Focus: The Stretching Of The Spirit

Text: Rom.8:14

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

The believer is born of the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, employed by the Spirit, used by the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, sanctified by the Spirit, and led by the Spirit. 

Let us concentrate on the last one - led by the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit involves pulling the believer out of his comfort zone. The Spirit applies force in leading us. The Spirit is more than gentle; He is forceful. In Psalms 23, we read that the Shepherd "leadeth me beside the still waters," and in the next verse, we read, "he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." The first word 'lead' means 'to be easily led, to run with a sparkle, to freely flow, or to lead gently.' The second word 'lead' refers to being forcefully led. It means to be transported or to be governed. Concerning Christ, Mark writes, "And immediately the Spirit DRIVETH him into the wilderness" (Mk.1:12). Literally, the Spirit cast Christ out to face an inevitable trial. There is more about the Spirit than the term 'gentle Spirit.' The Spirit is the wind of God; He blows in all directions. When the wind of the Spirit blows, things are forcefully moved from their places.

Paul declares, "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" (Gal.5:18). Nothing else is in charge where the Spirit of God is in charge. A Spirit-controlled believer is not under the control of the law.

The Spirit is in the stretching business. He delights in getting the best out of us, and so He stretches us beyond measure. He gets us to fly for the first time. He puts us in tight corner situations and watches us from a very close range in case we are about to slip. He makes us discover new capabilities, see new possibilities, and cash in on new opportunities. He helps us catch new dreams and visions. He helps us develop unlimited elasticity and utter flexibility. He bursts our ideologies and expands our mental horizons. He delights in pulling us out of ourselves and transforming us into a sparkling gem or into something glorious.

The Spirit knows that only risk-takers make history. So, He calls us at times to take the path where we cannot resist. He knows that relevance is only born out of revelation, so He beckons on us to come up hither. He comes to us in the area of our weakness and demonstrates His power, manifests His wonders, and stuns men.

We become eternally limited and ordinary if we refuse His wisdom to take us into dimensions unknown to us. He wants us to float, swim and do the unusual - taking us beyond what we're used to. The Spirit intends to achieve glory out of us, and He does so in the area of our lives where we know better not to claim any glory for ourselves.

He makes us scream and cry out and wriggle in pain for the spiritual exercises He takes us through. He takes us out of the box and makes us unpredictable. He gets us to a place where others are not only stunned, but even we are amazed at ourselves in total disbelief.

The Spirit introduces us into the life of faith, and faith stretches us. It pushes us away from the comfort zone and exposes us to a life of daring adventure with God. In Acts.12, we are told that the church prayed for Peter without ceasing. The word 'without ceasing' means in the original language, 'stretching oneself to utter limits.' The church prayed, stretching themselves to the limits of their power. It's time to let the Spirit take us to new frontiers and expanding horizons. There are new heights and deeper depths in our spiritual walk with God.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter