.
John 6:44
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."
No one will seek God or pursue spiritual things unless the Spirit of God is at work!
Suppose a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, or one of your children begins to inquire after spiritual things. You do not have to question whether that is God drawing him or her. He is the only one who can do that. No one will ever seek after God unless God is at work in his life.
Try applying this to your witnessing, you will find wonderful freedom. Pray about it and watch to see how God is working in the lives of others. When you see or hear someone seeking after God, that is your invitation to bear witness to the God you know and serve!
Here are some other things that ONLY GOD can do!
John 14:15-17
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
John 16:8
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:"
When you are saved, you enter a love relationship with Jesus Christ -- God Himself. At that point the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, comes to take up residence in you life. He is ever present to teach you. The Holy Spirit convicts people of guilt regarding sin. He convicts the world of righteousness and judgment.
Things ONLY GOD can do:
1. God draws people to Himself.
2. God causes people to seek after Him.
3. God reveals spiritual truth.
4. God convicts the world of guilt regarding sin.
5. God convicts the world of righteousness.
6. God convicts the world of judgment.
When you see one of these things happening you can know God is at work. God is at work when you see someone coming to Christ, asking about spiritual matters, coming to understand spiritual truth, experiencing conviction of sin, being convinced of the righteousness of Christ, and being convinced of judgment.
Some things that we can do:
1. Pray: Always start with Prayer! Only the Father know what He has purposed. He knows the best way to get it done. After you pray, get up off your knees and watch to see what God does next. What to see what people are saying when they come to you.
2. Make the connection: Suppose a co-worker comes to you with a question like, "My family is really having a tough time financially. I am having an especially tough time with my teenager, can you give me some advise?" If you have just prayed for God to reveal to you where He is at work, make the connection between your prayers and this opportunity! Always connect what happens after prayer or you may miss God's answer to your prayer.
3. Ask probing questions: Ask the kind of questions that will reveal what is happening in that person's life. This will help you find out where God has been at work in peoples lives.
Sample questions:
A. How can I pray for you?
B. What can I pray for you?
C. Do you want to talk?
D. What do you see as the greatest challenge in your life?
E. What is the most significant thing happening in your life right now?
F. Would you tell me what God is doing in your life?
G. What is God bringing to the surface in your life?
H. What particular burden has God given you?
4. Listen: Suppose the person responds, "I really don't have a relationship with God. But in the last little while with this problem with my teen, I sure have been thinking about it." OR "When I was a kid, I used to go to Sunday School. My mother and dad made me go. I got away from it, but the financial problems we are under have really caused me to think about this." Those statements sound like God is at work in the person's life. He may be drawing the person to Himself, causing the person to seek after God or bringing conviction of sin.
When you want to know what God is doing around you, pray. Watch to see what happens next. Make the connection between you prayer and what happens next. Ask probing questions and then listen. Be ready to make whatever adjustments are required to join God in what He is doing.
When God reveals to you what He is doing, that is when you need to respond! He speaks when He is about to accomplish His purposes. That is true throughout Scripture. Keep in mind, the final completetion may be a long time off, just like Abram's son was born 25 years after the promise from God.
The time God comes to you, however, is the time for your response. You need to begin adjusting your life to Him. You may need to make some preparations for what He is going to do through you.
What God Initiates:
When God said through Isaiah, "I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." (Isaiah 46:11b), he confirmed that what God initiates, He completes! Earlier he warned God's people saying, "The LORD of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?'" (Isaiah 14:24,27). God says that if He ever lets His people know what He is about to do, it is as good as done -- He Himself will bring it to pass. (See also 1 Kings 8:56 and Philippians 1:6.)
What God speaks, He guarantees will come to pass. This holds enormous implications for individual believers and churches. When we come to God to know what He is about to do where we are, we also come with the assurance that what God indicates He is about to do is certain to come to pass.
You may have trouble agreeing with this statement. But sure you always base your understanding of God on Scripture, not on personal opinion nor experience alone. Throughout history, people have said they have a word from the Lord and then it does not come to pass. You cannot look to these kinds of experiences to determine your understanding of God. According to the Scriptures, God accomplishes what He purposes to do.
In Christ,
David
John 6:44
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."
No one will seek God or pursue spiritual things unless the Spirit of God is at work!
Suppose a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, or one of your children begins to inquire after spiritual things. You do not have to question whether that is God drawing him or her. He is the only one who can do that. No one will ever seek after God unless God is at work in his life.
Try applying this to your witnessing, you will find wonderful freedom. Pray about it and watch to see how God is working in the lives of others. When you see or hear someone seeking after God, that is your invitation to bear witness to the God you know and serve!
