The Spirit of Counsel and Might

Brother George Warnock wrote on his perspective of the church:

Counsel .. and Might. These are twin brothers also. And our Lord Jesus whose name is called "Counselor .. the Mighty God" is our example. But we are only capable of following His example, as we abide in Him and walk with Him in His yoke. Then the counsel we give will carry weight .. even the strength and might of the Spirit of the LORD. You cannot get this kind of wisdom and counsel from books. Then why do I write books? Not because I have the answer to the horrendous problems that are in the church or in the world. But because I feel the Lord wants me to encourage God’s people to press toward a still higher plateau than where we are now. Generally we sense no urgency in the ministries in the church to move any higher. We must go higher. We must come to Him who is the Source and Fountainhead of all gift and ministry.

He places all these ministries in the church, to urge us to come higher .. where Apostle, and Prophet, and Evangelist, and Pastor, and Teacher — have served their purpose, and God’s people have come to the full stature of Christ. The ministry is here in the church till we come to that .. and to encourage us to come to that. Then like Moses and Elijah on the Mount — they must be hidden away in the Cloud, till all we see .. all we hear .. is Jesus only. A true prophet .. a true ministry of any kind .. must decrease, that He might increase.

We think of counsel as good advice, something to toss around in our minds and consider, but not in any way binding. If the counselor gives advice that seems good and reasonable .. we may go along. But the counsel of the Lord is an effectual word from God, that is accompanied with Might. This matter of counseling has, in too many cases, been committed into the hands of professionals who study the philosophies of men to equip them for their task.

The Spirit of Counsel and Might is greatly needed in the church. We have become overwhelmed with situations that are so tangled and complicated, that not even a man of Solomon’s stature could sort it all out. Where is the power and might of the Spirit of the LORD to make our counsel effectual? We must continue to seek and knock and look for the open door that will bring us higher into the realm of the Spirit, where the Spirit of Counsel and Might will rest upon God’s people.

The Church of Christ is intended to be God’s answer to a world in confusion, perplexity, and distress. But rather than being the answer, we ourselves have become part of the problem. And the reason we are part of the problem is because we have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewn for ourselves cisterns — broken cisterns that can hold no water (see Jer. 2:13). Instead of looking to the Source of all true wisdom and counsel, we turn it over to those who are schooled in the wisdom of man, to our own confusion. Only the Anointing can break the yoke of bondage that lies heavy upon the church. Only the counsel that proceeds from the heart of God by His Spirit, will carry with it the power that is needed to break the bands, and set the captive free.

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