Living Consistently - Allen Blair

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When Lile Goes Up and Down
Books by J. Allen Blair

Living Patiently-lUhen God Seems Far Away

A Devotional Study of Job
Living Victoriowly-When Winning It AU Isn't Enough

A Devotional Study of Philippians
Living Peacefiilly-lUhen tlre WorldWon't Leave You Alone

A Devotional Study of 1 Peter
Living Consistently-Wlwn Ltfe Goes Up and Down

A Devotional Smdy of the Christian Life
I
IT
When Life Goes Up and Down
A Deuotiona! Study of the Ghristian Life
J. AIlen Blau
@
PUBLICAT!ONS
Gnand Bapids, Ml 49501

Living Coruistently-Wlun Life Goes Up and Down
A Devotional Study of tlu Christian Ufe by J. Allen Blair.
Copynght @ 1995 by J. Allen Blair.

Published in 1995 by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel,
lnc., P.O. Box 2607,Grand Rapids, MI 49501.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or Eansmitted in any form or by
any means,+lecfonic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or
otherwise-without written permission of the publisher, ex-
cept for brief quotations in printed reviews.
Cover Photograph: CLEO Photography

Cover and Book Design: Alan G. Hanman
Library of Congrcss Cataloglng-in-Publication Data

Blair, J. Allen.
lProfile of a Christianl
Living consistently: when life goes up and down /
J. Allen Blair.
p. crt
Originally published: Profile of a Christian. Westchester.
Itl.: Crood News Publishers, 1982.
1. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4501.2.B5556 1995 248.44c?fr 94-38138
CIP
ISBN 0-8254 -2187-x (paperback)
I 2 3 4 5 Printing / Year 99 98 97 96 95
Prilted in tlw United Sntes of America

CONTENTS
Preface 7
1. Believe and Know It .... . 9
2. Read and Apply the Bible ......17
3. Talk with God 23
4. Worship God . . ... .. .31
5. Desire God's Will 37
6. WalkbyFaith ....... .45
7. Share the Good News .51
8. Love Everyone .61
9. Deny Self .69
10. Live Convincingly . . . . . . . . .79
ll. Claim Victory over Sin 89
12. Give Gengrously . . . . . . . . . . 97
13. Care for the Body and Mind . 103
14. The Source of Power . . . . . . 109
5
PREFACE
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you
have made the most important decision of your entire life.
Those who have experienced this great salvation should be
eternally grateful. Thfutk what you were without Christ, but
consider what you are by God's grac.e.
Paul reminded the Ephesians-and ss-"And you hath he
quickened, who werc dead in respasses and sins; Wherein in
time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience: . . . God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even
when we werc dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
ChrisL OV grace ye are saved;)" (Eph.2;l-2,4-5).
We were on our way to hell, illd God in His mercy and love
delivered us from the penalty and power of sin.
Following our salvation experieo@, we begin a journey that
will eventually take us into the visible presence of Christ.
7
8 Living Consistently
There is no promise that this journey will always be pleasant.

There will be hardships, temptations, and sorrows. At the same
time there will be joy, peace, and blessing. Greatest of all,
Christ will be with us to care for us and provide all our needs
every step of the way. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
This journey can either be a thrilling experien@ or dull and
uninteresting. Actually, to a large degree it will depend on
what we make it. We have a choice of victory or defeat.
What you will read in the following pages will offer posi-
tive suggestions for victory in your new life. Take them to
heart and do your best to follow through in the strngth of the
Lord.
Chapter 1
BELIEVE AND KNOW IT
Jesus chose seventy disciples, endowed them with power to

perfiorm miracles, and sent them to serve Him. They returned,
elated over the ftemendous success, and declared, "Even devils
werc subject to us."
But the Lord shifted the trend of their conversation. "Not-
withstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto
you; but rather rejoice, because your names arc written in
heaven" (Luke 10:20). It would be wonderful to be able to
perform miracles, but Christ emphasized a more important
mafter{o have our names written in the Lamb's Book of
Life, to know we are ready to meet God. The Bible explains
clearly the way of salvation God has provided. It tells us that
receiving by faith Christ as Savior and Lord we can rejoice in
knowing our sins arc forgiven and our nalnes are among the
redeemed.
Paul had tltis remarkable experience on the road to Danrascus.
He renounced all efforts to save himself and recognized Clrist as
the way to etemal life. He had been areligious nuur, a "Hebrew of
9
l0 Living Consistently
Hebrews" of the tibe of Benjamin, a Pharisee. He had left no

stone untumed in seeking to obtain salvation by his owll effolts.
He tithed wiflrout omitting the weightier matters of flre law. He
eefl
could have said wiilt the young ruur who czrme to Jesus,
these things have I keS fircm my youth" Maff. 19:20). fuid so
strongly did tE think his way was right, tre pe,rsecuted the Christians.
But suddenly on the Damascts road Paul calne to realize he was
lreading in the wrong dirrctiorL and what had seenpd to be
necessary tud become worthlqss.
He relied totally on the rnerits of Christ.
Have you, like Paul, received Christ? If not, why arc you
waiting? Perhaps you are waiting for a vision or a voice. If so,
you may never get saved. [n His Word, the Bible, God has
asked us to come to Him through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
Turn to the living Christ, and ask Him to come into your life
and to save you.
People who come to Christ sometimes later are not sure
whether they are saved-they lack the assuriilrce the true child
of God should possess. If you are unsur€ of yotr salvation,
here are some tests for self-examination. They all come from
the first epistle of John, although other passages say much the
same thing.
"If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is
perfected in us" (1 John 4:12). "We know that we have passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death" (1 John 3:14). Do you
love the people of God, cherish fellowship with thern, and are
willing to help them when they arc in need? Jesus said, "fnas-
much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethrer, ye have done it unto me" (Matt .25:40).
Another test is found in 1 John 4:13, "Hereby know we that
we dwell in hinu and he in us, because he hath grven us of his
Spirit." The very moment one calls on Christ for salvation, he
Believe and Know It t1
or she receives the Spirit of God. The Christian is "born of the

Spirit" as we are told in John 3:5.
Is the Spirit of God living in you? This is not emotionalism
or religious feeling but someone influencing you for good. If
you are not aware of the Holy Spirit's presence, it is probable
that He does not live with you. In Ronnns 8:8-9 we read, "So
then they that arc in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are
not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he
is none of his."
One may be going through depression as the result of some
sorrow and yet be aware of the inner peace the Holy Spirit
gtves. The aposfle Paul wrote, "We are troubled on every side,
yet not distrressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Perse-
cuted, but not forsaken; mst down, but not desffoyed; Always
bearing about in the body the dying of the L,ord Jesus, that the
life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor.
4:8-10).
The Apostle faced distress and yet wzm able to move on an
even keel because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. If you do
not know the Holy Spirit dwells within you, perhaps you have
had only an emotional stirring instead of a real step of faith.
Another test of salvation is in 1 John 4:15. "'Whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in
him, and he in God." Christians declare their belief in Jesus
Christ to those around them. Are you ashamed of the One who
gave His life on the cross for you? Or do you speak boldly
when Crod grves you the opportunity to let other people know
you belong to Christ? "Whosoever therefore shall confess nre
before men," said Jesus, "him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me be-
fore men, him will I also deny before my Fatlrer which is in
heaven" (Matt. 10:3243).
To deny Christ, one needs only to remain silent when he or

she has the opportunity to wifiress. One who has met the Lord
will be anxious to help others conrc to know Him too. The
believer will speak for Christ.
Another test in this epistle can grve assuran@. "And he that
keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, ord he in him"
(1 John 3:24). Obedience to God is a blessed sign of one who
is in God's family. I'm not referring to the Ten Command-
ments alone for God has grven in both the Old and New
Testaments other commandments which are to be obeyed. The
unsaved cannot obey them for they do not have the Spirit of
God to gtve them power to obey. Only the one who has conre
to God through Christ has this power at his or her disposal.
Many people have a great deal of religious talk but litfle
convincing action. They have outward piety, but arc not changed
within. Jesus said, "[f ye love rle, keep my comnnndments"
(John 1415). fuid again, "Ye arc my friends, if ye do whatso-
ever I command you" (John 15: l4). People can talk about C,od
but unless they back it up with action, others have reason to
doubt that they ever met the Lord. Those who love Christ will
obey Him and seek to do His will as revealed in the Bible.
The question then arises, 'Can a saved person be lost again?'
A person who has entered into a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ and nrcimures up to the tests of a Christian in
John's epistle may still lack assuiiltce that he or she will "stay
saved."
The Bible sys, "For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast" (Eph.2:U9). Salvation tlren is by
God's grace and not by our works. That God has done this
should assue us that it can't be undone. To believe otherwise
detracts from His perfect work for us. Also, the fact that
Jesus speaks about salvation as a new birttt (John 3:3, 7)
Beliarc ondKnow It 13
gives asswurnce that it is irreversible. As in physical birth, it is

