Faith Instead of Fireworks
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." — Hebrews 11:6
The Counsel That Unlocked It
Two days before the end of the vacation she went back to campus and straight to the minister's office, where she sat crying and told him everything — the total commitment, and the fact that nothing had happened. God had not spoken to her once and she did not feel any different.
He started to chuckle.
"I'll bet you thought you'd be struck down by a bolt of lightning and start speaking in tongues, didn't you?"
"Why yes. Isn't that how it always happens?"
"No. God is God, and He works however He wants. He works in each person's life differently."
Then he gave her the counsel that changed everything:
"The scripture commands, 'be filled with the Spirit.' You have asked the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit and you have made a total commitment to Him. Now you must get down on your knees and, in faith, thank Him for keeping His promise, and ask Him to work in your life as He chooses. Then go on, and you will see the Lord begin to change your life."
Thanking Him Before You See It
Look at the mechanism in that counsel, because it is one of the most useful things in this entire study.
You obeyed — you made the commitment He asked for. He promised — His word says what He does in response. So you thank Him for having done it, on the strength of the promise rather than the evidence. And then you go on with your life and watch Him work.
That is faith operating exactly as Hebrews describes it: "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
Thanksgiving before evidence is not pretending. It is treating God's word as more reliable than your nervous system.
What Followed
She did as he advised, and within three weeks she was a different person.
The first change was an incredible hunger to read and study God's word. She read the Bible completely through for the first time in her life. Quickly the Lord began bringing to her attention areas of her life that did not please Him.
And about a month after that complete commitment, He spoke to her for the first time.
After that the relationship grew quickly.
Notice the sequence and how unspectacular it is. Hunger for the Word came first. Then conviction. Then His voice. Then growth. No lightning anywhere in it — and every bit of it more durable than lightning would have been.
A Word About Gifts and Sovereignty
There is a hard truth underneath all of this that both halves of the church resist.
Some want power without the cross and specialize in emotional experience. Others insist power is not for our day at all. Both positions are wrong, and both exist for the same reason: God is God, and He is not answerable to us.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are exactly that — gifts, given and operating when and how the Spirit chooses, not when and how we choose. We cannot summon them or force them.
Christians spend an extraordinary amount of energy formulating doctrines to get around the sovereignty of God. It cannot be done. The sooner we accept it, the sooner we come close to Him.
Point to Ponder
Thanksgiving before evidence is not pretending. It is treating God's word as more reliable than your nervous system.
Verse to Remember
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." — Hebrews 11:6
Question to Consider
Am I waiting for a feeling before I will believe God did what He said?
Today's Practice
Get on your knees somewhere private and do the three things exactly.
Thank Him. Out loud, for having received the commitment you made — not asking Him to receive it, thanking Him that He has. "Father, I thank You that You have received what I gave You and that You are faithful to Your word."
Ask Him to work as He chooses. Not as you would prefer, not on your timetable, not with the confirmation you had in mind. "Work in my life however You choose. Fill me with Your Spirit as You see fit."
Then get up and go on. Do not stay there analyzing yourself. Go about your week and watch.
Then keep a short record over the next month. Note any new hunger for Scripture, any conviction about something you had not thought about, any thought that came to you that was not your own.
Look at that record in four weeks. You will be surprised.
Prayer
Father, I have been waiting for You to confirm something in a way that would satisfy me, and in the meantime I have not believed You.
I stop that today.
I thank You — right now, with no evidence at all — that You received what I gave You, because You said You would and You do not lie.
Fill me with Your Spirit as You choose. Work in my life however You see fit. I withdraw my requirements about how it should look and when it should happen.
You are God. You are not answerable to me and I stop trying to manage You. Give me a hunger for Your word and a sensitivity to Your voice, and I will go on and watch You work.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
He obeyed, God promised, so he thanked Him and went on. Watch what happens in three weeks.