I am still amazed at the thousands of Christians
who still do not see the importance of the Holy
Spirit. I mean that. Do you realize just how
important the Holy Spirit really is? Do you know
that the sin for which there is no forgiveness
He is not against God the Father. He is not against
Jesus Christ the Son, but against the Holy Spirit,
the person of the Holy Spirit that makes him
a very important person. A sin committed against
God the Father can be forgiven. Any sin committed
against Jesus Christ the Son will be forgiven.
But the sin against the Holy Spirit will not
be forgiven in this world or in the world to
come. I shall speak on that in another heart
-to -heart talk. But I'm just saying that now
so that you realize the importance of the Holy
Spirit. In our little heart -to -heart talk today,
I want you to see the importance of the Holy
Spirit when we pray. Remember something. The
hardest thing in the world is to know the perfect
will of God. You've gone through it. I have experienced
it. If you are a human being, if you've been
born again, If you love the Lord with all of
your heart, and you know the things of the Spirit,
more than anything in the world, you want God's
perfect will. And sometimes I think it's the
hardest thing in the world to know the perfect
will of God. I shall never forget dear old Brother
McCloud. Portland, Oregon. He was well past 80.
I was only in my teens, and that dear old saint
of God, taking both of my hands, holding them
very tightly in his long, scrawny hands, I can
still somehow feel those bones. tightly clasping
my hands. It was one Sunday afternoon when he
said, Girl, I've lived my life. My ministry is
over and you are just beginning. May I just say
this to you? Never get out of the will of God.
I was young. I was inexperienced. I knew practically
nothing about the Word of God. I only knew that
I had been born again. I was so inexperienced,
and I didn't really know what he meant. I confess
to you, I did not know what dear old Brother
McCloud meant when he said, never. Get out of
the will of God. But if this hour I could look
into the face of dear Brother McCloud, that wonderful
saint of God who's been in glory for years now,
I would look into his face, I would take his
hands and clasp those hands very tightly in mine.
And I'd say, Brother McCloud, thank you for those
words. It was the greatest advice that a human
being could have given me. I know now what I
didn't know then as a teenager. And I say to
you with all the earnestness of my being, never.
Never get out of the will of God, as long as
you're in His will. The waters may be deep, and
remember, when you talk about the will of God,
the will of God may not always be in the sunshine.
The will of God may not always be where there's
prosperity, material prosperity. The will of
God may not always lead in the paths where it's
easy. No, ma 'am. Sometimes the will of God will
lead you through deep waters, and sometimes you
may feel those waters are about to overflow.
The will of God may lead you in dark nights where
there isn't a star in the sky. The will of God
may lead you someplace where you cannot see his
face. You can scarcely hear his voice and you
may feel so alone away out there on the desert.
John on the Isle of Patmos. One wonders whether
he ever questioned whether or not that was God's
perfect will. One wonders whether Paul ever considered
and questioned whether or not those prison walls
were God's perfect will. But when you're in God's
perfect will, there'll be peace. You will have
power and later the glory. There is such a thing
as God's perfect will and God's permissive will.
Let me read just a couple of verses of Scripture.
Psalm One hundred and six. David here is talking
about the children of Israel. Oh, sure, that
glorious victory. He reducted the Red Sea also,
and it was dried up. So he led them through the
depths as through the wilderness. And he saved
them from the hand of him that hated them. and
redeemed them from the hand of the enemy, and
the waters covered their enemies, there was not
one of them left. Then believed they his words,
they sang his praise. They soon forgot his works.
They waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly
in the wilderness, it god in the desert here
it comes he gave them their request but sent
leanness into their soul he gave them their request
but in granting their request it was not his
perfect will for them. But he granted their request,
but sent leanness into their soul. In granting
their request, it was only his second best for
them, his permissive will. not his perfect will,
for they refuse to pay the price for his perfect
will. And there's many a man, there's many a
woman listening to me this very moment. I do
not have to tell you. You know it better than
anyone else. You have lived most of your life
according to his permissive will. and not his
perfect will. In preaching the other night, I
made a statement regarding the permissive will
of God, God's second best. It was only in the
statement. It was not my sermon. After that service,
a very well -dressed woman came to me. At the
back of the sanctuary, she said, and her eyes
were brimming with tears. Oh, she had married
very well. Her husband is a very fine executive
here in Pittsburgh. I shall never forget the
look on her face. She said, Catherine Kuhlman,
I know exactly what you meant. when you spoke
about living one's life according to his permissive
will. I knew exactly what you meant when you
talked about getting God's second best. For I
have lived most of my life in God's permissive
will. There was a time in my life where... I
came to a crisis. One decision meant a price
that I would have to pay. The other looked so
tempting. There was less of a sacrifice to be
made. I chose the easier way. And I have lived
my life in his permissive will. And in that moment
of decision, I know now and have known for years
that I missed his best. Because I didn't wait.
Because I missed. His perfect will in not being
willing to pay the price. I want you to see something.
I know this very minute that I'm talking to folk
who have struggled with this thing as to the
will of God. Whatever you're doing, just pause
because... This can be vitally important to you.
Vitally important. I have been in the same predicament
many, many times in my own life. I can only give
to you what I have experienced myself. First
of all, I seek at the very beginning to get my
heart into such a state that it has no will of
its own. Guard to a given matter. And that's
one of the hardest things in the world. I tell
you frankly, I'm human too. I'm just as human
as you are. When we face something and we're
desperate about making the right decision, it's
the hardest thing in the world to get your own
feelings, your own personal feelings out of the
situation. Because invariably, there is one thing
we would rather do than another. You know, I
always remember when I was a kid, I used to eat
my spinach first. Because I didn't like it and
I would hurry up and get that over with. So I
wouldn't have to face it, you know. But we're
human like that. We have our likes. We have our
dislikes. We hate to face the spinach. You can
never know God's perfect will. until you get
your heart into such a state, you get your mind
in such a state that it has no will of its own
in regard to a given matter. You know, nine -tenths
of people and nine -tenths of our trouble is
just here. Nine -tenths of the difficulties.
or overcome when our hearts are ready to do God's
will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in
this state, it is usually but a little way to
the knowledge of what his will is. If right now,
somebody who's struggling with the will of God,
if right now you can get your mind, you can get
your own heart to the position where it has no
will of its own, it'll only take... but a few
seconds before, you will know God's perfect will.
You'll know it. Having done this, I do not lead
the result to feeling or simple impression. If
I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
Some people, you know, govern their whole life
by feelings. That's the reason they get themselves
in such, uh... Oh, dear me, you. Look back for
just a minute. You've brought all your trouble
on yourself because you allow your emotions and
your feelings to govern you. Don't do it. You
can't. If you leave the result to feeling or
simple impression, to emotions. If you do so,
you'll make yourself liable to great delusions.
You cannot govern your life by feelings. You'll
get yourself into trouble as sure as you're born.
Next, seek the will of the Spirit of God through
the Word of God. For his will for you will never
be contrary to his word. That's one thing you
can be dead sure of. He'll never make you an
exception. Never. He'll never make me an exception
to his word. His word stands true. And if you're
seeking the will of God, and it is contrary in
making that decision, it is contrary to the Word
of God, then it is not His will. His will will
always be in accordance with His Word. Did you
ever get to the place where after having done
all these things, you steal? Couldn't get his
perfect will. All right. Here is where the Holy
Spirit comes in. The 8th chapter of Romans. The
26th verse. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities. For we know not. what we should
pray for as we ought. But the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. If you do not know God's perfect
will, then do Absolutely nothing. Make no decision
whatsoever. Be absolutely quiet. And let the
Holy Spirit intercede for you before the throne
of God. I'll continue in my next heart to heart
talk.