Power

Implicit Faith

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Could we say that a successful Christian life consists of having victory over sin? It is easy to focus on ministry and activities a person does. We measure the success of a pastor by the size of the local church he leads. We read a missionary biography and are impressed by how many tribes that person reaches.  In the secular world success is measure by accomplissement.

More I read the Bible more I find that true success is more related to holiness. We are engaged in a spiritual battle against sin. Real success seems to have a moment by moment victory over sin. The good news is that God gave us the power to have such victory. It is a live a life similar to the life Jesus lived on earth. To live like Christ in a fallen world.

Let me share with you a note written by Hannah Whitall Smith to her cousin Carrie on February 26, 1867.

The whole matter lies in this—trusting Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. It is taking Him to be our daily, hourly, momentary Saviour from the power of sin, just exactly as we took Him to be our Saviour from its guilt. We have actually no more to do in the one case then in the other. He assumes all the responsibility and accomplishes all the work. Our only part is to commit ourselves to Him, and trust Him with implicit faith. All you can do is to commit yourself to Him this very moment to begin the work from now and carry it on in His own way. Just say to Him continually, “I trust you, I trust you.” And you will find that your faith will grow wonderfully.
Try the plan of handing over your temptations to Him to conquer, and you will be astonished at its success. In short, trust Him with your whole self, with all your life—every moment of it, with everything you are, or have, or do. Let Him, in short, be your life. It is a great trust, but He is worthy of it. He cannot possibly fail you in the least particular. He is infinitely trustworthy. No human words can set forth His worthiness to be trusted to the uttermost. It seems to me I never really trusted Him before, and it makes my heart ache to think of the long years in which I have dishonored Him so much when He was so worthy to be trusted!

Hannah Whitall Smith and Melvin Easterday Dieter, The Christian’s Secret of a Holy Life: The Unpublished Personal Writings of Hannah Whitall Smith (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

Sanctification, the Will of God

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Three works God does for mankind: Justification, Sanctification, Glorification. Justification is a legual term that declare a person saved by the work of Jesus Christ done on the cross. Sanctification is the process of transforming a sinner into Chrkist image. Glorification will take place after death or at the Rapture. Today we are dealing with the second aspect, how the Holy Spirit work in the life of a saint to make  him become like Christ. I hope you will enjoy Hannah reading.

I realize that Christ dwells in my heart by faith and that He is able and willing to subdue all things to Himself. And with a deep feeling of my own utter weakness and powerlessness to help myself, I give myself into His hands to be dealt with according to His will. If I am to be sanctified, if I am to be preserved blameless and harmless, it must be by the power of God for my own efforts have utterly failed. I believe that it is God’s will that I should be sanctified in that way, and I know He never will cast out any who come to Him. Therefore I believe that He receives me, and that He is working in me now to will and to do of His good pleasure. I believe this simply because of His promises to do just what I am asking Him to do for me, and I know His promises never fail.
As for feeling, I don’t have any. I see no signs of any work of God being wrought in me, but oh, I pray that I will not seek after a sign, but will simply take God at His word and will believe that He is doing what He has promised. Here I will wait and rest.
—Journal, October 22, 1866
Hannah Whitall Smith and Melvin Easterday Dieter, The Christian’s Secret of a Holy Life: The Unpublished Personal Writings of Hannah Whitall Smith (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

The price of freedom

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I try to be as positive and optimistic as possible, yet the Creator also teaches us to be cautious and alert. Alertness is exercising my physical and spiritual senses to recognize the dangers that could diminish the resources entrusted to me. Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance”. Apostle Paul under the leading of the Holy Spirit gave us a very serious warning in 2 Timothy 3:5 “Avoid these people!” Whose people was he describing in in those first five verses? I find that the author H.A. Ironside summarize it very accurately. “In 2 Timothy 3 the Holy Spirit is describing conditions in the professing church in the last days! There are twenty-one outstanding features in this prophecy of church conditions in the last days. Paul challenge you to look about you and see if these are not the conditions that characterize a great part of Christendom today—no reality, no power, yet much profession. The Church which began as “the pillar and ground of the truth,” is, in this twenty first century of its existence, “seeking” the truth, thereby acknowledging they never yet have found it!”[1]

In His Sermon on the mountain, Jesus said that a <Tree is identified by its fruit>. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 Remember Jefferson advice “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance”. How to keep your freedom?

Two simple questions will help you;

Do you guard your daily time with the Lord and His Word?

Do you ask God for daily guidance and find His will?

Let me rephrase them, “Do you pray and read the Bible daily?”

[1] H.A. Ironside, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1947), 220

The Ability to Do.

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” (Rom.1:16)

What God ask us to do the impossible! But how can it be done?  What does it means? The meaning of the word ‘power’ is not complicate. Dynamite was invented only 200 years ago; so it could not be that use the apostle Paul meant.

A definition of the word “power” means the ability to do. God gave us the ability to do what we couldn’t do on our own fallen human energy. You will receive ability to do. It will come on you.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”

In his book “The Counselor” A.w. Tozer mention this prayer, “Come on our churches in power as we rely upon the Spirit for “the ability to do” whatever You have called us to do. Amen.”

Source: Straight Talk about the Holy Spirit from a 20th-Century Prophet, A. W. Tozer [1]

[1] A. W. Tozer, The Counselor: Straight Talk About the Holy Spirit from a 20th Century Prophet (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 1993).