Here is another important exhortation from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest"!
Despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him. — Hebrews 12:5
It is very easy to quench the Spirit; we do it by despising the chastening of the Lord, by fainting when we are rebuked by Him. If we have only a shallow experience of sanctification, we mistake the shadow for the reality, and when the Spirit of God begins to check, we say — “Oh, that must be the devil.”
Never quench the Spirit, and do not despise Him when He says to you — “Don’t be blind on this point any more; you are not where you thought you were. Up to the present I have not been able to reveal it to you, but I reveal it now.” When the Lord chastens you like that, let Him have His way. Let Him relate you rightly to God.
“Nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him.” We get into sulks with God and say — “Oh, well, I can’t help it; I did pray and things did not turn out right, and I am going to give it all up.” Think what would happen if we talked like this in any other domain of life!
Am I prepared to let God grip me by His power and do a work in me that is worthy of Himself? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me; sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me, and He has to get me into the attitude of mind and spirit where at any cost I will let Him sanctify me wholly.
I especially like the last sentence here! Do you remember when Jesus said THIS in Luke 22:42?:
42 Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.
When we submit our will to His, then we are really ready to be used by Him in extraordinary ways! The next time that you receive an instruction, exhortation or correction from Holy Spirit via your Pastor, other ministers or directly from Holy Spirit Himself, set your heart FIRST to be a DOER of the Word you are hearing. THEN ask how to begin! The right decision here will open up your heart to the divine and supernatural ability of God to accomplish it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":
Shalom in Him!
