ITS UP TO YOU TO OBEY

It’s Up To You To Obey -KENNETH E. HAGGIN.

Too many people think that God’s power—
healing power, Holy Spirit power—is going to move on them and make them do something
whether they want to do it or not. No! That
wouldn’t be the Holy Spirit; that would be an evil spirit.

Evil spirits force, drive, and compel you to do things. But the Holy Spirit urges, prompts, or
gives a gentle push. They it is up to you to
respond. It is up to you to obey.

While I was conducting a meeting in Texas, a woman in that town wrote a friend in another city, telling her how many were receiving the
baptism in the Holy Spirit in the services. She invited her friend down for the weekend services.
The friend drove down and was in two of our services before coming forward to receive the
Holy Spirit. I laid my hands on her head, prayed
and the Holy Spirit came upon her. The
utterance came. But I couldn’t get her to
respond or receive.

In the next service, which was Sunday morning,
she came again for prayer. Once again the
Holy Spirit came upon her and gave her
utterance, but again she did not yield and
receive.
I knew exactly what was wrong, but I knew it would take time to instruct her, and it was getting late. I turned the service over to the pastor.

Then I slipped through the side door and was
walking across the parking lot toward the
parsonage when I saw her sitting in her car.
She looked so disappointed as she sat there a moment before turning the ignition key to begin her journey home.

I asked the Lord to let me help her. Instantly the Spirit of God showed me how to quickly
help her. I walked over to her car, opened my Bible to Acts 2:4 , and as I handed it to her through the window, I asked her to read it
aloud.
She read, “And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

“Sister,” I asked, “who does the Scripture say did the speaking with tongues?”
She replied, “It says the Holy Ghost did.”
I asked her to read it again. She read it again. I asked her the same question. She gave the
same reply. So I repeated the question.
Finally, on the fourth time around, she caught on that
something must be wrong, so she began to
read slowly,
“And – they – were – all – filled –
with – the – Holy – Ghost – and – began – to –speak…”
Looking astonished, she said, “Why, THEY did!”
She took my Bible out of its case and
examined it. She said she thought perhaps I
had a different Bible from hers, but it was the
same—a Scofield reference edition.

“You know,” she said, “I always thought the
Holy Spirit did the speaking.”
I told her I had known that. Then I said, “Let’s
read several other Scriptures. God’s Word
ways that out of the mouth of two or three
witnesses shall a thing be established.”
We read Acts 10:44-46 : While Peter yet spake
these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them
which heard the word. And they of the
circumcision, which believed, were astonished,
as many as came with Peter, because that on
the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the
Holy Ghost. For they heard THEM speak with
tongues and magnify God….

“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I see it!”
“That’s two witnesses,” I said. “Let’s get three.”
So we read Acts 19:6 , And when Paul had laid
his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on
them; and THEY spake with tongues, and
prophesied.
The woman said, “You know, Brother Hagin, if I
had been called to testify in a court and the
lawyer had asked me who did the speaking in
tongues, I would have said the Holy Spirit did, and I would have thought I was telling the truth.”
I said, “I want to ask you something. When I
laid my hands on you, did you sense the Holy Spirit? Did the power of God come upon you?”
“Absolutely,” she answered.
“Did your tongue want to say something that wasn’t English?”
“Why,” she said, “it was all I could do to keep it from it.”
“You’re not supposed to keep it from it,” I told her.
“You’re supposed to cooperate. When the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, you must have faith to act.”
Immediately she began to speak in a most
beautiful tongue.