Faithful of the past - guided by the spirit of God He sent me the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, his spirit . - ISA . 48:16 . ALTHOUGH be revealed from the days of Abel , faith is not a property of all. ( 2 Thess. 3:2 ) So why the person has that quality , and that enables to be faithful ? Largely the result of faith things you hear the Word of God . ( Rom. 10:17) Faith is an aspect of the fruit of Gods holy spirit . ( Gal. 5:22 , 23 ) Therefore , to demonstrate and exercise faith we need holy spirit . It would be a mistake to conclude that men and women of faith are born that way , that faith arises spontaneously . The servants copies that we read about in the Bible were people with feelings like ours . (James 5:17) They had doubts , insecurities and weaknesses , but the spirit of God has powerful to face challenges . ( Heb. 11:34) Study how Jehovahs spirit acted on them encourages us to remain faithful in these times when our faith is under attack . The Holy Spirit enabled Bezalel The case of the contemporary of Moses , Bezalel , reveals much about how the spirit of God can act . ( Read Exodus 35:30-35 . ) Bezalel was assigned to lead the production of the necessary components of the tabernacle . Did he craft skills before running this big project? Maybe, but its likely that his recent work had been making bricks for the Egyptians . ( Ex. 1:13, 14 ) How then Bezalel execute its complex task? Jehovah came to fill you with the spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge , and in all sorts of crafts and to develop projects . . . to do all sorts of ingenious work . Any natural aptitude that may have had Bezalel was increased by holy spirit . The same happened with Oholiab . They certainly have become very adept , therefore, in addition to fulfilling his duties , taught others to do the work . In fact , God has put in your heart the inclination to teach others . Further evidence that Bezalel and Oholiab were guided by the spirit of God is the amazing durability of his work . His works were still in use some 500 years later. ( 2 Chron . 1:2-6 ) Unlike the current manufacturers , Bezalel and Oholiab were not interested in leaving his signature or mark in his works . All the credit for their achievements was to Jehovah. - Ex. 36:1 2 . In our day we may face challenging tasks that require special skills , such as construction , printing , organizing conferences , oversee humanitarian aid and communicate with doctors and hospitals about our biblical position regarding the use of blood . Sometimes these tasks are performed by skilled workers , but , in most cases , by volunteers with little experience in a particular field . The spirit of God becomes successful their efforts . Have you ever refused an assignment in Jehovahs service to find that others were better qualified ? Remember, Jehovahs spirit can increase their knowledge and skills and help you to fulfill any assignment that God gives . Joshua was successful with the help of the spirit of dEUS The Spirit of God also guided a contemporary of Moses and Bezalel . Shortly after the Exodus , the Amalekites launched an unprovoked attack against the people of God . The time had come for resolving the Israeli threat. Although totally inexperienced in war , they had to engage in the first military action as a free people . (Exodus 13:17, 17:8 ) There was a need for someone to lead the combatants . Who would ? The Joshua was chosen . But if he had to declare his previous work experience in order to qualify for this mission , he could enlist ? Slave ? Mixer straw ? Pickup manna ? It is true that the grandfather of Joshua , Elisama , was the ruler of the tribe of Ephraim , and apparently led 108,100 men in one of three divisions of the tribes of Israel . (Num. 2:18, 24 ; 1 Chron . 7:26 , 27 ) However , Jehovah , through Moses , that Joshua commanded , and not Elisama nor his son Nun, should lead the forces that annihilate the enemy . The battle lasted for almost an entire day . With the unconditional obedience of Joshua and his great appreciation for the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God , Israel was victorious . - Ex. 17:9-13 . Later , Joshua , full of the spirit of wisdom , succeeded Moses . ( Deut. 34:9 ) The Holy Spirit is not enabled Joshua to prophesy and perform miracles , as in the case of Moses , but actually enabled him to lead Israel in the military campaign that resulted in the conquest of Canaan . Today , we might consider inexperienced or unqualified to take care of certain aspects of our ministry. But, like Joshua , we can be sure of success if we follow closely the divine instructions . - Jos . 1:7-9 . Jehovahs spirit became active in Samson Here is another example . When the Philistines subdued Israel , with time , Jehovahs spirit began to push Samson to deliver Israel . ( Judg. 13:24 , 25 ) Samson received power to perform acts of astonishing and incomparable strength. When the Philistines persuaded the Israelites to capture Samson, Jehovahs spirit became operative upon him , and the cords that were upon his arms came to be as flax when scorched by fire , so that his fetters melted above their hands . ( Judg. 15:14) Despite his weakened physical state by its own criterion bad , mighty Samson was done by faith. ( Heb. 11:32-34 ; Judg . 16:18-21 , 28-30 ) Jehovahs spirit appeared in Samson unique shape due to unusual circumstances . Still, these historical events serve as a great encouragement for us . How ? We rely on the help of the same holy spirit that helped Samson. This is how to participate in the work that Jesus commissioned his followers to accomplish, namely, preach to the people and give a thorough witness . ( Acts 10:42 ) This designation requires skills that may not be innate . We are very grateful that Jehovah uses his spirit to enable us to perform the variety of tasks entrusted to us . Thus , to fulfill our assignment , we can say the same as the prophet Isaiah : He sent me the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, his spirit . ( Isa. 48:16 ) Actually , we are sent by Gods spirit ! We are dedicated to work in the heart sure that Jehovah will enhance our abilities as he did with Moses , Joshua and Bezalel . We use the sword of the spirit, that is , the word of God, confident that he will give us power as given to Gideon , Jephthah and Samson . ( Eph. 6:17, 18) trust in Jehovahs help to overcome obstacles , can be powerful in a spiritual sense like Samson was in a physical sense . Obviously , Jehovah blesses those who stand with courage in favor of true worship . As we respond to the action of the Holy Spirit of God , our faith increases . It will be a pleasure , therefore, to examine also some exciting events recorded in the Christian Greek Scriptures . This will reveal how Jehovahs spirit moved upon his faithful servants in the first century , both before and after Pentecost 33 CE .
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:56:07 +0000
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