Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand
with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. If you were here the past
two weeks, you got to hear from Pastor Phil.
We also got to hear from Scott last week. We
began a new series of studies called The Presence,
Living Life with the Holy Spirit. Because after
we finished this study on the life of Jesus and
what he accomplished for us, we realized in the
last study that he had created a way now for
God to be in us. And we studied what the Bible
said about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
And from that point, we transition into this
study. If God has given us His Spirit to live
in us, then how do we live life with the Holy
Spirit? And we have studied how the Holy Spirit
transforms us, also how He gives us a new identity.
And today we're going to be studying the empowering
presence of the Holy Spirit. I want to invite
you to read out loud with me the foundation of
this study that we've been doing for the past
two weeks. Since we are living by the Spirit,
let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part
of our lives. And that's the core of why we're
doing this study. So that this will be a reality
in all of our lives. And when it comes to the
presence, the empowering presence of the Holy
Spirit, Is that God did not just save you from
a past. But He saved you for a future. And that
future means that He is going to lead you into
the plan and the vision that He has for you.
And for that, it matters that we learn to live
life with the Holy Spirit. Because there is a
big problem. Even though God has... A desired
vision for our lives. That he wants to lead us
into. There is someone else that has a plan.
For you as well. And Jesus warned us about this.
In John chapter 10. It says the thief comes only
to steal. Steal. Kill and destroy. I have come
that you may have. What? Life. And in what way?
Have it to the. God knows you have potential
to become this. You have potential to achieve
this. He saved you with potential. But that potential
will be magnified and expressed to the degree
that we are led by the Holy Spirit. And to the
degree that we understand that there's an enemy
that wants to oppose that. that wants to deter
you, that wants to paralyze you, so that you
do not experience the life that Jesus came to
give you. And that's why Jesus says, look, there's
the enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy
that potential, but then there's me that wants
you to fulfill that potential and live your life
to the full. And for that purpose, Jesus said
to the apostles when he started teaching them
about the Holy Spirit that was about to come
after his death and resurrection. He tells them,
look, this Holy Spirit that I'm going to give
you, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will
guide you into something. What is he going to
guide you into? All truth. And as He guides you
into the truth, He will not speak on His own,
but will tell you what He has heard. And He will
tell you about the future. I am giving you the
Holy Spirit, if you are my follower, so that
now the Holy Spirit can guide you into the future,
so that you can experience life to the full potential
that I envision for you. Now that I was in the
U .S., I got to drive a lot. We rented a nice
car that was nice to drive, and just the whole
area of Oregon and Washington is so beautiful.
Just to drive around, nice highways, no motorcycles,
no buildings, just you see the open sky, the
mountains, the forest, the trees, the pine trees.
But I'm not familiar with the area. So as we
were driving, I had to put my iPhone there with
the GPS, you know, right there. And every time
that I'm going in an area like this, I think
about the Holy Spirit. Because GPS tells me,
you know, in the next turn, you will turn to
the right or take the next exit. And I'm not
there yet. I've never been there yet. But GPS
tells me about the future. So when I reach the
future, I know what to do. And Jesus says, I'm
going to give you something better than GPS.
Because it's going to be in you and doesn't run
out of battery. And his name is the Holy Spirit.
And he's going to be in you and he will guide
you into the future. It's like, yeah, but how
do I know that once I get there, I'm going to
have what I need? How do I know that the Holy
Spirit is going to be there to guide me into
the future? And Jesus tells him, look, I'm going
to lead you into places and circumstances that
are going to test you beyond your limit. But
don't worry. You have my spirit. You will have
everything that you need. And he tells them,
in the moments when you are facing the authorities
and you have to witness for me in front of these
people, don't freak out. When you are arrested,
don't worry about how to respond or what to say.
God will give you the right words at the right
time. When will God give you what you need? At
the right time. And the right time is not yet.
But once you get there. At the right time, the
Holy Spirit will give you what you need. For
it is not you who will be speaking. It will be
the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Oh, this is great. Now that I have the Holy Spirit
in me, He's going to guide me into the future
like the GPS does. And when I am there, what
I need... He is going to give it to me. Because
now is the Holy Spirit working. Through me. And
therefore. It was very important. That the apostles
knew. That in order to follow Jesus. After his
death and resurrection. They will need to learn.
To live life with the Holy Spirit. And that's
why Jesus, before he goes to the Father in his
ascension, he tells the apostles that they will
have to wait. And he says, now I will send the
Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised, but
stay here in the city, in Jerusalem, until the
Holy Spirit comes and fills you with something.
