“Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come” (I. Cor. iv. 5).
Nothing will more effectually arrest the working of the Spirit in the
heart than the spirit of criticism. At the end of a meeting a young
minister came forward and told us of the great blessing he had received
that afternoon, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit that had come into his
heart and being, setting him free from the bondage of years. And then he
added, “It all came through your answer to that question, ‘Will a
criticizing spirit hinder the Holy Ghost from filling the heart?’ ”
As the question was asked and answered, he said, “I was sitting in the
church criticizing a good deal that was going on, objecting to this thing
and to that thing, finding fault with the expressions, and praises and
testimonies, and feeling thoroughly unhappy. The Lord brought the answer
home to my heart and convicted me of my sin, and there and then I laid it
down and began to see the good instead of the evil. Blessing fell upon me
and my soul was filled with joy and praise, and I saw where my error lay,
that for years I had been trying to see the truth with my head instead of
my heart.”