Five Operations of the Holy Spirit Part 13
The term "seek" implies that the good things of the Lord are hidden from us and cannot be found unless we earnestly and diligently look for them. One of the main aspects of the fervent Christian discipleship is that of looking for Christ. Why is Christ hidden? It is because of the sins of mankind.
God was present among us in the Garden of Eden but He withdrew because of our disobedience. Now we must employ the principal energies of our lives "looking" for Christ. If we do not continue to look for Him we will not come to the fullness of His riches.
We will remain one of those people who, for one reason or another, turned away from the greatest treasure hunt of all—the quest for the abundance of eternal life that is in Christ. We must knock and keep on knocking. Eventually the keeper of the door will tire of our knocking and will open the door.
It is as though the Holy Spirit is in a room behind a closed door. Usually the door does not swing open as soon as we put our hand on the doorknob. We knock, and knock, and knock, and start in knocking again the next day—on and on. Did you ever have the experience of someone knocking repeatedly on your door and refusing to go away? There is not much peace in the house when someone is standing outside and knocking.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:10)
One of the mysteries of Heaven is why the saints do not ask Christ for more help when He has promised "every one that asketh receiveth." The Lord is faithful and He has declared: "Ask, and ye shall receive that your joy may be full."
God, who cannot lie, has told us plainly, "Every one that asketh receiveth." As soon as we begin requesting the empowering of the Holy Spirit so we may build up the Body of Christ, many hindrances arise to beat down our will. We become weary of asking and seeking and knocking. But the Word of God remains true: "Every one that asketh receiveth."
Every seeker finds the power of the Holy Spirit provided he looks long enough and does not give up because he did not unearth the treasure on his first or second effort. We stand and knock at the door for a while, and then we give up and conclude that no one is at home. The Lord is at home but He is waiting to see if we really are determined to have the Holy Spirit or if we are acting in a spurt of enthusiasm.
The promise is this: "to him that knocketh it shall be opened." A hundred reasons may flood into our minds as to why it will not be opened; but God Almighty declares, "It shall be opened!"
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11,12)
There are occasions when God leads us into clarity of thought concerning His will and we do not accept it. We then may keep on begging God to change His mind. In that case, evil would come from our unwillingness to accept what God deems to be best for us.
It is likely that the majority of instances of delayed answers to prayer involve the believer who drifts along with the powerful currents of our times. He or she desires to have more of God but finds it difficult to set himself or herself to the consistent, diligent asking, seeking, and knocking required for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit of God. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)
Most of us, as evil as we are, are devoted to our children and have an abiding concern that they will enjoy a happy and successful life. We are aware of all their requests, although if we love them we do not rush to give them everything they ask for the moment they open their mouths.
If a youngster asks for a toy or a musical instrument we may not run to the store the same day. But the desire comes to our attention. If the child asks for a bicycle or a trumpet or rifle, it may be too much for the family budget or unsafe for him in his present level of development.
If a year or two goes by and we hear about the same item several times a week in a respectful but persistent manner, we begin to give serious consideration to the merits of the request. If we can manage it, the item comes home one day. If there is danger involved, such as with a gun, we may take the time to sit down with the young child and explain to him that he must wait for a few years.
If the answer to the request would bring harm to the son or daughter or if it is impossible for some reason, a firm no! is in order.
The Lord sometimes opens our eyes to various considerations, when we come into intense, persistent supplication, that cause us to think again if this is what we truly desire. But it would seem that most of us are discouraged from our persistence by spirits other than the Spirit of God. By one ruse or another the enemy gets us off our knees.
The one Power with which the enemy is unable to cope is the Holy Spirit. He employs every available device in an attempt to convince us that God will not answer our prayer for the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Let us join the ranks of those who are crying to God day and night that He will pour out the Holy Spirit on us so that the gifts and ministries of every member of the worldwide Body of Christ will be empowered with the dynamite from Heaven.
We have stated that there are three factors related to the empowering of gifts and ministries: (1) absolute obedience to Christ; (2) persistence; and (3) the supporting role of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Let us now examine this third factor.
And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20)