Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; 13 For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
[Part 3 of 3] As human beings, we all have a problem with our temper. Thus, we may use the matter of temper, especially in married life, as an illustration of the fact that certain "demons" can be cast out only through prayer. In married life it is easy for a husband or wife to have a problem with temper. Surely every husband has a problem with his temper, and every wife has trouble with her temper. Temper is a serious problem in married life and is a cause of separation and divorce. If a husband and wife never exchange words and are never troubled by their temper, most problems in married life would be eliminated. But temper is a problem. Therefore, we certainly need Christ in our married life. I would say in no aspect of our human living do we need Him more than in our married life. Do you know how to have the best married life? The way is to practice "not I, but Christ." But how can we practice this? The way to practice is to pray. For example, you should not try to subdue your temper. If you try in yourself to subdue your temper, you will eventually have a more serious problem with it. The more you strive to subdue your temper, the more you will make a "deposit" in the "temper bank." Sooner or later, you will lose your temper in a more serious way. This is to try to cast out the "demon" of temper by your self- effort instead of by prayer. Instead of trying to subdue your temper, you should pray. If you ask the Lord why you are not able to cast out the demon of your temper, He may say, "This kind cannot be cast out except by prayer. You need to pray." Actually, we do not need to pray in a lengthy way. It is sufficient simply to call, "O Lord Jesus!" Even such a short prayer indicates "no longer I, but Christ." Your prayer testifies that you do not exercise your self-effort to deal with the situation. Instead, you apply Christ. This is to practice the vision concerning Christ with His death and resurrection being our replacement. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Mark, pp. 239-240. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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