Why Spirit-Filled Believers Have No Excuse for Timidity
We must always remember that Christ is our eternal king. That means He is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. Everything belongs to Him.
Everything means everything. Your life, your will, your words and even your possessions are His. Let Him do with them as He sees fit.
Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). I know this may come as a surprise to some, but the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not speaking in tongues; it’s power. I’ve met many saints who are content to remain in a church and speak in tongues and prophesy to one another, but when they leave the sanctuary, they are silent in the streets. I have to question what baptism they received.
The Holy Spirit was given so we could be powerful witnesses. True Spirit-filled believers have no excuse for letting a spirit of timidity keep them silent. Absolute surrender means our voice is at the Lord’s disposal and ready to be used at a moment’s notice. Surrender your pride and confess Christ before men!
The thought of absolute surrender to the Spirit of God is terrifying to the flesh because God rarely calls His people to accomplish small things. He speaks boldly and waits for us to respond in kind. His voice beckons us out of the comfort of a boat to walk upon the stormy waters. His will calls us to speak healing to the blind, deaf and lame. He places us as prophets before stiff-necked religious men armed with stones. He stands us before kings, and we call out their sins. These are just a few examples of the stories we honor in Scripture. These bold believers were bent toward the Lord.
Throughout history faithful men and women have followed in the footsteps of the saints and imitated their lives. These are the Martin Luthers, who refused to recant salvation by faith in Christ alone even though it cost their lives. They are the William Tyndales, who dared to put God’s Word in the hands of the common man. Their treachery was rewarded with a stake and fire. We look to the John Wesleys, George Whitefields, and Jonathan Edwardses, who covered the country on horseback with the gospel. These men were barred from churches and removed from esteemed positions because they so yielded to the Lord.
We can’t forget the heroines of the faith such as Maria Woodworth-Etter and Aimee Semple McPherson. These women were bold enough to believe God could use a woman as easily as a man. These generals of the faith were used greatly by God because they allowed God to bend them greatly.
Evan Roberts was a simple coal miner with a basic education. It was easy for people to dismiss such a lowly man. However, that lowly man yielded himself fully to the Lord. He dared to pray, “Bend me, oh, Lord!” The Lord answered and raised that man up from a coal heap. With such a man, God set a nation ablaze in less than two weeks and birthed what we now know as the Welsh Revival.
This great revival was sparked by a young man who dared to yield himself completely to the Lord and to pray a radical prayer: “Bend me, O Lord! Bend me!”
Evan Roberts surrendered to the Spirit and was used to not only transform Wales but to stir the world as well. He also taught a nation to surrender. I wonder what would happen if someone prayed so bold a prayer today? “Bend me! O Lord, bend me!”
Do you hear that? Do you hear your Savior’s call? He says surrender your sin, surrender your liberty, surrender your will and surrender your pride. He says, “Sell it all down to the bare walls, and come follow Me.”
Bend me, O Lord! Bend me! {eoa}
Adapted from Trail of Fire by Daniel K. Norris, copyright 2016, published by Charisma House. If you want to put aside mediocrity and “burn with passion for God’s presence” this book is for you. Now is the time to boldly seek God for an awakening. You’ll be inspired with page-turning accounts of past revivals and receive steps you can implement to cultivate and sustain revival in your own life. To order your copy click here.
