How The Holy Spirit Can Lead You As He Led Jonathan
Illustration:Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.
Thomas Aquinas.
Quote:Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.
William Booth in The Founder’s Messages to Soldiers, Christianity Today, October 5, 1992, p. 48.
1. The Holy Spirit helped Jonathan by encouraging him to believe God for great victories with his valiant efforts. Samuel wrote, "Jonathan, son of Saul, said to the young man bearing his armor, ‘Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.’" (I Sam. 14:1)
Ask the Lord to help you develop the kind of faith that allows you to anticipate great victories for the Lord - as a result of your ministries.
2. The Holy Spirit used Jonathan as an example of what a God-blessed partnership can accomplish for eternity. The partnership of Jonathan and his armor bearer serve as an outstanding example of what two people can do by uniting their hearts, minds and efforts together for God’s services. The armor bearer said to Jonathan, "Do all that you have in mind, go ahead; I am with you heart and soul." (I Sam. 14:7)
Ask the Lord to give you a ministry partner that you can unite together around mutual goals, commitments, beliefs, values, concerns, priorities, desires, and friendships.
3. The Holy Spirit guided Jonathan to a man who had the talents, personality and skills necessary to accomplish God’s purposes.
Ask the Lord to guide you to partners that will complement your own talents, personality and skills.
4. The Holy Spirit inspired Jonathan to accomplish something that others were afraid to attempt. When other Israelites were afraid to enter the Philistine camp, Jonathan drew strength from God and initiated a surprise attack on a highly guarded outpost. Samuel wrote, "On each side of the pass that Jonathan attempted to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff." (I Sam. 14:4)
Ask the Lord to let nothing stand in your way of accomplishing all that God purposes for your personal life, relationships or ministries.
5. The Holy Spirit urged Jonathan onto victory by giving him a desire to make a difference for eternity. Jonathan was not content to just wait until someone told him what to do. He pro-actively moved on the desires that God had planted in his heart.
Ask the Lord to help you look for the best ways that you can make a maximum contribution to the cause of Christ for eternity.
6. The Holy Spirit helped Jonathan be an overcomer militarily, social, mental, emotionally, and spiritually. Ask the Lord to help you live out the reality that you are a conqueror in Christ.
Resist the temptation to just be a passive spectator of what God is doing through others.
7. The Holy Spirit taught Jonathan how to plan, strategize and execute a perfect strategy that led to the death of twenty enemy soldiers in thirty minutes.
Ask the Lord to help you teach how to plan, strategize, and execute perfect strategies in your ministries so you can bear fruit in every good work.
8. The Holy Spirit enabled Jonathan to see the possibilities and opportunities rather than merely the problems. Ask the Lord to help you to gain spiritual enlightenment so that you can discern all that God wants to accomplish through your relationships, personal endeavors and ministries. (Eph. 1:18)
9. The Holy Spirit empowered Jonathan to think objectively rather than subjectively allowing his personal fears to dominate his thinking. Ask the Lord to help your relationships and ministries be directed more by God’s objective thinking than by personal or subjective emotions.
10. The Holy Spirit persuaded Jonathan to attempt something that seemed impossible to others. Ask the Lord to help you to live out the truth that the things that are impossible with men are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26)
11. The Holy Spirit used Jonathan’s efforts to cause a panic to strike the whole Philistine army so that Israel could rout the Philistines. Samuel wrote, "Then panic struck the whole army and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God. So the Lord rescued Israel that day." (I Sam. 14:15, 23) Ask the Lord to help your efforts to have multiplying effect on the enemies of God.
12. The Holy Spirit allowed Jonathan to remain humble after his victory when others urged him to gloat. Ask the Lord to allow you to remain humble while giving God full credit for your accomplishments.
13. The Holy Spirit inspired Jonathan to move forward in the face of overwhelming opposition. Samuel wrote, "The Philistines cried, ‘Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.’ So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, ‘Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel." (I Sam. 14:12) Refuse to give in to worry, emotional distress or weaknesses. Ask the Lord to help you to progress spiritually, educationally, morally, socially, culturally, relationally, personally, and skillfully, without hesitation. Trust the Lord to remind you of the words to the old song, "I’m pressing on the upward way. New heights I’m gaining every day. Still praying as I’m onward bound. Lord plant my feet on higher ground."
Conclusion:God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.
Martin Luther.
