'TROUBLE' INEVITABLE WITH SPIRITUAL SIGHT

                          

Act 7:56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
 

Act 7:57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
 

Act 7:58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

You and I, on the broadest basis of the Christian life, are here... to represent a check; and because we are here for that, we shall be called "trouble makers."

In a very real sense we shall be trouble makers. The trouble will focus itself upon us, and we shall have to suffer for it.

The very fact that you are jealous for the Lord will bring you into conflict with that trend that there is in this world, in man.... 

When there is the purest testimony, the fullest expression of what is of God, the heavenly over against the earthly, the spiritual over against the carnal or the natural, the enemy gives a turn to things, a twist to things, and lays the responsibility at the door of a spiritual and a heavenly ministry.

He says: "You are the cause of all the trouble – you are the troubler!" 

But no. The trouble lies deeper than that, and in another realm. The truth is, there is something here that, in its very nature,  must create trouble, must be a source of trouble, so long as God's known will, His revealed mind, is being violated; while the full expression of God's purpose is being withstood. 

To bring in something that stands for that, there is going to be trouble. It is a costly thing to have seen God's full purpose and thought concerning His people. It is always a costly thing.

The Lord Jesus set a very vivid example and object lesson of this truth right in the foreground, in the incident of the man born blind (John 9).

There is no doubt that the Lord intended that man to represent Israel and Israel's condition at the time. 

He gave that man sight – and what happened to the man? "They cast him out," that is all; they cast him out, they excommunicated him (v. 34). That is an object lesson, an instance of this very thing.

If eyes have been opened; if, in any sense – not officially – you have become a 'seer' – one who sees: it is going to cost you a lot, it will involve you in a lot of trouble. This matter of 'seeing' does that.

It was Elijah the Seer, over against the blindness of Israel. It is a costly thing to be a spiritual man or a spiritual woman in this universe. It is a costly thing, yes, very costly, to hold to a heavenly and spiritual position. 

It is a costly thing to hold for Christ's full place; it involves you in trouble. It is a costly thing to have light – if it is true light, God-given light.

It is a costly thing to have Life. But remember, it is here, in this, that the power is resident.

~T. Austin Sparks~

A Soothing Seduction

Let me show you what happens to every child of God who enters into a relationship with a bitter, unrighteous, rebellious person. There are awful consequences.

The fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat 2 Chronicles17:10. Jehoshaphat’s kingdom, Judah, was blessed and prospered abundantly, and nobody dared come against them.

But after Jehoshaphat entered into a relationship with Ahab, Scripture says, "Ahab . . . persuaded [Jehoshaphat] to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead. . . .And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war" (18:2-3). Jehoshaphat willingly got sucked into a
hopeless war, one that God had no part in.

The Hebrew word for persuaded in this passage means "a soothing seduction."Jehoshaphat allowed himself to be seduced into war by Ahab, answering, "I am as you are." In other words, I'm your friend, so I'm with you all the way. I won't let you down. You can count on me!

Is your close friend full of bitterness, hatred, anger—and pursuing a war of some kind? Is he involved in a marriage war, a family war, a personal war? And are you like a Jehoshaphat to him, offering help and encouragement? If so, look out, because you are about to be seduced into it all.

That's right, very soon you will find yourself smack in the middle of your friend's mess and you will be asked to take a stand. If your friend is in a troubled marriage, for example, you are going to be forced to take a side. And you will end up sympathizing with him—all the way through his divorce!

Beware, Christian, because whenever you extend comfort or encouragement to someone who is in rebellion, you take sides against the Holy Spirit. And that makes you are a partaker in that person's sin. Tragically, when Jehoshaphat joined Ahab's war, he only hastened his friend along the path of destruction!

~David Wilkerson~

They LAID DOWN Their ARMOR

                                                                                 

                                                                             

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me" (Exodus 32:25-26).

The Hebrew word used here for naked is para, meaning "to loosen, expose, dismiss." It also implies "a new beginning."

A modern beer commercial admonishes this generation to "turn
it loose tonight." It simply means to throw off past moral inhibitions, shake free of all law, begin pleasing yourself. Do your own thing, whatever makes you happy.

Merely taking off their clothes was not corruption; it was the signal, the message they were sending to the heathen looking on. Can you see the Amalakites on the surrounding mountains, far off, looking on this peculiar scene? These enemies, who had trembled when they saw God at work among them, now laughed and mocked, "Look at them. They are just like us! Their God has no power. They don't even trust in Him! They want to lust and party and play just like all the rest of us. What hypocrisy!"

