Let Them Alone!

God sometimes leaves men to themselves...their furious passions are unchained, and they are given up, without restraint, to the lusts of their own evil hearts!

A more dreadful judgment than this, cannot be inflicted on this side of hell. 

Matthew Henry writes, "People go on in sin until the Lord says, 'Let them alone!' 

Then they receive no more warnings and feel no more convictions.

Satan takes full possession of them and they ripen for destruction!

It is a sad and sore judgment for any man to be let alone in sin! 

Those who are not disturbed in their sin will be destroyed for their sin!

May we be kept from this dreadful state;

For the wrath of God, like a strong tempest will soon hurry all impenitent sinners into eternal ruin!"

~John Newton~

Lean Hard!

It is by an act of simple, prayerful faith that we transfer our cares and anxieties, our sorrows and needs, to the Lord.

Jesus invites you come and lean upon Him, and to lean with all your might upon that arm that balances the universe, and upon that bosom that bled for you upon the soldier's spear!

But you doubtingly ask, "Is the Lord able to do this thing for me?"

And thus, while you are debating a matter about which there is not the shadow of a shade of doubt, the burden is crushing your gentle spirit to the dust.

And all the while Jesus stands at your side and lovingly says, "Cast your burden upon Me and I will sustain you.

I am God Almighty! I bore the load of your sin and condemnation up the steep of Calvary; and the same power of omnipotence, and the same strength of love that bore it all for you then - is prepared to bear your need and sorrow now.

Roll it all upon Me! Child of My love! Lean Hard! Let Me feel the pressure of your care.

I know your burden, child! I shaped it I poised it in My own hand and made no proportion of its weight to your unaided strength.

For even as I laid it on, I said I shall be near, and while she leans on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not hers.

So shall I keep My child within the encircling arms of My own love.

Here lay it down!

Do not fear to impose it on a shoulder which upholds the government of worlds!

Yet closer come! You are not near enough!

I would embrace your burden, so I might feel My child reposing on My bosom.

You love Me! I know it. Doubt not, then. But, loving me, lean hard!" 

~Octavius Winslow~

He Is A Fool!

You will not be persecuted for holding gospel  truths in the head; but for having grace in your heart; for the former will not cause you to differ from the world. 

When the fruits of the Spirit manifest themselves in your life; when you are blind to your own interest in this world; when you are deaf to the advice of the worldly-wise, then it will be said of you, He is a changed man; he is a fool! 

Now, my dear brother, be assured of this, as God works in your dark soul, such changes as these will be caused; so that instead of panting after the riches of this world, you will pant after the unsearchable riches of Christ! 

Human nature cannot and will not make great sacrifices; but as you have a knowledge given to you by the Spirit of the exceeding great and precious promises laid up in Christ for God's chosen few, you will be led to see the nothingness and vanity of all things here below, and you will with joy cry out, We have a kingdom which cannot be moved!

God, by His Spirit, quickens, and He alone can enable you to separate from your old companions and the world, and so make great sacrifices for Christ's sake, who has died that you might live; who became poor that you through His poverty might be made rich!

~William Tiptaft~

Desperate Situations

Act 12:7  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

Act 16:25  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
 
Act 16:26  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

This is God's way. In the darkest hours of the night, His tread draws near across the billows.

As the day of execution is breaking, the angel comes to Peter's cell.

When the scaffold for Mordecai is complete, the royal sleeplessness leads to a reaction in favor of the favored race.

Ah, soul, it may have to come to the worst with thee ere thou art delivered; but thou wilt be delivered!

God may keep thee waiting, but he will ever be mindful of His covenant, and will appear to fulfill His inviolable Word.

~F. B. Meyer~

There's a simplicity about God in working out His plans, yet a resourcefulness equal to any difficulty, and an unswerving faithfulness to His trusting child, and an unforgetting steadiness in holding to His purpose.

Through a fellow-prisoner, then a dream, He lifts Joseph from a prison to a premiership. And the length of stay in the prison prevents dizziness in the premier.

It's safe to trust God's methods and to go by His clock.

~S. D. Gordon~

Providence hath a thousand keys to open a thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of His own, when it is even come to a desperate case.

Let us be faithful; and care for our own part which is to suffer for Him, and lay Christ's part on Himself, and leave it there.

~George MacDonald~

Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle-it is miracle in its first stage.

If it is to be a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty but impossibility.

