THE DIRECT INNER OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I was taught what turned out to be a devastating and most costly false doctrine when I was converted.  I was told with energetic clarity in school that the Holy Spirit does not operate directly in a Christian's life.  We were repeatedly warned that any who believed such was a liberal to be eventually cursed.  I firmly vowed to maintain such an upright position.

However, such a warning proved to be wrong.  To make the adjustment was one of the fiercest inner, as well as outer, battles I've ever encountered because being naturally inferior one of my main goals was to finish the course knowing the brotherhood gave me its eye-winking, head-nodding approval.  (God also had something to say about that as well.)

Oddly, another one of the warnings--which was to stay faithful to the Word--is the very thing that led me to defy the previous admonition.  ....to be strengthened with power through His Spirit IN THE INNER MAN began to sound a bit like the Spirit operated in the inner man...Eph. 3:16.  Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS WITHIN US....Eph. 3:20 continued to sound like maybe the Spirit worked upon us interiorly.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything  as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, BUT OF THE SPIRIT, for the letter kills, but the SPIRIT GIVES life....II Cor. 3:5-6.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the POWER MAY BE OF GOD AND NOT from ourselves....II Cor 4:7.

For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the POWER OF GOD DIRECTED toward you....II Cor. 13:4.

The Word of God clearly speaks of that which causes much consternation among those of us who declare we go by the Bible.  The Holy Spirit has not been welcomed among us in the past; but He is working His way into our lives....and we are surely grateful.

The Holy Spirit doesn't cause us to do the weird.  Rather, He allows the Holy God to do the wonderful...among us.