for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
1 Corinthians 16:9 (ESV)
What I find fascinating about the Apostle Paul is that his view of this life and the world around us is oftentimes counterintuitive to how I view life as I journey through my time in this world. In this verse from 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul changes his established plans and commitments because the Lord had opened a door for effective ministry, and he was seeing the visible fruits increasing and multiplying. This time of ministry was so effective that he understood that he needed to drop all other plans to focus on where the Spirit was moving at the moment. This I understand. What is challenging to me is that the proof of the Spirit’s work and the effectiveness of the ministry were confirmed by the presence of adversaries. Paul was excited about the adversaries. The presence of those speaking out and working against this ministry work confirmed to Paul that the work of the Holy Spirit was truly being poured out, and he could not leave during this critical moment.
By contrast, my heart is so incredibly faint and my faith is fragile and weak. I know that if I had been Paul at this moment, I would have been tempted to view those same adversaries and opposition as proof that it was time to move on from that work to more fruitful ground. I would downplay the positive ministry work of an open door, because my entire critical focus would be on the negative adversaries.
I am prone to seek comfort and peace. I am so conditioned in this aspect that my heart can often only focus on the negative and be highly critical in my thinking. As I sit here and contemplate, I can remember multiple times when the Spirit was moving in my life. The presence of the Spirit in the ongoing work was amazing, and I was emotionally overjoyed by the effectiveness of ministry work. Then opposition came. The enemy began to push back bringing adversaries, hardship, and trouble. Instead of seeing this as confirmation of the Spirit at work, I wanted to view this as a red flag. The red flag being a warning that something was wrong, and that I needed to move on to other work. Work that would bring me less hardship and struggle. Which is exactly what the enemy wanted.
How many effective works has the Spirit opened up for me that I simply gave up on or ignored because it was too hard or was going to cost me too much? How often has my faith been so weak that I hesitated instead of pressing on? I am afraid it has been far more than I am comfortable saying.
Even now, I am contemplating how the Lord has used the chastisement and rebuke he brought into my life back in 2020 to bring me to a point of current effectiveness. Jesus has not only restored to me an effective ministry, but has given me so much more than I dared hope for. The door for effectiveness is wide open at the moment. I know this because I feel the enemy at work in my heart and mind. The attacks are increasing in both frequency and intensity. There is distraction, frustration, and depression. They are all pulling and pushing on me from every direction.
Yet, the Lord is good and faithful. He is sustaining me through the process. He is strengthening me to stand firm. He is steadfast in his love for me and continually proves it over and over. Just like Paul, I want to see these struggles for what they are, confirmation that the Spirit of Christ is at work in my heart. That the effective ministry of Jesus is abounding around me. I just need to keep my eyes focused on Him and let him work!