The clinging hand of His child makes a desperate situation a delight to Him.

The Omnipotence Of GOD

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
 

Believer! what can better support and sustain you amid the trials of your pilgrimage, than the thought that you have an Omnipotent arm to lean upon?

The God with whom you have to do is boundless in His resources!

There is no crossing His designs no thwarting His purposes no questioning His counsels.

His mandate is law! "He speaks and it is done!" 

Your need is great.

From the humblest crumb of providential goodness, up to the richest blessing of Divine grace you are hanging from moment to moment, as a poor pensioner on Jehovah's bounty!

But, fear not! "I am the Almighty God!" Finite necessities can never exhaust My infinite fullness!

My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus! 

To You, O blessed Jesus! all power has been committed in Heaven and in earth.

ALL power! He has in His hands the reigns of universal empire!

To "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" has been entrusted the seven-sealed scroll of Providence. 

Whatever is the blessing which the poorest, weakest, loneliest, most afflicted of His saints require-if it is really for their good-the Wonderful Counselor secures it.

As a Prince, He has power with God, and must prevail.

He combines in His adorable Person, all that a sinner requires: a Heart tender enough to love; and a Hand strong enough to save.

The Elder Brother! the "Mighty God!"

How He delights in the exercise of His omnipotence in behalf of His own people-in ruling over their interests, and overruling their trials for their eternal good!

When He prays for Himself, it is "Not My will." 

When He prays for them, it is, "Father, I will!"

I may well take the motto which He still bears on His breastplate before the Throne, as the ground of support and encouragement in all time of tribulation, able to save to the uttermost!

My enemies are many - their name is Legion:
 

Satan, the great adversary; heart traitors- bosom sins; the world, and the world's trinity: the lusts of the flesh, and the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life!
 

But He who is for me, is greater far than all that can be against me.

He is "stronger" than the "strong man."

Christ the Power of God. "I, who speak in righteousness, am mighty to save!"

Believer, are you in trial, beaten down with a great fight of afflictions like the disciples, out in a midnight of storm, buffeting a sea of trouble? 

Fear not! When the tempest has done its work, when the trial has fulfilled its mission the voice which hushed the waters of old, has only to give forth the omnipotent mandate, "Peace, be still!"

And immediately there will be a great calm!

The "all power" of Jesus! what a pillow on which to rest my aching head; disarming all my fears, and inducing thoughts of sweetest comfort, consolation, and joy!

Psa 4:8  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

~John Macduff~

Progressiveness In GOD'S Dealings

In the course of our spiritual history God deals with us in ever-deepening ways.

Down, down, down, He goes, until He touches bottom to have things true at our very depth. 

He undercuts all our professions, doctrines, assumptions, pretensions, illusions, and customs.

There is no mere formalism about this; no mere Jewish ritual in this; no mere outward observance of rites and ceremonies in this! No! 

This has got to go right into the inmost being, in the inward parts.

God works toward that. God is ever working toward the most inward parts.

Do you recognize that?

Do you understand what He is doing with us? 

Oh, He will meet us with blessing on a certain level, as we walk before Him, like the man in Psalm 1.

He will meet us with His gracious provision when we transgress and trespass and fail, and do wrong - He will meet us there in grace.

But God is going to pursue this matter to the most inward place of our being, and register there His work of grace and redemption.

Thou desirest...and David did not come to that until he reached the profoundest, the deepest place of need, of failure, of conscious weakness and worthlessness.

Then he cried. 

It is not enough to just please God in ordinary ways;

It is not enough to observe the ritual of the Law, and go to the ceremonies, and carry out all that which is external.

God is after truth in the inward parts, right down into the depths of our being.

Why? Why?

Because truth is a major feature and constituent of the Divine nature.

God is called the God of Truth;

Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Godhead, called Himself the Truth...

I am... the truth; "To this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth";

The Holy Spirit is described as the Spirit of Truth--"when He, the Spirit of truth, is come".

The Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are characterized by this one feature - TRUTH!

And God desires and has set His heart upon having people who are partakers of the Divine nature, and so He is working ever more deeply toward this end:

What is true of Himself shall be true of His children - those begotten of Him...

That they should be true sons of God in this sense.

~T. Austin Sparks~

"In The Secret Place Of The Stairs"

Song Of Solomon 2:14  O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
 
The dove is in the cleft of the rock-the riven side of our Lord. 

There is comfort and security there. It is also in the secret places of the stairs.