impossible to be "unborn." "But as many as received him, to
them gave he the power to beconrc the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his nulme: Which werc born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God"
(John l:12-13). The new birth is from God.
Furttrer, the Bible iNsures us that when one believes, he or
she receives eternal life-not temporary life. In John 3:16 we
reod, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlnsting life." One cannot get the idea of
"temporary" ftom the word "everlasting." That which is eternal
never ends. Endless, continuous life is given by God to the one
who places his or her tmst in Christ.
Nowhere in the Bible are we told that anyone goes to heaven
on the grounds of what he or she does. Heaven is granted only
to those who have acknowledged that Jesus Christ died for
their sins and rose from the gmve in victory over death. If we
could get to heaven on our own merit" Christ's sacrifice would
have been unnecessary. Therefore, even if a saved person dies
in a backslidden condition, he or she enters heaven for it has
been purchased for that person by Christ. The backslidden
Christian gains heaver, os it were, by the skin of one's t@th.
The believer is constantly urged in Scripture to not back-
slide but, if he or she does, to quickly return to God's fellow-
ship.
In the explanation of the Communion Service in
I Corinthians 11, Paul points out the importance of examining
one's own heart before partaking of the elements. In Corinth
sofiIe believers were coming to ttre [,ord's table in an unworthy
numner. They were backslidden in ttnt they knew they had sin
in their lives and were not willing to confess it. Paul referred to
them as "weak and sickly." He furtlrcr indicated that some had
even died, as he used the ternr" "and nxany sleep." fu judged

them physically but this is not synonymous with spiritual judg-
ment. They took sick and died and their bodies went to dust,
but their souls went to heaven.
There is no reison for a Christian to be backslidden except
by choice. "If we confess our sins," says the Word of God, "he
is faithful and just to forgrve us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness" (l John l:9).
Some people wonder about Judas. He followed Christ for
three years and did not go to heaven. Jesus said, "'While I was
with them in the world, I kept them in thy narne: those that
thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the
son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled" (John
17:12). ln the upper room Jesus dipped bread into the cup of
wine and gave it to Judas, the one who would bemay Him.
Scripture records, 'uAfter the sop Satan entered into him" (John
13:27). Judas received a demon, and no one possessed by a
dernon can go to heaven. Judas is not characteristic of the
Christian. He was a pretender-not a backslider. A thin line is
drawn betrveen a backslider and a person such as Judas. Only
God can tell the differen@.
The important thing is to be sure we have repented of sin,
acknowledged Christ's death on oru behall and asked Him to
conre into our [ife. Then, if we follow the L,ord daily in the
power of the Holy Spirit" we will not doubt our salvation.
The Bible says, "He that endtreth to tlrc end shall be saved."
This means we prove our salvation daily with holy living until
we meet the Lord.
We have blessed assurance that not only do we belong to
God now, but that we will be with the Lord when we die.
Believe and Know It 15
Crrusr KNows ME
I know not how the world turns 'round

Nor how designs are formed in snow.
I do not know how stars stay up
Nor how from seed the flowers grow.
I know not how 'lectricity speaks
ln instant voice o'er miles of space,
Nor how each element of earth
Retains its weight and finds its place,
I know not how my heart responds
To outside calls ofjoy or strife,
Nor how in turn my mind reacts
To all the driving needs of life.
But I know Him who died for me,
Yes, I know Him who set me free.
And one day sune, He'll come for me.
Oh joy of joys, that Christ knows me!
Steidman
-Bl
Chapter2
READ AND APPLY THE BIBLE
A survey of a thousand pastors, Sunday school teachers, and

worken revealed that only fifty of ttrem had read the Bible
through, and of those who had read tlre Bible in its entirety only
one out of ten had done so in a single year. Perhaps this explains
why the church is impotent in these days of trenrendous need.
Most of us read and study the Bible too slowly--by chapters
or verses here and there rather than studying it as a book. We
need to get an overview of the Bible to know and understand
all of God's tmth.
There is no book in all the world iN profound and mighty as
the Word of God. In Hebrews 4:12 we read that the "word of
God is quick, and powerftrl, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit"
and of the joints and nraffow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart." Here is a book that can pierce the
very conscience of man; a book that reveals the sinfulness of
man, gtves the only remedy for sin and evil, and points us to
the way of everlasting [ife. This is the Word of the Lord.
t7
lnZ Timothy 3:l Gl'| we arc told uuAll scripture is given by

inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correctior, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good wod(s."
God tells us all Scripture came from Him. In other words, all
that was recorded in the original manuscripts is from God. For
this reason, the Bible can rightfully be called the Word of God.
The Bible is the only wriffen revelation God has given of
Himsell His purposes, and His plans.
The predominant theme throughout the Bible is God's plan
for redeeming sinful man through His Son Jesus Christ. fn the
Old Testament God's program through Christ is foretold, and
the New Testament records the fulfillment. The Bible does tell
about creation and about the sun and the moon and the stars.
But as someone has said, "The Bible is not written to teach us
how the Heavens go, but how to go to Heaven." It is the story
of the Son of God coming into the world to save us from our
sins-how He was crucified, buried, resunected, and ascended
and how He will come again.
We ire further told that "all scripture is profitable for
doctrine." Notice that God says, "all scripture is profitable"
and all scripture is inspired. There are some who like to take
parts of the Bible and say, "This is God's Word," and exclude
other parts. Either we must accept all as the Word of God or
none of it. Our Lord imsures us that it is all His Word, md it is
all profitable. This is why every believer ought to read the
entire Bible through time and time again. Some of us have
selected portions we read repeatedly, but I think God wants us
to read the entire Bible systematically. By reading tluee chap-
ters a day and five chapters on Sunday the Bible can be read
through once a year. I have sought to do this every yeil, and it
has been a blessing to me.
We also read that "all scripture is profitable for reproof."
Read atld Apply thc Bible lg
Even God's people are prcud and arrogant at heart. But as we
study the Bible, we see ourselves as we really are. We are
convicted of our sin and our shortcomings. We need the daily
reproval and rebuke of God's Truth. Without the Bible we
have no conception of sin or what sin does to us. His Word
brings us to our knees in humble penitence and confession to
God. It is for this rcimon that many people have no time for the
Bible. Since it makes them uncomfortable, they choose to
ignore it altogether.
Not only is Scripture profitable for doctrine and reprool but
we also read that "all scripture is profitable for correction."
God not only tells us what is wrong with us, He tells us what
we mn do about it. The Bible is the only book in the world
that gtves us the mind of God concerning right and wrong.
There are many so-called authorities on every hand. One con-
demns a practice. Another says it is right. How ire we to know
which is right? God has not left us in the dark. In Isaiah 30:21
we Ead, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, My-
ing, This is the way, walk ye in iq when ye turn to the right
hand, and when ye turn to the Ieft." The Lord will lead us and
direct us if we want to be led.
God also says that "all scripture is profitable for inshrction
in righteousness." How we need this instruction in our day.
There are so many temptations on every side. We need a Book
which will purify our hearts and cleanse our minds. fn John
15:3 we read, "Now ye are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you." otrr minds arc soon tainted by the
things we see and hear. We need the refteshing, cleansing
power of God's Word.
Finally, these verses tell us that all Scripture is given 'qthat
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works." The believer needs to mature into the fullness of
the image of Christ. Many who believe on Christ don't grow
20 Living Consistent$
spiritually. One rcason for this is that they neglect the Word of
God. In 1 Peter 2:2 we read, "As newborn babes, desire the
sincene milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." If you
want to grow and be strong in the [,ord, a few hasty minutes of
reading and studying the Bible arc not enough.
I believe everyone who is tnrly born again ought to have a
tinre first thing in the morning to get alone with God's Word
and to feed on the tnlth of the Scriptures. Most of us take tirne
to eat breakfast even though it may be only acup of coffee and
a piece of toast. But often we let otrr souls starye. Some day
your body will die and rcturn to dust, but your soul will live
for eternity. The best preparation you can make for that day is
to get sonre soul nourishment from the Bread of Life-4od's
Word. But we also need this nourishment to live as spiritual
Christians now.
Jesus said on one occasioo, "Ye do oIT, not knowing the
scriptures" (Matt.22:29). How numy mistakes we make simply
because we do not take time to read the Scriptures. And how
can we apply the Scriptures when we don't know them?
Christians who go from week to week without any kind of
Bible reading and rrcditation are usually spiritually weak They
have little testimony for God.
The president of a Christian college told of a senior who
came in to see him. This young man was frustrated and de-
feated and realized that he had to get down to business. He
wits to be graduated soon-at least he hoped to be gradu-
ated-and going out into the world to take his place in society.
He had wasted much of his time in college and on several
occasions had been called in for discipline. He opened his
heart to the college president and told of some of the things he
had been doing which were conffary to Cluistian standards. In
other words he was out of fellowship with God. The college
president let the young man talk himself out, and when he had
Read ond Apply tltc Bible 2l
nothing more to say, the president asked one question: "When
did you last read your Bible?" With chagrin and embanass-
ment the young man replied, "I haven't read my Bible for a
year." This was obvious, for one does not usually get into such
a state when he or she stays close to the Word of God.
Maybe at this monrent you arc mixed up. you are con-
vinced that you are saved. You have made a profession of
faith, but you aren't growing as a Christian. When did you last
read your Bible? Are you taking tinre each day to let Clgd
speak to you? There are no shortcuts.
Maybe you arc a defeated Christian. You are bogged down
with worries, distrss, and sorrow. Perhaps it is because you
are fiying to face life in your own energ:y, which is nothing
more than weakness. May I suggest that tomorrow morning
you set the alarm a little earlier? Take time to meet Crod. Read
His Word.
Take time even though you may have only a little tirne.
Give God the opportunity to speak to you. This is important in
Bible study. A great rnathematician once said that if he were
given only two minutes to solve a problem, he would spend
one of those minutes in deciding the method by which he
could reach the solution. This is excellent advice. Never be
prcssed or hunied when you read the Word of God.
In Psalm46:10 we read, "Be still, and know that I am God."
God speaks to us in the Scriptures. We must center our thoughts
on Him and what He says to us. When we open the Book, we
must rccogntze who it is that speaks--God the Maker of heaven
and earth, God the Father of ou Lord Jesus Christ, the Clod
who shall judge the living and the dead.
Do you rcahzn that after the earth is puified by frrc (and
that will conre at the end of the Millennium) in preparation for
the people of Crod, the only thing that will stand that firE will
be the Word of God? We are told this in both the Old and the
22 Living ConsistentlY
New Testaments. In Isaiah 40:8 we read, "The grass withereth,

the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for
ever." Then in Matthew 24:35 we read, "Heaven and eanh
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." If God
has given us a Book that will stand throughout eternity,
shouldn't we who are in Christ be familiar with its contents?
Possibly you do not know the Author of this Book. You
have not tmsted Christ for salvation. Tlrc Bible says to you,
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the L,ord shall be
saved." Respond to this glorious truth. Call on Christ-the
Living Word. Claim the blessings of salvation in Him. fuid
then, daily go to the written Word and read of Him, and you
will grow spiritually iN you follow Him and do His will.
Thank God for His Word: "Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but my words shall not pass away."
Chapter 3
TALK WITH GOD
Among the gracious invitations to followers of Christ is the

one to "corne boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find gmce to help in time of need" (Heb.
4:16). This assues us we can be confident that He who invites
us to pray will also answer us.
There arc believers who think that God does not always
answer prayer. The L,ord answers all prayers of those who are
in fellowship with Him. To be "in fellowship" means that one
believes in Christ as L,ord and daily seeks to live in His will. If
there is unconfessed sin, prayer is in vain.
David said in Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear me." If you ate a Christian living in sin
which you are not willing to forsake for Christ, your praying is
inef,fectual until you get right with God. If we confess our sins
to the Lord daily, and "walk in the light as He is in the light "
then we may claim the promise our Lord gave us in John l5:7,
"If ye abide in me, Bod my words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Notice, God says,
23
"It shall be done." He will answer, but it may not be as we

think He should. He will answer in a way that is for His glory.
There are three answers to prayer-Yes! No! Wait!-and
the answer may depend on how we pray. True prayer is not
an effort to enlist the will of God on the side of our desires,
but rather to bring our desires into conformity with His will.
This is necessary because of the tendency to be selfish in our
prayers. God says in James 4:3, "Ye osk, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts." As a result, God finds it necessary to answer our
prayers by doing a work in our hearts, mther than by grving
us that for which we prayed. He molds our desires to harmo-
nizn with His divine plan. Actually, the more we grow in
God's grace, the more our praying will become Christ-
centered rather than self-centered.
In Jarnes 5:16 we read that "tlre effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much." "Effectual" praying is Christ-
centered praying. It grows out of complete surrender of our
wills to the holy and perfect will of God. Our Lord Jesus
Christ exemplified this principle so completely in the garden
of Gethsemane. In spite of all that He had endured and all that
was atread of Him, He could pray, "Nevertheless, not my will
but thine be done." No matter how important or needful our
requests may seem to us, if they arc not in accord with the will
of God, they arc not best for us.
If our hearts arc clean and our motives in prayer arc Cluist-
centered, we shall experience the mighty power of God and
the reatity of Matthew 2l:22, "And all things, whatsoever ye
shatl ask in prayer, betieving, ye shall re@ive." So often it is
true as we read in Janres 4:2, "Ye have not, because ye ask
not." Even though we may be in a position to pray effectively,
if we neglect prayer, the rcsults will be few.
Throughout ttrc centuries, the people of Crod have taken
TalkwithGod 25
God at His Word and experienced the mighty miracles of

faith. He says in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto rne, and I will
answer thee, and show thee grcat and mighry things, which
thou knowest not." God's seryants in every generation have
seen these "great and mighty things" because of faithful and
fervent prayer.
John Knox cried out to his heavenly Fatlrer with sincerity of
heart, "Give nrc Scotland or I die." The Reformation was
ushered in through the prayers of Martin Luther. The English
revival under John Wesley was preceded by the prayers of
saints. Tlrc Great Awakening in Scofland under John Livingston
wils heralded by an all-night prayer meeting in which five
hundred souls werc saved. When saints of God arc serious
about prayer, the results can be endless. But actually, how
many believers arc really praying as they should? We often
hurry through a brief, perfunctory series of stereotyped and
repetitious ptrases and words that mean little to God and less
to us. The 'ohit and run" type of praying irccomplishes little.
How few Christians even spend three minutes a day in prayer.
Yet God says, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint."
"Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." "Pray
without ceasing." "Praying always with all prayer and suppti-
cation in the Spirit." "In everythitrg, by pnayer and supplica-
tion . . . let your requests be made known unto God." Repeatedly
throughout the Scriptures we find the call to prayer. Why
some Christians do not pray is difficult to understand.
God still speaks to those who take the time to talk to Him.
But we must take time. We are living in a day when every-
thing is speeded up, but Crod cannot be pushed or rushed. We
must do as He says in Psalm 27:l4, "wait on the Lord."
So often we pray and feel that we must have the answer
immediately. If God does not act instanfly, we become dis-
couaged and grve up.
Few believers take full advantage of the power of prayer.

