The greatest display of His power in you is calm restraint.
When we are restrained by the Holy Spirit, it is always in God’s plan that we yield to the Holy Spirit. If you are truly led by the Holy Spirit, then you will go where He tells you and not go where He forbids.
It’s as important to be restrained by the Lord as to be led by Him. “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:6-7 NASB). Look out for spiritual stop signs.
Being restrained by the Holy Spirit is not only to prevent us from sinning, but also to prevent us from doing anything that is outside of God’s plan for our lives. Every restraint is meant to be the guard rails leading us into the will of God.
Better to live one day in the will of God than a thousand going your own way. “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes” (Romans 12:2 TPT).
When we are restrained by the Holy Spirit, we are being controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is by this surrender to Him that the child of God can live the life God has intended for them to live, that they could live in no other way.
It’s one thing to have the Holy Spirit inside of you, but something quite different to be surrendered to Him so that He would reign in you. “…those who the Holy Spirit controls think about things that please the Spirit” (Romans 8:5 NLT).
The Holy Spirit will sometimes press into us to give someone a word. But the Holy Spirit will also restrain us when we are to keep our mouths shut. The sign of your submission to the Holy Spirit is when you do both of these with the same level of obedience.
Restraint on earth is a superpower from heaven. “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is…self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP).
The Holy Spirit will call us into a ministry and give us directions on what we should do. But the Holy Spirit will also restrain us from getting into a ministry or staying in a ministry, and we would be most wise to follow His directions.
Trying to operate outside God’s calling is like trying to eat soup with a fork. “And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11 AMPC).
Too often, the zealous believer is only looking for green lights and not any lights that are yellow or even red. Their initial eagerness to serve the Lord ends up becoming prideful in how they want to be seen by others.
Your spiritual strength is not displayed in what you do, but in what you don’t do. It is easy to do; it is much harder not to do. Restraint is the measure of your strength. “Abstain…” (1 Thessalonians 5:22 NKJV).
If you want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit you must learn to see His restraining just as clearly as you see His promptings. It’s more important that you stay on the right spiritual path than that you are seen by even one more person.
It is better to be less spiritual but with the right Spirit, for a little bit of the wrong spirit will ruin you. “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT).
If you want the Holy Spirit to take you further, then you must be willing to sit down when He tells you to. We can always trust the Holy Spirit but can the Holy Spirit trust us to listen and then to follow where He is leading us?
You’ll never go further in your faith than you’re willing to go. “For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14 AMP).
The greatest hindrance to your life with the Holy Spirit is the level of pride that still remains within you. The more you want to be seen by men, the less that God can do with you. Until you put your pride down, it has a hold on you.
So long as you think something is beneath you, your pride is a hindrance to the Lord. Jesus modeled humility for us, teaching, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14 NKJV).
I can always tell someone who has a self-made spirituality with a self-made calling, as they hold their head very high. If it is by God that your spirituality is formed, and by God you have been called to service, then there will be very little pride remaining because it is crushed in His Hands as He forms you into something new. “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jeremiah 18:4 NKJV).
Never think that the Holy Spirit is restraining you from going down a difficult path. He might be the easy path, but it is not the path God has planned for you. Trust in His leading, even if He leads you straight into the fire.
The higher life is not the easy life. Jesus taught, “But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14 AMP).
We think that if we exercise our spiritual gifts, we will be more useful. But the Holy Spirit will restrain us from doing so under the umbrella of another’s ministry. If you will not submit to the ministry leaders, then you are in rebellion against God and of little use to the kingdom.
It is better to sit down than to be sat down. You can either humble yourself, or the Lord will do it for you. Jesus taught, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11 NKJV).
If you never feel the restraint of the Holy Spirit, consider it is your flesh that is leading the way. If you must be zealous then be zealous for getting it right with God. One of the greatest lessons in the life of a saint is to know when to sit down.
I would rather walk in a lower gifting that is right, than to have a higher gifting with errors. Nobody stumbles on their knees. “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14:12 NKJV).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
This so spoke to me…..thankful for this message !!
Thank you!
This posting brings the truth of Proverbs 22:4 to mind.
Proverbs 22:4 NKJV By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.
That is exactly the message we need to hear and the message we need to follow, to walk in humility and to bow down in reverent fear of the Lord.
Thank you Paul. My business has seen a dry season and I’ve looked at other avenues of work and each time I begin to step out to apply I get a no in my spirit. My flesh has battled in those moments but this word hath wrought a deeper understanding and joy that the Holy Spirit is restraining me. Refreshing! Thanks again!
If ever you can get a copy of my book called If You Can Believe, I wrote in there on how I struggled in my jobs and when to leave and where to go. I found that when I waited on God, He always showed up, and I was blessed by waiting. The book is on amazon, or email me and I would be glad to send you one, I am at paul.balius@gmail.com
I purchased a copy of your book, Paul, and glad and grateful I am that I did so. Alleluia!
I’m so glad you were able to get a book. If you’d ever like one of my other ones let me know and I’d be glad to send one to you. Let me know what you think of the book that you got from me. God bless you always, Paul.