When troubles surround us, when evils come
The body grows weak the spirit grows numb
When these things beset us, God doesn’t forget us
He sends down His love On the wings of a dove.
–Bob Ferguson
“Faith is not wishful thinking. Neither is it a stubborn refusal to face the facts. Faith is following God’s clear leading and acting upon God’s clear promise.”
–Gary Inrig
Are you a prepper or a survivalist? Lots of talk about that stuff going around these days, but very little in the spiritual sense. Let me say that if you are prepared in the fullness of the Holy Spirit then for sure you are going to survive! I have been watching, over the past several years, that the church is lacks the Holy Spirit. By hype and emotion people say that the Spirit is in their midst, but that isn’t necessarily so.
Let me give you a few tidbits I picked up from A.W. Tozer.
The kinds of people who will not be at home in a Spirit-filled church:
1) Those who put on their religion as a Sunday garment.
2) Those who refuse to let religion endanger their own plans.
3) Those who expect religion to be fun.
4) Those who embrace a church only for cultural values.
The kinds of people who will be happy in the Spirit-filled group.
1) Those who have a leading ambition to be rid of their sins.
2) Those who want to know God and to walk with Him.
3) Those who have learned to recognize the voice of the Shepherd.
4) Those who are sensitive to the Invisible Presence.
In the past couple of weeks I have had students ask me if I believed in ghosts. I said I believe in the Holy Ghosts but no phantoms that were once human. They were shocked and then, instead of asking about the Spirit of God, they want to discuss the validity of ghosts.
Then we have those who seek to be bless. Bless me, bless me, oh, bless me; when God actually is waiting to bless them with the Holy Spirit. If the true, unadulterated Word of God is not being preached, then the Holy Spirit is being quenched and will eventually leave that church. There is confusion in a person’s mind when they say, “I want God and all of this too.” Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. There is a price to be paid for the blessings and filling of the Holy Spirit. We want the thrill of being full, but we don’t want to meet the conditions. (Tozer) To be blessed, the Holy Spirit will expect obedience to the Word of God.
God is willing to fill us and bless us. In our times of difficulties and despair, He longs to meet our need. Our problem is that we neglect to seek the Spirit and follow His guidance.
“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
–Acts 5:32 (NASB)