Many of us are bogged down by care, worry, and fear. We
find ourselves in this unhappy state because we do not take our
burdens to the [nrd. God never intended our minds to be so
filled with stress and anxiety. He wants us to talk frreely with
Him as you would to your closest friend. He is the friend that
sticks closer than a brother. Unload your cares and burdens on
Him. Intercede for your loved ones and friends.
We must not, however, engage in foolish praying. That is,
we should not ask God to do for us what we ought to do
ourselves. Sometinres people pray, "I ord, draw me closer to
Thyself." This should be the con@rn of every believer, but we
can be guilty of merely praying this request while we do noth-
ing about it. Whose responsibility is it, for those of us who
know Christ, to get closer to Him? Is it God's or otus? The
Lord has made every provision that you and I walk closely
with Him. In fact, He says in James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God,
and he will draw nigh to you." According to this verse, we are
charged with the first move. It is foolish to pray for the Lord to
draw us nearer to Himself unless we are willing to respond to
the Spirinral exercises in His Word.
Another disturting petition is "Lord, make nrc a better wit-
ness for Thee." Many who pray that the L,ord will make them
a better witness never speak to a lost soul. The responsibility
to speak to the lost belongs to the believer. The Holy Spirit
must work through us, but let us not ask God to do what we
are expected to do.
Another foolish request is, "I-ord, supply my every n@d."
This intimates that we are expecting God to do something
supernatural without our cooperation. Some who make this
request are careless about their spending. Ottrers ignore their
stewardship responsibilities to God. I believe it would be
possible in many instances for us to answer this prayer our-
TalkwithGod 27
selves by being downright practical in the use of the money

the Lord has entrusted to us. Our prayers, then, however well-
meanitrg, will be useless unless we do ou part.
Have you ever thought, if God is all-knowing, if He under-
stands my situatior, and if He has power to supply, why can't
I pray once and let it go at that? why do I have to go to God
day after day with the same petition? I think I now have a
better understanding of the value of importunity, as Christ
taught it. Jesus says, "Ask, ond it shall be gtven you; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Each of
these verbs is in the present tense, implying a continued action.
ln other words, God is saying keep on asking, "and it shall be
given you." Keep on seeking, "and ye shall find." Keep on
knocking, "and it shall be opened unto you." There is a strong
indication that pereistence in prayer opens the door to the
blessing of God. The problem I had with importunity was that
I thought that it meant repetitior, and Christ condemns "vain
repetition" (Matt . 6:7). But repetition and importunity are not
synonymous. When Christ speaks about importunity in prayer,
He is referring to a petition that is repeated because of its
urgency. [t is a matter of deep, heartfelt concern to the one
who prays. Earnestness is involved, not wordiness. It is an
anxious heart beseeching God for divine intervention.
We see imporhrnity in the account of the Syrophoenician
woman in Matthew 15. This woruut came crying unto Jesus,
"Have mercy on nrc, o [,ord, thou son of David; my daughter
is grievously vexed with a devil." What was our Lord's rc-
sponse? Silence. Even the disciples seemed mot€ kind to this
woman, for they urged Christ to do something that would
satisff her so she would leave. "She keeps crying after us,"
they said. Jesus replied, "I wils sent only to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel." But she continued to implore Him saying,
"Lord, help me." Again he refused her, but she didn't grve up,
and Jesus answercd, "O wonum, great is thy faith: be it unto

thee even as thou wilt." And we read that "her daughter was
made whole from that very hotlr."
Here is an example of how the Lord responds to importu-
nity in prayer. This wonum continued to cry unto the Lord
because she had a burdened heart. Hers was not vain repeti-
tion. She was concerned about her daughter. She believed
Christ could help, and she refused to gtve up until He did. fu
rewarded her f,aith.
Are we concerned for the spirinrally lost? If we want to
witness effectively, we must also pray. We cannot expect to
penefrate minds blinded by Satan except by prayer. It is through
prayer that we overcome the devil and his work in the lives of
men. Even in evangelistic meetings in our chtrrches, this fact is
often overlooked. Speaking time is far out of proportion to
prayer tirne. Jesus declared in John 15:5, "Without me ye can
do nothin g." Also, if we are to be effectual witnesses, we must
pray to be delivered from ourselves and recogntze our depen-
dence on Him in telling the Good News.
Christians should also pray for their counfiry. The L,ord has
said, "If my people, which arc called by my nalne, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and hrrn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron.'l:14). We need to
do everything we possibly can to counteract the evils of our
day, and one way is to pray. National and world leadens need
wisdom beyond thenrselves in this complex ogo, and we should
show prayerftrl concern for them that they will look to the
Lord for salvation and guidance.
We have emphasized the importance of prayer in the life
of the Christian. The Bible tells us prayer to God must be
made through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the mediator. This
means that if you do not personally know Him, you cannot
TalkwithGod 29
approach God the Father. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "No man
cometh unto the Father, but by me." If you have never re-
ceived Christ into your life, ask Him to forgive your sins and
to take over the direction of your life. Then you will have the
privilege of prayer.
Chapter 4
WORSHIP GOD
Years ago a number of prominent literary men werc assembled

in a club room in [.ondon. They were discussing illustrious
figrues of the past when one suddenly asked, "Gentlemen,
what would we do if Milton were to enter this room?o' "Ahn"
replied one, "we would grve him such an ovation as might
compensate for the tardy recognition accorded him by the men
of his day." "And if Shakespmrc entered?" asked another.
"We would arise and crown him master of song," was the
answer. "And if Jesus Christ were to enter?" asked another. "I
think," said Charles [^anrb amid an intense silence, "we would
all fall upon our faces."
The last answer suggested an attitude of worship for Jesus
Christ. He is different. He was man and at the same time God.
Christians often thank Him for salvation but do not grve Him
true worship, which includes appreciation of who He is. We
thank God the Father for the grace and love He showed in
sending His Son to redeem us yet forget to praise Him for who
He is. We recognirn the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the
3t
Godhead, yet lack awarcness that it is He who empowers us to

worship.
The triune God is awesome. The fact that each member of
the Godhead is an equal and distinct personality is reason
enough to worship, but as we contemplate the many attributes
of each, we become more humble and adoring. The English
word "worship" nreans "worthship" denoting the worthiness
of an individual to receive special honor in according with that
worth.
Giving worship an all-encompassing definition is difficult.
Many have tried. None is completely adequate. One has called
it the "overflow of a grateful heart under a sense of divine
favor." This definition carries the idea that worship is not
something that has to be conjured up with great effort or under
stress. It is something that springs nanrrally out of a full and
grateful heart.
Another has suggested that worship is "the upspring of a
heart that has known the Father as a giver, the Son as Savior,
and Holy Spirit as the indwelting guest." This definition empha-
sized that only a true believer can wor:ship the Father and Son
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Still another definition calls worship the 'uoccupation of
the heart, not with its needs or even with its blessings but
with God Himself." This definition distinguishes between
worship and praise or prayer. In prayer we are often
concerned with our needs. Praise is often thanks to God for
meeting our needs. But worship demands our affention to
God Himself. Praise and prayer should be part of our
worship, not a substitute.
One idea is obvious in all of these definitions: Worship is
something we grve to God. In the Bible we see examples of
this kind of giving. One is the wise rnen coming to worship
Jesus. A star wiu ttrc divine guidance that brought them to tlre
Worship God 33
Son of God. They came with gifls, and when they saw Him
they humbly fell down before Him in adoration.
Mary of Bethany also pictures the giving aspect of worship.
The gift she brought to the Lord was very expensive, probably
purchased at great sacrifice. She didn't keep some of it for
herself, she brought it all to the [.ord. Then in an act of devo-
tion she anointed the [,ord's feet, and pufing aside all her
pride, she dried His feet with her hair.
In I Corinthians l:29 we read "That no flesh should glory in
his presence." Our pride, talents, capabilities, however good
from a human standpoint, have no place in our worship of
God. As the star guided the wise men to the one they wished
to worship, the Word of God is our guide to worship, and not
only our guide, but our authority.
Worship figrrrcs prominenfly in both the Old and New Testa-
ments. God has not given rules and regulations but rather broad
principles to guide our worship. It is each Christian's responsi-
bility to study the Scriptures with a desire to obey God's will
in the matter of worship.
The L,ord Jesus in talking to the wonmn at tlrc well sai(
". . . true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John 4:23).
In these remad$ the Lord Jesus Christ introduced changes in
worship that carne about with His advent.
Israel had worshiped Jehovah in awe and at a distance.
The law had revealed only God's holiness and justice, but
the Lord Jesus Christ revealed God's heart of love. He re-
vealed God as Father, His Father and the Father of all who
come into God's family by faith in Jesus Christ. Since only
those who are in His family can call Him Father, only they
can be true worshipets.
Jesus also said ttxat we ate to wonship "in Spirit and in uuth."
lsrrel's worship had been as anation. It had been cM, to
a large extent, by prescribed offerings. Cluist's call was for indi-

