The Ministry of Death

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ: not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory— how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious in this case because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.  (2 Corinthians 3:4-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible®©)

Your service, your ministry, your spiritual work, is not based on the power or authority of the Scriptures. It gains its strength and authority from the Spirit of the Living God. Satan quotes Scripture, but not with authority. Jesus, when responding to Satan’s quote of Psalm 91 in the wilderness, responded with Scripture that was Spirit-led warfare against the misquote and became victory as Jesus stood on it.

We cannot win warfare with only the knowledge of the written words of God. We must be led by the Spirit and stand as sons and daughters of God. There may be no greater work in the earth than learning to know the voice of our Shepherd. By His direction, we walk in the ministry of the Spirit that raised Him from the dead.

So – learn the Scriptures, and walk in the Spirit. Be awesome!