Don’t Force It

Several years ago, a woman complained that her sewing machine wasn’t working properly.  I offered to check it out and see if I could fix it, because I had recently obtained a book on sewing machine repair and wanted to try it.

When she brought the machine, the tensions were both out of adjustment, and I had to set them back to specs to make it sew at all.  Once I got them readjusted , the machine sewed rally well.  I took it back and after just a couple hours she brought it back again.

I checked it out a lot more carefully that time, looking for something that could cause intermittent malfunctions.  Every thing was normal and met the manufacturers specs.  I suggested she try a different thread if it happened again as unevenly spun thread can result in tension changes and cause skipping.

After she brought it back several times, I got it working again and asked her to sew on it with me watching.  Rather than allowing the machine to feed the material through itself, she was forcing it through, causing the machine to skip stitches.  In and effort to correct the problem she then fiddled with the tension making the problem worse.  I tried to explain to her that the machine was designed to feed the material at the proper rate and all she needed to do was guide it, but she never seemed to get the idea.  I suspect she still thinks I was a pretty poor repairman.

A lot of people make a similar mistake in serving the Lord.  We begin to think we make things happen, rather than just placing ourselves at his disposal and letting the Holy Spirit control it, then wonder why the results were so unsatisfactory.  Some have been doing it that way for so long, they think the poor results are normal, and never understand that the problem is that they are trying to accomplish spiritual results using fleshly power.

If the ability to speak in tongues is one of the gifts of the spirit, why do we expect to be able to teach others how to do it?  Wouldn’t it have to be his power, rather than our teaching that enabled them to speak in tongues?

If we really believe that no man can come to Christ except the father draw him, as John 6:44 says, why do so many preachers psychologically “prime the pump” by having some come to the altar to convince others to come?  Why do we try so hard to be bold, forcing ourselves to ignore our fear, rather than simply allowing the Holy Spirit to give us the faith and peace to speak where we are?  If we believe that “the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are sons of God,” why do we try to give other people assurance of their salvation, instead of letting him do it?

By such efforts, we hinder the Holy Spirit.  There are hundreds of people speaking in tongues that the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with, and God gets little of the glory.  Thousands make meaningless professions, and are convinced they are saved when they are not.  People force themselves to go soul winning and alienate unsaved people because they are so pushy.  Then the results are laid at the Holy Spirit’s door.  Doesn’t that come awfully close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit?