God Uses us When we Give Up

Here is one more powerful quote from The Heavenly Man. Brother Yun tells the story of four demon possessed men who were a scourge on a local church. They prayed for them and immediately three of them were cleansed. However, the fourth man mocked them, and they prayed for a long time with no result. In frustration they gave up, and told the Lord they couldn't do anything. It was then that God drove the demon out of that man. Brother Yun concludes that story by saying...

"We learned a lesson that morning. When we arrive at the end of our own strength it is not defeat, but the start of tapping into God's boundless resources. It is when we are weak that we are strong in God."

Forced Rest

So it may seem ironic that I am writing a post about rest during a time when I am getting up early, but this passage from The Heavenly Man (p. 198, 199) struck very close to home. It partially explains why I am where I am.

After being released from jail for the first time, Brother Yun returned to ministering the gospel. Eventually it became very dangerous to evangelize as many were coming to Christ. The Holy Spirit spoke to Brother Yun directly, and through his wife and co-workers, telling him to go into hiding...

Because I'd been operating in my own strength for months, I was physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. My spiritual eyesight had grown dim and my hearing dull. Pride had sprung up in my heart like a choking weed. Instead of obeying God's voice, I reasoned with human logic and based my decisions on my own wisdom.

My co-workers had warned me not to stay at home, but I didn't heed their advice. I wasn't waiting upon the Lord with a pure heart. This was the root of my failure. I was tired, overworked and backslidden in my heart...

Because of disobedience and disrespect for the Lord, my wife, and my co-workers, I went to prison for a second time. The Lord saw I was exhausted in the ministry, so he graciously allowed me to rest in Him behind bars for a while and learn about inner spiritual life.

If you are a servant of the Lord, let me encourage you to please, please, humbly watch that you don't slip into the same error I did. The Lord God jealously desires us for Himself. He is the lover of our souls. If we ever put anything before our relationship with Jesus--even our work for Jesus--then we will be ensnared. If you are burned out, stop! Rest! Your lamp needs a constant infilling of the Lord's oil or your light will be snuffed out. (Isaiah 30:15, 18)