It loves to build its nest in the high towers to which men mount the winding stairs for hundreds of feet above the ground.

What a glorious vision is there obtained of the surrounding scenery.

It is a picture of ascending life.

To reach its highest altitudes we must find the secret places of the stairs.

That is the only way to rise above the natural plane.

Our life should be one of quiet mounting with occasional resting places; but we should be mounting higher step by step. 

Everybody does not find this way of secret ascent.

It is for God's chosen ones.

The world may think you are going down.

You may not have as much public work to do as formerly.

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

It is a secret, hidden life.

We may be hardly aware that we are growing, till some day a test comes and we find we are established.

Have you got above the power of sin so that Christ is keeping you from willful disobedience?

Does it give you a shudder to know the consciousness of sin? 

Are you lifted above the world?

~A. B. Simpson~

Deliverance From Dust And Chaff

 Amos 9:9  For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
 
The sifting process is going on still. Wherever we go, we are still being winnowed and sifted.

In all countries God's people are being tried "like as corn is sifted in a sieve."

Sometimes the devil holds the sieve and tosses us up and down at a great rate, with the earnest desire to get rid of us forever.

Unbelief is not slow to agitate our heart and mind with its restless fears.

The world lends a willing hand at the same process and shakes us to the right and to the left with great vigor.

Worst of all, the church, so largely apostate as it is, comes in to give a more furious force to the sifting process.

Well, well! Let it go on.

Thus is the chaff severed from the wheat.

Thus is the wheat delivered from dust and chaff.

And how great is the mercy which comes to us in the text, "Yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"!

All shall be preserved that is good, true, gracious.

Not one of the least of believers lose anything worth calling a loss.

We shall be so kept in the sifting that it shall be a real gain to us through Christ Jesus.

~Charles Spurgeon~

 

The Sword Of The LORD And Of Gideon

Judges 7:20  And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!

The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do.

First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine.

Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus.

Then there must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet.

There must be active exertions for the ingathering of sinners by proclaiming Christ crucified.

Take the gospel to them; carry it to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to escape it; blow the trumpet right against their ears.
 
Remember that the true war-cry of the Church is Gideon’s watchword, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!”

God must do it, it is his own work.

But we are not to be idle; instrumentality is to be used...“The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!”

If we only cry, “The sword of the Lord!” we shall be guilty of an idle presumption; and if we shout, “The sword of Gideon!” alone, we shall manifest idolatrous reliance on an arm of flesh:

We must blend the two in practical harmony, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!”

We can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do everything by the help of our God; 

Let us, therefore, in his name determine to go out personally and serve with our flaming torch of holy example, and with our trumpet tones of earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with us, 

And Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts shall reign forever and ever.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Complete Safety

Deu 33:12  And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Yes, there is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God.

For His best beloved the LORD can find no surer or safer place.

O LORD, let me always abide under Thy shadow, close to Thy wounded side.

Nearer and nearer would I come to Thee, my LORD; and when once specially near Thee, I would abide there forever.

What a covering is that which the LORD gives to His chosen!

Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bomb-proof casement, nor even an angel's wing, but Jehovah Himself.

Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered.

This covering the LORD will grant us all the day long, however long the day.

LORD, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power.

Does the third clause mean that the LORD in His temple would dwell among the mountains of Benjamin or that the LORD would be where Benjamin's burden should be placed, or does it mean that we are borne upon the shoulders of the Eternal?

In any case, the LORD is the support and strength of His saints. 

LORD, let me ever enjoy Thy help, and then my arms will be sufficient for me. 

~Charles Spurgeon~

Keeping The Unity

Strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of the Spirit in the binding power of peace.

Oneness in Christ as a Body fitly framed together is what is portrayed.

How is this perfect unity reached?

By all that is individual and personal being left, by the Lord being the focal center, and by our giving diligence to maintain the unity in that way;

Keeping all personal things out, and keeping Christ and His interests always in view....

This is not visionary, imaginative, or merely idealistic, it is very practical.

You and I will discover that there are working elements of divisiveness, things creeping in amongst us to set us apart.

The enemy is always seeking to do that, and the things that rise up to get in between the Lord's people and put up a barrier are countless;

A sense of strain and of distance, for example, of discord and of unrelatedness.

Sometimes they are more of an abstract character;

That is, you can never lay your hand upon them and explain them, and say what they are;

It is just a sense of something.

