Demonstrating the Spirit's Power

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Cor. 2:1-5

the books of corinthians have been heavy on my heart recently, so last night i began to read thru 1st corinthians. let the conviction begin. Paul admits in this passage that he wasn't an eloquent speaker. we all tend to think that he was the man...the greatest preacher to ever have walked on earth, but he admits his fear and trembling. he knew that his words apart from the Spirit's power were worthless. paul didn't try to win people to Christ with his powerful messages (unlike so many of us...), instead He relied on the Spirit's power to convict and to sanctify hearts back to a relationship to Christ. i'm still learning this. i try hard to have the right words, the exact emphasis on certain phrases just to win people to Christ. too often i forget that it is God who makes the changes, not me.

which makes me wonder about Paul's prayer life. for me prayer is so connected to my winess that if i don't spend ample time on my knees, my emotions and everything else become distractions from Christ. "prayed up" --need to have more of that in my life.

Jesus
Your power is great. i've seen You sweep thru large arenas of people or thru a single high schooler. You move in just the right time. Spirit, i want to learn to rely more on You. please teach me. forgive me for being so selfish as to think that i can change hearts by my words and actions. i know that only You can convert people to become believers. thanks for humbling me with this understanding. i bow to Your authority and Lordship. You are the One in control. i love You.
Thru Jesus' Name ~ Amen!

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*Derrick *Malcolm *Denise