Leading of The Spirit-Part 17
Posted By on Tuesday, March 01, 2016
This life in the Spirit is the life. And God has for us a huge area that many of us has never even touched. I will take about ten more minutes. In Acts 16:7:
“After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suffered them not.” Acts 16:7
This is in some way, a restraint by the Spirit of God. Explained simply that the Spirit permitted them not. I know there is such a thing as a restraint by the Spirit of God, an inner restraint where you intend to do something, or go somewhere, and you say, “I just feel within me I ought not to go.” It is a restraint, a lack of freedom, a holding back. I have had this many times in ministry over the years.
Many, many times I would minister, let’s say in our school, and all of a sudden, I would get a restraint in my spirit, a holding back, for me not to go on speaking. When I discover it, I stop. Many a time I have said, “Students, someone here has an utterance from the Spirit.” And here it came. But first there was that restraint, that inner holding back.
I had a round-the-world itinerary laid out one year, and included was Rangoon, Burma and Singapore. Next came Manila, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York. I had the whole thing laid out. Then I spread my map of the world before the Lord. I said, “Father, to the best of my knowledge, this is where I am to go. If anything is wrong, now is the time for You to let me know because after I am going to finalize things.”
So I sat before the Lord with my map and let my eyes wonder from New York to someplace in Europe (I forget where), and right over to Beirut, Calcutta, Rangoon, and Burma. When I came to Rangoon, I felt a something in my spirit, a restraint, a something that, oh, this is so hard to explain. I just recognized here is something wrong, not a lack of freedom, a restraint from a freedom that gave me the assurance.
I noticed it so I said, “Father, is anything wrong with Rangoon?” And I got some kind of a witness that Rangoon is out. I did not know why. I said, “Lord, I will take it out.” Then I came down to Singapore on the map. As I did, I had the same thing, a restraint in my spirit, a holding back, a hanging back, a pulling back like. I said, “Father, anything wrong with Singapore?” The same thing happened.
“After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suffered them not.” Acts 16:7
This is in some way, a restraint by the Spirit of God. Explained simply that the Spirit permitted them not. I know there is such a thing as a restraint by the Spirit of God, an inner restraint where you intend to do something, or go somewhere, and you say, “I just feel within me I ought not to go.” It is a restraint, a lack of freedom, a holding back. I have had this many times in ministry over the years.
Many, many times I would minister, let’s say in our school, and all of a sudden, I would get a restraint in my spirit, a holding back, for me not to go on speaking. When I discover it, I stop. Many a time I have said, “Students, someone here has an utterance from the Spirit.” And here it came. But first there was that restraint, that inner holding back.
I had a round-the-world itinerary laid out one year, and included was Rangoon, Burma and Singapore. Next came Manila, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York. I had the whole thing laid out. Then I spread my map of the world before the Lord. I said, “Father, to the best of my knowledge, this is where I am to go. If anything is wrong, now is the time for You to let me know because after I am going to finalize things.”
So I sat before the Lord with my map and let my eyes wonder from New York to someplace in Europe (I forget where), and right over to Beirut, Calcutta, Rangoon, and Burma. When I came to Rangoon, I felt a something in my spirit, a restraint, a something that, oh, this is so hard to explain. I just recognized here is something wrong, not a lack of freedom, a restraint from a freedom that gave me the assurance.
I noticed it so I said, “Father, is anything wrong with Rangoon?” And I got some kind of a witness that Rangoon is out. I did not know why. I said, “Lord, I will take it out.” Then I came down to Singapore on the map. As I did, I had the same thing, a restraint in my spirit, a holding back, a hanging back, a pulling back like. I said, “Father, anything wrong with Singapore?” The same thing happened.
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