The Sweet Influences of the Holy Ghost
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Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion?
Deacons meeting immediately after service.
Introduction.
The earth is under the influence of the sun, moon and stars.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary Pleiades
PLEIADES—Heb. kimah, “a cluster” (Job 9:9; 38:31; Amos 5:8, A.V., “seven stars;” R.V., “Pleiades”), a name given to the cluster of stars seen in the shoulder of the constellation Taurus.
(See picture)
This constellation, made up of 7 large stars and several smaller ones, is not bound by chance, but by gravitation.
God uses the stars and the planets to influence the earth.
Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, And turneth the shadow of death into the morning, And maketh the day dark with night: That calleth for the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:
“The ancients did not have printed calendars or smartphones.
They could not ask Siri about the first day of spring.
But when ancient peoples saw the cluster of seven stars known as Pleiades rising over the horizon just before dawn, they knew the time for planting and sea voyages was near.
And the prominence of Orion’s hourglass-shaped cluster directly overhead in the January-to-March night sky of the northern hemisphere was a sure sign that winter had a firm, cold grip on their world.”
Mike McElroy
Just as the atmosphere of the seasons are influenced by the stars, so the atmosphere and seasons of our lives are influenced by spirits.
Bro. Branham talks about this world being a paradox.
(Solar System)
If it would go up or down, any, why, my, it would interrupt the whole system of God’s solar system. And it goes around the equator, around the orbit so many, a year’s time, it never fails, the seasons just exactly.
36 Tell me what holds it up there, what turns it so perfect in time. You can get a watch; I don’t know how much you might pay for one, a thousand dollars; and that watch, within the space of a month, will lose minutes. They haven’t got anything that can work so perfect, but yet this world turns perfect. Why? It’s God doing it. It’s a paradox. God commanded it to do that, and it does it.
37 How about the moon? Yet millions of miles away from the earth, and yet it controls the tides on the earth. Millions of miles away, its influence, of standing in its space. Standing in its orbit, it influences the earth. Each planet influences the other, by staying in its place.
63-0801 - A Paradox
This influence can be from above or from below.
191 Here, let’s give a little picture here, a little mental picture. Here is a stream right through here, right down through this way, coming down through life. Now watch. It’s a channel.
...Now, in this little channel here dwells mortal beings, you and I. ...It’s a mass of folly and everything else, but once in a while you’ll see a light.
You see blackness and streets, that’s gaiety and carrying-on, devils getting the people.
Oh, they dress fine, my, and highly cultured as they can be, polished scholars, but still the devil. But there’s born-again sitting in there.
192 Now, these people in this channel is influenced from two different sides. Now, on this side going this a-way, there’s a trinity. And on this side going this a-way, there’s a trinity.
193 Now, when, now the first place, on this side, is souls of the unjust, when a man dies he goes into a place waiting judgment. Jesus went and preached to them souls that were in prison there. The next is demons. The next, is the devil in hell. Going up, the first, now, them in there is ghosts, spirits of dead men that never repented. They’re waiting for the Judgment. The only thing they know is folly and what they did.
194 Now, up here, these Christians are influenced from Above. This is parable. Up here is another Ghost, the Holy Ghost, the Ghost of a Man, Christ Jesus. The Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost influences His Church in this realm of mortal.
195 The devil, by these spirits, influence man. Now, look, the next is Angels. The next is God. Now, every mortal here is influenced by one of these worlds. You see what I mean?
53-0609A - Demonology, Religious Realm
What are the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit on the life of a Christian?
Shekinah Influence (Show picture)
The influence of the Shekinah presence brought life to a dead stick, and kept the manna fresh. When the elected rod comes in the presence of the Shekinah it buds and blossoms.
In the New Testament the Shekinah dropped down as tongues of fire and began to influence them so much they thought they were drunk.
186 Dear Heavenly Father, as I look down here and see men and women bow at the altar, under the influence of the Gospel.
Oh, so happy, Lord, that we have something that puts us under an influence. It isn’t strong drink. It’s the wine of Pentecost.
It influences us to do right. It takes all the wrong away and makes it right. We’re so happy for this, Lord.
56-0902 - The Handwriting On The Wall
Being under the influence of the Holy Ghost is known as “Walking in the Spirit”.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
184 I believe it’s on its road, that when the Church will be so wrapped in Christ, the Holy Spirit, mankind so away from theirselves,
that they don’t see themselves, they don’t have no... but to serve God. And their thoughts move on.