With what? Power. Power from heaven. Because
there's potential, but potential to be magnified
needs power. I do not know if you've ever run
out of battery in your laptop. It's a pain. You
open it, ready to do the work, and it's like,
ran out of battery. Well, that computer has all
the potential to do all the work, but without
power, it's useless. So the one thing that you
will do is that you will get your power cord,
plug it into the wall, plug it in the computer,
and now you have power. And now that you have
power, the potential can be materialized. And
the power that you need is called the Holy Spirit.
Spirit. There's a potential that God has given
you. He saved you for a future. But this future
has not. Materialized. It will materialize as
you follow God and the Holy Spirit will guide
you into that future. And at every turn, he's
going to give you what you need. So do not worry
beforehand. He will give you what you need. And
as you follow the Lord, you are planning to that
power because the Holy Spirit is the power for
you to achieve everything that God has called
you to be. And that is how it works. This is
what Jesus taught us. So in order to live the
life to the full that Jesus saved us for, it
is the primary role of the Holy Spirit to lead
us into that future. But the enemy is going to
try to oppose you. He's going to try to kill
that potential. And he's going to use his tactics
and his tools. that are same old, same old, they
never change. In the beginning of the church,
the first generations of followers of Jesus,
these were the first humans ever in the history
of humanity to experience what it was like to
live life with the Holy Spirit. And to start
experiencing the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
And to see the potential being materialized.
And one of those people that I want to focus
on today is Philip. Philip was just a normal
follower of Jesus, just like you and me. He was
just a Christian. He was not one of the apostles.
He was not a leader of the church. That has accomplished
a lot. He was just a normal guy. But he loved
Jesus. And he started following the Lord. With
the first generation of Christians right there
in Jerusalem. We do not know the background.
How did he come to know the Lord? Who shared
the gospel with him? We do not know. But we know
that this Philip. was led by God through a series
of experiences in his life so that what he became
was nothing compared to what he started. And
I imagine if I told Philip when I met him at
the beginning of his walk with God, Philip, God
is going to make you into this, he would have
laughed. He'd say, yeah, right, me? I'm just
a normal guy. But you have potential. And God
saved you to fulfill that potential. And he gave
you the Holy Spirit to achieve that potential.
What does that look like? Well, let's look at
Philip. Because Philip, we see him first at the
beginning of his life. God is going to use his
life to impact a community. And you studied this
last week with Scott. He told us in detail. how
the community was struggling in Jerusalem because
now there was the cultural conflict among the
widows and the Greeks and the Hebrews and all
these things that were happening at the early
church. They are right there in Jerusalem. And
Philip is there, a new believer, and he's following
Jesus in that generation. And we are told that
they have a problem. This struggle that starts
happening with these two groups in the church.
And the apostles said, you know, we should spend
our time teaching the word of God, not running
a food program. That's not for us to do. So,
brothers, select seven men who are well respected
and are full of the spirit and wisdom. And we
will give them this responsibility. It's like,
guys, we are busy. We need help here. Can somebody
run this food program? So they started looking
for people and they started thinking of potential
people. And somebody thought, hey, why don't
we ask Philip? He's a nice guy. He loves God.
And every time I talk to him, he's so helpful.
He's a humble guy. Why don't we ask him? Maybe
he will be interested. Somebody approaches him
and says, Philip, you know, we have this problem
and the apostles were wondering whether you'd
be willing to help. Will you pray about this?
And Philip says, okay, sure. And then he goes
and then comes back and says, yeah, I think I
want to help. So he's mentioned for the very
first time right there. As one of the seven guys
that were called to help the apostles run this
food program in the community. Everyone liked
the idea and they chose the following. Stephen,
a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit, and Philip
and the rest of the guys. And this is the beginning
of Philip, as we know, being led by the Holy
Spirit. He walked into an opportunity to serve
in his community that he had never run a restaurant
or anything before. But he could help. So he
did. And God used that help to allow the apostles
now to focus on the word, focus on the preaching,
focus on sharing the gospel. And the church grew
rapidly after that because there was a man called
Philip that loved the Lord. And he prayed about
how can I get engaged. And the Holy Spirit led
him to help. With the management of the food
program. At his church in Jerusalem. Serving
tables. Running crowds. Oh. What a great potential.
You could say. That's great future. But actually.
