ICS Daily Devotions
Partnering with God
Mark 16:15, 17-20 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…..And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Do Jesus’ instructions in this passage make you uncomfortable? Ministry can be messy because of the manifestation of demons in the presence of God, and we don’t want to have a religion that has its form but without the power. Jesus said that as we go out to preach the Gospel, we should be able to cast our demons, speak with new tongues, lay hands on the sick and witness their recovery if necessary. Comfortable or not, this is what the world needs today! The harvest field with its diverse needs require workers who are equipped with the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has promised that His presence will be with us, and this is especially true when we walk in obedience by preaching the Gospel and ministering to people. Because we are we are partnering God, we can confront the forces of darkness and enforce His victory. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us will prompt us and cause us to leave our comfort zones and do what He desires us to do. In fact, the lack of supernatural manifestation in the church, the marketplace, or wherever we minister is abnormal because we serve a supernatural God, and the spiritual realm is as real as the natural realm. When Jesus was on earth, demons manifested in His presence, people were healed and saved. There is no difference today except the kind of demonic influence has taken a slightly different form.
Doing the work that Jesus has instructed requires faith with corresponding action, because faith without works is dead. Therefore, if we are to apply faith based on what we believe, we need to act on what He has asked us to do. Only when we are willing to lay down our self-consciousness and start partnering with Him in areas that are outside our comfort zones will we witness signs and wonders. We should also stop doubting because we are not the source of power, God is! We are just a conduit in this partnership with Him. It has everything to do with God and His abilities, and our responsibility is just to lay hands, use His name and exercise our faith. Therefore, all believers are capable of power evangelism because we are partnering with God.
Sermon Series: Arise and Build (Part 4)