vidual, spiritual worship. In tlre Old Testanrent tlre Holy Spirit
canrc upon certain ones for a specific purpose. Ttrc t"od Jesus
announred ttmt the Spirit would be within us. Since Pentecost all
believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who empowers them to
wonship. The indwelting Spirit then is essential to worship.
Jesus in His talk with the woman at the well also said that
worship was no longer to be confined to a certain place (John
4:21). The tabernacle and temple had been figures, they were
replaced by Christ Himself.
However, worship is in no way limited to a place, to a day
of the week, to a certain time. We who arc redeemed can
worship alone or in a group, in any place, any day, depending
only on our spiritual condition. If we are in a state of spiritual
poverly, we may have little within us to gtve. As we read
God's Word and nreditate on it, we will with the enabling of
the Holy Spirit be able to grve to God something of what He
desires from our heart.
God has conrmunicated His attributes to us in His Word.
While we cannot understand all that is said about Him, a
deeper appreciation is sue to result as we consider His holi-
ness, His mercy, His gra@, His glory.
It is also clear from Scripture that we ire to worship Jesus
Christ as well as the Father. In Philippians 2:9-10 we read,
"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted hirn, and gtven him
a name which is above every name: That at the nafire of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth."
We honor Him because He is the Son of God and the Son
of man. He is the creator of all things, He is otrr Savior, He is
our risen Lord, He is our intercessor. As we consider all He is,
we too will say as did Thomas, "my Lord and my God" (John
20:28).
Worship God 35
Thonras saw the Lord Jesus, the wise men saw flim, and we
see Him by faith. The Bible tells us, "No man hath seen God
at any time; tlrc only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of
the Father, he hath declared hirn" (John l:18). We see the
Father thrcugh ttrc Son. In fact, Jesus said, "he that hath seen
me hath seen the Fathef'(John l4:9). As we are occupied with
the Lord Jesus, we will have a greater understanding of God's
glory because He is described as being the "brighmess of His
glory."
Peter in his first epistle exhorts us to "offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." God made us so
we could communicate our worship in a variety of ways-in
prayer and praise, in music, and in grving of our money. But
some church services grve little opportunity for real worship.
They arc highly stnrctured, or they feature teaching and 'tak-
ing ill" which leaves little time for the "giving" of worship.
Jesus instituted a rcmembrance seryice when He was on earth,
the Lord's supper or what sonrc call the Communion Seryice.
"This do in remembrance of me," He told His disciples as He
passed the bread as a symbol of His body and the cup as a
symbol of His blood. "Wotship is kindled on the fires of re-
membran@," said A. P. Gibbs.
Remembrance, then, is an important ingredient of worship,
and worship is what God wants most from His children. There
is no substitute. fuything that man worships in place of God is
an idol. There is danger in worship senrices of becoming occu-
pied with the place, the cercmotry, or even the prayers or the
words of men. Satan tries to hinder our worship in other ways
too. Self will always [y to interfere. Criticism and other bad
attitudes hinder worship. For some worship just demands too
much preparatior, remembering, meditating, grving.
In Revelation we see a heavenly worship scene with the
living creatues and elders singrng, "Thou art worthy, o [ord,
to receive glory and honor and power." This is a reminder that

we will continue to worship in Heaven. In the meantime God
has asked for our worehip now.
These verses of W. B. Dck's hynur should be our expres-
sion:
O God our Father, we would come to Thee
In virtue of our Savior's precious blood;
All distance gone; our souls by grace set fiee;
We worship Thee, our Father and our God.
We bow in worship now before Thy throne,
By faith the Object of Thy love would see;
Who, in the midst, His brethren's song doth lead.
To Him, our Savior, shall the glory be!
Chapter 5
DESIRE GOD'S WTLL
An old sailor tells how many years ago he was sailing in the
desolate seas of Cape Horn looking for whales. One day while
heading south in the face of a hard wind and making little
headwty, an idea suddenly came to him, "Why batter the ship
against these waves? There ure probably as many whales to
the north as to the south. I'll run with the wind instead of
against it." He changed the course of the ship and sailed north.
An hour later the lookout at the masthead shouted, u'Boats
alread!" There were lifeboats with fourteen sailors, the only
survivors of a ship that had burned ten days before. They had
been praying for God to rescue them.
The old sailor said later, "f am a Christian. I be$n each day
with a prayer that God will use me to help someotre, and I am
convinced that God put into my mind the idea to change the
course of my ship in orrder to save those fourteen [ives."
We read in Acts chapter three how numy years before, two
disciples experienced a change in plans. The healing of the
lame num was not on Peter and John's schedule the day they
37
went up to the temple for a time of meditation. But it was on

God's schedule. Nor did the lame man know that it was to be
his red-letter day.
Living in the light of God's will is exciting. The unforeseen
opportunity rnay bring greater blessing than what we had in
mind. No wonder David pnayed, "Teach me thy way, O
Lord . . ." (Ps. 27:1 l).
When we desire God's will, He does lead us in the direction
of greatest usefutness. Many Christians are of little help to
others because they are following the way of the flesh. They
are carnal and selfish and do not experience God's best. Jesus
w:ls the opposite. His life always exemplified the words of His
prayer, ". . . nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done"
(Luke 22:42). Christ's constant desire was to be God's obedi-
ent Son, to do the Father's will. Every child of God should
have this desire. Someone has said, 'oTo know the will of Crod
is the greatest knowledge; to suffer the will of God, the great-
est heroism; to do the will of God, the greatest achievement; to
have the approval of God on your work, the greatest happi-
ness."
Yet many Christians continue to direct their own lives.
How much happier and satisfied they would be if they al-
lowed God to take over. David prayed, "Cause me to hear
thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift
up my soul unto thee" (Ps. 143:8). And in the same Psalm,
we read more of David's prayer, "Teach me to do thy will;
for thou art my God." "Teach me to do thy will" should be
our daily prayer.
God has a directive will and a permissive will. He created
hurnans as ftee moral agents. One may be a Christian and yet
be exftemely selfish, living for self rather than living for the
Lord.
Desire God's Will 39
There are also Christians who are more concerned about

