They Shall Not Swoon, Nor Halt, Nor Turn Back

How full of encouragement is the language of the prophet Isaiah

Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
 
This beautiful passage contains a promise of continued supplies of grace and strength to all who really desire to serve the Lord with integrity and simplicity.

In the image of the eagle, the prophet alludes to the strength of wing and of vision possessed by this noble bird-whereby it
ascends to a lofty height, untired and undazzled-soaring even above the fogs and mists of the lower regions of the air, mounting above the very clouds, undeterred by the lightning, and floating in the pure azure above!

Thus shall all who hope in the Lord rise higher and higher, upon the mighty wings of strong devotion, and with the unblinking eye of faith-into the regions of heavenly mindedness; and shall approach nearer and nearer to God-the sun of our spiritual day.

They will run in the heavenly race, for the crown of immortal glory, "and not grow weary." Their strength, instead of being exhausted, shall, contrary to what occurs in bodily effort-be increased by exertion. 

No length nor greatness of labor shall be too much for them. 

God shall pour into their souls, fresh energy for every fresh effort.

"They will walk and not be faint." Their pilgrimage may be arduous; the road may be long and rugged; often up steep ascents, and down into deep and rocky crags, where every step is a labor-but they shall not lose heart or hope; they shall not swoon, nor halt, nor turn back-but go forwards, sustained by a
power greater than their own!

~John Angell James~

An Angel On The Outside And A Devil Within

Mat 23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 

Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish; but inside you are filthy  full of greed and self-indulgence!

A hypocrite's outside never corresponds with his inside.
A hypocrite's outside is one thing and his inside another.
A hypocrite's outside is religious but his inside is wicked.
 
Hypocrites are like the Egyptian temples, which were beautiful
outside but within there was nothing to be found but serpents
and crocodiles, and other venomous creatures. 

They are like white silver but they draw black lines.

They have a seeming sanctified outside but are stuffed within with malice, pride, worldliness, envy, etc. They are like window cushions, made up of velvet and richly embroidered but stuffed within with hay.
 
A hypocrite. . .may offer sacrifice with Cain, and fast with Jezebel, and humble himself with Ahab, and lament with the tears of Esau, and kiss Christ with Judas, and follow Christ with Demas, and be baptized with Simon Magus; and yet for all this, his inside is as bad as any of theirs!
 
A hypocrite is. . .a Jacob on the outside and an Esau within; a David on the outside and a Saul within; a John on the outside and a Judas within; a saint on the outside and a Satan within;
an angel on the outside and a devil within.
 
But let all such hypocrites know, that pretend sanctity is double iniquity and accordingly at last they shall be dealt with. "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?"

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

~Thomas Brooks~

Sweet Poisons!

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Satan presents the world in such a dress, and in such a garb, as to ensnare the soul, and to win the affection of the soul.
 
He represents the world to them in its beauty and finery, which proves a bewitching sight to carnal men.

Satan can no sooner cast out his golden bait- but we are ready to play with it, and to nibble at it! 

He can no sooner throw out his golden ball-but men are apt to run after it--though they lose God and their souls in the pursuit!

Ah! the time, the thoughts, the hearts, the souls--which the inordinate love of this wicked world eats up and destroys!
 
Where one thousand are destroyed by the world's frowns--ten thousand are destroyed by the world's smiles!

The world, siren-like, sings to us--then sinks us!

It kisses us--then betrays us, like Judas!

It kisses us--then stabs us under the rib, like Joab.

The honors, splendor, and all the glory of this world, are but sweet poisons, which will much endanger us, if they do not eternally destroy us.

Ah! the multitude of souls that have glutted on these sweet baits, and died forever! Such men
will sell Christ, heaven, and their souls for a trifle! 

How long will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie?

Psa 4:2  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
 
Ah, how many thousands are there now on earth, who have found this true by experience; who have spun a lovely rope to strangle themselves, both temporally and eternally, by being bewitched by the beauty and finery of this world!

The main reason why men dote upon the world, and damn their souls to get the world, is, because they are not acquainted with a greater glory!

Men ate acorns, until they were acquainted with the use of wheat. Ah, did men but taste more of heaven, and live more in heaven, and had more glorious hopes of going to heaven, ah, how easily would they trample the world under their feet!
 
Heb 10:34  For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

Let heaven be a man's object, and earth will soon be his abject.
 
Assurance of more great and glorious things, breed in the soul a holy scorn and contempt of all these poor, base worldly things--which the soul before valued above God, Christ and heaven.

~Thomas Brooks~

Avoid Every Kind of Temptation

1 Thessalonians 5:22 " Abstain from all appearance of evil."

He who now gives way to the least sin-may yet be given up to the greatest sins. 

We are never far enough from lust-while we are on earth; or near enough to Christ-while we are out of heaven. 

O, stand far off from the devil’s mark unless you would be hit by his arrows!

The drawing near to the appearance of evil is the first step to the accomplishment of the most enormous evil. 

A spark will easily catch a box of tinder on fire. Little streams will find a passage to the great sea. 

Christian reader! Why should you venture on slippery places-when you can scarcely stand upon the firmest ground?  

Who will pity that man whose house is blown up with gun-powder-if he stores it in the chimney corner?

Such is the monstrous wickedness of men, that though the streams and currents of their own lusts carry them too swiftly already...yet they hoist up sails to catch the devil’s winds!

The fowler spreads his net but the wings of the bird carry her into it! 

If you would not step into the harlot’s house...you should not go by the harlot’s door! 

If you would not gather the forbidden fruit...then beware how you look on the luscious tree!

To pray against temptations, and yet to rush into occasions to sin...is to thrust your fingers into the fire and then pray that they might not be burnt!

If you hold the stirrup for him no wonder if Satan get into the saddle!
 
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

That man who is the most watchful is the least sinful. 

A soul without its watch is like a city without its wall, exposed to the attack of all its enemies!

Those who would not fall into the river should beware how they approach too near to its banks. 

He who crushes the egg need not fear the biting of the serpent. 

He who would not drink of the wine of divine wrath...let him not touch the cup of sinful pleasure.

A person who carries gun-powder with him can never stand too far from the fire. 

If we accompany sin one mile it will compel us to go two. 

Sin swells like Elijah’s cloud, from the size of a man’s hand to such an expansion, as to cover the whole sky.
 
Let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall. 
1 Corinthians 10:12. 

You will quickly lose your standing if you are fearless of falling.

~William Secker~

Do You Have A Divided Heart?

Our whole being must be surrendered to the service of our Maker. 

We must come to him with an entire dedication of ourselves,
giving up all we are, and all we ever shall be, to be thoroughly devoted to his service, otherwise we have never come to God aright. 

I am astonished to see how people in these days try to love the world and love Christ too! 

Do you fancy you can walk with God and walk with mammon too? 

Will you take God on one arm, and the devil on the other? 

Do you suppose you can be allowed to drink the cup of the
Lord, and the cup of Satan at the same time? 

I tell you, you shall depart, as cursed and miserable hypocrites,
if you come to God with a divided heart. 

God will have the whole of you come, or else you shall not come at all. 

The whole man must seek after the Lord; the whole soul must be poured out before him; otherwise it is no acceptable coming to God at all. 

Oh, halters between two opinions, remember this and tremble!

~Charles Spurgeon~

Uncover And Confess Sin

Pro 28:13  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Here is the way of mercy for a guilty and repenting sinner.  
He must cease from the habit of covering sin.

This is attempted by falsehood, which denies sin; by hypocrisy, which conceals it; by boasting, which justifies it; and by loud profession, which tries to make amends for it. 

The sinner's business is to confess and forsake. The two must go together. 

Confession must be honestly made to the LORD Himself, and it must include within itself acknowledgment of the wrong, sense of its evil, and abhorrence of it. 

We must not throw the fault upon others, nor blame circumstances, nor plead natural weakness.

We must make a clean breast of it and plead guilty to the indictment. There can be no mercy till this is done. 

Furthermore, we must forsake the evil; having owned our fault, we must disown all present and future intent to abide in it. 

We cannot remain in rebellion and yet dwell with the King's Majesty.

The habit of evil must be quitted, together with all places, companions, pursuits, and books which might lead us astray. 

Not for confession, nor for reformation, but in connection with them we find pardon by faith in the blood of Jesus.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Weapon Of Spiritual Warfare~The Word Of GOD

Every victorious Christian must learn how to use the Bible effectively.

The Word of GOD is alive, powerful, and sharp.
(see Hebrews 4:12)

The Bible is your "sword" (Ephesians 6:17).

With GOD'S Word in your heart and in your mouth, you will dominate Satan.

Revelation 1:16 pictures Jesus with a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth.

He used this weapon to defeat Satan in the wilderness.

Jesus declared, "It is written...It is written again..."

And the third time, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written..." (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).

Like Jesus, we can use this sword with our mouths against the enemy. (see Revelation 19:15)

The Bible is infallible and inspirational. It is inerrant in its information and supernatural in its application to daily living.

But GOD'S Word must be read and studied before it can be effective in our lives.

When I was in France on a preaching tour, a very lovely French lady came up to me and said, "I want you to know that I'm safe."

I must have looked confused because she went on to explain, "I bought a Bible yesterday and put it in my mailbox."

"In your mailbox?" I repeated.

She said, "The devil will have to pass by the mailbox to get to me. With the Bible inside it, he can't hurt me anymore."

I said, "You better sit down and let me tell you a little more about the Bible. We don't believe in using GOD'S Word like a lucky charm.

The Word of GOD must be read and studied in order to be effective in your life.

You must get it into your heart. GOD'S Word only works on the inside of the believer, not in the mailbox."

In my personal life the Bible has been a true guide in every crisis.

When GOD wants to lead me in a new direction, He directs me through His Word.

The Bible is my sourcebook for Truth.

When I want to know what is right and wrong, I refer to what the Bible says about the matter.

You can be a Mighty man or woman or GOD by giving the Word first place in your life.

If you feed your spirit daily on the Word of GOD, you will grow spiritually. (See I Peter 2:2)

Your spirit strong and well nourished, will dominate your being rather than being ruled by the outward man, the inner man will rule over your mind, will, emotions, and flesh.

You will know your GOD and do exploits in His Name.

~Lester Sumrall~

The Counsel Of The Wicked

Conversion is the soul's surrender to God, and acceptance of God as Guide through this world of sin.

Notice exactly how this is expressed it is not "does not walk in the open wickedness" nor even "the manifest folly of the wicked," but "does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." How searching that is! How it narrows things down!

The ungodly are ever ready to "counsel" the believer, seeming to be very solicitous of his welfare.

They will warn him against being too strict and extreme, advising him to be broad-minded and to "make the best of both worlds."

But the policy of the "ungodly" that is, of those who leave God out of their lives, who have no "fear of God" is regulated by self-will and self-pleasing, and is dominated by what they call "common sense."

Alas, how many professing Christians regulate their lives by the advice and suggestions of ungodly friends and relatives heeding such "counsel" in their business career, their social life, the furnishing and decorating of their homes, their dress and diet, and the choice of school or avocation for their children!

But not so with the "blessed man." He "does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." Rather is he afraid of it, no matter how plausible it sounds, or apparently good the intention of those who offer it. He shuns it, and says "Get behind me, Satan!"

Why? Because Divine grace has taught him that he has something infinitely better to direct his steps.

God has given him a Divine revelation, dictated by unerring wisdom, suited to his every need and circumstance, designed as a "lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path."

His desire and his determination is to walk by the wholesome counsel of God, and not by the corrupt counsel of the ungodly.

The "blessed man" does not walk according to the maxims of the world. "But his delight is in the Law of the Lord." "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God" (Romans 8:7).

The worldling seeks his "delight" in the entertainment furnished by those who scorn spiritual and eternal things.

Not so the "blessed" man—his "delight" is in something infinitely superior to what this perishing world can supply, namely, in the Divine Scriptures.

The unregenerate delight in pleasing self—but the joy of the Christian lies in pleasing God.

His Word is the daily bread of the "blessed" man.

Thereby does he evidence his "delight" therein—for where his treasure is, there is his heart also!

Here, then, is the occupation of the blessed man. The voluptuary thinks only of satisfying his senses; the giddy youth is concerned only with sports and pleasures; the man of the world directs all his energies to the securing of wealth and honors; but the "blessed" man's determination is to please God.
 
And in order to obtain a better knowledge of His will, he meditates day and night in His holy Word.
 
Thereby is light obtained, its sweetness extracted, and the soul nourished!

Your Words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!
 
Jer 15:16  Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Meditation stands to reading—as digestion does to eating. It is as God's Word is pondered by the mind, turned over and over in the thoughts, and mixed with faith—that we assimilate it.

That which most occupies the mind and most constantly engages our thoughts—is what we most "delight" in.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.

Fruit is an essential character of a gracious man, for there are no fruitless branches in the true Vine.
 
"In season," for all fruits do not appear in the same month, neither are all the graces of the Spirit produced simultaneously.

Times of trial—call for faith.Times of suffering—call for patience.Times of disappointment—call for meekness.

Times of danger—call for courage.Times of blessings—call for thanksgiving.Times of prosperity—call for joy.

How far, dear reader, do you resemble this "blessed man"?

~Arthur Pink~

OBEDIENCE

Obedience. That is, believing God and acting on your belief in God.

Obeying God in everything upon which He puts His finger. 

That means not arguing about it, questioning, doubting it, but if He has pointed out anything, that you give God the benefit of the doubt, if there is a doubt. You are obedient.

Any reservation in that trust in God which leads to implicit obedience, will at once grieve the Holy Spirit and limit Him.

And do not forget that "grieved" is a love term. 

You cannot grieve anybody who does not love you.

You may injure them, you may in a way hurt them, but you cannot grieve them. 

You only grieve people who love you, and when it says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit" it means: do not do despite to the love of the Spirit, do not violate the Spirit's love for you.

And that means, in effect, that you will not for one moment tolerate anything that the Spirit is against; if you do, you grieve the Spirit and immediately He is limited. 

Obedience to the Spirit is obedience to the love of God and that is basic to both being filled with and remaining filled with the Spirit. 

~T. Austin Sparks~

Will We Be Numbered With Cat-Worshipers And Dog-Adorers?

Those who have no children, take pleasure in little dogs and cats.

People must have an object of affection, and if they have not something noble, they will accept something less. Just so, those who disdain to live for God, will live for their own bellies.

If we do not live in all seriousness for a noble object--the probability is that we shall trifle our lives away in doing nothing! Are we prepared for this? 

Will we be numbered with cat-worshipers and dog-adorers?

My God, save me from petty and paltry objects! Deliver me from worthless amusements and hobbies! 

May the objects of my life's pursuit be worthy of an immortal spirit, worthy of an heir of Heaven!

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ--set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things!" Colossians 3:1-2

~Charles Spurgeon~1883

They Tempt The Devil To Fall In Love With Them!

Pro 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pride runs in the blood.

Augustine calls pride, "the mother of all sin!"

Some people would be better if they could pluck the worm of pride out of their head!

Pride ruins our virtues and poisons our mercies.

Some are proud of their estates. Riches are fuel for pride. Your heart has become proud because of your wealth. Men's hearts rise with their estates. Ezekiel 28:5

Some take pride in their abilities. The Lord enriches them with wit and talents - and pride fumes from their heart into their head and makes them giddy.

Some are proud of their bodies. Pride is seen in long and meticulous dressings. They spend that time between the comb and the looking-glass, which should be spent in prayer and holy meditation.

Pride is seen in painting their faces - overlaying God's work with the devil's colors!

But virtue is most beautiful to God. 

Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 

You should be known for the beauty that comes from within - the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." 1 Pet. 3:3-4

Pride is seen in the outlandish fashions with which some people dress - or rather disguise themselves. 

They clothe themselves like the rainbow.

Adam was ashamed of his nakedness; these should be ashamed of their clothing. 

They are so plumed and gaudily attired - that they tempt the devil to fall in love with them!
 
Pro 16:5  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
 
~Thomas Watson~