Secret to Spiritual Success
Hey Friends,
Yesterday we talked about full surrender to the Spirit of the living God. Let me give you some illustrations to the fact. William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. At its inception it was all about evangelism. Booth had enormous success in his pursuit of souls and the Kingdom of God. He was asked the reason for his success:
“Booth remained silent for several moments. Finally, with tear-filled eyes, he said, ”There have been men with greater brains or opportunities than I, but I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was.’”
“Several years later when General Booth’s daughter heard about her father’s comment regarding his full surrender to God, she said, “That wasn’t really his secret – his secret was that he never took it back.’”
Jim Cymbala wrote about surrender: “I discovered an astonishing truth; God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him. The first step in any spiritual awakening is demolition. We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls. Rationalizing has to cease. We have to start seeing the sinful debris we hadn’t noticed before, which is what holds back the blessings of God. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and quenches His power among us.”
We must cry out to God in total desperation. We can do nothing but He can do all things. Let us humble ourselves in prayer and fasting. Let us seek Him with all of our heart. He is the answer and He is what we must seek first.
What are you depending on? Who are you trusting? How are you seeking God? He really is attracted to weakness – it is a theme that runs throughout the Word.
Love Ya,
Pastor Chris
9 Comments
What great inspiration for the rest of us, look what total submission to God did for so many people, and is still doing—through just one man! If that doesn’t get your boat floating right, what would? God will do so much if we just let Him, but for me it’s an almost constant battle to be weak enough to allow it to happen. But when I do, God comes through a hundredfold, sometimes it takes a while for my clouded mind to see it though. Trusting Him is I guess the easiest part, at least for me; being weak is the problem. So often we are brought up in this culture to be strong and force our opinions and actions through, when actually, that brings a lot of heartache in the long run. God’s way is absolutely phenomenal, but it takes work! Hope everyone has a great weekend….and may God be with you all.
What a great blog~ as they all are but I have found in the past year for me~ its like pealing and onion~ the more layers pealed the more that is revealed~ I have spent the past 5 years of my life replacing lies with HIS truths~ And I learned about relationship! Huge awakening! Although there are many days I allow the enemy to creep in, I know Jesus is the ONLY way! Thank You for being a constant vessel to share~ God has been using you for as long as I can remember! Amazing!
Like peeling an onion, you’re right, Ginger! It’s been years for me to learn also, and of course, we are still learning tons everyday! I think most of us fight the “enemy creeping in,” but we are going the right Way. And it was an amazing blog, I will think about that story for days to come….
It seems the time I see the evidence of His work in my life is the time I confess my personal inability to do anything but let Him work. The less faith I have in my abilities, the more room He has to move. And boy does He move. I’m grateful He faithfully pours Himself to overflowing into my weaknesses.
Thanks Gina, stoked to have you on the team. God is going to use you mightly.
Cathy, Keep seeking and growing God is at work
Ginger, it is so exciting to hear how God is moving in your life. Michele and I have such fond memories of how God used you in the youth group @ Eastwood
I guess there’s nothing like total desperate weakness to bring us to our knees before Him. The story of Elijah is one illistration God has chosen to speak to me through.
I Kings 19:11-13 in paticular.
The wind broke all the rocks and rent the mountain, but God wasn’t in the wind.
Then the earthquake and FIRE…but God was not in either.Hmmm…so where is GOD?
Perhaps He is in James 4:6-10!!! At least for me that’s the comfort of understanding I have recieved. I will explain. Sometimes seasoned Christians go through things that they never saw coming and in the confusion begin a trial of their faith that they had no idea they needed, to move ahead in the plans that God has for them. When we seek Him, before Him asking in faith for His will to be done in our lives. What should we expect. He answers our prayers, YES?; but just not always the way we think He will, so that said, to be humbled by the wind,earthquake,and fire so that God moves toward us and causes us to get the personal clutter of our own thoughts blown away,shaken away, or burnt up is an answer that will produce great things.
Because to hear His still small voice is the most powerful thing even past the entire universe. Because when He does lift us up what can be possible? 1 Corinthians chp. 2. We need to be surrendered to really mean Your will God not mine.
I forgot to say the full measure of what I saw. Forgive me.
God spoke and Elijah wrapped his “head” in his mantle and came and stood in the mouth of the cave…for direction? Anyway, Jesus is the door.John 10:7. Also dear to me, because of the same imagery, is SS 2:14 all this kind of set my minds eye to believe that’s where Elijah was…taking shelter in Jesus and in Jesus is where God speaks to us too, 2 Cor.5:19. If our head is cleared out by our trials and we wrap it with Jesus and we are standing (Eph 6:10-19) in Jesus, can we not better accomplish the greater things Jesus promised when He said He was going to His Father and that He would send the Holy Spirit? Yes we can. I guess that is the way I see spiritual success or at least the hope of success. And the Spirit never stops speaking, and know matter how things may seem God will find us and direct us…if we surrender to listen for the still small voice IN Jesus.