A Few Words of Warning
We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB)
When learning about the filling of the Spirit, balance is always preferred to extremes. So as I previously reminded you: Keep your balance in all things. A scriptural word for it is moderation. Stay reasonable, Christian friend. Don’t go home and start praying for some middle-of-the-night visions; that’s not biblical. Keep a level head. Don’t get weird.
Don’t start looking for the face of Jesus in an enchilada. Or try to convince me that some cloud formation represents the Last Supper. Don’t start setting dates for Jesus’ return. That kind of sideshow stuff may draw a crowd, but it is not the anointing.
The anointing is knowledge. You know something. You discern something. It is an inner awareness. It is a surge of strengthening assurance. And never forget it always exalts the Lord and gives all glory to God.
Let me also add: Stay with the Scriptures. While our individual experiences may vary somewhat as the Lord uses each of us in unique ways, we must never—and I mean never—get too far from the revealed and reliable Word of God. If you do you will begin to use your experience as a basis for your beliefs, and the Scriptures will diminish in importance as you make more and more room for more strange experiences.
I have pastor friends who have done just that. And today when I talk with them, I find that they no longer believe that the Bible is God’s final Word. If that’s true, then how do I know where His Word starts and their vivid imagination stops? How much of it can I trust? No matter how persuasive the preacher, you and I need God’s inspired Word, not additional revelations of “truth.” When that happens, we are hopelessly awash.
Taken from Flying Closer to the Flame by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1993 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Deepen your intimacy with the living God by reading Embraced by the Spirit, an updated release of Flying Closer to the Flame.
