I was in a meeting in Los Angeles on one occasion. An old black man was conducting the services. He had the funniest vocabulary. But I want to tell you, there were doctors, lawyers, and professors listening to marvelous things coming from his lips. It was not what he said in words; it was what he said from his spirit to my heart that showed me he had more of God in his life than any man I had ever met up to that time. It was God in him who was attracting people. One man insisted on getting up and talking every little while. Some people have a mania for talking. The old black brother endured it for a long time.
Finally, the fellow got up again, and the old man stuck his finger out and said, "In the Name of Jesus Christ, sit down!" The man did not sit down. He fell down. And his friends carried him out. That is only one of the living facts of what Christianity is: the divine power of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, filling a man's soul and body, flashing through his nature like holy flame, accomplishing the will of God.
~ ~ I Believe! ~ ~
Hagin:
It is dangerous to feel obligated to perform .
1. Some people who have been called of God, anointed and equipped by Him to stand in a certain office, have thought, I'm obligated to perform .
So when the Holy Spirit is not in manifestation, they try to operate something themselves. THAT IS A DANGEROUS PLACE TO GET INTO .
If the manifestation is there, fine .
If it is not - don't try to produce it yourself.
2. God sent me to speak to one particular minister on two occasions . The Lord told me to tell him, "If the manifestation is there, fine. If it is not, go ahead and preach and forget it."
The Lord told me to tell him, "If you don't, you're going to wind up on the spiri- tual junk heap ." I'm sorry to say he did . He wouldn't listen . He told me, "I feel like I'm obligated to perform ." I said, "Well, if you're performing, you missed it to begin with ."
I was 36 at the time . I went from there to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then to New Jersey for a two-week meeting with Brother A . A. Swift, a great man of God, then 72 .
I told Brother Swift what the Lord told me to tell the other minister. Brother
Swift said, "The word of knowledge operates through him . I recognize it . But I spent a long time in China and became acquainted with occult powers ." He said, "What some of the brethren don't realize is that if the Spirit of God is not in manifestation and you move out in that area and try to do something in the flesh, you are throwing yourself wide open for deception by occult powers . This is because, you see, you have left the Word ."