Sometimes it is more positive, a distinct and definite misunderstanding, a misinterpretation of something said or done, something laid hold of;

And of course, it is always exaggerated by the enemy.

How is that kind of thing to be dealt with in order to keep the unity of the Spirit?

Rightly, adequately on this basis alone, by our saying: "This is not to the Lord's interests; this can never be of value to the Lord; this can never be to His glory and satisfaction; this can only mean injury to the Lord."

What I may feel in the matter is not the vital consideration.

I may even be the wronged party, but am I going to feel wronged and hurt?

Am I going to stand on my dignity?

Am I going to shut myself up and go away, because I have been wronged?

That is how nature would have it, but I must take this attitude: The Lord stands to lose, the Lord's Name stands to suffer, the Lord's interests are involved in this;

I must get on top of this; I must get the better of this; I must shake this thing off and not allow it to affect my attitude, my conduct, my feelings toward this brother or sister!

There must be the putting aside of that which we feel, and even of our rights for the Lord's sake, and a getting on top of this enemy effort to injure the Lord's testimony.

That is giving diligence to keep the unity....

Life is by unity, and unity can only adequately be found in Christ being in His place as the One for whom we let go everything that is personal. 

We might not do it for the sake of anyone else. 

We might never do it for the sake of the person in view.

We do it for His sake, and the enemy is defeated. 

~T. Austin Sparks~

"Evening Wolves"

Hab 1:8  Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.

While preparing the present volume, this particular expression recurred to me so frequently, that in order to be rid of its constant importunity I determined to give a page to it.

The evening wolf, infuriated by a day of hunger, was fiercer and more ravenous than he would have been in the morning.

May not the furious creature represent our doubts and fears after a day of distraction of mind, losses in business, and perhaps ungenerous tauntings from our fellow men?

How our thoughts howl in our ears, “Where is now thy God?”

How voracious and greedy they are, swallowing up all suggestions of comfort, and remaining as hungry as before.

Great Shepherd, slay these evening wolves, and bid thy sheep lie down in green pastures, undisturbed by insatiable unbelief.

How like are the fiends of hell to evening wolves, for when the flock of Christ are in a cloudy and dark day, and their sun seems going down, they hasten to tear and to devour.

They will scarcely attack the Christian in the daylight of faith, but in the gloom of soul conflict they fall upon him.

O thou who hast laid down thy life for the sheep, preserve them from the fangs of the wolf.

False teachers who craftily and industriously hunt for the precious life, devouring men by their false-hoods, are as dangerous and detestable as evening wolves.

Darkness is their element, deceit is their character, destruction is their end.

We are most in danger from them when they wear the sheep’s skin.

Blessed is he who is kept from them, for thousands are made the prey of grievous wolves that enter within the fold of the church.

What a wonder of grace it is when fierce persecutors are converted, for then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and men of cruel ungovernable dispositions become gentle and teachable.

O Lord, convert many such: for such we will pray tonight.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Do As Thou Hast Said

1Ch 17:23  Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.
 
1Ch 17:24  Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
 
THIS is a most blessed phase of true prayer. Many a time we ask for things which are not absolutely promised.

We are not sure therefore until we have persevered for some time whether our petitions are in the line of God's purpose or no.

There are other occasions, and in the life of David this was one, when we are fully persuaded that what we ask is according to God's will.

We feel led to take up set plead some promise from the page of Scripture, under the special impression that it contains a message for us.

At such times, in confident faith, we say, "Do as Thou hast said."

There is hardly any position more utterly beautiful, strong, or safe, than to put the finger upon some promise of the Divine Word, and claim it.

There need be no anguish, or struggle, or wrestling; we simply present the check and ask for cash, produce the promise, and claim its fulfillment; nor can there be any doubt as to the issue.

It would give much interest to prayer, if we were more definite. It is far better to claim a few things specifically than a score vaguely.

David's argument was not simply that his house might be established, but that God's name might be magnified for ever.

It is good when we can lose sight of our personal interests in our keen desire for his glory; when we are so delivered from egotism, that Christ is all and in all. 

Let the attitude of your soul be more towards the glory of God;

And as you quote promise after promise for the enthroning of Christ, the saving of men, and the sanctification of your soul, dare in humble faith to say, Do as Thou hast said, that thy Name may be magnified for ever.

~F. B. Meyer~

With Me Wherever I Am

2Chronicles 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~