"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9)
If you constantly struggle to forgive people who have wronged you, you may consider yourself incapable of that kind of forgiveness. Many people are convinced that forgiveness is simply a feeling that can be experienced in the face of conflict. What a faulty understanding!
Genuine forgiveness is not a feeling bat an action. If you find it hard to forgive others, the following four guidelines can help:
1. Acknowledge and confess an unforgiving spirit. No, it is not always easy to forgive. We are sometimes the target of tremendously hurtful offenses. However, we are not accountable for other people's behavior; we are responsible only for our own. God commanded us to be loving, forgiving people. If we are unforgiving, that is our problem and no one else's. We must repent of this sin and ask God to help our unforgiveness.
2. Release the other person. Make a conscious decision to release the offender in your mind. If you find yourself reliving details of the upsetting behavior, force yourself to stop.
3. Forgive the offender forgetfully. By keeping details fresh in your mind, you trap yourself in a cycle of pain. Choose instead to separate the individual from the painful memory.
4. Forgive with finality. True forgiveness is complete. This means that you cannot "forgive" someone and then continually bring that subject up. Forgive them and move on.
If you've been nursing a grudge, pray for the strength to forgive. Then do it!
Lord, I confess my unforgiving spirit. I release those who have offended me and forgive them once and for all. Amen
~Charles Stanley~
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
God's Spiritual House # 11
The Greatness of God's Christ
What is God's purpose? Well, it has to do with the first thing with which we were occupied in relation to this House of God, namely, the exaltation of God's Son to the throne of the universe. That is God's purpose comprehensively, inclusively; and the Church is called in, not only to share that exaltation; but to be instrumental in the working out of that purpose.
If that be true, then, we repeat, that involves the manifestation of this terrible power of satan; because the exaltation of the Lord Jesus to the supreme place is not a mechanical nor automatic thing. It is a spiritual thing, and it is accomplished by spiritual power. That is why we are designated "living stones." We are not just bricks being put together; we are part and parcel of the very life of Christ and of God's purpose concerning Christ, and it is that life of His in a final, full manifestation in the Church which will be the display of the glory of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus cannot be manifested in glory as supreme Lord in God's universe until the elect come through to that place of absolute triumph over all the power of death, and thus it is by the Church's triumph that the glory of Christ is displayed. It becomes therefore a living matter, a spiritual matter, and not just a cold, lifeless, mechanical thing. We are in something very real. We are going to know that, to reach God's end, the instrument by which that purpose is worked out to its completion has to come up against the last fragment and ounce of satanic power. It involves the drawing out of satan's power to the full in order that God may display how great His Christ is.
That is the principle which has run right through the Word of God. You can see it standing our again and again in conspicuous instances, one of which is contained in the word addressed to Pharaoh: For this purpose have I raised you up, that I might display in you my power. Pharaoh therefor was allowed very much liberty. When Pharaoh in the very first test refused God, God could have come in and crushed him and destroyed him out of hand, and that would have been the end of Pharaoh. But God drew him on, drew him out, once, twice, thrice, on to ten times, the full measure of Pharaoh's resource; drew him out and all that was instigating him, in order that, showing how much power that was against God, God could come in at last and show much greater He was than the greatest that was against Him. It is only a foreshadowing, a type.
But,you see, it is not with mere Pharaohs or dictators that we have to do. We are up against the full power of satan himself. I say the Church is up against that, and the Church, as being the instrument of reaching God's end and fulfilling or working out God's purpose, has therefore to be proved absolutely superior to satan. Where the Lord gets His life into His people, the one certain thing which will happen to that people is that they will be instrumental in drawing out death against themselves. It is true. It is remarkable, is it not? You wonder why it is that, the more closely you walk with the Lord and the more you are set upon God's full thought, the more you seem to be drawing death upon yourself. One thing with which you are always in conflict is this death-working activity of satan. That is a part of our vocation. We do not like the idea, we inwardly shrink, and all that is natural about us feels very bad at the thought; but we just have to put all that on one side and trust the Lord in facing facts. We have to face spiritual facts. Therefore we take note of this, that, if it is true that this spiritual House, this Church, this Body of Christ is in existence as the instrument by which God is going to fulfill His purpose concerning His Son, then that can only be as all satan's power is drawn out and exhausted, to the end that, in that Church, the life whereby Jesus conquered death should be manifested as greater than all the power of death itself. You see, then, the steps. The first is that the presence of a spiritual House here is the signal for satanic action. The second is that the whole effort of satan is set against Christ's life in that House, that Church, that Body. The third is that the very working out of God's purpose through the Church, the House, necessitates the drawing out of satan's power and the Church's experience of something very terrible, in respect of what satan's power is, all to one end, namely the bringing out, not of the greatness of satan's power, but the greatness of God's Christ. That is the goal.
