RELIANCE

1 Corinthians 2:4,5—My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Do you remember when you first learned how to ride a bike? Perhaps the hardest step was removing the training wheels. It seemed a whole lot easier to ride with four wheels than two—didn’t it!

I cannot teach my children how to ride a bicycle until they let me take off the training wheels. It is an issue of trusting their balance over the two side wheels—Security and Familiarity. Amazingly, once they let those wheels go and agree that falling down isn’t the end of the world, they realize those cumbersome side-attachments actually slowed them down and prevented them from leaving the paved road.

How is your bicycle configured?
¨ Do people see Jesus when they are with you or the rites and rules of organized religion?
¨ Will you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you in relating to people and let go of the tools you were taught and expected to use?
¨ Are you soaring with the Spirit over new trails or has life become an endless drive around the cul-de-sac?
¨ Do you become anxious when security drops off and exasperated when familiarity is lost or have you discovered the thrill of going off the ramp?

I pray that you will experience the awesome pleasure of riding with God today. Let Him have the handlebars, get off the brakes. Slide back on the ol’ banana seat and trust the steering of the One Who has never had an accident; Who needs no collision insurance. He will not fail you. He’s the greatest!

Inspiration
Some people present Jesus Christ in packets: they have one packet of verses marked Salvation, another marked Sanctification, another marked The Baptism with the Holy Spirit. The reason they do this is easy to understand—these particular verses have been used mightily in their experience in saving souls; but as we pointed out at the first, when we begin to depend on our special prescription the Spirit of God will depart from us. In every case we have to deal with, whether it be the case of one with a frozen conscience, or a healthy minded unbeliever, we have to learn how to rely on the Holy Spirit . . . We have to present Jesus Christ in all His power, and rely on the Holy Spirit to deal with every person.—Oswald Chambers in Workmen of God