Tough Questions

"For ye were sometimes darkness, bu now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8)

Before a person can be filled with the Spirit he must be sure he wants to be. Let us imagine that we  are talking to an inquirer, some eager young Christian, let us say, who has sought us out to learn about the Spirit-filled life.

As gently as possible, considering the pointed nature of the questions, we would probe his soul somewhat as follows: "Are you sure you want to be filled with a Spirit who, though he is like Jesus in His gentleness and love, will nevertheless demand to be Lord of your life? Are you willing to let your personality be taken over by another, even if that other be the Spirit of God Himself?

If the Spirit takes charge of your life He will expect unquestioning obedience in everything. He will not tolerate in you the self-sins even though they are permitted and excused by most Christians. By the self-sins I mean self-love, self-pity, self-seeking, self-confidence, self-righteousness, self-aggrandizement, self-defense.

Self-denial consists in the voluntary renunciation of everything which is inconsistent with the glory of God and highest good of our fellow men.

~A. W. Tozer~

___________________

The Primacy of Desire

"Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:2-3)

Before we can be filled with the Spirit the desire to be filled must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest thing in life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out everything else.

The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have so much of God as we actually want. One great hindrance to the Spirit-filled life is the theology of complacency so widely accepted among gospel Christians today.

According to this view acute desire is an evidence of unbelief and proof of lack of knowledge of the Scriptures. A sufficient refutation of this position is afforded by the Word of God itself and by the fact that it always fails to produce real saintliness among those who hold it.

I have met Christians who have been wanting to be filled, in a vague sort of way, for many years. The reason they have not been filled with the Spirit is because they have other things they want more.

~A. W. Tozer~