The Course of the Conflict
It is quite clear that, through history, satan has had a satanic succession of instruments on the earth. He started with Cain. "Cain was of the evil one", the Scripture says, "and slew his brother" (1 John 3:12). Right down through history as disclosed in the Old Testament, you have satan's unholy succession of instruments. Again and again you come upon them. There they are lying in wait right to his hand for death purposes. There is Doeg the Edomite to hand, subtly to hand, watching for his advantage, with his eye upon God's king. There is Haman, the Agagite, scheming and planning for the death of all the Jews. So satan has had his succession of instruments for the death of God's people right up to today. They are at work today and we know their names. But God has had His line of succession all the way through from Abel onward. Now these, every one of them,drew out the power of the adversary. Abel drew out the power of death through Cain. It seems as though he went down under it, but it is not so. In the long run we know otherwise, and he, being dead, yet speaketh. His testimony remains. Thus every one of these links in the chain of God's successors has drawn out the adversary to display his power, and then, eventually, although in their lives here on the earth they may have gone down under that power, the triumph is with that life which was in them, with the Lord whom they served. That is how it is now.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 12)
What is God's purpose? Well, it has to do with the first thing with which we were occupied in relation to this House of God, namely, the exaltation of God's Son to the throne of the universe. That is God's purpose comprehensively, inclusively; and the Church is called in, not only to share that exaltation; but to be instrumental in the working out of that purpose.
If that be true, then, we repeat, that involves the manifestation of this terrible power of satan; because the exaltation of the Lord Jesus to the supreme place is not a mechanical nor automatic thing. It is a spiritual thing, and it is accomplished by spiritual power. That is why we are designated "living stones." We are not just bricks being put together; we are part and parcel of the very life of Christ and of God's purpose concerning Christ, and it is that life of His in a final, full manifestation in the Church which will be the display of the glory of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus cannot be manifested in glory as supreme Lord in God's universe until the elect come through to that place of absolute triumph over all the power of death, and thus it is by the Church's triumph that the glory of Christ is displayed. It becomes therefore a living matter, a spiritual matter, and not just a cold, lifeless, mechanical thing. We are in something very real. We are going to know that, to reach God's end, the instrument by which that purpose is worked out to its completion has to come up against the last fragment and ounce of satanic power. It involves the drawing out of satan's power to the full in order that God may display how great His Christ is.
That is the principle which has run right through the Word of God. You can see it standing our again and again in conspicuous instances, one of which is contained in the word addressed to Pharaoh: For this purpose have I raised you up, that I might display in you my power. Pharaoh therefor was allowed very much liberty. When Pharaoh in the very first test refused God, God could have come in and crushed him and destroyed him out of hand, and that would have been the end of Pharaoh. But God drew him on, drew him out, once, twice, thrice, on to ten times, the full measure of Pharaoh's resource; drew him out and all that was instigating him, in order that, showing how much power that was against God, God could come in at last and show much greater He was than the greatest that was against Him. It is only a foreshadowing, a type.
