Time with Jesus - 6 Nov 2013
Tozer was a great admirer of the
writings of Albert Benjamin "A.B." Simpson (December 15, 1843 –
October 29, 1919). Simpson founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance
(C&MA), an organisation to which Tozer devoted much of his time and writing
skills. It’s fascinating that Tozer was 21 going on 22 when Simpson passed
away.
If it is legitimate to speak of
“giants” in the service of God’s Kingdom, it is how we regard these men.
Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to think we are following in their
footsteps. Of course, following another man’s footsteps is one thing. Filling
their shoes is another matter entirely!
Today’s meditation is about Walking
in the Spirit. It seems a good opportunity to introduce many of us to the works
of A B Simpson. Here is an extract from his writings entitled, “What is it to
Walk in the Spirit?” It was written ±100 years ago! Please take time to read
this through. The English is quaint!
Generally, to walk in the Spirit is to maintain the habit of
dependence upon the Holy Ghost for our entire life; spirit, soul and body. We
know what it is at times to enjoy His conscious presence. We live in the Spirit;
we have felt the touch of His quickening life. Now let us walk in the Spirit.
Let us abide in this fellowship. Let us lean continually upon His strength; let
us drink unceasingly from His life as a babe from its mother's breast. But more
particularly:-
1)
To walk in the Spirit is to recognize the Spirit as present and abiding in us.
How often, after we have asked His presence, do we treat Him as if He had
deceived us and cry to Him as if He were afar off? Let us recognize Him as
having come and address Him as a present and indwelling friend. He will always
meet our recognition and speak to us from the holy of holies in our inmost
heart.
2)
It means to
trust Him and count upon Him in the emergencies of life. It is to regard
Him as one who has undertaken our cause and expects to be called upon in every
time of need. He will unfailingly be found faithful and all-sufficient in every
crisis. The very name “Paraclete” means “one that we can always call upon and
find at our side”. We must trust the Holy Spirit. We must expect Him to respond
to our need as implicitly as we expect the air to answer the opening of our
lungs, or the sunrise to meet us in the morning. Yet how many treat the Holy
Spirit as if He were a capricious and most unreliable friend! How many of our
prayers are despairing groans, or scolding reflections on His love and faithfulness?
3)
We must consult
the Holy Spirit if we would walk in the Spirit. We often find the things
that seem the easiest, fail and disappoint us when we rely upon their apparent
probability and the mere promise of outward circumstances. We shall find where we commit our way unto Him and acknowledge Him in all our
ways; He will direct our paths. Then the things which seemed most
difficult and improbable will become the easiest and the most successful. He
would teach us thus to trust in Him with all our
heart, and lean not unto our own understanding; in all our ways to acknowledge
Him and He will direct our steps.
4)
The chief condition of His Almighty
power is that we shall first have His omniscient
wisdom. He is given to us as our wonderful Counsellor; our Mighty God. I
have never taken Him as my Counsellor and obeyed His guidance, without finding
that He followed it up as the Mighty One with His omnipotent working. The
reason we do not more frequently find His power, is because we try to turn it
into the channels of our own wisdom. We need to get His mind, work in His will
and know that we must have His effectual working. What a blessing it is that our
wonderful Counsellor is always as accessible as the hand of a little child. Thus
let us walk in the Spirit, trusting His guiding hand and committing all our
ways to His wisdom and love.
5)
If we would walk in the Spirit we must obey Him when He speaks and remember that the
first part of obedience is to hearken. It is not enough to say we have done all
we knew, should know and might know. He has said we shall know His voice. If we
do not, it must be that we are to blame. God is never responsible for our
mistakes. If we will be still and suppress our own impulses and clamorous desires.
If we will meet Him with a heart surrendered to His will and guidance, we shall know His way. The soul that walks
in the Spirit will therefore be a hearkening spirit; watching daily at His
doors, longing to know His every commandment. When we understand His voice, we
will implicitly obey it. For to be carnally minded
is death; but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. Rom 8:6 KJV The fundamental
requirement of His continual presence is obedience. “We
are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit whom God hath given to them that obey Him." Act 5:32 KJV The
secret of every cloud that has fallen upon the soul, will probably be found in
some neglected voice of our Supervisor. He is waiting and has been waiting for
us at that point where we have refused to follow. When we step into His will,
we shall find Him there.
6)
Walking in the Spirit implies we shall keep step with the Holy Ghost. Our obedience
shall he so prompt that we shall never find ourselves a step behind Him. We
must never follow Him at a distance from which we may find it hard to recover. Likewise,
God has drawn the plan of our life on such a scale, there are no minutes left
blank. If we lose one, the next has no margin to afford for its recovery. All
we can crowd into the future will be needed for the future itself. Therefore if
we lose a step, there is danger we shall continue to be a step behind. It will
require the same exertion to keep up even a step behind as it would to walk
abreast of God every moment.
7)
He has given us a gentle, patient Guide, who is willing to go with us all the
way, He will come into the fine detail of our life. Let us take heed we
do not grieve Him or push Him away, or miss anything of His gentle will. Let us
be sensitive to His touch, responsive to His whisper, obedient to His commandments.
Let us always be able ever to say "He hath not left me alone, for I did
always those things which please Him".
Shalom
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 06 November 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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WALKING
IN THE SPIRIT
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George
& Ira Gershwin. A winning combination of popular song writers, many of
which (songs) are still well remembered. The one I’d like us to look at was
composed in 1937 and popularised by Fred Astaire: The chorus was, Holding hands at midnight, 'Neath a starry sky / Nice
work if you can get it, And you can get it if you try / Strolling with the
one girl, Sighing sigh after sigh / Nice work if you can get it, And you can
get it if you try! Personally, I remember strolling out with the
current girl-friend. (Not that I had many) We would hold hands and sigh! It
was one of those things we did in the middle of the dark ages. (20th
century) It was a sort of adolescent version of walking in the spirit – not
the Holy Spirit. However, there is one essential feature required. You can’t
do it alone! You can’t very well stroll at any time of the day holding
no-body’s hand. Both parties must be willing to stroll together. If you don’t,
you look silly!
This feature of being willing to walk together is crucial, if we want
to Walk in the Spirit. In the first instance you must want to. The reason I
didn’t start with the comment that the Holy Spirit wants to, is simple. He
always wants to walk with us. The only problem the Holy Spirit has with
walking with us is sin in our lives. The fact is, sin and the Holy Spirit is
a bit like oil and water. They don’t mix very easily. You may try and get an
emulsion of some sort. But He will depart the moment you try. It follows that
the real problem is not the Holy Spirit. The problem is you and me. The
prophet Amos wrote: 3 Do two people walk
hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place? Amos 3:3 MSG It may be a bit obvious, but if you
aren’t going with the Holy Spirit, you’re on your own. Walking in the Spirit
is the same. There must be at least a basic agreement or the joint venture
will flop.
The question is whether or not you want to walk with the Holy Spirit.
You must actually want it. “But how do
I do that?” is the question I’m often asked. Paul gave us a clue in
Galatians. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not gratify the desires of
the flesh. Gal
5:16 ESV I don’t want to be too simplistic. But let’s take the same Scripture
and turn it round. “If I am not gratifying the desires of the flesh I will be walking
by the Spirit.” How do I know I’m not gratifying the desires of the
flesh? God’s Word shows this very clearly. “But I can’t do that! That’s why Jesus came. To help me to walk in
the Spirit!” Absolutely true. But you can easily see if you are walking
in the flesh. Anyone who can read will know if they are, or are not. So if
you are not gratifying the desires of the flesh you must be walking in the
Spirit! So grab hold of Jesus’ hand and go “Holding hands at midnight,
'Neath a starry sky!” Nice work and you can have it! And you can have it if
you try! Try it!
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland
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5 Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are
the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.
Psalms 25:5 NLT
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Walking in the Spirit! How many folk
can do,
This wonderful instruction hand-made
for me and you?
You’d think that it was easy. That
ought to be the case.
But walking with the Master and
feeling His embrace,
Seems to be too difficult and many
Christians quit.
They don’t know this attitude renders
them unfit,
To ever walk with Jesus. For if they
do not try,
They’ll find the opportunity has
simply passed them by.
So Father God, please teach us to walk
in truth and light,
By the Holy Spirit; not leaning on our
sight.
We know You can do it. But if it’s
left to me,
I’ll walk into obstacles and bump into
a tree!
O Lord, we need Your guidance. Without
it, we will miss,
The truth which you are teaching; and
end in the abyss.
Speak with Your authority, that each
of us can hear,
What You are declaring; in true and
Godly fear.
We have Your anointing, so we should
have the skill,
To comprehend the knowledge with which
we have been filled.
This we know for certain. It’s an
established fact;
That keeping Your commandments is the
only way to act.
Grant us the perception, to never
contradict,
The Word that You have given us, to
have the devil licked.
We know the Holy Scriptures; we learned
them as a child.
They came by inspiration; they’re pure
and undefiled.
Help us to assimilate Your truth in
every way;
To focus upon Jesus, so that we can
obey,
Every little detail of what Your Word
has said.
When we have this mastered, we will be
Spirit led!
It isn’t complicated, a little child
can do,
All that is required from folk like me
and you.
Listen first; then do it! You will not
get it wrong.
Not if to the Saviour, you truthfully
belong.
Anyone who wants to do that which the
Lord desires,
Will surely be directed to do what He
requires.
Find His way of Holiness. Don’t think
you can fool,
With other types of living. For if you
let His rule,
Be far more important than all you
think and do.
Walking in the Spirit will be a
“cinch” for you.
Jim Strickland
Written 6
November 2012
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13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into
all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but
whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that
are to come.
John 16:13 ESV
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20 The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have
knowledge.
1 John 2:20 GW
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20 Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who
contradict His word are completely in the dark.
Isaiah 8:20 NLT
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15 You
have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood,
and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by
trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to
make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong
and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do
every good work.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 NLT
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8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should
go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalms 32:8 TNIV
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22
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So,
if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
Matthew 6:22 ESV
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17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know
whether My teaching is from God or is merely My own.
John 7:17 NLT
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8 A
wide road will go through the land. It will be called The Way of Holiness.
Only those who are pure and clean can travel on it. Only
those who lead a holy life can use it. Evil and foolish people can't walk on
it.
Isaiah 35:8 NIrV
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