pleasing men than pleasing the Lord. No wonder there arc so
many unhappy Christians. The Lord said in John 13: l'l , "lf ye
know these things, happy arc ye if ye do them." And, of
course, if we do not obey God, we miss the supreme happiness
He has for those who are His followers. God's Word is not
only to be believed; it is to be obeyed. The blessing comes in
obedience. Jesus said, "Ye arc my friends, if ye do whatsoever
I command you" (John 15:14).
It is possible to be trusting the Lord's love and care after a
manner, to be occupied in His work, and to be glving gener-
ously to His cause and yet not be living pleasing to Him
because of some disobedience to His will which is allowed
to continue. Obedience is the sur€ way to a life of fuller
blessing.
It matters little whether we are doing great or small things,
whether or not we are appreciated by those whom we try to
serye, whether we itre prominent or obscure, whether we see
much fruit or little. The paramount question is, "Am I in the
place, the circumstances, the senrice, and condition of soul
which pleases the Lord? Do I have His approval?" This is
God's desire for us; that in all things, His purpose for our
lives might have preeminence. This thought is expressed in
Hebrews 13:20-21 where we read, "Now the God of peace,
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenillt, Make you perfect in every good work to do his
will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever."
The Lord wants to "make you perfect in every good work to
do his will." He wants to work in you and do "that which is
well-pleasing in his sight." You can make your own plans if
you want. You can go your own way. The Lord will permit
you to do this, but you will never find the joy and blessing
intended for those who follow in the [,ord's chosen paths.
Those who do their own planning sometimes bring misery
on themselves. God's way is not grraranteed to be without
pain, sufferitrg, or sorrow. But even if He allows us to suffer
afflictiotr, there is a peace and brightness in it all, unknown to
those who choose their own way. The Lord lightens tlrc bur-
den to suit the strength of the back, or He sftengthens the back
to bear the burden. The Christian desiring God's will can enter
into each new day without fear, knowing that "The steps of a
good num are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his
way" (Ps. 37:23). The good num is yielded to God. He knows
God makes no mistakes and leads only in those paths that arc
for the believer's good.
If you want ttrc lrrd to be your guide, you must be willing to
submit everything to His confrol. When it comes to submitting
to ttrc will of God, sofite of us are like the young num who
completed college and then prayed "Now, [,ord, I want to gve
you my tife for full-time Christian service. I am willing to go
any place you want me to go. But if it's all ttrc sarrr with You,
please let me serve you in California where the weather is
ni@." There must be no supulations on our part. If we desire
God's will with the intention of obeying, He will reveal it to us.
Wanting it, prayrng about it is not enough either. Many believers
never know ttre will of God for their lives, because they do not
really want to do God's will. If we are willing to resigr our wills
to God's, He will guide w. In the Bible He has given us numy
examples of persons who walked in God's will: Moses at the
Red Sea Joshuaatthe Jordan, Ruth in Bethlehern, David in the
wilderne.ss, Nehemiatr in the court of the king Jeremiah in prisou
Peter on ttle housetop, Paul on the storm-tossed ship. AII of
these believers cried unto their unerring Guide who led them in
ttrc right way. The privilege tlrey enjoyed is for us to edoy.
Desire God's Will 4t
Possibly you are not stue how you may know God's will
for your life. There are several ways. First, God guides by His
Word. There must be an unqualified acceptance of the author-
ity of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God. Where the
Scriptures are explicit on a matter, nothing more is needed. If
we hold back, we are disobeying rather than lacking guidance.
The words of Abraham's servant illustrate guidance and obedi-
ence. "I being in the way, the Lorrd led me" (Gen. 24:27). He
had definite instructions from his master. Obedience kept him
in the way, and the Lord crowned the errand with success.
God also guides by His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 states,
"For as fiulrly ils arc led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God."
F. B. Meyer said, "Whenever you are doubtful about your
course, submit your judgment absolutely to the Spirit of God
and ask Him to shut against you every door but the right one.
Say, 'Blessed Spirit, I cast on Thee the entire responsibility of
closing against my steps any and every course which is not of
God. L.et me hear Thy voice behind nre whenever I turn to the
right or the left.' . . . In the meanwhile, continue along the path
which you have been aheady fieading. It lies in front of you;
pursue it. Abide in the calling in which you are called; keep on
as you are unless you are clearly told to do something else.
Expect to have as clear a door out :N you had in, and if there is
no indication to the contrary, consider the absence of indica-
tions. The Spirit of Jesus wants to be to you what He was to
the apostle Paul and his companions in their journeys. Only be
careful to obey His least prohibitions, and where after believ-
ing prayer there are no apparent hindrances, believe that you
are on the way to everlasting blessing."
Another way God gurdes is by His providen@s. A closed
door tells us to stand still; an open door may be God's way of
telling us to move forward, but not if it means going against a
"Thus saith the Lord." A south wind is not the wind of God for
you if it is taking you away from the will of God. Delays and
hindrances do not prove that we are out of God's will. "The
steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord," said the psalm-
ist (37:23), and sonreone has suggested that the stops also are
ordered by the [.ord. Both arc seen in one of Paul's experi-
ences. Paul and Timothy "were fortidden of the Holy Ghost to
preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6). When they got to Mysia,
they tried to go northeast into Bithynia, "but the Spirit suffered
them not." So they went down to the seaport of Troas. Paul
had his vision of the Macedonian asking him to come over and
help. So the next morning he and Timothy continued their
journey westward and at last reached Philippi in Macedonia
where the l"ord blessed their minisfiry. They had two stops and
a move.
If our plans run into a roadblock, we must take courage and
watch and pray, and the l,ord will guide us into His way. We
must also recogruze that the Lord guides us through spiritual
leaders, such as pastors, Sunday school teachers, and other
godly men and women.
Oftentimes, God speaks directly to one's conscience and
gives the inner certainty of what to do. He speaks through
Christian literature. But most important, ow hearts must be
constantly in tune with flim, that we can understand His will
when He speaks.
Be assured that we shall not know His will simply by pick-
ing verses at random from the Bible. Nor is He likely to speak
to us during a hasty five-minute prayer session in the morning
or a sleepy sentence prayer before retiring. Nor will His plan
be rnade known to us while we are indulging in questionable
pastimes. We must put Him first in everything. And then, as
we look into His Word and pray, He will guide us in the
decisions of life. "If any of you lack wisdonu let him ask of
Desire God's Will 43
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be grven him" (James 1:5).
Living in God's will is for believers in Christ. If you arc not
gift of salvation He offers you through
a believer, say yes to the
His Son Jesus Christ. Then tell Him you want His will for
your [ife.
Chapter 6
WALK BY FAITH
Fear is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the present age.

Fear of people, war, death, loss of health or nnney disturb our
sleep and keep us ftom productive work. The t d prcptrcsied
thu rnen's lrcarts would fail them because of fear (Luke 2l:26).
Since the day a frightened Adam hid in the garden, mankind
has tried to escape this troublesome companion. But most
attempts fail because we approach the problem from without
rather than from within. Fears are not primarily products of
our environment but of our troubled hearts.
Years ago the Chinese built the famous wall to protect them
from barbaric hordes from the north. It was so high they knew
no one could climb over it and so thick they thought nothing
could break it down. They rejoiced in what appeared to be
release from fear and sat back to edoy their security. But
during the first hundred years of the wall's existence, China
wuls invaded three times. Not once did the barbaric hordes
break down the wall or climb over the top. Each tirne they
bribed the gatekeeper and marched right through the gates.
45
The tragrc mistake the Chinese made is the same error that
most of us make. We fail to recognlze that fear must be dealt
with inwardly as well as outwardly. In our anxious quest for
security, we ignore this basic fact. We build our formesses of
fact and circumstances, confident that no ill can effect a breach.
We work for money, confident we can weather any economic
blizzafi. We submit to periodic health checkups to help rc-
lieve the fear of death. We move from the crowded city to
spacious suburbs to rela:r and "get away from it all." Yet after
all this and more, we read the latest book on "How to Escape
Fear." We arc still resfless and fearftrl.
Many depend on courage to counteract their fears. Courage
is worthwhile. It rnay enable us to face and even temporarily
conquer fear, but it cannot eradicate it. And in the quiet
moments, fear will t€tunr.
God never intended that we be disffessed and distubed by
harassing fears. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee," He tells us
in Isaiatr 41:10. What mote do we need? "If Clod be for us,
who can be against us?'(Rom. 8:31).
The first step in conquering fear is to be certain that God is
for us. The Bible assures us that God is for those who love
and honor His Son. In John 1:18 we read, "No man hath seen
God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." What we know
about God, we learn through Jesus Christ, His Son. "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ," the Bible says, "and thou shalt be
saved" (Acts 16:31). Trusting Christ for salvatior, then, is
the initial step of faith. It is also the first step to conquering
fear. After we have believed on Christ, we are to trust Him
for everything. We are not to try to fight the battle of life in
our own strength. fn the face of bitter unrest, the prophet
Nehemiah declared, "Our God shall fight for us" (Neh. 4:20).
Faith is what prompted the prophet to say this. If you and I
Walkby Faith 47
ire to conquer the fears and anxieties of life that rob us of

God-intended joy and equanimity, we must trust the Lord.
Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to
him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).
An authority in a large mental institution said, "If faith in
God could be restored to our mental patients, 55 percent of
them could go honrc in a few days."
Faith is the foundation of the Christian [ife. We were saved
by faith. We walk by faith. We overcome the world by faith.
Faith is not just an emotional quality, but an intellectual quality
of belief and confidence. Faith is full trust in God. Faith is the
inward witness and hope, the evidence of the uns@n, the inner
assurance that we possess through Christ. Faith is the believer's
sffonghold in which he or she prepares to step into the futrue.
Faith is taking God at His Word and believing Him for all
things.
Perhaps the Christian's worst sin is lack of faith. The chief
of sins is unbelief. Israel wim barred from the Promised I-and
forty yeam as the result of this sin. How frequently you and I
have been kept from our promised lands and blessings because
we have doubted Crod's ability or willingness or both. God
asks us the same heart-searching question He asked ancient
Israel, "How long will it be ere they believe me?' (Num.
l4:1 l).
We may think that we have faith in God, but it is misplaced.
We must examine our hearts constantly to be sure our faith is
in the L,ord Himself. People often say they have faith, but the
question is, In what? In whom? Some have faith in other
people, some in circumstan@s, while others may put faith in
the fatalistic philosophy "What's to be, will be." The Bible
says, "Have faith in Crod" (Mark ll:22). It is possible to thhk
we have faith in God when we arc actually relying on hunuul
resources.
We limit God when we neglect to claim the promises in the

