SPIRIT LED: WE WILL OBEY THE WORD OF GOD

   
                                  By A. W. Tozer

   
          And it is the Spirit that beareth witness,
             because the Spirit is truth          -- 1 John 5:6

   
       When the Holy Spirit is in full control of our lives. He
    will expect our obedience to the written Word of God.

   
        But it is part of our human problem that we would like
    to be full of the Spirit and yet go on and do as we please!

   
        The Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures will
    expect obedience to the Scriptures, and if we do not give
    that obedience, we will quench Him. This Spirit will
    have obedience; but people do not want to obey the
    Lord. Everyone of us is as full as he wants to be. Every-
    one has as much of God as he desires to have. We do not
    want to meet the conditions.

   
        Let's use an expensive Cadillac automobile for an
    illustration.  Here is Brother Jones, who would love to
    drive a Cadillac. But he is not going to buy one, and I will
    tell you why. He does not want a Cadillac badly enough
    to be willing to pay the price for it. Certainly he wants
    it, but he does not want it with that kind of desire; so
    he is going to continue to drive his old Chevrolet!

   
        Now, it is plain that many people want to be filled with
    the Spirit, but it is not with that kind of extreme desire that
    will not be denied. So, we settle for something less!

   
       We do say, "Lord, I would like to be full; it would be
    wonderful!" but we are not willing to proceed to meet His
    terms.  We do not want to pay the price: the Holy Spirit will
    expect loving obedience to the Word of God!
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    Yours in Christ,

            Paul N. F.