Is the power in YOU or the SPIRIT of GOD.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellent of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were no with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  (1 Corinthian 2:1-5 GNT)

While growing up I was a very good manipulator; I had the ability to talk myself out of almost any trap. I had the ability to communicate my point or my thought to almost anyone in almost anyway.  If I needed something from someone I could cry at the drop of a dime, so people would sympathized with me.  I could communicate with the intellects on their level in a way that would keep them doing my work. I could communicate with the athletes by speaking their language and get what I needed from them.  It was the power of persuasion.

Once I gave my life to Christ and began to attempt to live according to the Word of God, instinctively, I began to apply the same methods I used growing up.  I began to intellectualize the Word of God. Because it made since to me, I thought I was the source of the understanding.  How wrong was I? Although everything I said was spoken with good articulation, there was no power.  Although people’s minds were shifting about me, their minds were not shifting about God.  I had become the god in my convincing, it was all about me.  And the issue was our faith does is not in human wisdom, but in the power of God and His Spirit.  Because of me people were continuing to suffer, because of me people were missing God.  Paul learned something very valuable and we should be careful to imitate.  It’s in our weakness that God is made strong.  Today is a simple challenge, in your communication with people, even yourself, communicate the power of God, not the power in your ability and watch what God does with your faith.  Paul said it was in his efforts to communicate Christ above himself that he was able to speak with demonstration and power of the spirit with proof.