Recognize that the Holy Spirit is the great Seeker. He alone knows the full need, the circumstances and inner attitudes and thoughts of each person. You need Him to coordinate and help your evangelism. (Google image, Talking with someone stressed).
Your own best efforts can so easily fail. You must realize that although the Holy Spirit longs to use you, there is no alternative to your being totally dependent on Him in all your seeking love.
1. Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see when a person's heart is ready, when he faces a crisis where you can help, when the Spirit has brought him across your path for a purpose. Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see people as He sees them and to see them with the love with which He sees them.
2. Ask the Spirit to guide you so that you are in the right place at the right time to speak to or bless and love the right person. Only He knows which person He is assigning you to help at any moment. Only He knows all the circumstances.
3. Ask the Spirit to give you His anointed touch. Only He knows the deepest heart cry and emotions of each person. There are certain standard approaches which are helpful in evangelism. But God may plan for you to have a different approach.
And He may plan for you to have several initial contacts preparing the way before His strategic moment comes. Only He knows the way to contact, the time to smile, offer help, express friendship or goodwill, or the time to press the point.
Only He knows the best way to empathize, to express understanding and appreciation. He may even, on the other hand, use you to awaken a person to his need by correction, verbal restraint, or suggestion.
4. Ask the Spirit to give you the right words. The right word at the right time can attract the attention of a person and interest him. On the other hand, the wrong word can cause him to turn away in disgust or aversion.
The wrong word can prejudice a person whom the Spirit is drawing toward Christ. But who is able to know constantly the right word to use? Only the Holy Spirit.
One Sunday morning at a guest house in Bombay where I was staying for several days while transacting business in the city, a chance word of mine in answer to a question caught the ear of another guest. He had been introduced as a journalist.
After the meal he asked why I used that word and what I knew about that word. the minutes stretched to hours and by noon I had led a backslidden minister to Christ as he wept his tears of repentance.
This appointment chosen by the Spirit had tremendous implications. He had arrived in India to launch a cult with the aid of one of India's political leaders. It could have had serious implications for Christians in India.
God used me to block Satan's plan. The man destroyed all the literature which was already prepared, and Christ's cause was protected. God had used a "chance" word in my conversation which, unknown to me at the time, the Spirit had guided me to use.
Ask God to guide your words, even in your casual non-evangelism conversations. You can begin seeking souls any moment when the Spirit is in control.
~~~~~
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.
Ablaze for God
#34 How to Seek the Lost Lovingly and Effectively
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 123-125) ZondervanPublishingHouse
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| (Google image) Bible, coffee and fruit |
Father, may we begin to understand how crucial it is that the unsaved be reached as quickly as possible, as we have no assurance that they'll have another day to receive the Lord before their death.
Give us eyes that we may take notice of a person's heart and crisis which we can help with. May we have eyes to see people Your Spirit brings across our paths for that purpose, and help us see them with Your Love for them.
Help us see that our words are important, as their effect on those who hear us can be either devastating or encouraging. [Check out Pastor Rick's message on Stewarding our Words].
As only Your Spirit knows the best way for us to make a contact with someone, help us be sensitive to His directions to smile, offer help, express friendship or good will, in order to tell them about the loving Lord's salvation that's available to them.
Make us willing to serve others with Your agape love, so as to draw them to You. I ask this for Your glory, Father. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
Galatians 5:14 "For the entire law is fulfilled in
keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.'”
Matt. 25:40 The King will reply, "I tell you the
truth, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Ephesians 3;17 LB "And I pray that Christ will
be more and more at home in your hearts, living
within you as you trust in him."
~Jennifer Eivaz- "God's power is unlimited. But on earth, God's power is manifested to the degree that the church prays." (p.36 of her book, THE INTERCESSORS HANDBOOK.
~ Jim Cymbala- "If the times are indeed as bad as we say they are . . . if the darkness in our world is growing heavier by the moment . . . if we are facing spiritual battles right in our own homes and churches . . . then we are foolish not to turn to the One who supplies unlimited grace and power. He is our only source. We are crazy to ignore him." (p. 86 of his book, FRESH WIND, FRESH FIRE).
Today's question-
Are you living in the hope of eternity with Christ?
We're to ask for grace to live each day to please God, and to not focus on the present, to where we forget about the importance of our standard of living; that it is to prepare us for eternity and all its glory and rewards.
Did you have a tough day? Did you think to ask the Lord for guidance, and to have His wisdom to deal with each situation? That's what He desires for us to do.
We are to bare Christ's name, both at home and elsewhere. He asks us to be holy, as God the Father is holy. This takes moment by moment effort due to our fleshly desires that tend to influence us otherwise.
Col. 3:1-5 encourages us to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth. Earthy thoughts can be eradicated and replaced by the Word of God. Our minds can be healed with effort on our part to ingest the Word daily.
Being born again of the Spirit of God gives us a new identity and a living hope of eternity with Him in good health, true happiness and freedom from all harm and danger!
Are you living in the hope of eternity with Christ?
We're to ask for grace to live each day to please God, and to not focus on the present, to where we forget about the importance of our standard of living; that it is to prepare us for eternity and all its glory and rewards.
Did you have a tough day? Did you think to ask the Lord for guidance, and to have His wisdom to deal with each situation? That's what He desires for us to do.
We are to bare Christ's name, both at home and elsewhere. He asks us to be holy, as God the Father is holy. This takes moment by moment effort due to our fleshly desires that tend to influence us otherwise.
Col. 3:1-5 encourages us to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth. Earthy thoughts can be eradicated and replaced by the Word of God. Our minds can be healed with effort on our part to ingest the Word daily.
Being born again of the Spirit of God gives us a new identity and a living hope of eternity with Him in good health, true happiness and freedom from all harm and danger!
Upcoming posts-
20 More Benefits of Praying in Tongues
10th- Saturday's post by Jean Oathout
#35 Love for Souls is a Sacrificial Love
13th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#36 Your Love for the Church
15th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
The Last 20 of 60 Benefits of Praying in Tongues
17th- Saturday's post by Jean Oathout
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| (Google image) Puppy sleep habits |
(Jean's published book)
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