GODS Dealings With His Children

We can take one of two attitudes toward the ways of God with us...

We can get bitter, sour, hard...

Or we can have the enlargement by exercise, development by exercise, to develop capacity...

To bring us into the large place that we may be intelligently His instrument for governing under His Headship in ages to come.

Things that enter into our history we cannot always fathom...

But the explanation which we can give is that, whatever there may be as second causes, the Lord is Sovereign...

And He thinks it worthwhile sometimes to allow what the world would call the most terrible thing to overtake for the time being...

And it would seem that His Name and interests suffer through that thing...

But through that thing He brings His people to a place of maturity and they get to know the Lord for themselves.

Through these terrible things we find the Lord produces something that is very much more worthy of Himself in the life of His children.

That is His justification, His vindication...

if He could do it in any other way He would.

In the long run He does get spiritual maturity among His people, where they know Him.

He would get us to a place where we know the Lord and we have our senses exercised to know.

The Lord give us grace to Accept all His dealings with us in the light of His great purpose.

~T. Austin Sparks

Why The Intense Trial And Testing?

                                                                                 

It is True that the True Children Of GOD are going through a time of Intense Trial and Testing spiritually in these days; everywhere it is so.

 

Why?

Because the Lord Must Have something against which hell is Impotent...

 

And by which He Demonstrates to the universe that Strength of His Might which causes to Stand and Withstand and having done all to Stand.

 

If one were asked what the last issue for the Church in this age is, I would say That It Stands, and that is saying a tremendous thing.

 

Oh, you say, that is surely limiting things, are you not expecting much more than that?

 

Progress, advance, sweeping movements?

 

The Church Will Have All Its Work Cut Out In The End To Stand, But Its Standing Will Be Its Victory.

 

Just to Be Able, through Testing, Trial, when everything is blowing round you like a blizzard...

 

When everything is dark, mysterious, and even God seems far away and unreal, and faith is Tested...

 

And you are being Assailed on the right hand and on the left...

 

And there is Every Reason Outwardly for your Moving, Giving up, Falling down, Surrendering, Lowering your standard...

 

Just to Stand and Not Be Moved in your Faith is the Greatest Possible Victory.

 

~T. Austin Sparks~

The Devil Is A Deceiver And Will Lead You Into Hell!

 2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The Devil Disguises himself as an Angel Of Light that he may more effectually lead us into darkness.

If he were to come like a devil, like an enemy-then everyone would run from him.

But he comes Masked and puts on the Face Of A Friend-and so he Tricks and Cheats us.

Indeed, he prevails more by his wily subtleties than by his power.

If the Devil had come to Eve and spoken to her as follows: 'I was once a glorious angel and lived above in the Court of Heaven-but I have sinned and am now cast down to Hell...

Eat the forbidden fruit and you will be like me!'

Would this have succeeded?

Surely not!

Thus if he came and tempted men to sin, by telling them that sin is the sure way to Hell...would this prevail with them to sin?

No!

The Devil is a Subtle Old Serpent.

He Cloaks and Paints sin.

He Covers his hook with a Bait-and draws men in before they are aware of it.

He is a deceiver-and lest he should be known, he Puts On A False Garb and Disguises himself as an Angel Of Light.

He dare not say, "I am the Devil--I am a deceiver! I will lead you into Hell!"--for that would spoil his wily schemes.

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

~Ralph Venning~

The LORD Will Be With YOU!

 2Ch 20:17  Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

This was a Great mercy for Jehoshaphat, for a Great multitude had come out against him...

And it will be a Great mercy for me, for I have great need, and I have no might or wisdom.

If the LORD be with me, it Matters Little who may desert me.

If the LORD be with me, I Shall Conquer in the battle of life...

And the Greater my trials the More Glorious will be my Victory.

How can I be sure that the LORD is with me?

For certain He is with me if I am with Him.

If I Trust in His faithfulness, Believe His words, and Obey His commands, He is Assuredly With Me.

If I am on Satan's side, God is Against Me and Cannot be otherwise...

But if I live to Honor God, I may be sure that He Will Honor me.

I am quite sure that God is with me if Jesus is my sole and only Savior.

If I have placed my soul in the hands of God's only-begotten Son, then I may be Sure that the Father will put forth all His power to Preserve me, that His Son may not be dishonored.

Oh, for faith to take hold upon the short but sweet text for today!

O LORD, fulfill this word to Thy servant!

Be with me in the house, in the street, in the field, in the shop, in company, and alone.

Be Thou also with all Thy people.

~Charles Spurgeon

GOD Is Not Unobservant

                                                                                      

I Will Be Still, And I Will Behold In My Dwelling Place. 

Assyria was marching against Ethiopia, the people of which are described as tall and smooth. 

And as the armies advance, God makes no effort to arrest them; it seems as though they will be allowed to work their will. 

He is still watching them from His dwelling place, the sun still shines on them; but before the harvest, the whole of the proud army of Assyria is smitten as easily as when sprigs are cut off by the pruning hook of the husbandman.

Is not this a marvelous conception of God being Still and Watching? 

His Stillness Is Not Approval. 

His Silence Is Not Consent. 

He is Only Biding His time, and Will Arise, in the Most Opportune Moment, and when the Designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to Overwhelm them with disaster. 

As we look out on the evil of the world; as we think of the apparent success of wrong-doing; as we wince beneath the oppression of those that hate us, let us remember these marvelous words about God being still and beholding.

There is another side to this. 

Jesus beheld His disciples toiling at the oars through the stormy night; and watched though unseen, the successive steps of the anguish of Bethany, when Lazarus slowly passed through the stages of mortal sickness, until he succumbed and was borne to the rocky tomb. 

But He was only waiting the moment when He could intervene most effectually. 

Is He still to thee? 

He is not unobservant...

He is Beholding All Things...

He has His finger on thy pulse, Keenly Sensitive to all its fluctuations. 

He Will Come To Save Thee When The Precise Moment Has Arrived.

~Daily Devotional Commentary

Whatever His questions or His silence, we may be Absolutely Sure of an unperplexed and undismayed Saviour.

O troubled soul, Thy Father speaks, Be Still, Be Still,,,

Learn to be silent unto God, And let Him Mold Thee to His Will.

O praying soul, Be Still, Be Still, He Cannot Break His plighted Word...

Sink down into His Blessed Will, And Wait In Patience on the Lord.

Oh waiting soul, Be Still, Be Strong, And though He tarry, Trust and Wait; Doubt not...

He Will Not Wait Too Long...

Fear Not, He Will Not Come Too Late.