it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
Put Self Down
We live in an age when more
people than ever do not want
any kind of discipline, but the
Bible calls them fools. A fool
despiseth his father’s instruction:
but he that regardeth
reproof is prudent (Proverbs 15:5).
You must pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s
reproof because it is a warning to you and
protection for your soul.
The Holy Spirit hands out discipline because
He seeks to bring you into line and make you
the best worker for God you can be. Unfortunately,
many ignore what the Spirit is trying to
tell them because they think their way is right,
but that doesn’t make it God-right. All the ways
of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the
LORD weigheth the spirits (Proverbs 16:2).
Discipline is for your good.
Many people don’t realize that self is their
worst enemy. Self likes to be flattered because
it feels good, but what kind of fruit does it
yield?—ego, selfishness and on it goes. For he
flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his
iniquity be found to be hateful (Psalm 36:2).
Self-justification, self-will and self-confidence
hinder the Spirit working in your
life. This is what the Bible says about selfrighteousness:
But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). You must get rid of
self and let the rod and reproof of the Spirit do
their perfect work in you. Only then can you
go deeper and deeper with the Lord.
Keep the Unity of the Spirit
One of the primary goals of the Holy Spirit’s
strict discipline is to keep unity among God’s
people. The Lord has called us to work together
to win souls, and God wants us
to walk worthy of that calling
in the unity of the Holy Ghost.
Paul said, I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you
that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are
called, With all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace
(Ephesians 4:1–3).
Let’s take a closer look at that verse. To be
lowly is to be humble and unimportant to yourself.
For I say, through the grace given unto
me, to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly (Romans 12:3).
A meek person is patient and longsuffering.
To forbear one another in love is to put yourself
aside and help keep others from veering
off the straight and narrow path. God’s love
is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14),
and it brings about unity in the body of Christ.
Jesus said, Love one another; as I have
loved you (John 13:34). That bond of love
makes us one with the Father and one with
each other. Later in John, Jesus said, That
they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me (John 17:21).
God Hates Discord
Oneness in the body of Christ can only come
about when the members yield to the rod and
reproof of the Holy Spirit. Now I beseech
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same
thing, and that there be no divisions among
you; but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment
(I Corinthians 1:10).
When people are in one mind and one
accord, they will treat each other with love
and respect and have great peace among them.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do
July 2020 Vol. 65, No. 7 The Power of the Holy Ghost (USPS 516-050) is pu blished monthly by Grace Cathedral®, 2690 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223 Periodicals postage paid at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Power of the Holy Ghost, P.O. Box 1790, Akron, Ohio USA, 44309-1790
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