Withstanding God

If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? —Acts 11: 17

Peter, by a direct commandment from Jesus Christ, had violated the traditions of the Jews by going into the house of a Gentile and eating with the family. The early church council demanded an explanation. Peter said, “Look, God did this. I didn’t even touch them. While I was talking, God decided to give them the Holy Spirit. And who am I to stand against God?”

**How foolish it is to try to limit God!

Even today, many try to withstand or stand against the Lord and His work. Some people resist spiritual manifestations of any kind. Others, because of their pre-suppositional stances, have consigned the work of the Holy Spirit to just a certain period of church history. They will tell you after that point in time, the gifts ceased to function. I read not long ago that a certain denomination has begun dismissing some of its churches because they permitted certain gifts of the Spirit to operate.

*What a blessing it is to yield fully to God, to let Him work freely in your life, and to receive all He has for you. If tradition has built up barriers in your mind against the gifts or against spiritual manifestations, ask God to remove those barriers to your faith. Don’t let tradition rob you of something beautiful God may want to do in and through you.

Father, may we never be guilty of standing against Your work. Help us to keep ourselves ourselves open to You, that we might not miss a blessing You want to bring us. In Jesus’ name, amen.