But,you see, it is not with mere Pharaohs or dictators that we have to do. We are up against the full power of satan himself. I say the Church is up against that, and the Church, as being the instrument of reaching God's end and fulfilling or working out God's purpose, has therefore to be proved absolutely superior to satan. Where the Lord gets His life into His people, the one certain thing which will happen to that people is that they will be instrumental in drawing out death against themselves. It is true. It is remarkable, is it not? You wonder why it is that, the more closely you walk with the Lord and the more you are set upon God's full thought, the more you seem to be drawing death upon yourself. One thing with which you are always in conflict is this death-working activity of satan. That is a part of our vocation. We do not like the idea, we inwardly shrink, and all that is natural about us feels very bad at the thought; but we just have to put all that on one side and trust the Lord in facing facts. We have to face spiritual facts. Therefore we take note of this, that, if it is true that this spiritual House, this Church, this Body of Christ is in existence as the instrument by which God is going to fulfill His purpose concerning His Son, then that can only be as all satan's power is drawn out and exhausted, to the end that, in that Church, the life whereby Jesus conquered death should be manifested as greater than all the power of death itself. You see, then, the steps. The first is that the presence of a spiritual House here is the signal for satanic action. The second is that the whole effort of satan is set against Christ's life in that House, that Church, that Body. The third is that the very working out of God's purpose through the Church, the House, necessitates the drawing out of satan's power and the Church's experience of something very terrible, in respect of what satan's power is, all to one end, namely the bringing out, not of the greatness of satan's power, but the greatness of God's Christ. That is the goal.
The Course of the Conflict
It is quite clear that, through history, satan has had a satanic succession of instruments on the earth. He started with Cain. "Cain was of the evil one", the Scripture says, "and slew his brother" (1 John 3:12). Right down through history as disclosed in the Old Testament, you have satan's unholy succession of instruments. Again and again you come upon them. There they are lying in wait right to his hand for death purposes. There is Doeg the Edomite to hand, subtly to hand, watching for his advantage, with his eye upon God's king. There is Haman, the Agagite, scheming and planning for the death of all the Jews. So satan has had his succession of instruments for the death of God's people right up to today. They are at work today and we know their names. But God has had His line of succession all the way through from Abel onward. Now these, every one of them,drew out the power of the adversary. Abel drew out the power of death through Cain. It seems as though he went down under it, but it is not so. In the long run we know otherwise, and he, being dead, yet speaketh. His testimony remains. Thus every one of these links in the chain of God's successors has drawn out the adversary to display his power, and then, eventually, although in their lives here on the earth they may have gone down under that power, the triumph is with that life which was in them, with the Lord whom they served. That is how it is now.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 12)
Sinful Man: Uncomfortable in God's Presence
"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9)
Sin never feel comfortable in the divine presence!
Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees in the garden. Their fear and chagrin for the moment overcame their conscious need of God. Jonah, in his determined refusal to obey God's command, rose up to flee to Tarabish from the presence of the Lord.
Peter, with a sudden acute consciousness of personal guilt, sought not to flee from the Lord's presence but begged the Lord instead to depart from him!
Men need God above everything else, yet are uncomfortable in His presence. This is the self-contradictory moral situation sin has brought us into.
The notion that there is a God but that He is comfortably far away is not embodied in the doctrinal statement of any Christian church. Anyone who dared admit that he held such a creed would be considered a heretic and avoided by respectable religious people; but our actions, and especially our spontaneous utterances, reveal our true beliefs better than any conventional creed can do.
If we are to judge by these, I think it can hardly be denied that the average Christian thinks of God as being a safe distance, looking the other way!
~A. W. Tozer~
Sin never feel comfortable in the divine presence!
Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees in the garden. Their fear and chagrin for the moment overcame their conscious need of God. Jonah, in his determined refusal to obey God's command, rose up to flee to Tarabish from the presence of the Lord.
Peter, with a sudden acute consciousness of personal guilt, sought not to flee from the Lord's presence but begged the Lord instead to depart from him!
Men need God above everything else, yet are uncomfortable in His presence. This is the self-contradictory moral situation sin has brought us into.
The notion that there is a God but that He is comfortably far away is not embodied in the doctrinal statement of any Christian church. Anyone who dared admit that he held such a creed would be considered a heretic and avoided by respectable religious people; but our actions, and especially our spontaneous utterances, reveal our true beliefs better than any conventional creed can do.
If we are to judge by these, I think it can hardly be denied that the average Christian thinks of God as being a safe distance, looking the other way!
~A. W. Tozer~
Friday, August 17, 2012
God's Spiritual House # 10
Ministering to the Deliverance and Life of the Elect
1 Peter 2:4-5; Ezekiel 44:15-18
We have been seeking to see some of the major features of this spiritual house, remembering the words of the apostle, "Christ as a son, over [God's] house; whose house are we" (Hebrews 3:6). Those features which we have already contemplated are that this spiritual house has as its object, in the first place, the setting forth of the exaltation of the Lord Jesus; in the second place, to be the vehicle through which the glory and pleasure of God are ministered to.
The Presence of a Spiritual House the Signal for satanic antagonism
Now for a little while we will dwell upon the third of those major features, which is that, in the purpose of God, this spiritual house is here to minister for the deliverance and life of the elect. We will not dwell much much upon that last word, "the elect". We need not be particularly taken up with it. It is the people of God who are in view; the Church which is foreknown, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, chosen in Christ before the world was, and the spiritual house exists to minister for the deliverance, and to the life, of that people. This is the great vocation of the people of God, or a part of that great vocation. So great, so vital is it, that immediately upon the bringing in of the Church, all hell was moved from beneath against it. The very bringing in of the Church was the signal and the occasion for a mighty move on the part of the enemy, a move along many lines and by many means, two of which can be clearly discerned, and indeed are being forced upon our attention in these days, if we recognize the fact that behind all that is taking place on the earth at this time there is a spiritual system of things. That twofold move on the part of the enemy from the beginning has been, firstly, by subtle working on the inside to bring the Church to a collapse inwardly; and secondly to overwhelm it by sheer force. I think we need say no more by way of indicating the nature of things. That is indeed satanic and a satanic method.
The first indication in the Church's history that satan was at work was by that secret, inward, subtle movement of the enemy through Ananias and Sapphira, and it was pronounced immediately to be satanic. "Why hath satan filled thine heart ..." It was something right from the inside and a subtle movement of satan to bring about internal collapse. But for the swift judgment of God upon that thing, it would have spread like a canker. it would have worked subtly until the Church was seething with that sort of thing. Then, not long after, the other form of satanic activity became manifest, namely open, direct aggressive force to try by direct means to crush and trample under foot this instrument of God which had been brought into being; and all that which has been pursued relentlessly and on an ever-growing scale down the ages is itself significant as to the greatness of the vocation of the Church. It is indicative that satan recognizes the issue to be himself or the Church; these two cannot proceed together.
Let me say again that we are not without ample evidence that the present world happenings are not merely political and temporal, but are spiritual in their nature and essence, and, as even men of the world recognize and pronounce, they are satanic in their background. If that is true, we may come to one conclusion, namely, that it is not just the suppression of certain peoples on the earth which is in view with satan. It is to get at something within or among the peoples which is a menace to that world domination of satan through his antichrist. If that really came home to our hearts as it ought to, and as it may yet be brought home more forcibly by sheer force of circumstances, we should recognize that not only is our existence as the Church at stake, but that we are up against the great test, perhaps the final test, of whether we are fulfilling our heavenly calling.
The Assault of satan Against Christ in His House
You see, the whole effort of satan from the beginning has been to destroy the life of God's people here on the earth. Christ's life in the Church is the objective of satan in this dispensation, and, inasmuch as the Church is called into relationship with the working out of God's eternal purpose - for the Church is not only called according to that purpose - but is the elect instrument for the working out of that purpose - that very fact must involve the manifestation of the most terrible power that this universe contains against God's purpose.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 11 - "The Greatness of God's Christ")
1 Peter 2:4-5; Ezekiel 44:15-18
We have been seeking to see some of the major features of this spiritual house, remembering the words of the apostle, "Christ as a son, over [God's] house; whose house are we" (Hebrews 3:6). Those features which we have already contemplated are that this spiritual house has as its object, in the first place, the setting forth of the exaltation of the Lord Jesus; in the second place, to be the vehicle through which the glory and pleasure of God are ministered to.
The Presence of a Spiritual House the Signal for satanic antagonism
Now for a little while we will dwell upon the third of those major features, which is that, in the purpose of God, this spiritual house is here to minister for the deliverance and life of the elect. We will not dwell much much upon that last word, "the elect". We need not be particularly taken up with it. It is the people of God who are in view; the Church which is foreknown, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, chosen in Christ before the world was, and the spiritual house exists to minister for the deliverance, and to the life, of that people. This is the great vocation of the people of God, or a part of that great vocation. So great, so vital is it, that immediately upon the bringing in of the Church, all hell was moved from beneath against it. The very bringing in of the Church was the signal and the occasion for a mighty move on the part of the enemy, a move along many lines and by many means, two of which can be clearly discerned, and indeed are being forced upon our attention in these days, if we recognize the fact that behind all that is taking place on the earth at this time there is a spiritual system of things. That twofold move on the part of the enemy from the beginning has been, firstly, by subtle working on the inside to bring the Church to a collapse inwardly; and secondly to overwhelm it by sheer force. I think we need say no more by way of indicating the nature of things. That is indeed satanic and a satanic method.
The first indication in the Church's history that satan was at work was by that secret, inward, subtle movement of the enemy through Ananias and Sapphira, and it was pronounced immediately to be satanic. "Why hath satan filled thine heart ..." It was something right from the inside and a subtle movement of satan to bring about internal collapse. But for the swift judgment of God upon that thing, it would have spread like a canker. it would have worked subtly until the Church was seething with that sort of thing. Then, not long after, the other form of satanic activity became manifest, namely open, direct aggressive force to try by direct means to crush and trample under foot this instrument of God which had been brought into being; and all that which has been pursued relentlessly and on an ever-growing scale down the ages is itself significant as to the greatness of the vocation of the Church. It is indicative that satan recognizes the issue to be himself or the Church; these two cannot proceed together.
Let me say again that we are not without ample evidence that the present world happenings are not merely political and temporal, but are spiritual in their nature and essence, and, as even men of the world recognize and pronounce, they are satanic in their background. If that is true, we may come to one conclusion, namely, that it is not just the suppression of certain peoples on the earth which is in view with satan. It is to get at something within or among the peoples which is a menace to that world domination of satan through his antichrist. If that really came home to our hearts as it ought to, and as it may yet be brought home more forcibly by sheer force of circumstances, we should recognize that not only is our existence as the Church at stake, but that we are up against the great test, perhaps the final test, of whether we are fulfilling our heavenly calling.
The Assault of satan Against Christ in His House
You see, the whole effort of satan from the beginning has been to destroy the life of God's people here on the earth. Christ's life in the Church is the objective of satan in this dispensation, and, inasmuch as the Church is called into relationship with the working out of God's eternal purpose - for the Church is not only called according to that purpose - but is the elect instrument for the working out of that purpose - that very fact must involve the manifestation of the most terrible power that this universe contains against God's purpose.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 11 - "The Greatness of God's Christ")
Examining Your Heart
"And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent," you shall forgive him" (Luke 17:4)
Some say that the failure to offer or receive forgiveness lies at the heart of most of the serious emotional and spiritual disorders that we experience. While this may be an unprovable assertion, it is clear that unforgiveness provides fertile soil for a remarkably diverse crop of weeds. It is the source of much that can go sour in personal relationships, and it can hide behind many different masks.
People sometimes say in an angry tone that they have forgiven past offenses, but their obvious bitterness betrays them. Unforgiveness can lodge in your heart and hide from you. The following questions will help you examine your heart to see if you need to forgive someone:
1. Do you still secretly hope that someone will get what he/she deserves?
2. Are you still talking negatively about this person to others?
3. Do you indulge in fantasies of revenge - even mild ones?
4. Do you spend time mulling over what he/she did to you?
5. How do you feel when something good happens to him/her?
6. Have you quit blaming this person for how your life has turned out?
7. Do you find it difficult to be open and trusting with people?
8. Are you frequently angry, depressed, or bitter?
9. Do you find it difficult or impossible to thank God for your offender?
Let God examine your heart. Does He find any unforgiveness there?
Dear Lord, examine my heart. I do not wan to harbor unforgiveness. Expose it so I can deal with it in Your strength. Amen
~Charles Stanley~
Some say that the failure to offer or receive forgiveness lies at the heart of most of the serious emotional and spiritual disorders that we experience. While this may be an unprovable assertion, it is clear that unforgiveness provides fertile soil for a remarkably diverse crop of weeds. It is the source of much that can go sour in personal relationships, and it can hide behind many different masks.
People sometimes say in an angry tone that they have forgiven past offenses, but their obvious bitterness betrays them. Unforgiveness can lodge in your heart and hide from you. The following questions will help you examine your heart to see if you need to forgive someone:
1. Do you still secretly hope that someone will get what he/she deserves?
2. Are you still talking negatively about this person to others?
3. Do you indulge in fantasies of revenge - even mild ones?
4. Do you spend time mulling over what he/she did to you?
5. How do you feel when something good happens to him/her?
6. Have you quit blaming this person for how your life has turned out?
7. Do you find it difficult to be open and trusting with people?
8. Are you frequently angry, depressed, or bitter?
9. Do you find it difficult or impossible to thank God for your offender?
Let God examine your heart. Does He find any unforgiveness there?
Dear Lord, examine my heart. I do not wan to harbor unforgiveness. Expose it so I can deal with it in Your strength. Amen
~Charles Stanley~
Thursday, August 16, 2012
God's Spiritual House # 9
The Lord will very soon put a stake in our flesh when we begin to get exalted like that. He is being robbed of glory. He is glorified by our transfiguration, our conformity to the image of His Son. Paul says, "We ... beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image." (2 Corinthians 3:18). The glory is connected with the change, transformed into the same image. He is glorified as we are changed into the image of His Son. He is glorified when our lives are becoming fruitful. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8). And the fruit, in the first place, is the fruit of the nature of the Lord Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. "Herein is my Father glorified." Fruit in service, of course, but fruit in life, and He is glorified by the endurance of the saints.
Ah, yes, let us lay this to heart as our final word. If only we recognized it. There is a great deal of glory brought to the Lord simply along the line of endurance. At times we can do no more. The only thing to do is to give up or to hold on; to let go, or to endure. Peter has a lot to say about that. "This is grace, if a man endure," and just to endure brings glory to God. It will be a great story, it will be one of the large and glorious volumes in the library of Heaven, the story of the endurance of the saints, how much glory it brought to God. Oh, the story will be a romance! How many people were influenced by it, how many unbelievers came to believe because o the endurance of some saint in the time of suffering! How many other saints were mightily supported as they saw the steadfast endurance of another under fiercest trial! How much the Lord got out of just sheer endurance! Yes, this is to the glory of God, if we endure. The Lord get glory in the Church by Christ Jesus unto all ages for ever and ever, and may we indeed be a house for His glory in these various ways.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 10 - "Ministering to the Deliverance and Life of the Elect" )
Ah, yes, let us lay this to heart as our final word. If only we recognized it. There is a great deal of glory brought to the Lord simply along the line of endurance. At times we can do no more. The only thing to do is to give up or to hold on; to let go, or to endure. Peter has a lot to say about that. "This is grace, if a man endure," and just to endure brings glory to God. It will be a great story, it will be one of the large and glorious volumes in the library of Heaven, the story of the endurance of the saints, how much glory it brought to God. Oh, the story will be a romance! How many people were influenced by it, how many unbelievers came to believe because o the endurance of some saint in the time of suffering! How many other saints were mightily supported as they saw the steadfast endurance of another under fiercest trial! How much the Lord got out of just sheer endurance! Yes, this is to the glory of God, if we endure. The Lord get glory in the Church by Christ Jesus unto all ages for ever and ever, and may we indeed be a house for His glory in these various ways.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 10 - "Ministering to the Deliverance and Life of the Elect" )
What Do You Want the Lord to Do For You?
"'What do you want Me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, that I may receive my sight' " (Luke 18:41
Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. "Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more ..." Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don't defy common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn't work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways.
Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, "I always failed thee, and I always will." Consequently, we don't ask for what we want. Instead, we think, "It is ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible.
This man received his sight. But the most impossible thing for you is to be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won't believe; we won't let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore - we prefer to worry.
~Oswald Chambers~
Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. "Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more ..." Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don't defy common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn't work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways.
Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, "I always failed thee, and I always will." Consequently, we don't ask for what we want. Instead, we think, "It is ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible.
This man received his sight. But the most impossible thing for you is to be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won't believe; we won't let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore - we prefer to worry.
~Oswald Chambers~
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