Resolutions and the Holy Spirit (III)
You can read part I here and Part II here.
What does it mean to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? This is one of the most essential questions of the Christian life. This question deals with our obedience to God and the power by which we carry out this obedience. An essential question to say the least! During my Christian life I have experienced both the joy of pursuing the spiritual disciplines and serving in the power of the Holy Spirit, and I have also experienced the soul-killing weight of laboring in the power of my own flesh. Anger, frustration, envy, jealousy, and a whole field of other sins usually accompany spiritual endeavors that are pursued in my own strength. On the other hand, joy, peace, love for Christ and passion for God’s glory usually follow one who has labored in the power of the Spirit. “What a man sows, this he will also reap.”
So how can I reap to the Spirit? Merely engaging in spiritual activities doesn’t guarantee that I will; in fact, multiplying spiritual obligations when one is not spiritually ready for such obligations is a good way to guarantee that one will carry out these things in the flesh. A person may not yet have the inner-spiritual resources that will enable them to perform a host of duties with the right motivation. That is why Paul says that new converts are not allowed to take on the role of spiritual oversight and leadership (I Timothy 3:7).
A new convert has yet to develop the spiritual fortitude necessary to carry out the responsibilities of overseer with integrity, honesty, and a consistent motivation to glorify Jesus Christ. One who is not ready for such a position, when the pressure of ministry comes, will either crumble, or cover up their incompentency by retreating to dishonesty, compromise, and other such sins. Meanwhile, since they know what the position requires (competency), they will probably tend toward covering up sins that might reveal that they are not qualified for that particular responsibility. As a result, they will not properly deal with sin and the sin, subsequently, multiplies. “What a man sows, this he will also reap.”
This principle, I believe, can be applied to all Christians, and not just church leaders. A person who is not spiritually ready for a particular responsibility, will react in the same way, whether they are seeking church leadership or not. Thus comes my second thought:
2. Give Yourself to Sincerely Praying Over Your Spiritual Endeavors. Whether it is teaching Sunday School, or planning to read or Bible everyday, before you set out to accomplish these things, do what is obvious but what is often overlooked: pray. Pray for wisdom. Pray for God’s leading. Pray for the strength to carry out the endeavor. It may be during this time of prayer that God reveals to you that your plan to read 20 chapters of the Bible and pray 3 hours a day is wholly unreasonable. He may reveal to you that you aren’t spiritually qualified to accept your pastor’s invitation to become a deacon. Whatever the situation, if we desire to walk in the power of the Spirit, we must pray before we set out to do.
To be continued…