Bible. Often we don't look beyond our difficulties. We discuss
our confusing problems with others and forget that it was God
who asked, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?' (Gen. 18:14).
Do we really believe He is a mighty God? Or is He helpless
before the stern reality of sin, sickness, financial nerd, sorrow,
and death? There is no room for doubt. We shall never know
the resources of God until we attempt impossibilities with
eeflll power is
God. After His resurrection our Lord declared,
given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt.28:18). He who
betieves this truth will have no trouble expecting the miracu-
lous. When we limit God in our minds, otr hearts will lack
faith.
Perhaps you feel there has been a lack of faith in your life.
First, ask God for faith. The Bible tells us Jesus is "the
author and finisher of our faith ' (Heb. l2:2). This being true,
we can go to Him every day and ask for a new supply of
faith. The disciples rec ogniznd this need and said to the [,ord,
"Increi6e our faith" (Luke 17:5). Next, we can study God's
Word. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God" (Rom. l0: l7).The Bible is full of promises that will
strengthen our f,aith. The more we rneditate upon God's Word,
the more familiar it will become to us, and it will be easier to
trust God. Understanding and knowing the promises of God,
we will be in a position to plead the promises. God wants us
to do this. David prayed, "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" (1
Chron. 17:23). "Do as thou hast said," David pleaded. He
claimed the promises of God and trusted the Lord to under-
take. This is the privitege of alt believers. If we take God at
His Word, we can expect great things, and we will witness
His mighty hand at work.
Walkby Faith 49
For the believer in Christ, faith is essential for another reason.

God has told us, "Without faith it is impossible to please hirn"
(Heb. 1 l:6). Paul reminds us to "Walk by faith, not by sight"
(2 Cor. 5:l).In the Old Testament we read, 'The just shall live
by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). Sonre tell us that after a man is forty, he
ought not to think of swirching jobs or doing anything daring.
Abraltam would never have fit in with this kind of thinking. He
was seventy-five years old when God told him to leave Haran
and to "get thee . . . unto a land that I will show thee" (Cren.
l2;l). furd we rcad, "So Abraham departed, as the lord had
spoken unto him" (v. 4). This is quite an old age for pioneering.
As news of Abraham's leaving spread, imagine how the neigh-
bors must have dropped by to tell him that he wis foolish to
leave for the unknown at his age. But Abralnm had faith in God
and obeyed hinl Faith and obedience arc inseparable. If we do
not obey God we do not really believe Him regardless of what
we profess. The test of our faith is our obedience.
Abratnm took his step of faith because he knew his L,ord
well. He knew that his great God would not fail him, and he
was willing to go all the way. It isn't great faith that God
expects so much as genuine faith. Jesus said, "If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall rcmove; and noth-
ing shall be impossible unto you" Matt. 17:20). Genuine faith
is dead to doubts, dumb to discouragements, blind to impossi-
bilities and knows nothing but success. Faith is simply taking
God at His Word. It is confidence in the Giver. We will expect
God to work in our lives. If we expect Him to work, He will
work. Someone has said that Columbus practically found
America before he left Spain, and he was far from being sur-
prised when he saw the Western continent. He would have
been surprised if he had not seen it. This is the expectancy of
faith. There is no room for doubt.
Late one night a Christian wonnn had occasion to go from

New Jemey to New York by ferry. After leaving the ferry, she
was approached by a man who asked, "At€ you alone?' "No,
Sk," she replied. He dropped behind, but she still heard his
footsteps as she walked through the deserted sfreet. She asked
God for protection. The steps quickened and again the nnn
was at her side. "[ thought you said you were not alone," he
said. "I am not, sir," was her reply. There was a note of
sarcasm in the man's voice as he said, "[ don't see anyone.
Who is with you?" "The Lord Jesus Christ and His angels,"
she replied. With the briefest possible pause, the man said,
"You keep too good company for me," and he left in a hurry.
ln Hebrews 13:5 we have the unchangeable promise of God
"I will never leave thee, nor forsake th@." We ciut know that
whatever the circumstances, God is there. We read in Colossians
3:3, 'Your life is hid with Christ in God." We arc surounded by
God. We arc protected by Crod. For this reason we can say wittl
David, "Our help is in the name of the [,ord, who made heaven
and earttt" (Ps. 124:8). This is not to suggest ttrat the road will
always be easy. There are numy things we cannot understand in
life. But God undentands them. He tells us in Isaiah 43:2,"When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and thnough
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee." We worry and flEt, yet we have no rcimon to do so.
Jesus said, "Oh tlrou of liule faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
(Maff. 14:31). I-et's pray as the disciples did: [.ord, increase our
faith, help our unbelief.
ChapterT
SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
God never does anything halfivay. A deaf man with a speech

impedfunent was brcught to Christ. The Savior took him aside
from the multitude and, touching his ears and mouth, said to
hirn, "Be opened." And according to the record, "the sring of
his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain." Small wonder that
the multitudes "were beyond measure astonished, saying, He
hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and
the dumb to speak" (Mark 7:3t37).
God's desire for us is that we be whole and complete. It is
not enough to hear; He wants us to speak also. There are sonrc
people who revel in the Word of God. They study it. They
analyze it. They delve deeply into its doctrines and its
prophecies. They go to Bible conferences and listen to preaching
and rejoice that they can feed upon Crod's Word. But there is
one weakness. They hear, but they do not speak. They make
no effort to pass on to others what they have learned. They
simply take the fiuths of God for their own enjoyment and
spiritual pleaslrr€.
5r
This is a selfish approach to the things of God, to nrerely

take them for ourselves without regard for those around us
who need to hear the Gospel. In Psalm 107:2 God says , "l-&t
the redeemed of the Lnrd say so, whom he hath redeemed
from the hand of the enemy." I am convinced that if all of the
redeemed of the L,ord were to really speak out for Christ,
giving testimony here and there, the world could be reached
for the Savior within this generatiorl.
I think of one such witness, a New York policenxan who
performed his duties faithfully in one of the city's toughest
neighborhoods not only with a strong ann but with spirinral
power. The Bible was his handbook. It was not a rare sight to
see him kneeling in prayer with teenage boys. "Most of these
people need love and attentior," he said. "They can be change4
but only the Gospel can change them. The Gospel of Christ
can change anybody."
Many of us have forgoffen that Jesus said, "Ye shall be
witnesses unto rle" (Acts 1:8). We were not saved nrcrely to
be happy. God set our feet on the solid rock and washed us
from all our sins that we might tell others how they too can
experience deliverance from sin.
The apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is wriffen, The just shall live by faith" (Rom-
1:16-17).
We have a glorious Gospel, the Good News for the un-
saved. It is a powerful message, but if we fail to communicate
it to those who need it, how can they know?
A witness is not necessarily a preacher. He need not be
eloquent. It's more important to have a heart overflowing with
the love of God and a sincere concern for those who need to
Slrure tlrc Good News 53
experience this love. Such a Christian will be well on the way

