"Beloved reader, the richest ore lies buried the deepest, the sweetest fruit is on the higher branches, the strongest light is near the sun. In other words, if we desire more knowledge of Christ, of our full pardon and complete acceptance, if we desire the earnest of our inheritance, and even now would taste the “grapes of Eshcol,” we must be “reaching forth unto those things that are before,” we must “press toward the mark,” and rest not until that is found in a clear, unclouded, immoveable, and holy assurance of our being in Christ; and this is only experienced in the sealing of the Spirit.

"Again we say, with all the earnestness which a growing sense of the vastness of the blessing inspires: seek to be sealed of the Spirit; seek the “earnest of the Spirit”; seek to be “filled with the Spirit”; seek the “anointing of the Spirit”; seek the “Spirit of adoption.” Say not, it is too immense a blessing, to high an attainment for one so small, so feeble, so obscure, so unworthy as you."

-O. Winslow

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Paul Frederick West

Ginny, you would like this. The other day I was watching a program on winter flower gardening and the host mentioned something about the "past blooms", and how by removing them the "new blooms" would come in more abundantly and radiantly. The "old blooms" were the flowers on the plant that had begun to wilt and slightly fade. The host said you should remove them, in order to make way for the "new" even though the "old" bloom was still recognizable and fragrant.

I thought of how poignantly that could be illustrated in the spiritual: Yesterday's blessings and anointings and how marvellously God used me in the past to bless others need to be removed from my ego like the "old blooms", if the "new blooms" are to come in with increased freshness and abundance. The old fragrance of Christ in my life must be removed to make way for new fragrance. The Apostle Paul put it like this: "Forgetting that which is behind...", and the Lord in John 15 spoke of removing existing fruit so that even more would come. Amazing. The world of botanics reveals divine precepts so perfectly, so irrevocably true and faithful to its Creator.

We are the only ones that waver and send out mixed signals, it seems.

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Paul Frederick West

Yes, I have, by the grace of God. But unfortunately I "leak" (to coin Spurgeon), and so I seek to be continually filled (as opposed to a once-and-for-all "fill up" experience). Why do you ask?

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Paul Frederick West

It's hard to explain the filling. It wasn't some galvanizing moment where I knew I was suddenly filled and equipped to do miracles and herald the gospel to the ends of the earth. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is essentially to walk in the Holy Spirit, and to walk in the Holy Spirit is a lifestyle rather than a one-time experience. The obvious evidence of being filled usually manifests during times of ministry, with noted power and authority upon your words, but it can also manifest quietly in unseen acts of love and in a profound concern for others. It is evident in deep, unfeigned humility and self-control. Jesus said to "learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart", and we know Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is an inner awareness of a divine joy, of an intimacy and authority and deep wisdom of God that pervades the inner most chamber of your being, validated by the witness of the selfsame Spirit by which you are filled.

If you are filled with the Spirit, I believe your life will evidence the fruit of the Spirit, even if you never once speak in another tongue or work a miracle. Sin will no longer have dominion in your life, but you will need to be continually filled, daily, regardless of any outward manifestation of power. Like Manna in the desert, the filling does not last overnight. The next day, the cross again must be taken up, the self-life denied, and the Spirit of the Lord given free reign in the surrendered heart.

It is by "emptying" ourselves of self that we are "filled" with the Spirit. This is an area where I think Pentecostals and other charismatics have missed the mark and erred in their teaching by fixating on tongues and other "outward" surface signs rather than the inner crucifixion. But that is for another thread :)

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Paul Frederick West

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Paul Frederick West