Never be sympathetic with the soul whose situation makes you conclude that God is hard. God is more tender than we can imagine. Occasionally, he asks us to be the hard ones so that he can be the tender one. Sometimes toughness is what’s needed, especially when you’re deal–ing with souls who can’t get through to God because they have some secret thing they’re refusing to give up. They might admit it’s wrong, but secretly they think, “I no more intend to give that up than to fly.” It’s impossible to deal sympathetically with someone like this. We have to dig down to the source of their resistance, until they respond with antagonism and resentment to our message. People want God’s blessing, but they can’t stand anything that cuts straight to the quick.
If God has had his way with you, the message you’ll deliver as his servant will be one of merciless insistence on a single point that gets right at the root of the problem. Otherwise, there will be no healing. You have to drive home the message until the person has no choice but to apply it individually. Try to get at people where they are, until they realize what they lack. Then erect the standard of Jesus Christ for their lives. If they reply, “We can never live like that!” tell them, “Jesus Christ says you must.” They will wonder how it’s possible. The only way is with a new Spirit, which Jesus promised to all who ask. Guide them to Luke 11:13: “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
There must be a sense of need in your listener before your message will be of use. Millions of people are happy without God. If people were happy and moral before Jesus came, why did he come? Because that kind of happiness and peace is on a wrong level. Jesus Christ came to send a sword through every kind of peace that isn’t based on a personal relationship with him.