That was the first step. In his journey with
the Lord. And often. It happens like that. Is
that. If you are wondering. God, what are the
plans that you have for my future? Don't look
too far. Start looking at the future today. How
do you want me to serve you today, here, and
now? And it so happened that today you come here
and you're going to engage downstairs with all
of these people that are saying, Hey, the Lord
is doing work with us. Would you consider joining
us and helping us? And you will be amazed at
how the Holy Spirit leads in things that at the
beginning seem like completely insignificant.
But you know what the Lord is testing in your
heart as He's leading you to the next step of
your future? Are you willing? Are you doing this
because I'm asking you? Are you doing this because
it's going to bring fame to you? You are after
the big things. Or are you after following me?
And would you take those moments of saying yes
to the Lord in the little things? The Lord notices.
And if he can trust you with the little things,
then the bigger things will come. And so it happened
with Philip. We are told that not only God used
him to impact that community in a very simple
way. But impactful. From impacting that community,
God is going to use him in the next season of
his life to impact a region. And so it happens
that we are told that as the Christians were
right there, the first Christians in Jerusalem,
there's persecution that starts happening. Who
was the key person behind this persecution? Saul
of Tarsus, who became eventually known as the
Apostle Paul. This was before he followed Jesus.
Christians started being killed, taken to prison.
So most of the Christians in that region in Jerusalem,
they started fleeing to the empire. And some
of them, including the apostles, remain in Jerusalem.
And Philip is one of those guys that left Jerusalem.
Run from there. He ends up finding himself. In
Samaria. Right there in the area in the north.
And you know. No. Person that was a good Jewish
man. Ever wanted to go to Samaria. That was the
last place for you to go. Because Jews and Samaritans
didn't like each other. But we are told. That
Philip ends up there. Now, I want you to think
for a second. This is major disruption. This
was you hearing, hey, your visa expires today.
You have to leave the country tomorrow. This
is disruption in his life. He's like, hey, I'm
running this food program in Jerusalem. Everything
is good. The ministry is strong. And he's like,
run for your life. Leave Jerusalem. And he finds
himself right there in Samaria. And what happens?
The believers who were scattered preached the
good news about Jesus wherever they went. Philip,
for example, went to the city of Samaria and
told the people there about the Messiah. And
crowds listened intently to Philip because they
were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous
signs he did. What? Philip, you are sharing the
gospel with the Samaritans and there's miracles
that God is using you to perform? What? What
kind of things did you do? Well, many evil spirits
were cast out, screaming as they left their victims.
And many who had been paralyzed or lame were
healed. So there was great joy in that city.
God uses Philip to suddenly bring disruption
to the kingdom of darkness in that city. His
plans were disrupted and now God is using his
life to disrupt the plans of the enemy. And how
did you get from serving tables in a community
to now... preaching the gospel to crowds, healing
paralyzed people, casting out demons. Where is
that power coming from? Holy Spirit. One of the
experiences that I have had when leading the
church and we have to invite people to become
elders, it's always a beautiful experience because
Often the experience is that the person says,
who me? An elder? No, I'm not elder material.
I'm just a normal Christian. And often when God
is going to call you out of your comfort zone
to take next levels of influence and impact in
the kingdom, you will feel that you don't have
what it takes. But don't worry. Because who is
going to give you what you need by the time you
need it? Jesus said, the Holy Spirit. And now
in this moment of disruption in Philip's life,
where he has to leave his home and everything
that he is comfortable with and escape, God is
going to use him in that moment to impact that
entire region with the power of Jesus flowing
through him. And I wonder, could it be that the
next level of impact and potential that God has
envisioned for you will only be activated once
your plans become disrupted? And if you are in
a time of disruption, Rather than praying to
God and saying, God, why are you doing? I thought
I was going to stay here for a long time. Now
I have to leave. I don't understand you. I left
so much behind to follow you here. Now you want
me to go where? Change your prayer. The Holy
Spirit has not left you. He will lead you into
the future. And often God will use disruption
in your life to lead you to the next season.
And I can tell you from personal experience,
when we were serving in Dallas in our church
there, COVID hit. We moved to stay with my mother
-in -law during that time to be able to help
her because she was elderly. And we ran all the
ministries of the church online during COVID
in the U .S. We had no idea. That at the end
of COVID. God was going to be calling us to Thailand.
But here we are there. Planning to continue ministering
with the church. We were not thinking about anything
beyond COVID. We just knew we needed to be there.