Here are some other things that ONLY GOD can do!
John 14:15-17
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
John 16:8
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:"
When you are saved, you enter a love relationship with Jesus Christ -- God Himself. At that point the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, comes to take up residence in you life. He is ever present to teach you. The Holy Spirit convicts people of guilt regarding sin. He convicts the world of righteousness and judgment.
Things ONLY GOD can do:
1. God draws people to Himself.
2. God causes people to seek after Him.
3. God reveals spiritual truth.
4. God convicts the world of guilt regarding sin.
5. God convicts the world of righteousness.
6. God convicts the world of judgment.
When you see one of these things happening you can know God is at work. God is at work when you see someone coming to Christ, asking about spiritual matters, coming to understand spiritual truth, experiencing conviction of sin, being convinced of the righteousness of Christ, and being convinced of judgment.
Some things that we can do:
1. Pray: Always start with Prayer! Only the Father know what He has purposed. He knows the best way to get it done. After you pray, get up off your knees and watch to see what God does next. What to see what people are saying when they come to you.
2. Make the connection: Suppose a co-worker comes to you with a question like, "My family is really having a tough time financially. I am having an especially tough time with my teenager, can you give me some advise?" If you have just prayed for God to reveal to you where He is at work, make the connection between your prayers and this opportunity! Always connect what happens after prayer or you may miss God's answer to your prayer.
3. Ask probing questions: Ask the kind of questions that will reveal what is happening in that person's life. This will help you find out where God has been at work in peoples lives.
Sample questions:
A. How can I pray for you?
B. What can I pray for you?
C. Do you want to talk?
D. What do you see as the greatest challenge in your life?
E. What is the most significant thing happening in your life right now?
F. Would you tell me what God is doing in your life?
G. What is God bringing to the surface in your life?
H. What particular burden has God given you?
4. Listen: Suppose the person responds, "I really don't have a relationship with God. But in the last little while with this problem with my teen, I sure have been thinking about it." OR "When I was a kid, I used to go to Sunday School. My mother and dad made me go. I got away from it, but the financial problems we are under have really caused me to think about this." Those statements sound like God is at work in the person's life. He may be drawing the person to Himself, causing the person to seek after God or bringing conviction of sin.
When you want to know what God is doing around you, pray. Watch to see what happens next. Make the connection between you prayer and what happens next. Ask probing questions and then listen. Be ready to make whatever adjustments are required to join God in what He is doing.
When God reveals to you what He is doing, that is when you need to respond! He speaks when He is about to accomplish His purposes. That is true throughout Scripture. Keep in mind, the final completetion may be a long time off, just like Abram's son was born 25 years after the promise from God.
The time God comes to you, however, is the time for your response. You need to begin adjusting your life to Him. You may need to make some preparations for what He is going to do through you.
What God Initiates:
When God said through Isaiah, "I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." (Isaiah 46:11b), he confirmed that what God initiates, He completes! Earlier he warned God's people saying, "The LORD of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?'" (Isaiah 14:24,27). God says that if He ever lets His people know what He is about to do, it is as good as done -- He Himself will bring it to pass. (See also 1 Kings 8:56 and Philippians 1:6.)
What God speaks, He guarantees will come to pass. This holds enormous implications for individual believers and churches. When we come to God to know what He is about to do where we are, we also come with the assurance that what God indicates He is about to do is certain to come to pass.
You may have trouble agreeing with this statement. But sure you always base your understanding of God on Scripture, not on personal opinion nor experience alone. Throughout history, people have said they have a word from the Lord and then it does not come to pass. You cannot look to these kinds of experiences to determine your understanding of God. According to the Scriptures, God accomplishes what He purposes to do.
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 3:30 PM
1 Comments:
Hi David,
This was an exhilerating read! I have always thought that Christians needed to understand God's preparation better in order to be more effective in evangelism!
Here's something to think about. One day I was reading John 1, and found the remark about John the Baptist: that all men through him might believe.". And I thought to myself, "Now, that almost sounds like a Divine character trait, but of course John was not Divine."
Then the Lord showed me something. In the days before the Holy Spirit was given, the ministry of John the Baptist was a forerunner of His ministry, to convict the world of righteousness, sin and judgment, in relation to Christ who was about to come. Check, this out further, and you'll see.
This also means, in relation to your article, that the sort of 'fruit' we would have seen from John's ministry is also the sort of fruit we might recognize in a person whom the Holy Spirit is drawing near. Does it save them? No. But because of it, they are able to face the light (John 3:20,21). So when Jesus is finally presented to them ("Behold the Lamb of God!") immediately they will follow Him. (John 1:36,37)
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