October 2

1 Corinthians 2

When Paul ministers to the Corinthians, he relies on the work of the Holy Spirit.

INSIGHT

When we speak, teach, or preach to the unsaved, we are not speaking to those who are merely blindfolded; we are speaking to those who are blind. It is not as though we can appeal to them to remove their blindfolds. Rather, we must appeal to the Lord to remove their blindness through the power of His Holy Spirit. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, it is foolishness on our part to attempt to minister to others without first praying fervently for that ministry, asking the Lord to draw those hearts to Christ.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord that He broke through your blindness with the Light of life:
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions…
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:24, 33-34)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

That others might see Christ in you
That the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into His fields
Today’s activities

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen. (Jude 24-25)