But because we were there. In this town an hour
away from our home. We were not staying at home
during the week. And so it happened. That there
was a winter storm that came in Dallas. One of
those days. And we were fine here. But our home
wasn't. And we did not know. And we started hearing
that they were plumbing, breaking because of
the freezing and damage happening in places.
And so my wife wisely said, shouldn't we ask
somebody from the church to go and check our
house? And we did. And one of the guys that went
to check. As soon as he walked in, there was
water flowing from the front of the house into
the front of the house. Water flowing, water
flowing. And so we discovered that the dishwasher
had a little hose that because of the low temperatures
became damaged and popped. So the water kept
flowing from that place the whole time and damaged
the entire house. Remember the house I told you
we spent a long time fixing? You know, the whole
beautiful wood floor, the beautiful carpet, all
of that? Damaged. We had to take all of that.
We had to hire a crowd to remove all of our furniture.
Where did you put all your furniture in a matter
of 24 hours? Well, we were running all of our
ministries online. So we had a whole fellowship
hall, like JC, a little bit bigger. Available.
So we took the crowd, the people that came to
move the furniture, and they put everything there.
So we were homeless, disrupted for a few months.
Thankfully, we were living here at that time.
But it's like, why would God do this? So that
forced us to have to go through all of our stuff.
And start putting things in boxes. And getting
rid of things. And feeling uprooted. And when
God uprooted us. And when God had all of our
stuff put in boxes. He says, I'm sending you
to ECB Thailand. We're already packed. We already
did the garage sale. We already felt uprooted.
What a difference it would have been. We were
in the middle of our ministry. With everything
going on. And God says. Stop. Go. Disruption.
When you are following the Lord. It's never really
a disruption. It feels like it. But the Holy
Spirit will lead you into the future. And it
will tell you what's next. At the time you need
it. And God can use that disruption to maximize
your potential to the next level. And you have
no idea that God could use you that way. And
then from there, Philip is moved from impacting
a community and a region now to impacting a nation.
How is God going to use Philip to impact a whole
nation? What is interesting is that God moves
him from this super successful ministry with
the crowds and the city, having joy, to now going
into anonymity. And we are told that from Samaria,
God tells Philip, I want you to leave this place,
and now you're going to go in a road in the middle
of nowhere. It was a road that connected Jerusalem
with Gaza. The same Gaza that is in the news
today. And there was a road that connected Jerusalem
through Gaza. And God says, Philip, I want you
to go there, to that road. What for? Why leave
the crowds? Why leave this successful ministry?
And all the things that we see happening. To
go in the middle of nowhere. We'll see. As for
Philip. An angel of the Lord said to him. Go
south. Down the desert road. That runs from Jerusalem
to Gaza. So he started out. And he met the treasurer
of Ethiopia. A eunuch. Of great authority under
the Akandas. The queen of Ethiopia. This guy
is traveling. He serves the very queen of Ethiopia.
He has authority, power, influence, and he happens
to be traveling on that road. The eunuch had
gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now
returning back to Ethiopia. Sitting in his carriage,
he was reading aloud. From the book of the prophet
Isaiah. And the Holy Spirit says to Philip. Go
over. Walk along. Beside that carriage. What
a simple instruction. You see that carriage over
there? Get closer to it. You know honestly if
that was me. I would have struggled with that
very simple command. He's like, me? What? I don't
know the guy. Lord, that's going to be weird.
Is it not me thinking it? Or is it the Lord telling
me? I don't know. No, I just leave it alone.
Lord, if this is you, maybe tell me again. You
know, it's like, that would be me resisting that
kind of command. But he tells Philip, Philip,
go. So Philip, Runs over there. And heard the
man reading from the prophet Isaiah. And Philip
says. Hey. What are you reading? The man replied.
How can I understand what I'm reading. Unless
someone instructs me. And he urged Philip. To
come up into the carriage. And sit with him.
The passage of scripture. That he was reading.
It just so happened. It just so happened that
the passage he was reading. Was this one. He
was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as
a lamb is silent before the shearers. He did
not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received
no justice. Who can speak of his descendants.
For his life was taken from the earth. Isaiah.
What chapter? 53. The prophecy of the Messiah.
So the eunuch asked Philip, tell me, was the
prophet talking about himself or someone else?
So glad you asked. So beginning with this same
scripture, Philip told him the good news about
Jesus. And as they rode along, they came to some
water, and the eunuch said, look, there's some
water. Why can't I be baptized? So he ordered
the carriage to stop. And they went down into
the water, and Philip baptized him, the first
eunuch, the first Ethiopian follower of Jesus.
