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A Mighty Unseen Power, January 16
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so
is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 3:8
.
The Holy Spirit strives with every man. It is the voice of God speaking
to the soul.
No human reasoning of the most learned man can define the operations
of the Holy Spirit upon human minds and characters, yet they can see the
effects upon the life and actions....
Though we cannot see the Spirit of God, we know that men who
have been dead in trespasses and sins become convicted and converted
under its operations. The thoughtless and wayward become serious. The
hardened repent of their sins, and the faithless believe. The gambler, the
drunkard, the licentious, become steady, sober, and pure. The rebellious
and obstinate become meek and Christlike.
When we see these changes in the character, we may be assured that
the converting power of God has transformed the entire man. We saw
not the Holy Spirit, but we saw the evidence of its work on the changed
character of those who were hardened and obdurate sinners. As the wind
moves in its force upon the lofty trees and brings them down, so the Holy
Spirit can work upon human hearts, and no finite man can circumscribe
the work of God....
You cannot see the operating agency, but you can see its effects.
Those who not only hear but do the words of Christ, make manifest
in character the operation of the Holy Spirit. The result of the internal
operation of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in the outward conduct. The
life of the Christian is hid with Christ in God, and God acknowledges
those who are His, declaring, “Ye are my witnesses.” They testify that
divine power is influencing their hearts and shaping their conduct. Their
works give evidence that the Spirit is moving upon the inward man; those
who are associated with them are convinced that they are making Jesus
Christ their pattern.
Those who are in connection with God are channels for the power
of the Holy Spirit.... The inner life of the soul will reveal itself in the
outward conduct.
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