"We Must Move On Or We Will Perish"

Every meeting we have is different; it has it's own character, personality and emphasis. Yesterday's meeting carried a quieter presence of the Holy Spirit but we still did business none-the-less. I quoted a section from a book by Smith Wigglesworth called 'On Spirit-Filled Living'. He says this (p.132), "We never get into a new place until we come out of the old one. We must model God's personality. We can never be satisfied to stay where we are spiritually, for the truth continues to enlighten us. We must move on, or we will perish. We must be obedient to the Holy Spirit who guides us." Standing still is not an option for a Spirit-Filled believer but how do we ensure this forward motion in our faith?

John's message explained beautifully the importance of applying Biblical principles to our lives. As we do what the Bible commands (it never suggests we give something a try), the outcome is blessing and massive spiritual fruit (i.e. we move forward). The key is found in the Word of God. Sadly, many Christians don't really know the Bible. This leaves them vulnerable to false teaching and a false Gospel. I wonder how many people would swallow the teaching in books like the Shack with 'no questions asked', if they had a solid grounding in the Bible? In the West, we have access to vast amounts of Biblical resources but so few of us actually make use of it. Bible Study is a discipline and there are times when I don't feel like reading it but I often start in the flesh and then move into the Spirit.

My faith rises. My heart is stirred. God speak fresh words of hope and challenge to me and I move forward as I apply them. Make it your goal this week to love the Word, live the Word and learn the Word. There is no shortcut to spiritual maturity, it all begins in the pages of His Word.

Let me leave you with another quote from Smith (p.150), "Do you dare to say to God, "I am ready for all that You have for me"? It will mean living a pure and holy life. It will mean living a sanctified, a separate life. It will mean your heart is so perfect and your prospects are so divinely separated that you say to the world, "Goodbye.""