When they came up, Out of the water. The spirit
of the Lord. Snatched Philip away. And the eunuch
never saw him again. But went on his way. Rejoicing.
And God. Uses Philip. To bring into the kingdom.
Of Jesus. A guy that had power. Connections.
Influence at the government level. Who is the
first person. To take the gospel to Ethiopia.
We just met him. We do not know his name. We
just know he was a eunuch. And you know what
is beautiful? Is that as he is reading the scroll
of Isaiah, there was a whole section for him.
In Isaiah chapter 56, just three chapters later,
there's these words for him. Don't let the eunuch
say, I am dried up tree. With no children and
no future. That's what the enemy would like the
eunuch to believe. No, eunuch, not anymore. For
this is what the Lord says. I will bless those
eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who
choose to do what pleases me and commit their
lives to me. I will give them, with the walls
of my house, a memorial and a name far greater
than sons and daughters could give. Can you imagine?
As the eunuch is baptized. And then he leaves
rejoicing. And now he understands why he is reading.
On chapter 53 he keeps reading. And as he keeps
reading. The Holy Spirit is now encountering
him in that space. And says eunuch I know that
you have no children. And I know that you feel
at moments that there's no future for you. But
eunuch, I'm here to tell you that now you are
following me. I am your future. I am your reward.
Now you are mine. Can you imagine the impact
in the life of that eunuch to read the words
of the prophet Isaiah after he has just encountered
Jesus? And all of that, simply because Philip
was willing to live life with the Holy Spirit.
And when the Holy Spirit says, I want you to
leave the crowds behind, and the show behind,
and I want you to go in anonymity, just to meet
one guy in the middle of nowhere, Philip did
not protest. And when God tells Philip, Philip,
you see that carriage there? Get closer. But
what for? I'm not going to tell you. Just get
closer. He did not protest. He went. It's one
step of obedience. It will always lead you to
the right place. And you will always be there
at the right time. And God uses this moment.
That seems so incongruent to really bring a wide
impact into a region that Philip would never
visit. Yet God used him to impact that very nation.
And from there, God is going to use Philip to
impact now a generation. And this is beautiful.
Because from all the places to impact, this one
is the hardest of all. And we are told right
there that as he leaves this place of that road
in Gaza, towards Gaza, that the Holy Spirit now
takes him away from there and leads him to this
town. That is also known as Ashdod. And in that
place that you see right there in the map. On
the coast. Now God is going to lead him there.
And he's going to lead him all the way to the
north. Until he settles down in Caesarea. Right
there in the north. So he's going to move from
here. Walk all the way. Share the gospel with
people. He gets to Caesarea. And then he gets
established. That becomes his new home. That's
where he settles with the family. And that is
where we find him next. But this is beautiful
because as God is using Philip to impact Samaria,
Jerusalem, and then Ethiopia, at the same time
there was a guy called Paul who was persecuting
Christians. Hating them, hating Jesus. And something
is about to happen. Meanwhile, Philip found himself
farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached
the good news there and in every town along the
way until he came to Caesarea. And at the same
time that this is happening, Saul was uttering
threats with every breath and was eager to kill
the Lord's followers. You have Philip following
the Lord, impacting people, and you have Saul
at the same time killing the followers of the
Lord until Jesus meets Saul. He becomes a follower
of Jesus. He becomes the Apostle Paul. And he
now becomes the one that God is going to call
to start doing all of this outreach in the empire.
And at the end of his last, trip of the Apostle
Paul in all that region, as he comes back to
Jerusalem, he's going to stop by the town Caesarea
because they come from the coast. And as they
get to the coast, they get to that town in order
to go to Jerusalem. And you know, who does he
meet in that place? The next day, we went on
to Caesarea. And stayed at the home of who? And
now it's not just Philip. But he has a nickname.
Philip the Evangelist. Because very well earned
name. Philip the Evangelist. One of the seven
men. Yeah, I know what you're talking about.
We just read it. Who have been chosen to distribute
food. Yeah, that guy. But it's not just Philip
anymore. He has a family. He has married. He
has children. In fact, four daughters. And he
has four unmarried daughters who have the gift
of prophecy. They are following the Lord as a
family. And God has now used his life to impact
the life of his children who love the Lord, are
serving him, and are experiencing the presence
of the Holy Spirit in their lives, giving them
a gift of prophecy. I can't imagine Philip and
Paul sitting at the table having breakfast, good
Thai coffee, one morning. And remembering. And
Philip says, Paul, you know what? People call
me the evangelist today, but you know how I became
an evangelist? It was because of you. You started
killing us. And I was so upset that I had to
leave Jerusalem. Every Jewish. Man wants to be
in Jerusalem. And because of your fault, I had
to leave. I had no idea where I was going to
end up. I end up being in Samaria. And in Samaria,
the Holy Spirit used me in a way that I never
imagined possible. He used me to heal people.
