THE LEAKAGE OF SPIRITUAL POWER
That
man of God and lover of souls, James Caughey, tells in one of his
books how he was invited out to tea one evening; and though there was
nothing harmful in the talk of the hour, yet when he went into the
meeting at night his soul was like a loosely strung bow. He couldn't
shoot the King's arrows into the hearts of the King's enemies, for he
had no power. It had been lost at the tea-table.
I
knew an officer once who let all his spiritual power leak out, until
he was as dry as an old bone when he got into the meeting. It was in
this way. We had to ride three miles in a street car to get to the
hall, and all the way there he was talking about things that had no
bearing on the coming meeting. There was nothing wrong or trifling
said, but it was not to the point; it turned his mind from God and
the souls he was so soon to face and plead with to be reconciled to
Him; and the result was that, instead of going before the people
clothed with power, he went stripped of power. I remember the meeting
well. His prayer was good, but there was no power in it. It was
words, words, words! The Bible reading and talk were good. He said
many true and excellent things, but there was no power in them. The
soldiers looked indifferent, the sinners looked careless and sleepy,
and altogether the meeting was a dull affair.
Now,
the officer was not a backslider; he had a good experience. Nor was
he a dull stupid officer; on the contrary, he was one of the
brightest, keenest officers I know. The trouble was that, instead of
keeping quiet and communing with God in his own heart on that car,
until his soul was ablaze with faith and hope and love and holy
expectation, he had wasted his power in useless talk. God says: "If
thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as My
mouth" (“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve
me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my
spokesman.) (Jer. 15: 19). Think of it! That officer might have gone
into that meeting filled with power, and his mouth should have been
to those people as the mouth of God, and his words should have been
"quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow," and proving to be "a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). But instead of
that, he was like Samson after his locks were shorn by Delilah - he
was powerless as other men.
There
are many ways of letting power leak away. I knew a soldier who came
to the hall very early every evening, and instead of getting his soul
keyed up to a high pitch of faith and love, spent the time playing
soft, dreamy music on his violin, and though faithfully, lovingly
warned, continued that practice till he openly backslid.
I
have known men whose power leaked out through a joke. They believed
in having things go with a swing, and so they told funny stories and
played the clown to make things lively. And things were lively, but
it was not with Divine life. It was the liveliness of mere animal
spirits, and not of the Holy Spirit. I do not mean by this that a man
who is filled with the power of the Spirit will never make men laugh.
He will. He may say tremendously funny things. But he will not be
doing it just to have a good time. It will come naturally. It will
not be dragged in "on all fours," and it will be done in
the fear of God, and not in a spirit of lightness and jesting. He who
wants a meeting of life and power should remember that there is no
substitute for the Holy Ghost. He is life. He is power. And if He is
sought in earnest, faithful prayer, He will come, and when He comes
the little meeting will be mighty in its results.
The
Holy Spirit should be earnestly sought, in earnest, secret prayer.
Jesus said, "When thou pray, enter into your closet, and when
thou hast shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and
your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly" (Matt.
6:6). He will do it; bless His holy name!
I
know of a man who, if possible, gets alone with God for an hour
before every meeting, and when he speaks it is with the power and
demonstration of the Spirit. The man who wants power, just when it is
most needed, must walk with God. He must be a friend of God. He must
keep the way always open between his heart and God. God will be the
friend of such a man, and will bless him and honour him. God will
tell him His secrets; He will show him how to get at the hearts of
men. God will make dark things light and crooked places straight and
rough places smooth for that man. God will be on his side and help
him. Such a man must keep a constant watch over his mouth and his
heart. David prayed: "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep
the door of my lips" (Ps. 141:3); and Solomon said: "Keep
your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life"
(Prov. 4:23). He must walk in unbroken communion with God. He must
cultivate a spirit of joyful recollection by which he will be always
conscious that he is in the presence of God.
"Delight
thyself also in the Lord" (Ps. 37:4), said the Psalmist. Oh, how
happy is that man who finds God to be his delight; who is never
lonely, because He knows God, talks with God, delights in God; who
feels how lovable God is, and gives himself up to loving, serving,
trusting God with all his heart!
Comrade,
"Quench not the Spirit" (I Thess. 5.19), and He will lead
you thus to know and love God, and God will make you the instrument
of His own power
No comments:
Post a Comment