The second item for the release of the Lord’s life is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We need to go before the Lord in prayer and ask Him to fill us with the Spirit. There is no need to speak doctrine to the Lord. Simply say, “Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Occupy me and fill me.” Our Lord is true, living, and practical. He is the living Spirit. He is also the Spirit of power. He will always be with us. We need merely to say, “Lord, possess me and fill me. You are the Spirit. You are the Spirit of life and the Spirit of power. Lord, fill me.” When we pray, we should believe, and we should believe what we pray. We pray by faith. We do not seek feelings, ask for results, or care about doctrine. We simply say, “Lord, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Fill me now.”
The third item for the release of the Lord’s life is to confess our sins and obey the Lord’s leading. Whenever we feel that we have offended the Lord, we must immediately confess by telling Him that we are wrong. We should also ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us with His blood. After confessing in this way and asking for the Lord’s cleansing, we should put the matter that we have confessed behind us. Sometimes Satan does not want us to confess our wrongdoings, but after we confess, he wants us to remember what we have confessed so that we do not go on. However, there is no need to repeatedly confess a particular sin. After we confess our sin, asking for forgiveness and the cleansing of the blood, we should not think about that sin any longer. Otherwise, we will be deceived by Satan. We must believe God’s word, not Satan’s thoughts. First John 1:7 and 9 say, “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once we confess our sins to the Lord, He cleanses us with His blood. We should stand on the living word of God and be full of peace. If we still have a disturbing thought related to a confessed sin, we should say, “Satan, I will not listen to anything you say. The efficacious blood of Christ has cleansed me.” Whenever we sense that we have offended the Lord, we should immediately confess and ask Him to cleanse us with His blood. This is practical and definite. This is something between us and the Lord.
As we practice this, we will be clear concerning the Lord’s leading and concerning His moving within us as our person. The living Jesus is in us as our person. All we have to do is follow Him closely. We should never bargain with the Lord in regard to His leading. The Lord will never change His leading. We should simply follow His leading.
A brother may consecrate himself to the Lord and ask the Lord to fill Him. As a result, the Lord may tell the brother that he has offended God and mistreated others. After he confesses these matters, he will be cleansed by the blood, and there will be no insulation between him and the Lord. Then the brother will know the Lord as his person. Suppose the Lord asks the brother to give fifty dollars to another brother who has a need. The brother may hesitate or bargain with the Lord for a reduced amount. If he bargains too strongly, the Lord may increase the amount that He wants the brother to give. The Lord never gives in. He wants us to obey. When He leads us, we should follow Him.
We all have experiences of trying to bargain with the Lord. The Lord does not bargain. When we take the Lord Jesus as our person, we should obey His leading. However the Lord leads, we should follow. The more we bargain with Him, the higher His demand will be; the more we comply with His leading, the more flexible He will be.
Suppose the Lord tells a young brother, who is consecrated, who is not ashamed of the gospel, and who experiences the Lord as his person, to apologize for offending an older brother. If the young brother obeys, he will have the Lord’s presence. However, if he bargains with the Lord by offering to write a note rather than to apologize face to face, he will lose the Lord’s presence. After a day the Lord may have mercy on the young brother and again ask him to apologize, but this time the Lord may require more. The Lord may ask him not only to apologize but also to pray with the older brother. If the young brother still does not obey but continues to bargain, the Lord may require even more. He may want the young brother to assist the older brother in some practical matter. The Lord is very persistent. The more we bargain with Him, the higher His demand will be. The Lord is always willing to “raise the price.” It is good to obey the Lord in a simple way.