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The Controlling Of The Spirit
Episode #296
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
(M) I think the fear of the gifts of the Spirit, wherever it exists, is the fear of loss of control. He is dangerous to our agenda. He is the safety net to God. He is the absolute seal of our redemption. He’s the promise of our completion.
(J) There’s such comfort and security in His Lordship because you know that He’s in control. But it does not flatter or cajole or coddle my agendas, my purpose, my plans, my rigidity. And the only reason why I would typically have rigidity was to feel safe, really. I’m making this a law here; I’m locking this in so that I feel secure.
(M) We think security is having control. And the less security we had as children, the more control we think we need to have to feel safe.
(J) Hmhmm.
(M) But there’s… I said something to someone the other day. I hope I can quote it. The control you exert turns on you to control you. Wherever you’re controlling, you will be controlled by what you are controlling. So that control is no safety, it’s a jail for you.
(J) Hmhmm, hmhmm.
(M) It’s, the safety is in the Spirit. And He, it’s so amazing because He will make you look good, because you’ll be at the right place at the right time with the right word, or with the right action or the right insight. He will vindicate Himself by the result.
(J) Yeah, well sometimes you feel like you’re jumping out of the plane without a parachute.
(M) Absolutely, absolutely; and the risk is worth taking. It is a risk, because it’s so… You can’t prove it. The only thing that proves you’ve moved in the Spirit is the result that He sees to. Nee says, when you are nudged by the Lord to act or do something, move on it. Don’t second guess it. Don’t logic, put logic on it. Don’t dissect it or you won’t obey.
(J) Hmhmm.
(M) Move on it, and God will confirm or deny, after you’ve moved. And Sparks is so clear about it that he says, “Those who are led of Spirit are the sons of God”, and he says you step outside of sonship is you are not being led. You’re only a son of God in, in being led of the Spirit.
(J) That’s real obvious by the fruits. The fruit of not listening to the Spirit is usually such complete death. It may seem right, and it may seem correct, but ultimately it’s just such death.
(M) And shame. Well, you just referred to Romans eight really, “Those whose mind is set on the ways of the flesh are death.” Roman’s eight is the great passage on the Holy Spirit. “The law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.” That’s an amazing statement; you could live a lifetime on that one statement.
(J) Sin and death is thinking I know; hemming God in, saying this is how He’ll be.
(M) Hmhmm. I remember one time, I had a friend who had a significant birthday coming up and I wanted to give her a party. And I sensed that she expected it of me, because I could. Big party, I wanted to give her. I started trying, and I could not do it. It was absolutely impossible. I couldn’t plan it, I had no power, no strength, no energy, no nothing to do it; and I realized it was not God’s will. (John laughs.) It was her will, and it was my abeyance to her will. And I went to her and said, “I’m so sorry, I cannot do it.” And it was, it was probably of the end of our friendship.
(J) Really?
(M) Yeah, someone else did it, and big, big fancy Atlanta deal, and ah… But it was not, it was not… and I got myself into shame because I committed to something God said you will not, you will not.
(J) Oooooo.
(M) And and she couldn’t accept it that I simply didn’t have the grace to do it; so that was it. I like the International Version on this, because it uses a word that’s accurate. It uses the word control. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. You however are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” So I’ve really asked Him, if that is the issue I want the Holy Spirit to control my mind, my life, my motive, my heart. It’s life and peace. Anything else is death.
(J) But then you have to go like I did this morning on this magic carpet ride, so to speak, and ride the Wind, and think, why am I here? Why am I so passionate about this issue? Why am I, you know, He didn’t tell me to say anything about this issue; He just put me on it so that it’s in my face. And then I bring it to you, and then you are able to kind of unfold it and showed really where He was in it. But I had to be willing to ride that.
(M) So, when the Wind blew on you this morning, and you were exercised, you had to pursue it then to see what God was after. So, you called and sort of together we came to His mind about it. So, it’s always a matter, it’s constantly seeking the adventure of what the Spirit is after. It’s fascinating what He does, and every situation is completely unique. There is no pattern except in God’s mind; but there’s no, nothing that we can comprehend and set in motion or, as you call it, a box. And that’s so boring anyway. If anything God is, it’s hard to keep up with Him, He’s so outlandishly fascinating. It’s hard to, it takes an effort, it takes a commitment to know what He’s after and to know His mind and wisdom and His passion about it. Because it’s, it’s always… Because you were not, you didn’t feel this way two days ago.
(J) No, not at all. (Martha laughs.) And it’s also energy. It’s energy and time because you have to wait on Him and you have to hear Him, and you have to listen to where He’s going. Why is this here? And it’s, it’s energy. It really is, it’s time and it’s energy and ah…
(M) But He gives the energy when He… The Wind is energy. So it cost you energy, but it also gave you energy. And the Wind is power. There’s power to go in that direction. You look puzzled, or thoughtful.
(J) Hm.
(M) Sometimes it can be agony, because it is so strong. The wind can often be pretty brutal. Where I live the wind is very strong. I live in a valley, so it swoops down one side, and right across my land to the other mountain. So I have greater wind than anybody around here has. And it can be brutal.
(J) Yeah, it will literally slam into the side of your house, and you can literally feel it hit the side of the house.
(M) Hmhmm. And the neighbors’ wind destroyed his corn crop. So it is, and at times it is powerfully propelling you in the direction that He wants you to go and you have to consent and give yourself to Him as He’s moving. It’s wonderful, it’s great, great adventure. I just, I’m fierce about the Holy Spirit. You won’t make it without Him. You won’t know anything, you won’t know God if you don’t follow Him. You won’t know yourself. He knows you, you don’t know you. He has your destiny in His, in His Being. He’s always working to bring you where God has created you to be. He’s absolute the only provision God has made, and He has everything, everything, every knowledge, every word of God. He knows the will of God. He knows the identity of your story. He’s ah… if you miss Him… If you, if you don’t have Him you’ll miss it all.
(J) Hm.
(M) You’ll just fall to the ground, be a dull ordinary life with no adventure, no danger. He brings danger.
(J) Umhmm.
(M) He comes destructively and correctively and upliftingly and constructively. And it takes courage. And all you have to do is ask for the courage to follow Him wherever He leads.
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