Confessing to the Lord and Obeying His Leading

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 [217] 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.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

We must ask the Lord to fill every part of our being for the sake [218] of the gospel. The Lord is pure, holy, and righteous. When He says that we are wrong in a certain matter, we should confess that matter and ask Him to forgive us, cleanse us, and cover us with His precious blood. When we fellowship with Him in this way, our relationship with Him becomes transparent, peaceful, and bright. We are able to sense His presence and live in His presence. Then the Lord will be our person, and we will be able to follow Him in a simple way.

It may seem that there is a price to pay in following the Lord’s leading, but there is actually no price to pay. Wherever He leads, we can simply follow, and however He moves in us, we can simply say Amen. This is the way to receive the power of the gospel. When we live a life of following the Lord, the people whom we contact with the gospel will be subdued. We may not be aware of it, but those whom we contact will be subdued by the power of the gospel and will believe in the Lord. They will feel compelled to believe. Believing in Jesus is something wonderful. Sometimes a person may not be convinced in his mind, but he feels compelled to believe. This indicates that the Lord’s Spirit has reached him.

Christians always try to persuade others to believe in Jesus; however, it is very easy for people to believe in Jesus. Once a person believes, it is impossible for him to disbelieve. There is something in every genuine Christian that cannot be shaken, chased away, or beaten down. When some saints encounter difficulties, they say that they no longer believe in the Lord; however, eventually faith within them rises up. This is the Lord’s grace; this is the Lord’s Spirit reaching them. Hence, it does not matter whether we subdue people by our gospel preaching. What matters is that we are connected to the Lord. Then when we contact a person, the Lord’s Spirit will reach him. Outwardly he may feel that our speaking does not make sense, but inwardly he will sense the preciousness of the Lord. This is the Lord’s grace; this is the Spirit’s confirming our speaking and reaching him. We must always be living and connected to the Lord so that our gospel preaching will also be living. Then there will be something like electricity that flows from us to our gospel contact. We will be like electrical wires that convey electricity. Whenever a person touches us, he will immediately be “electrified” and believe in Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the Spirit who flows through us into whomever we preach the gospel to. This is the power of the Holy Spirit that transcends human knowledge. We cannot explain it. Just [219] as we are unable to explain electricity, we are unable to clearly explain the power of the Lord. However, our Lord is more real than electricity. Our experience of Him depends on our allowing Him to flow through us.

MEETING WITH NEW BELIEVERS BY THE SPIRIT

If a young saint brings a classmate to salvation, he should begin meeting with the new one immediately. We do not need formality, nor should we expect others to lead us. The young saint and his classmate should meet together. They can meet at noon for half an hour or after school for half an hour. Such informal meetings should begin as soon as someone has believed in the Lord. When another classmate believes in the Lord, there will be two meetings, and when three classmates have believed, there will be three meetings. The meetings do not have to be held in a classroom; the meetings can be on the lawn. First pray with the new one, and then read a portion of the Bible. We can teach new ones how to pray-read and pray with them. The Lord’s Spirit will follow us.