They refuse the things of the world. They just move in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, move in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, so fulfill the law of Christ.
Then, the love of Christ in the human heart, moving in the Holy Ghost, that great wonderful Church will go forth with Power and Deity;
...because Deity will be revealed in human beings, by the Holy Spirit, bringing to pass, the thought of their mind.
54-1003M - The Word Became Flesh (India Trip Report)
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
To be free is to be Spirit led.
Bro. Branham makes a strong statement about how women dress.
160 That sounds flat, that’s the reason people don’t like It. That’s when Jesus told them the Truth, they turned away from Him.
But the hour has come, and now is, that the Father is wanting something to worship Him in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit, and live in the Spirit, and tell the Truth.
161 Truth always, either sets free, or binds. If you’re bound, then you’re not free. If you’re free, you won’t be living that way.
162 You say, “Well, I’ve got the Holy Spirit,” and still living the same way you do? Something’s happened to you.
You never got the Holy Spirit that come on the Day of Pentecost; It made you different.
60-0626 - The Unfailing Realities Of The Living God
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Sexual Sin.
Immorality, Impurity, Indecency.
Be influenced by the Holy Spirit, not by the spirit of immorality that is on earth today.
5:19. The apostle declared that the sins of the flesh are obvious, meaning either, as some suggest, that they are public and cannot be hidden, or better, since some are private sins, that they originate with the sinful nature and not with the new nature indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The listed sins are commonly seen to fall into four categories. First, three sexual sins are mentioned. Sexual immorality (porneia) is often translated “fornication.” From this word comes the term “pornography.” Porneia refers to any and all forms of illicit sexual relationships. Impurity (akatharsia) is a broad term referring to moral uncleanness in thought, word, and deed (cf. Eph. 5:3–4). Debauchery (aselgeia) connotes an open, shameless, brazen display of these evils (cf. 2 Cor. 12:21 where the same words occur; aselgeia is included in Rom. 13:13).
This is the Spirit of the Age. How do you overcome that spirit? By being under the sweet influences of the Holy Ghost.
Every other influence is pulling you down into indecency, immodesty and immorality.
278 People has lost their common thoughts of decency.... People has lost their common decency among one another.
They are not like they used to be. Man of age, of brothers and I, here, know, and women.
People don’t act like they used to be. They’ve lost their common understanding.
The mental effect it’s had upon the people of these modern scientific day that we’re living in, has caused people to lose their natural reasonings.
They can’t regard somebody, a woman, as a sister and a brother. It’s something filthy. As soon as they…
279 And the women has to dress themself so immoral, to get out amongst people. And they say, “I’m a good woman.”
Well, what is she putting herself out there like that for? She is blinded.
Well, if your…If one of these sisters here, of little age, if your mother or my mother would have walked out on the street, the way one of these women,
they would have put her in the insane institution; she didn’t even have enough mind to know to put on her clothes.
Well, if it was insanity then, it’s insanity now. It’s still the same type of woman. See?
But they’ve lost all their decency, all their understanding. They’ve lost theirs.
And with modern understanding, with culture and education, “It’s healthier, to be it.”
It’s sinful and death! Notice. They are, oh, not like they used to be. When the…
280 And notice in the church life. It used to be, in the church life, long ago, when the prophet had something to say, THUS SAITH THE LORD, the people moved.
They stayed right with It. They moved. But now, “I don’t like that guy. Vote him out.” Huh! See? Uh-huh.
See, they don’t have understanding no more. The people just don’t move by the Spirit of God anymore.
281 God’s Word is His Spirit, and His Word comes to His prophet. And the Word is supposed to transform you from what the things of the world are, into the image of sons and daughters of God.
And the Word can only come through these prophets, as they spoke. And it had to be compared with the Word, and show that it was the Word.
Then if you accept that Word, It’ll transform you; from a son of God, or a daughter…or, from a son of the world, the daughter of the world, to a son and daughter of God.
65-1031M - Power Of Transformation
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Religious sins.
5:20. Following the sexual sins, Paul cited two religious sins. Idolatry involved the worship of pagan gods by bowing to idols, and because of its mention just after the listing of sexual sins it probably includes the male and female prostitution so often a part of heathen religion. Witchcraft is the translation of the Greek word pharmakeia from which the term “pharmacy” comes. In ancient times the worship of evil powers was accompanied by the use of drugs to create trances. This vice will also be prominent in the Tribulation period (cf. Rev. 9:21; 18:23).
Now the whole world calls for legalization.
Societal sins. (against humanity)
Eight societal evils are then listed (the last one in Gal. 5:21). Hatred (echthrai) is in the plural form, denoting primarily a feeling of enmity between groups. Discord (eris) is the natural result of “hatred” and no doubt a problem in the Galatian church. Jealousy (zēlos) refers not to the godly form but to the sinful and self-centered type. (These two words, eris and zelos, are also listed in Rom. 13:13.) Fits of rage (thymoi) or outbursts of temper, often come as a final eruption of smoldering jealousy. Selfish ambition (eritheiai) is a self-aggrandizing attitude which shows itself in working to get ahead at other’s expense (cf. Phil. 2:3). Dissensions (dichostasiai) and factions (haireseis) describe what happens when people quarrel over issues or personalities, causing hurtful divisions.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:21. Envy (phthonoi) is an evil feeling, a wrongful desire to possess what belongs to someone else. Thus the sinful nature is seen to be responsible for the breakdown of interpersonal relationships in homes, churches, and in public society.
Two sins associated with alcohol fall in a fourth category of evils. Drunkenness (methai) refers to excessive use of strong drink by individuals, and orgies (kōmoi) probably refers to the drunken carousings commonly associated with such things as the worship of Bacchus, the god of wine. Finally, to show that this long list was only representative and not exhaustive, Paul added the words and the like.
The apostle then solemnly warned the Galatians, as he had done when he was in their midst, that those who live like this, who habitually indulge in these fleshly sins will not inherit the future kingdom of God. This does not say that a Christian loses his salvation if he lapses into a sin of the flesh, but that a person who lives continually on such a level of moral corruption gives evidence of not being a child of God.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Now we see the sweet influences of the Holy Ghost.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
37 Here, as I’ve often said, I believe, in the church here, there’s a row here like, in here lives mortal beings. And each one is in this great conglomeration of gaiety, of blackness and darkness. Mortals live in here.
Now, they are either influenced from this way, or from that way. You cannot be here a spiritual being, sinner or saint,
without having an influence from the underworld or from the above world. If you are influenced from here, you’re from above.
Your celestial body is waiting up here. But if you’re wicked, and hypocritical, and indifferent, your celestial body is down here,
regardless of how much you think it’s up there; because the fruit that you bear before people proves where you’re from.
So you are here what you are somewhere else. Your life that you live here is just reflecting what your inheritance is when you leave here.
54-0103E - Questions And Answers #2
Look at the difference between the influence of the world and it atmospheres, and the influence of the Holy spirit.
The influence of the World pulls on the flesh.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
165. Is it possible for a Holy Ghost filled person to be driven by the—driven by the—to do minor things…influenced to do minor—minor things that he doesn’t want to do?
190 Oh, yes! Yes, sir! Yeah, a Holy Ghost filled person…You’re right in the place then to be—to be drove by these things. You just put yourself up a target.
When you’re down there serving the devil, he just lets you slouch around anyway you want to. But you once take a stand for Christ, you’ve got on the other side then, he trains every gun right around on you.
Every temptation, everything that could be throwed to you, then you got it. But what have you got? “Greater is He that’s in you, than he that’s in the world.” See?
61-1015M - Questions And Answers
62 So many, today, you take a family of people that will start going to church, and God will heal the little family. He will bless them and give them the Holy Spirit in their life.
The little children will pray, around the table. They’ll pray before they go to bed. Mother and father will join hands and pray.
And as long as they continue like that, they’ll stay a family. But you let them get…First thing you know, they didn’t have nothing; an old junk car, maybe, riding around in, or maybe walking.
Finally they’ll get a good car, a better home. And the first thing you know, then they want to get to what they, the world, calls, “a better class,” to associate with.
They move into a different neighborhood, and in there, they find out they become influenced by the wrong influence.
You must always stay where the Kingdom of God is, and where the glory of God is pouring out. Stay where you can be spiritually fed, day and night.
Then the first thing you know, separations comes in the home, and worldliness, and they get lifted up.
62-1013 - The Influence Of Another
Conclusion.
Uzziah was a great influence on Isaiah, but he tried to take the part of a priest and he failed.
That influence had to die, so Isaiah could be influenced by thee Spirit of God to say “‘Here Am I, Send Me.”