In that one act of nakedness they belittled their God in the eyes of the ungodly! They made God seem heartless, cruel, uncaring and helpless. They besmirched the honor and majesty of an omnipotent God. They were no longer an example, no longer admired or feared or respected.

They had laid their armor down to party! They put in jeopardy God's plans for their salvation. They were saying to the world, We don´t want to fight any more enemies! We don´t want to resist! We have had enough of rejection, of sacrifice, of future hopes and far-off blessings. We want to live now! We want to enjoy ourselves! We want the good times to roll."

The corruption was this: This was to be their new beginning. No
more combat! If they were going to have to exist in a hard, cruel
wilderness, then they would quit the struggle and make do the
best they could-on their own.

~David Wilkerson~

Waiting On The LORD

I waited patiently for the Lord. (Psalm 40:1)
 
Waiting is much more difficult than walking, for waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue.

We enjoy knowing that God builds hedges around His people, when we look at the hedge from the aspect of protection. But when we see it growing higher and higher until we can no longer see over it, we wonder if we will ever get out of our little sphere of influence and service, where we feel trapped. 

Sometimes it is hard for us to understand why we do not have a larger area of service, and it becomes difficult for us to brighten the corner where we are. But God has a purpose in all of His delays. 

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 37:23 KJV). Next to this verse, in the margin of his Bible,George Mueller made this note: “And the stops too.”It is a sad mistake for someone to break through God’s hedges. It is a vital principle of the Lord’s guidance for a Christian never to move from the spot where he is sure God has placed him, until the pillar of cloud (Ex. 13:21) moves.
~from Sunday School Times
 
Once we learn to wait for the Lord’s leading in everything, we will know the strength that finds its highest point in an even and steady walk. Many of us are lacking the strength we so desire but God gives complete power for every task He calls us to perform.
 
Waiting—keeping yourself faithful to His leading—this is the secret of strength.And anything that does not align with obedience to Him is a waste of time and energy. Watch and wait for His leading. 
~Samuel Dickey Gordon
 
Must life be considered a failure for someone compelled to stand still, forced into inaction and required to watch the great, roaring tides of life from shore? 

No—victory is then to be won by standing still and quietly waiting. Yet this is a thousand times harder to do than in the past, when you rushed headlong into the busyness of life. 

It requires much more courage to stand and wait and still not lose heart or lose hope, to submit to the will of God, to give up opportunities for work and leave honors to others, and to be quiet, confident, and rejoicing while the busy multitude goes happily along their way.
 
The greatest life is: “after you have done everything, to
stand” (Eph. 6:13). 
~J. R. Miller

The Holy Spirit Will Prohibit Your Movement If You Attempt To Take A Wrong Course

Act 16:6  Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia

It is interesting to study the way God extended His guidance to
these early messengers of the Cross. It consisted mainly in prohibiting their movement when they attempted to take a course other than the right one.

When they wanted to turn to the left, toward Asia, He stopped them.When they sought to turn to the right, toward Bithynia in Asia Minor, He stopped them again. In his later years,Paul would do some of his greatest work in that very region,yet now the door was closed before him by the Holy Spirit.

The time was not yet ripe for the attack on these apparently impregnable bastions of the kingdom of Satan. Apollos needed to go there first to lay the groundwork.

Paul and Barnabas were needed more urgently elsewhere and required further training before undertaking this responsible task.
 
Beloved,whenever you are in doubt as to which way to turn, submit your judgment absolutely to the Spirit of God, asking Him to shut every door but the right one.

Say to Him,“Blessed Spirit, I give to You the entire responsibility of closing every road and stopping every step that is not of God. Let me hear Your voice behind me whenever I ‘turn aside to the right or to the left’ [Deut. 5:32].”

In the meantime, continue along the path you have already been traveling. Persist in your calling until you are clearly told to do something else. O traveler, the Spirit of Jesus is waiting to be to you what He was to Paul. Just be careful to obey even His smallest nudging or warning.

Then after you have prayed the prayer of faith and there are no apparent hindrances, go forward with a confident heart. Do not be surprised if your answer comes in doors closing before you. 

But when doors are shut to the right and left, an open road is sure to lead to Troas.
 
Luke waits for you there, and visions will point the way to where
vast opportunities remain open, and faithful friends are waiting. (from Paul)

~F. B. Meyer~

Is there some problem in your life to solve, Some passage seeming full of mystery?
 
God knows, who brings the hidden things to light. He keeps the key. Is there some door closed by the Father’s hand Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
 
Trust God and wait—for when He shuts the door He keeps the key. Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet, Or answered NOT as you had thought ’twould be?
 
God will make clear His purpose by and by. He keeps the key.
Have patience with your God, your patient God, All wise, all knowing, no long lingerer He, And of the door of all your future life He keeps the key.
 
Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest, To know of EVERY door He keeps the key. That He at last when just HE sees is best,
Will give it THEE.
 
~Anonymous~

Troublers Of Israel

Who are the real troublemakers in the house of God today? 

It is not the Elijah company, who sigh and cry over the abominations of the church. It is not those who expose sin and testify against the wicked deeds of religious leaders and those at ease in Zion.

No, all division is caused by compromise.

All trouble in God's house is the result of apostasy and the forsaking of the Lord's commandments.  

For where envying and strife is, there is disorder and every evil work" (James 3:16).

Paul warns the brethren to "mark them which cause divisions  and avoid them (Romans 16:17). 

But who were these who caused offenses contrary to the doctrine taught?

They were none other than a self-centered, backslidden group who "served their own belly" (verse 18).

This proves that division is caused by proud, arrogant catering to self-interests. 

Paul said, "By good words and fair speeches [they] deceive the hearts of the simple (unsuspecting) verse 18.
 
Those who are soft on sin, overlooking evil deeds and crying unity, are the real divisionists.

The true body of Christ has never been nor ever will be divided. Those in holy union with Christ are already united to each other. Sin is the divider!

Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrates of the city of Philippi, having been accused of "exceedingly troubling" the city (Acts 16:20). They were beaten and cast into prison as a result of the trouble they had caused.

What was this exceeding great trouble? 

Paul and Silas had cast a fortune-telling spirit out of a damsel who had "brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. . . And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas" (Acts 16:16 and 19).

When self-interest is threatened in any way, the cry goes up, "Troublemakers!
 
Division! Threat to unity!" Paul and Silas had uncovered a religious con game,a demonic deception under the guise of religion. 

It was a very profitable scheme for a select few who knew how to manipulate undiscerning crowds. 

What raised the cry, "Division"? 

It was a revival of cleansing. 

Those who accused Paul and Silas of causing dissension had ulterior motives and they refused the call to repent and walk in holiness.

God, give us more troublers of Israel who are not afraid to stand up against religious hypocrisy and disobedience!

~David Wilkerson~

What Is the Nature of the Controversy?

The nature of the battle?

What was the nature of the battle with Israel, centered and represented by Zion-Jerusalem?
  
It was the battle in relation to a calling and a vocation. 

They were called by God, they were chosen by God, they were an elect race [you see why we came to Romans eight], an elect race, a chosen people, in history on the earth they were the elect of God.

Chosen and called and separated, what for? Just to be saved? Just to be different? Just to be that? 

No! for a vocation, a calling, a testimony in the world, a testimony among the nations.

They were called for a mighty, heavenly vocation on the earth, to reveal God! what God is like! the reality of God! the glory of God! the holiness of God! the power of God! 

A vessel of testimony among the nations, to the nations—to the world. 

Zion, as we have been saying, is that which represents God’s full thought for mankind. 

The fulness of God’s thought is vested in, centered in, Zion, “the city of the Living God.” And because of that, the battle starts.
 
In history, Zion was the city of David, God’s anointed king. And do you notice the history of David? Up from birth... up? 

It looks like down and out... but, no, steadily, steadily up. Let all the forces of Saul and his malice, his devil-driven soul, be concentrated against this young man and what that young man suffered! 

You know the story. He seems to be a marked man, [as we say, I do not know whether you have the phrase in this country] “a speckled bird.”

He seems just right from the beginning to be a marked man. The devil had put a mark on that man and was watching him, pursuing him.

Poor David cries: “I am like a pelican of the wilderness... a sparrow upon the housetop.”

Oh yes, he is the object of a fierce and furious, relentless malice, meant for his undoing.

But he holds on his way, steadily; not because he is so strong, for there were times when David broke down: “I shall now perish,” I shall now be killed.

He resorted to some subterfuges, was a man of like-passions with us, very human; nevertheless, through it all, whether it is in the land of the Philistines by compromise (a mistake from which God sovereignly delivered him).

Or wherever it is—in the cave of Adullam, in the wilderness driven hither and thither for his very life—wherever it is, his spiritual course is on and up, spiritually.

It does not look like it outwardly, but on and up until eventually anointed, David comes to the place of the anointing, the throne; and Zion is the place of the consummation of that history of Divine election, Divine choice, Divine [dare I use the word in these days] foreordination.

He is there, on the throne. He is in the place of the full thought of God, and that is centered in him.

Zion is the place of the absolute sovereignty and Lordship of God’s anointed.

That is Zion, and we are come to Zion. We have been saying this: there is Another Greater than David that is here, and there is another Zion greater than that is here.

But it is on that point, dear friends, just focused upon that one inclusive and consummate point of the Absolute Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ that all the conflict rages and is centered.

~T. Austin Sparks~

The Kingdom Established Within by the Tests of Faith

 

Why is He treating us as He does?

Why does He lead us through the experiences that we go through? 

Do you ever have the slightest sense that the Lord has left you?

In spite of what we have said about Christ bearing all for us, do we not from time to time feel the Lord is far away? Why? Oh, we have puzzled over that! 

He has said, "Lo, I AM with you all the days, even unto the consummation of the age (Matt. 28:20); I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).

Then, where art Thou, Lord, today? Thou dost seem to be a thousand miles away today, I have no sense of Thy presence.

Why? Just this; God's fact is that He is not far away. 

What about your faith in God's fact? Are you living on facts or feelings? by faith or by sight? - for everything has to be established by faith.

Faith must rise up and say, 'Lord, Thou dost seem to be a thousand miles away today, but Thou art not. Thou art here, according to Thy promise. 

I repudiate the devil's suggestion that Thou hast left, and that I have grieved the Holy Spirit and Thou hast forsaken me; I repudiate it on the ground of all that Thou has done to bridge that gap by the Cross.' When faith thus asserts its position things are restored, the trouble is cleared up.

And as it is with that matter, so it is with all others. We are in the school, where we are to learn that we are not just living on the Bible in an objective way, and that there is a sense in which the Bible merely as a book cannot help us or do us any good. Somehow or other, there has to be something done between us and that which God has said, in order to make it real, and that is done through testing and trial; and thus the spiritual reality - the Kingdom - is established within us, and we learn to reign over that other kingdom.

THE LORD HELP US.

~T. Austin Sparks

Ye Cannot Serve GOD and Mammon

Jesus does not say you cannot very well serve God and mammon. 

Rather, He says you cannot serve two masters at all. 

If you try, you will surely end up serving only one. The person who thinks he or she is serving God a little is deceived.

He or she is not serving God. God will not have that service. The devil will monopolize the person before long. 

A divided heart loses both worlds. Saul tried it. Balaam tried it. Judas tried it. Their efforts ended in desperate failure. 

For Mary there was but one choice. Paul said: This one thing I do, and For me to live is Christ. 

Of such a life God says: Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name (Psalm 91:14).

God takes a peculiar pride in revealing His love to the heart that wholly chooses Him. 

Heaven and earth will fade away before its trust can be disappointed. 

Have we chosen Him only and given Him all our hearts? 

Say, is it all for Jesus, As you so often sing? Is He your Royal Master? Is He your heart's dear King?
 
~A.B. Simpson~

The LORD Is Watching From His Dwelling Place

Isa 18:4  For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

In this passage, Assyria is marching against Ethiopia, whose
people are described as “tall and smooth-skinned” (v. 2). As the
army advances,God makes no effort to stop them, and it appears
as though they will be allowed to do as they wish.

The Lord is watching from His “dwelling place” while the sun continues to shine on them,yet “before the harvest” (v. 5) the entire proud army is defeated as easily as new growth is pruned from a vine.
 
Isn’t this a beautiful picture of God—remaining quiet and
watching?Yet His silence is not to be confused with passive agreement or consent. He is simply biding His time and will arise at the most opportune moment, just when the plans of the wicked are on the verge of success, in order to overwhelm the enemy with disaster.

And as we see the evil of this world, as we watch the apparent success of wrongdoers, and as we suffer the oppression of those who hate us, let us remember those miraculous words of God—“I will remain quiet and will look on.”
 
Yes, God does have another point of view, and there is wisdom
behind His words.Why did Jesus watch His disciples straining
at the oars through the stormy night? Why did He, though
unseen by others, watch the sequence of anguishing events unfold in Bethany as Lazarus slowly passed through the stages
of his terminal illness, succumbed to death, and was finally buried in a rocky tomb? Jesus was simply waiting for the perfect
moment when He could intercede most effectively.
 
Is the Lord being quiet with you? Nevertheless, He is attentive and still sees everything. He has His finger on your pulse and is extremely sensitive to even the slightest change. And He will come to save you when the perfect moment has arrived.

Whatever the Lord may ask of us or however slow He may
seem to work, we can be absolutely sure He is never a confused
or fearful Savior.

O troubled soul, beneath the rod,
Your Father speaks, be still, be still;
Learn to be silent unto God,
And let Him mold you to His will.
O praying soul, be still, be still,
He cannot break His promised Word;
Sink down into His blessed will,
And wait in patience on the Lord.
O 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.

IDLE WORDS AND FOOLISH TALKING

Nothing more quickly and thoroughly reveals the lack of real spirituality than does foolish talking, jesting, and IDLE WORDS. 

There is nothing that will more surely label the shallow Christian as one who has no concern for others, nor any burden for the lost and suffering than his perpetual flow of foolish talking, and nonsensical joking.

Although in the eyes of many, this seems to be a small matter, there are few spiritual diseases more devastating, nor more contagious.

God classes foolish talking along with some very unattractive companions, -- "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints: neither filthiness, nor FOOLISH TALKING, nor JESTING, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks."
Eph. 5:3,4.

Jesus himself declared, "Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, FOOLISHNESS: all these EVIL THINGS come from within, and DEFILE the man.
Mark 7:21-23. 

Foolishness, then will defile a man, the same as fornication!

There are many who would never kill nor steal, but will even enter the pulpit, and publicly and unashamed, reveal through their words that they are defiled within.

I have never yet found a man whom the Lord is using mightily for the deliverance of the sick and sinful whose mouth is filled with foolishness.

They may entertain the people, and get a few hearty laughs in response to their jokes and nonsense, but when it comes to really being able to bring deliverance, or to bring a help and blessing when a real need arises, THEY HAVEN'T GOT THE GOODS! 

Many who are guilty of the sin of foolish, excessive, and unprofitable talking will at first be tempted to brand me a fanatic, and to rise to the defense of their pet sin. 

They will declare that it is a mistake to take things too seriously. For this, they can find no scriptural defense. 

The rescuing of the lost, and deliverance of the suffering, is a serious matter, requiring the whole heart and mind of the one who is consecrated to the task. 

Many have reserved the right to talk as much, and in whatever manner, they choose. They would rather have their jokes, foolish jesting and nonsense than to have the power of God in their lives. If this is your case, God will have to go on without YOU.

God has chosen to work through the spoken word of representatives in the world. 

When Jesus was here, he said to his disciples, The WORDS that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE LIFE. John 6:63.

What are your words? James compares the speech coming out of our mouths to water coming from a fountain. (James 3:10,11.) 

He insists that a fountain should give forth the same kind of water all the time -- not sweet water part of the time, and bitter water part of the time. Then he adds, "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good CONVERSATION his works with meekness of wisdom."
James 3:13.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, BUT THAT WHICH IS GOOD TO THE USE OF EDIFYING.
Eph. 4:29.

Words which are not good to the use of edifying are IDLE (vain, empty, or unprofitable) words. They are WASTED words. God has given to the believer's WORD an authority and power which makes it precious. Precious things should not be wasted.

Jesus said, "Whosoever (that means you!) shall SAY unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass, he shall have WHATSOEVER HE SAITH." Mark 11:23. This gives to US the power to speak with authority, even to the extent of controlling inanimate things. This is the same power which Jesus used when he spoke to the wind and the sea, and the storm was gone.
Mark 4:39.

It is the same power which Moses used when he spoke to the rock in the desert, and water gushed forth. (Num. 20:8.) Joshua used the same power when he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still. (Joshua 10:12, 13.) Jesus demonstrated the use of this power when he spoke to the fig tree, saying, "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever." (Mark 11:14.) He told the tree to die, AND it died! It was on this occasion that he expressly delegated this same power and authority to ANY who BELIEVE.

Those who insist upon having their foolishness at any cost, are so like the group of young ladies seen in a vision by a consecrated saint of God, who were too busy making daisy chains to warn the people who were hurrying by... that their steps were leading to an awful precipice, where they would quickly fall over, and be dashed to death upon the rocks below. This is far from the spirit of Christ, who HAD COMPASSION UPON THE MULTITUDES.

I do not intend to infer that there is no place for humor in the conversation of the Christian, or even in the preaching of the Word. Many times, our speech or preaching can be humorous, and yet sanctified. Often, a bit of humor, especially when used to illustrate a point, can be very profitable, in arousing the attention and interest of the hearers, and in driving home the message of the gospel, so that souls are aroused and turned to God. So used, it is NOT idle, nor unprofitable.

The reason so many Christians speak so many idle words, is that they speak SO MANY WORDS! They talk so much that they have no time to think, and no time to listen to the voice of God. 

Foolish words come so easily. We do not even have to think of them. We can listen to any conversation, anywhere, and come away with a large supply of them which can be produced by repetition.

The spirit of the age is an ever increasing spirit of levity, which makes serious thinking difficult for both sinner and saint. It is typified by the oft repeated saying, "Don't take life too seriously. After all you'll never get out of it alive." In such an age it takes real effort and consecration to "Study to be quiet", and to wait before God long enough to have words to speak which are the words of God, and which can have power. But the wise man will do it. "He that hath knowlege, spareth his words." Prov. 17:27. 

But the mouth of fools FEEDETH ON FOOLISHNESS. Prov. 15:14.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin. Prov. 10:19.

A fool's voice is known BY MULTITUDE OF WORDS. Eccl. 5:3.

Holiness is necessary for Power.

And holiness is not complete until it has also taken possession of the tongue. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy IN ALL MANNER OF CONVERSATION." I Pet. 1:15.

Consecrate yourself to God afresh. Present to him YOUR BODY, a living sacrifice, AND DO NOT FORGET NOR NEGLECT TO INCLUDE YOUR TONGUE, YOUR LIPS, YOUR VOICE!"

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt.
Col. 4:6.

Keep that which is committed to thy trust (the power to speak in God's stead, and bring deliverance), avoiding profane (not holy) and vain (empty, worthless) babblings." I Tim. 6:20.

It is my prayer that all who read this will put all on the altar, and get in a place where they can carry a burden for the lost and suffering: that they will cast aside ALL those things which hinder the power of God in their lives.

God can go on without you. But if YOU go on with God, you must go His way. Put foolishness aside NOW! Get out of the eddy and into the stream of God's power.

The PROMISES are for you, if you will only believe them, meet God's conditions, and PAY THE PRICE. 

~A. A. Allen~

Faith Grows During Storms

                                       

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

Faith grows during storms. 

These are just four little words, but what significance they have to someone who has endured life-threatening storms!
 
Faith is that God-given ability that, when exercised, brings the unseen into plain view. It deals with the supernatural and makes impossible things possible. And yes, it grows during storms—that is, it grows through disturbances in the spiritual atmosphere. 

Storms are caused by conflicts between the physical elements, and the storms of the spiritual world are conflicts with supernatural, hostile elements. And it is in this atmosphere of conflict that faith finds its most fertile soil and grows most rapidly to maturity.

The strongest trees are found not in the thick shelter of the forest but out in the open, where winds from every direction bear down upon them.The fierce winds bend and twist them until they become giant in stature. These are the trees that toolmakers seek for handles for their tools, because of the wood’s  great strength.
 
It is the same in the spiritual world.

Remember, when you see a person of great spiritual stature, the road you must travel to walk with him is not one where the sun always shines and wildflowers always bloom.

Instead, the way is a steep, rocky, and narrow path, where the winds of hell will try to knock you off your feet, and where sharp rocks will cut you, prickly thorns will scratch your face, and poisonous snakes will slither and hiss all around you. 

The path of faith is one of sorrow and joy, suffering and healing,comfort, tears and smiles, trials and victories, conflicts and triumphs, and also hardships, dangers, beatings, persecutions,
misunderstanding, trouble, and distress. 

Yet “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”
Rom. 8:37.
 
Yes, “in all these”—even during storms, when the winds are the most intense—“we are more than conquerors.”

You may be tempted to run from the ordeal of a fierce storm of testing, but head straight for it!

God is there to meet you in the center of each trial. 

And He will whisper to you His secrets, which will bring you out with a radiant face and such an invincible faith that all the demons of hell will never be able to shake it.

~E.A. Kilbourne~ 

Dying To Ambition

What do we expect when we go on with God, when we come right out for God? What have we in view?

Well, the answer to that question will decide whether, in relation to God, we have ambitions for something on the earth.

Do you get the point?

You see, it is so possible to swing over your natural ambitions to spiritual aims. It is the same thing still at work, and the only difference is the direction or sphere. 

You can be as ambitious in the work of God as you can be in the world, and it is the same natural ambition. It is the ambitiousness of nature.

You desire – what do you desire? To see something, to have something, to be in something? Ambition for success… yes, once it was in the world – now the same ambition transferred to other things.
 
You see, it is very often to the children – the kindergarten the elementary stages of faith, where there is not the capacity to take very much strain, that God has to give quick results and manifest signs. 

The marks of maturity are equally the withdrawing of outward manifestations and signs – the demand to walk with God alone for God’s own sake.

It is a mark of graduation in the school of God that He can withdraw outward things. 

It shows that we have passed the test as to whether we are ambitious in this life.
 
It is a mark of going on when we can come to the place where it is true before God that we have let go all the prosperity and success even of Christian work and Christian ministry (as men would count).

It is a sure sign of growth to be able to let go the great opportunities and the great advantages that may be had amongst Christian people… and the prizes that can be grasped… and to say: It is all right, the Lord knows; it is for Him to give or withhold. I am not going to make a line for those prizes.

I am not going to allow those things to influence my walk with God.

Ambition is not going to dictate my course.
 
It may not seem here on earth to mean very big things – wide open doors and all that, but somehow you may take it that there is Life there – spiritual influence there – something that is counting there. In the end it will have counted. 

But this does sometimes first of all necessitate that conflict with ambition where all those suggestions and influences have to be laid low and we come to the place where we see that the way of Life is to go on with God though it costs us everything.

The law of the Spirit of Life works in that way.
 
The way of Life demands that we shall get before the Lord and say, “Lord, though all my earthly prospects fade, though all my ambitions are disappointed, it is You I want.

You are my ambition – my goal. If I have You, these other things will count for much less.”
 
I believe that as we can get there… and not many of us have gotten a long way on that road… but as we can get there, we find the secret of Life, of joy, of release.

I am not so sure that we shall not find that God is able to give back the prizes here. He withdraws them that we may turn from them to Himself.

And when He has us for Himself, He may give something here; He may give blessing here on this earth.
 
But let us remember that His desire is to have us for Himself for His own sake; and as we fall into line, Life is found there. 

It is the way of Life. The law of Life demands that everything should be for the Lord…without any other influence or consideration… the Lord Himself.

~T. Austin Sparks~

The CRY Of A REPENTANT Heart

                                                                                 
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in" (Luke 15:25-28).

The older brother of the prodigal grew angrier by the moment. After all, he had served his father diligently for years, never transgressing any commandment. He was upright according to the law, and he had kept himself scrupulously clean.

Yet, peering through that window, this older son saw the greatest vision of grace ever given to humankind: The father was embracing a repentant, lost son. He didn't ask any questions or lecture; instead, he clothed him in a new garment and restored him to his former position of full favor and blessing. And then he brought him into the feast!

The vision this older son saw was that a person can repent, no matter how low he sinks, if he simply gives up running his own life and comes back to the father. Yet the older brother protested it all and refused to go in to the feast. Why? He wanted no part in what he saw as an easy grace!

It is typical of the legalistic mindset to protest a generous outpouring of grace on a returning backslider. Many Christians, sitting next to some drug addict or alcoholic in church, think, "Thank God that I never sinned that way. He could fall again tomorrow."

Scripture says this kind of pride is more deadly than any addiction: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" 

1 Corinthians 10:12

The truth is, when the prodigal saw his older brother frowning at him through the window, he probably thought, "Oh, my brother, if you only knew how I admire you! You never went out and sinned as I did. You have the better testimony. And all my life I'll have to live with the memory of bringing shame on our family's good name. I know I don't deserve any of this. In fact, you should be here in my place. How I wish I could have fellowship with you!"

That is the cry of a truly repentant and humbled heart!

~David Wilkerson~