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He Restrains As Well As Constrains
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Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out,
and streams in the desert. - Isa. 35:5-6
Surely we can trust the Holy Spirit to take care of His own
work. If we can trust Him for small manifestations, why can we not
trust Him for mighty ones? In the Book of Acts, we see how He restrains
as well as constrains. He vindicated His deity when He restrained sin
in the church through the death of Ananias and Sapphira. His
restraining influence is again seen when He forbade Paul on two
occasions to enter into fields of his own choosing. We need not be
afraid of the Spirit.
He has safety-checks of His own. We need not be deceived by false manifestations. I Corinthians 12:7 declares, "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal" (ARV). If a brother or sister is speaking under the Spirit's anointing, he or she will be edifying the church. The Spirit's ministry is always to profit. Again, the Word of God declares, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall take of Mine and shall declare it unto you" (John 16:14 ARV).
The Holy Spirit always glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus any testimony or exposition that attracts attentions to self is false. In all mighty gatherings where the Spirit of God is working, the center of attraction is Christ, the Son of God. All things go out to Him as the Adorable One:
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor, All for love's sake becamest poor; Thrones for a manger didst surrender. Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor. Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor, All for love's sake becamest poor; Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship Thee. Immanuel within us dwelling, Make us what Thou wouldst have us be. Thou who are love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship Thee.
Frank Houghton
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