Confirmed by the Spirit

I just had to share this because it made sense and it might make someone else’s day. The outline for our 10-Day Detox Challenge came to me as I worked on a simple but straightforward means to expand the challenged beyond food. Hence, I labeled it as fuel, not just food.

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Before I even ordered The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren, I had formulated this outline for the 10-Day Detox Challenge. I didn’t know that Warren used some of the same or similar points. It wasn’t until I previewed the book prior to ordering it that I discovered these glaring similarities.

I will give that one to the Holy Spirit. I will accept that the Holy Spirit offered confirmation on what I had in mind.

LESSON LEARNED

Let that be a lesson to somebody. You do not stop dead in your tracks when you learn that someone else has a similar idea as you. Keep going with. Keep working on it. Stick with it.

There will always be a world of ideas that appear similar if not the same. Look at how many acronyms people use. There are all sorts of overlap with acronyms like NOW, FIT, PLAN, and many more. It is all a matter of how you market and package your idea.

It is totally up to you how you handle it, but as for me, i am going to keep going forward. That’s in my best interest and in the interest of the people who might get a blessing out of me not being detoured or discouraged by the fact that similarities exist.

CHASE YOUR PURPOSE

There is a good chance that what you are doing is not even in the same realm as another person or that your work or project is somewhat or somehow at least slightly different. You may have different audiences or goals. There might be a difference in the usage of Scripture references and more.

If your intent is not to duplicate someone else’s work, then make sure that you state it clearly and acknowledge that the other work preexisted your work, but that be sure to share the differences and your personal intent. It is what one blogger refers to as basic Christian disciplines.

At the end of the day, you have to chase your purpose. You have to find your work enough for you to confront and combat your competitors and critics alike. When you know what God has for you, you know that He has made it possible for you to have the opportunity and He ordains your purpose. You face risks and potentially find rewards as a result of pursuing your purpose over other options. It is worthwhile for you to focus on what is essential and at the core of your plan.

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To Be Trained for Evangelism

¹⁶ And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. – Mark 1:16-18 (NKJV)

Jesus made an offer to fishers.  In Matthew 4:18, the Bible says: “. . . for they were fishermen” in the New King James Version.  These men knew fishing.  It was their trade and vocation.  They made their living with boats and nets.  They knew about fishing and how to fish.

Jesus offered them something vastly different from the world that they lived in daily.  He offered to make them “become fishers of men” (v. 17).  He would train them to be fishers of men by training them, as the New International Version says, “to fish for people.”

They would be able to do it, but Jesus would teach and train them in how to do it.  He would equip and enable them to reach people for the eternal kingdom of God.  They would serve as witnesses among men of the mighty power of His earthly works as well as His eternal works on behalf of the sinful throughout the world.  They would be trained at the feet of the Master to evangelize with purpose and power.

Look at what Jesus can do with what you already have going for you.  He can use what you know or what you have experienced to make you suitable servants for the kingdom of God.  He trains us through His Holy Spirit, coaching us all of the way.  As we study and serve, the Spirit affirms the training of the evangelist within each and every one of us.

Read about what Jesus can do with us.  Francis Chan offers some insights into truly understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Look at evangelism ministries of the the likes of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts.  Let the Lord lead you in your own evangelism efforts.

Read about what Jesus can make of us.  He made fishers of men out of fishermen.  He used ordinary folks to extraordinary things.  Twelve Ordinary Men is an exceptional read and study into how jesus can make something else out of us.

Study His Word and discover how He can make more out of us than we have ever been before today.  He is able to do mighty works among us and through us to accomplish His purpose.  He wants people saved.  He wants you actively participating in drawing people to Him as fishers of men. 

Join the fishing division of the Lord’s army of believers.  Go forth and fish for people.

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Spirit-Led Evangelism

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 
So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 
was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” – Acts 8:26-29 (NKJV)

The Spirit of the Lord, His Holy Spirit, should take the lead in our evangelism efforts.  If we understand that, we can easily navigate the plethora of challenges that we may face out and about the people in the world as we seek to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Our understanding and acceptance of the Spirit’s role will inevitably help each and every one of us fulfill our roles in evangelism efforts.

We discover Philip as one of those scattered about by the persecution of the church by Saul in the early part of this chapter of Acts.  He shares Christ in Samaria and that sparks an unprecedented revival in that region.  However, at some later period, the Lord speaks to Philip through “an angel of the Lord” and directs him elsewhere.

In essence, it boils down to you hearing  from and heeding to God’s Spirit.  The Spirit is also known as the Helper.  He cannot help you if you are resistant, reluctant or refusing His help.  You have to accept the Helper’s help in whatever form that He provides it.  That may require you to go to places that may seem like Jonah’s Nineveh to you.  When you hear from Him, you need to accept what He is saying and how He offers help to you.

Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch offers us some insight into Spirit-led evangelism.  As a believer, you must become sensitive to the leading and urgings of the Holy Spirit both before and during your approach to someone. You need to let the Spirit lead you and listen accordingly.  Listening, in this sense, is not necessarily related to an audible communication but may be related to accepting, adhering to and acting upon how the Spirit leads you in the midst of the situation.

Let the Spirit direct and dictate how you evangelize.  As you approach people, be sure to pay close attention to how the Spirit leads you.  Preparation is good for your comfort level and confidence, but you also need to depend upon the Holy Spirit for holy works that truly lead people to Christ.

The Spirit can help you with:

• Where to start
• Words to say
• When to stop

We need to accept the Spirit’s leading.  Once we have accepted it, then we need to adhere to it.  If the Spirit is urging us to go forward and share the Romans Road, then do so by the Spirit’s lead.  If the Spirit is saying for you to share your testimony or ask some questions, that’s what you need to do.  You have to act upon the Spirit’s leading. 

Your response to the Spirit’s leading should allow you to see if it is rooted in the Spirit or selfishness.  Self-seeking acts quench the Spirit.  James, the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, put it this way: For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  Paul, an apostle of Jesus, said it plainly when he wrote: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  If it is about the self, then it is not by the Spirit.  Let the Spirit do the leading and act upon that to become fruitful in your evangelism efforts.

Be led by the Spirit.

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