Own forces, or of God?

Blessings beloved of Steemchurch the peace of God with you.

From verse 30 of his second letter to the Corinthians chapter 11, Paul says:

"If, therefore, it is necessary to glory, so be attitudes that reveal my own weakness."

source

Describing his disappointment with the result of his first evangelistic efforts, declaring that he had known "his weaknesses", in an event that took place in Damascus, the first city to which Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, evangelized.

"In Damascus, the governor of the city, under the authority of King Aretas, guarded the city of the Damascenes with the firm intention of arresting me, but through a window, they lowered the wall under a basket. I was delivered from his hands, the sting in the flesh and the glory "Acts 9: 22.

The result of nearly three years of evangelistic efforts was a failure. Paul was used to a large extent by the Holy Spirit, but not in Damascus, notice how the Holy Spirit describes his work there:

"Saul, he tried harder, and confused the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is Christ"

The expression "he tried harder" points to his self-confidence. He was still an apprentice to the principles of walking in the Spirit, and is therefore described later as a complete failure the result of three years of his evangelistic efforts based on his natural ability.

No one was converted, no church planted, just the escape in the night road. And why such a result? Certainly because of the fact that Paul was still operating from the power of his own abilities, he, Saul, was trying to do the Work of God.

I am not surprised that after starting to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit he preferred to be called Paul, which means the little one, to Saul, which means the great. Because the less the work we do has of ourselves, the more it has of the Holy Spirit.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for me the power in fraqueza is perfected. Therefore I am going to show off all the more with great pleasure in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can rest on me." II Corinthians 12: 9

Source

And look, speaking of Paul, who at the height of his ministry was accused by the Jews of Thessalonica of placing the Roman world head down, so effective that it was in his ministry.

"Those who have caused an uproar all over the world, now also came here." Acts 17: 6.

Even Paul, he made mistakes to apprehend the difference between a genuine Work of the Holy Spirit pure and sincere human effort. So that in the future he would become a cooperator of God in his Work, being an instrument that would place the world from head to bottom, tumulting the Roman Empire with the powerful gospel of the Kingdom of God.