POWER
WITHIN
BREAD
9 You,
however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9
(NIV)
7 But we
have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians
4:7 (NIV)
6 So he
said to me, “This is the word of the Lord
to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)
38 “Therefore,
in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if
their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you
will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting
against God.” Acts 5:38-39 (NIV)
18 I pray
also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know
the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in
the saints, 19 and
his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working
of his mighty strength, 20 which
he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the
one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV)
3 For
though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are
not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. 5 We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)
7 The
end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so
that you can pray. 8 Above
all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one
another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do
it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it
with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:7-11 (NIV)
20 Now to
him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
13 May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The one who gives the power gets the
glory.” John
Piper
“When we can do nothing Jesus can do all
things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.” Charles
Spurgeon
“The true secret to all ministry is
spiritual power. It is not man’s genius, or man’s intellect, or man’s energy;
but simply the power of the Spirit of the God of the Gospel. ‘Not by might nor
by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’ (Zechariah 4:6). It is well for all ministers (and believers)
to bear this ever in mind. It will sustain the heart and give constant freshness
to their ministry (and lives). A
ministry which flows from abiding dependence upon the Holy Spirit can never
become barren. If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry.
It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how
vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power
of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its
effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the
gospel…should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit.
He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and
used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” C H
Macintosh
“Consider
the parallels between Pharaoh and Satan.
Both are unyielding enemies, coveting the power of God for
themselves. Both have been plundered by
the Almighty, and both are enraged beyond endurance. Both have assembled vast armies for the
destruction of God’s people – yet neither seems to realize how utterly defeated
he already was and is.” Robert J. Morgan
“When
a man has not strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful.” D.L.
Moody
“A
primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing
God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God’s warrior marches forth to battle,
strong in his own might, when he boasts, ‘I know that I shall conquer, my own
right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory’, defeat is not
far distant. God will not go forth with
that man who marches in his own strength.
He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for ‘it is not by
might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’. They who go forth to fight, boasting of their
prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their
armour stained with disgrace. Those who
serve God must serve Him in His own way, and in His strength, or He will never
accept their service. That which man
doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth He casteth away;
He will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by
grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love.
God will empty out all that thou hast before He will put His own into
thee; He will first clean out the granaries before He will fill them with the
finest of the wheat……Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being
filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Do
not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people! Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.” Phillips
Brooks
“Sometimes the enemy seems to get an
advantage over us; but the battle is not over yet. At last thou shalt
have the victory, and carry the day for all that. In hard struggles
remember the power of Christ, who, in his resurrection, broke through
everything. With him thou canst also break through, and be more than
conqueror. Yea, in every conflict, if thy faith be firm, thou canst be
sure of victory beforehand; for faith engages Christ’s power, and his power
ensureth victory; it is as impossible for thine enemies to keep thee always in
bonds, as it was impossible that Christ could be kept in the grave by the
stone, seal, and keepers. Nay, the greater their force is, the more
glorious will be the victory of Christ over them.” K. H.
Von Bogatzky
“What is needed is
not mere present professions, but perseverance to the end in the power of
faith.” Ignatius
of Antioch
“And
we do well to remember that this gracious God, who has condescended to place
His almighty power at the command of believing prayer looks not lightly on the
blood guiltiness of those who neglect to avail themselves of it for the benefit
of the perishing….” Hudson Taylor
HEART
SAVOR
- · God graciously empowers us with His Spirit to do His will to bring Him glory and us good.
- · What man does in his own strength, God will never own.
- · Why would I want to do what only I can do? It’s just so human and something that will never make it through the fire. Eternal things are only done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
