Lord has chosen us as the human instruments to impart to others God's truth of righteousness and glory. Have you heard of someone who has been involved in an accident while drinking liquor? Someone will say, "He was driving under the influence of alcohol." Such caused the person to do things he would not normally do. Intoxi cated, an individual may have a boldness which would cause him to go out and fight the world. In finitely more than this, when a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, he loses his fear and timidity. He is anxious to be the channel through whom God can pour His blessings. One who is filled with the Holy Spirit is generous. He loves people, even those who may treat him un kindly. Such is just a sampling of characteristics marked in the life of one truly controlled by the Spirit. TEMPERANCE The last in the list of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) is tem perance. This word means "self- control." This does not tell us that we have more will power seeking to bring ourselves into subjection. It is only when we let the Holy Spirit have charge of our will. This is what God wants as we allow Him to have the priority over this old nature. We will always have the flesh with us so long as we draw mortal breath (Matthew 26:41). We are to walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Ephesians 5:16). The Bible does not say that we will lose the de sires of the flesh but that we would not fulfill them. This is true if the Holy Spirit has control of us. I am away from home a great deal of the time. While conducting
meetings I will stay in various peo ple's homes. Often I am accorded the privilege of staying in the guest room. On occasions such encount ers have made me, and doubtless my hosts, ill at ease. I get the feel ing some people would just as soon I stay in the guest room. I am afraid a lot of people do the same to the Holy Spirit. Does He have ready access to every part of your life? Do we give Him complete free dom? Have we yielded every area of our lives to Him: business, so cial, domestic, and personal? He desires to be God in every area. God has told us that if we ask anything according to His will, we can have absolute confidence that we will receive it. It comes by faith and not feeling. Never judge the fulness of the Spirit by any emo tional standard. It has to do with the fact of faith (Colossians 2:6). You can know, based on the authority of the Word of God> that the Holy Spirit has control of your life. We must yield our lives allow ing the Holy Spirit to take com plete control. Once having done this, do not try to take over again. At that point you will be sinning. Let us follow the Scriptural prac tice of Romans 12:1, 2. God wants us to let the Holy Spirit do what He came to do. In this way, He be gins to produce love, joy, peace, power and all the rest in our lives. Are you a Spirit-filled Christian? Simply admit that you are helpless without Him. Take this step by faith to the glory of God. Would you ask Him to take control of your life right now, and then be gin to walk in the Spirit? God help you to do it! GRIEVING THE SPIRIT One of the most important ex- Page 21
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