He used me to reach the Samaritans. He used me
to cast out demons. And all of that because of
you. And there, two guys. That discover life
with the Holy Spirit. Meeting. Before Paul enters
the last season of his ministry. That will lead
him to prison. What an encouraging meeting that
must have been. But this was Philip. This was
the future that God had for him. And at every
step, he demanded that he learn to live life
with the Holy Spirit. And it's the same thing
for you. It's the same thing for me. You have
a potential that God saved you for. There's a
future that is there awaiting. Only if you follow
the Holy Spirit's leading and resist the attack
of the enemy. That's why. The Word of God says
this, and this is what Paul wrote to Timothy.
Would you read it out loud with me? For God has
not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but
of power, love, and self -discipline. Let's read
it one more time. For God has not given us a
spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love,
and self -discipline. Remember. This is whom
the Holy Spirit is. And if you're a follower
of Jesus, he has given you the Holy Spirit to
guide you into the future. But the things that
the enemy will use to compromise our future is
exactly this. Fear and timidity. You will start
experiencing fear. The first fear that the enemy
will use to deter you is the fear of whether
you can trust God's plans for your future. When
you start wondering, God, how do I know that
I can follow you on the future you have for me?
It's a good future to be at. How do I know that's
good? Maybe it's a miserable life. I don't want
that, so I'll just follow my plans. And you resist.
Submitting to the guidance of the Spirit because
you believe that God is not someone you can trust
and His plans are something you should be afraid
of. Not so. That's an enemy lie. The second fear
that you're going to wrestle with is the fear
about yourself. Do I have what it takes? How
do I know that I will have what I need by the
time I get there? You have the promise of the
Holy Spirit. And timidity. Timidity is this sense
of who, me? No, not me. You got the wrong person.
I'm not the one. Philip, you are going to be
known as the evangelist. God is going to use
you to impact a community, a region, a nation,
a next generation. Who? Me? I'm just happy to
serve tables. I have no idea what you're talking
about. Timidity can paralyze you because you
think that you do not have what it takes. But
in reality, you are not what it takes. It's the
Holy Spirit in you that is what it takes. You
understand that? You don't have you. In you,
everything that you need for that future is the
Holy Spirit in you. That will give you the power,
the love, and the self -discipline. This is the
Holy Spirit in you. So whenever this fear of
yourself being inadequate is paralyzing you,
remember and go to the Lord in prayer and say,
Lord, I know that this is not about me. If you
are calling me to this future, I'll go in your
name because you are the source of my power.
You are the source of everything that I will
need. And I want to step in in faith. That is
how this works. Fear and timidity will be used
by the enemy to compromise that future. But Jesus
is telling you today, no. Not if you're following
me. Because the Holy Spirit I gave you will lead
you into the future. Will give you what to say
when you need it. Will provide the things you
need by the time you need them. So just chill
and follow me. Will you trust me with your future?
Will you? And perhaps that's what you need to
tell the Lord today as we conclude this study.
Lord, thank you for this day. I needed to hear
this. I will trust you with the future because
I know I have what it takes to do your will.
And I know that you have what it takes to overcome.
So together we're a good team. I'm for it. Lord
Jesus, you gave us your spirit to lead us into
all future. Thank you. For inviting us to follow
you. Thank you for inviting us to live life with
the Holy Spirit. And I ask you Lord today. That
as you lead your people. Through simple opportunities
that are opening up. Or through disruption. Or
by placing them in positions that go beyond their
comfort zone. Lord, no matter what it is that
you are doing. Today I ask you, break the power
of the enemy that is trying to oppose and deceive.
And fill your people with your spirit. And let
the voice of your spirit speak loudly. So that
they may discern what you are doing. And let
that future be blessed. The plans that you have
for them, be blessed. And we ask you, Lord, that
nothing will compromise those plans and that
the impact and the potential will simply grow
by the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you are looking
for community or are in need of prayer, we welcome
you to engage by sending us an email to office
at ecb .asia. If God is calling you to support
our ministries, you will find giving options
on our website. And remember to join us next
week. God bless you.