To our great and glorious Head in Heaven the Lord of Spirits, ever directs our hearts. By this we may know whether we are under His Divine direction. By this we may test all that we hear, and all that we read.
The measure in which we are occupied with Christ, and with our completeness in Him. is the measure in which we are “filled by the Spirit”. By this we may test these words which are here written by the writer and read by the reader. The one question is: Do they Glorify Christ? “He shall glorify Me”, were the Savior’s words (John 16:16). By this we may know, discern, and detect the Holy Spirit’s handiwork.
Man’s work will be ever found to direct our thoughts to ourselves; it will be always to direct our attention to our walk, or to our acts, or to our experiences; or to introspection of some kind. Man’s work will ever end in reasons for glorying in ourselves. But the Spirit’s work will ever Glorify Christ, and humble ourselves to all that we read and all that we hear, we have to apply this touchstone. We have to ask the one question: DOES THIS GLORIFY CHRIST? This is the one test. It will never fail to tell us whether we are under the direction of the Lord of Spirits, or not. For there are ‘other spirits’ who would control us. Yes, ‘control’, that is their own word for their work.
The Corinthian Saints were specially warned against ‘another spirit’, ie., a different spirit, which (thank God) they had not received (2 Corinthians 11:4). This tells us that there are other spirits at work for our deception and
misdirection. For can such a warning be groundless? Is there no such duty as the “discerning of spirits”, and of “trying or proving the spirits” devolving on us? These spirits would deceive us to-day, even as the old Serpent “beguiled Eve through his subtlety”. Hence the Apostle’s fear lest our “minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
We are dealing with realities, not with theories or hypotheses; and these warnings are actually needed in very Truth in the present day. They “are written for our learning”. The vast majority of Christians, the moment they see any so-called “revival” work or any spirit-manifestation, immediately jump to the conclusion that it is, and must be Divine, and of the Holy Spirit; notwithstanding the fact that there is nothing in the Scripture with which many of these modern extravagancies can be compared. Things are recorded in the Word as the work of the Holy Spirit of God. “Confusion” is seen, of which “it is written”, “God is not the author” (1 Corinthians 14:32,33).
The presence of certain individuals is often necessary to produce certain desired results; and these men and women are used in the same way as mediums are used. Doubtless they are often mediums for the work of “another spirit”, which, let us pray God, we may never receive.
Oh, to be directed by God’s own Holy Spirit, the Lord. His direction is utterly opposed to all the designs and desires of the natural mind. He may lead us into trials and experiences in which our creature ruin may be discerned beneath our sinner ruin; and in which our faith shall be proved to be genuine. This direction, here, is the special work of the Lord the Spirit, and yet the whole God head is engaged in it.
Of El the Father it is said He “will guide you continually” (Isaiah 48:11).
Of Yehovah-Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, it is said “He guides me” (Psalm 23:13).
Of Yehovah the Spirit it is declared that “He will guide you into all Truth” (John 16:13).
Of His people now it is most blessedly true, as it was true of Hezekiah: of whom, and of his people it is written: Thus the Lord saved them...and guided them on every side” (2 Chronicles 32:22).
So that, whether enemies abound, or days be dark, or Satan’s assaults be many, or doubts and fears increase, even then we shall be, and must be, “more than conquerors” through Him who loves us. And the Lord of Spirits will ever direct our hearts into His Love, and not into our infirmities; and we shall say, not “When I sought to know this it was too painful for me” (Ps 45:16). but, “So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before You.
You have held me by my right hand.
You shall guide me with Your counsel,
And afterwards receive me to glory, Whom have I in Heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You” (Ps. 45:22-25).
And we shall say again -
“This God is our God for ever and ever; and He will be our guide even in death” (Ps. 38:14).
2. Into the Love of God
We have seen how the true knowledge of God is revealed only in “The Scriptures of Truth”; and how it is imparted only by the direction of the Holy Spirit. He who inspired this revelation in the Word must inspire it in our hearts also; or it can never be experimentally known. Hence the importance of that Scripture which has already engaged our attention (2 Thessalonians 3:5). (This is revealed also in our other blog "God has only One Way for Us All".)
“The Lord (the Spirit) direct your heart
Into the Love of God,
And into the patient waiting for Christ.”
The Love of God is a grand reality. But we can know it only by the direction of the Lord the Spirit. Then we learn that this Love to us is only in Christ; and, only to us as being in Christ. Out of Christ, “The Lord is a man of war”. Apart from Christ the guilty will be by no means cleared.
It is only misleading the poor world to tell it that “God is love”, unless we tell it that this Love is only in Christ. It is preaching only part of the Gospel. The good news is that God is “a just God”, and that though He is justice and righteousness itself, yet He is the SAVIOR of all then that believe His testimony which He has given concerning His Son. He cannot be known apart from the Son.
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