Lesson 42: Having Begun In The Spirit, part 6

I have often been asked by young Christians, “Why is it that I fail so? I so solemnly vowed with my whole heart, and desired to serve God; why have I failed? "

To such I always give the one answer: “My dear friend, you are trying to do in your own strength what Christ alone can do in you."

Then when they tell me: "I am sure I knew Christ alone could do it, I was not trusting in myself," my answer always is: "You were trusting in yourself or you could not have failed; if you had trusted Christ, He could not fail."

This perfecting in the flesh what was begun in the Spirit runs far deeper through us than we know. Let us ask God to show us that it is only when we are brought to utter shame and emptiness that we shall be prepared to receive the blessing that comes from on high.

So I come with these two questions. Are you living, beloved brother-minister—I ask it of every minister of the gospel—are you living under the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you living as an anointed, Spirit-filled man in your ministry and your life before God? Brethren, our place is an awful one. We must show people what God will do for us, not in our words and teaching, but in our life. God help us to do it!

I ask it of every member of Christ's Church and of every believer: Are you living a life under the power of the Holy Spirit day by day, or are you attempting to live without that? Remember you cannot. Are you consecrated, given up to the Spirit to work in you and to live in you? Come and confess every failure of temper, every failure of tongue however small, every failure owing to the absence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the power of self. Are you consecrated, are you given up to the Holy Spirit?


If your answer is No, then I come with a second question—Are you willing to be consecrated? Are you willing to give yourself up to the power of the Holy Spirit?

You know very well, I trust, that THE HUMAN SIDE OF CONSECRATION will not help you. I may consecrate myself a hundred times with all the intensity of my being, and that will not help me. What will help me is this: that God from heaven accepts and seals the consecration.

Now are you willing to give yourselves up to the Holy Spirit? You can do it now. A great deal may still be dark and dim, and beyond what we understand, and you may feel nothing; but come. God alone can effect the change. God alone, who gave us the Holy Spirit, can restore the Holy Spirit in power into our life. God alone can "strengthen us with might by His Spirit in the inner man." To every waiting heart that will make the sacrifice, and give up everything, and give time to cry and pray to God, the answer will come. The blessing is not far off. Our God delights to help us. He will enable us to perfect, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, what was begun in the Spirit.