PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Mark 3:20-30
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“He is out of His mind!”… “He is controlled by Beelzebub!” (Mark 3:21-22)
Jesus is warning those who reject what the Spirit is saying through Him.
Their critical, closed-minded response to Jesus is closing them to God’s Spirit.
What they see as crazy and wrong, what they reject as demonic… is actually God!
As Jesus followers, we ought to know that truth can come in strange packages!
Don’t simply reject people because of their perceived flaws or weaknesses.
Always ask yourself, ‘is there something God’s Spirit is saying to me here?’
I’m not saying that everything about them is right and good.
But if we’re critical and closed, we may miss what the Spirit is saying and doing.
In the church there are always new voice speaking in new ways and new emphases.
Too often the church condemned people if what they said didn’t fit their own ideas.
The life and love of Jesus is the litmus test for all truth claims.
In love we listen to others, we give them the benefit of the doubt, and we pray!!!
The Spirit of Jesus will lead and teach us if we’re open, but we have to be open…
As Jesus followers, we don’t want to be guilty of speaking against the Spirit of Jesus!
PRAYER
Lord, help me to be open to Your Spirit. Help me to stay in close fellowship to You, so that I can discern what is from You, and what is not.
Listening to the HS. Do I ignore or belittle the nudging of the Spirit? In a sense I would be blaspheming the Hs. For sure I need to be discerning – understanding the different ‘spirit’s in my mind. For a surety the HS is holy and pure – having my present and eternal state in mind – so I need to query myself and discern the spirits and reject the spirit that would lead me to seek revenge – to belittle or hurt someone – that can’t be the work of the HS. Jesus, help me to be discerning to know what is from you and what is not!
There are but two kingdoms in this world – God’s and Satan’s. We serve one or the other. As we saw when Jesus was in the wilderness, He overcame the temptations by using God’s Word. For me to stand against Satan’s schemes I need to clothe myself with His armour so I too can stand each day anew in His power – standing upon the Rock meeting the challenges of the day in His name. This is the way to live for Him.
1
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
2
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.