Man was I on the way-too-wordy side of life in the last blog post. I will make up for my being loquacious by getting right to the second constraint that we impose upon the Holy Spirit.
Constraint #2 – The Not Here Constraint.
We constrain the working of the Holy Spirit by limiting WHERE He can minister. Where? Yes. And, you already know where the where is. (Did that make any sense?). I’ll explain by reminding you of this story …
In Acts 3, we read of Peter and John traveling to the temple. You know the story, right? On their way, they encountered a lame man sitting outside of the temple begging. At this juncture, Peter and John had three options to consider …
Option #1 – Totally ignore the lame beggar.
Option #2 – Pick up the man and carry him into the temple.
Option #3 – Impart some of the “such as I have give I thee” and command the man to be made whole.
We all know that Option #3 was the action chosen. But, would this be the option that you would choose? I’m feeling generous. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you wouldn’t take Option #1. But, I’m leaning towards thinking that there are those reading this blog that would choose Option #2. It would be simple to get another person to help carry the lame beggar into the temple so that the beggar could hear a sermon and be prayed for by the “trained” leader. Am I right?
Thank God for your church service. I recognize that in this gathering of believers, the impossible can become possible. But, the working of the Holy Spirit can’t be restricted to a church service.
Consider this. Of the known miracles performed by Jesus, only three were conducted in the temple. I say known because the four gospels only record a small portion of His ministry. (John 20:30; 21:25) The Holy Spirit ministered through Jesus in people’s homes, along roadsides, in marketplaces, etc. In other words, where the need appeared, the need was met!
Let me be bold. Without exception, the Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus (Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:38) is CONSTANTLY with (John 14:16), in (John 14:17), on (Luke 24:49), filling (Ephesians 5:18), and guiding (John 16:13) you. WHERE EVER YOU ARE, He is PRESENT and READY to meet any and every need THROUGH you.
With that in mind, consider the “Not Here Constraint” to be a thing of the past. From this day forward, walk in confidence and declare, “Yes, here!” because the “such as I have give I thee” is available where ever you are!
Go do the works of Him who has sent you! (John 9:4; 14:12)