to usefulness.
I rccall reading, nrany years &go, of a nran who commuted
by train from his Long Island home to Manhattan. He was
well dressed, affable, and kind. As his train left the station, he
walked up and down the aisle speaking to the passengers.
"Excuse nre," he would soy, "but if any of your family or any
of your friends is blind, tell them to consult Dr. Garl. He
restored my sight."
For many years this man had been totally blind, and it was
Dr. Garl who performed an operation resulting in the restora-
tion of his eyesight. The patient wiu ever grateful, and he
wanted to get the word to all who were in the same plight.
Courteously, courageously, confidently, he told of the great
physical change that came into his life. God expects His
followers to courteously, courageously, and confidently tell
of the spiritual healing they have received from the Son of
God.
Isn't it tnagrc that we who are in Christ know the One who
can tnansform lives and we show so little concern. We remain
silent. Wty? Arc we ashamed of Christ, or are we not satisfied
with Him? There appear to be a variety of reasons-{r
excuses.
Some of us arc too busy. We have too numy involvements.
We have driven our stakes too deep in the wrong places. We
have overlooked the fact that we arc pilgrims passing through
this land; we are not permanent residents. We have not got
hold of the fact that for the few short years we arc here, there
is ajob foreach of us to do.
Many aIE cold and indifferent when it comes to communi-
cating the Gospel, living for self rattrer than for Christ. Some
are fearful of what people might think or say. What does it
maffer? Is it not more important to consider what God thinks
about us and how we are performing uN Christ's representa-

tives?
Clyde Taylor, a Christian statesman in Washington, wuls a
man of vision and con@rn for the unsaved. After attending a
reception of the State Department and watching the anrbassa-
dors from the different countries parade in, Dr. Taylor said,
"You never find one of these anrbassadors who is suffering
from too much humility. But do you know what distutrs me?
When I meet Christians who reprcsent the Lord Jesus Christ, it
is a military secret. Why should we ever be embarrassed to
say, 'I am an anrbassador for the Iord Jesus Christ'? [n my job
in Washington, D.C., that language is understood and appre-
ciated and never looked down upon. I have never had any
derogatory remarks made in Washington because of my
testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. What are we afraid of?
We are ambassadors for Christ. Examine the fifth chapter
of 2 Corinthians. fn verse 20 we read, 'Now then we are
anrbassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to Crod."'
u'I
Others say, don't know enough about the Bible," but if
they have been saved ftom sin and have new life in Jesus, they
have a personal experience to share. Jesus said in Matthew
12:34, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Even those with seemingly severc limitations have a testimony
for the Savior.
J. Oswald Sanders tells about visiting a Christian woman
who had neither anns nor legs, just a pitiful stump of a body.
She had not moved from her room in forty-three years. She
wils never ftee from pain. As Mr. Sanders entered her cottage,
he noticed that she had named it "Glad Wish." When he came
into her presence, it was not to see a depressed invalid but a
radiant Christian. When the calamity had overtaken her, in-
stead of rebelling against God, she took it from Him uN a
Slnre thc Good Nmts 55
discipline. With rubber attachments and a pen she had learned

to write and penned letters on copper foil. She started a cone-
spondence which circled the globe. People began to visit her in
her room seeking spiritual help. She showed IVIr. Sanders lettens
from people all over tlrc world whom she had led to Christ
either in that room or through her conesponderr@. The cir-
cumstances which might have crushed or embittered her served
only to sweeten and make her more like the Master she loved
and served. How do we explain such love and devotion? Full
commitment to God is the only answer.
Many who profess to be believers have little or no concern
for the lost because their lives arc not fully committed to
Christ. I firmly hlieve the first step in becoming a soul winner
is to surender completely to the Lord. Our worst sin is selfish-
ness. Christ said, "If any man will come after ffie, let him deny
himsell and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).
The selfish Christian will never be a soul winner. He will
always be occupied with something he considers more impor-
tant. Self must be defeated, and Christ must have first place in
everything.
A friend tells of his visit to a lighthouse. "Are you not afraid
to live here?" he asked the keeper. "Not at all," was his reply.
"We never think of outselves." "Never think of yotrrselves!
How is that?" asked the visitor. "We know that we arc per-
fecfly safe and only thhk of having our lamps burning brightly
and keeping the reflectors clear, that those in danger may be
saved."
We who are believers in Christ arc safe in a house built on a
rock which cannot be harmed by the wildest storms. In a spirit
of love, devoid of selfishness, we should keep our light shin-
ing brightly for Christ that those all around, struggling in the
sea of sin, might find forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
I heard of a pastor who wils greatly distutred over the fact
that his people were not witnessing for Christ. He preached

sennon after sennon on this obligation, but there seemed to be
few results. Then he decided to firy a different approach, to
start with the officers of his chtuch. "How many of you men,"
he asked, "have ever led a lost soul to Jesus Christ?" There
were fifteen present. Five were able to say they had experi-
enced this joy. Ten werc silent. One of the officers later con-
fessed to the pastor that the question had so convicted him that
the sirme night he went home and spoke to his thlee boys
about Christ.
How tragrc it is that Christians have such little concern for
loved ones, friends, and neighbors who are without Christ. If
you arc a child of God, I wonder what your answer would be
to this pastor's questiorr. Because of someone's faithful wit-
ness, you carne to Christ. Have you been doing your best to
lead others to the Savior?
Have you ever considered Christ's example of concern?
..And when He (the Lord Jesus) was conrc near, he beheld the
city, and wept over it." The Lord Jesus was preparing to enter
Jerusalern, but as he descended the Mount of Olives where He
could overlook Jerusalem, He paused to reflect on the situation
and began to cry. Our Lord wept because He saw men and
women, boys and girls bound by religious tradition but with-
out hope and without God. He knew all about the hardness of
their hearts, and because of His great concern, He wept. Our
L,ord was burdened to see others reached for God.
An unbelieving lawyer once said, "If I believed the miuses
arc perishing in sin, I could have no rESt. I would fly to tell
them of salvation. I would labor day and night. I would speak
it with all the patlros I could summon. I would warn and
entreat my fellow human beings to turn to Christ. I am
astonished at the rumner in which the rnajority of you Christians
grve forth your rnessage. Why do you not act as if you believed
Slrure tlrc Good News 57
your own words? You do not have the earnestness that we

lawyers have in pleading. If we were as tanre as you are, we
would never carry a single suit."
Instead of being convincing witnesses, we substitute other
efforts in the nirme of evangelism. We build lovely churches
and casually wait for the people to come to hear our preacher.
But this is not evangelism. Jesus declared in Matthew 13:38,
"The field is the world." He also said the "s@d" is to be sown
in the "field." 'What would you think of a farmer who stood on
his own doorstep and sowed it knee-deep in wheat? What kind
of harvest would he reap? Instead of waiting for those outside
of Christ to come to us for life, our L,ord told us to "go into all
the world and preach the Gospel." Are we taking our opportu-
nities?
Ask God to lay on you heart one person, whether in your
business, in your church, in your neighborhood, in your school.
Just one, not a doznn, not everybody on the team or in your
honrcroom or in your office-just one pe$on. Pray that God
will grve you the grace to befriend that one and stay with and
work with that person until that person decides for Christ.
Communicate, get involved, and the Spirit of the L,ord will
bless your efforts.
And don't overlook the opportunity to disseminate the
message of life through Crospel literattme. Such a minisury
does not demand a college education or great skill, but merely
a heart filled with the love of Christ and an alerfrress to oppor-
tunities for distributing a tract and saying a word.
A Christian in one of the southern states places fract racks in
service stations around town. At regular intervals he returns to
fill the racks. He is amazed how quickly the tracts arc taken.
This same man frequently distributes ffacts door-to-door. In
another town there is a shut-in who could easily excuse herself
from Christian service because of her disability. But she has a
heart overflowing with love for the lost. Daily she scans the
newspaperc for those who are in ftouble or bereaved. Writing
a brief personal note, she encloses a helpful tnact and then
prays that God will use this means to point the disfiessed soul
to the One who alone gtves peace.
In Indiana there is a druggist who encloses a tract with
every package of medicine he delivers. He testifies that the
blessing of God on this ministry has been unlimited. He has
seen souls saved through this method of spreading the truth.
Some Christians enclose Gospel tracts when paying their
monthly bills by mail. A consecrated machinist wils con-
cerned about giving the Gospel in print to those attending the
County Fair. He succeeded in getting Christians to pray while
he and a friend distributed nine thousand tracts irmong the
Fair visitors.
Tracts must be used prayerfully. All witnessing needs prayer-
backing. Nothing can be accomplished for C'od in any phase
of His service without prayer. The work of saving and ftans-
forming the lives of humans is the task of the Holy Spirit. We
do the plantitrg, but the Spirit of God does the convicting.
Never expect that soul winning will be easy. For most of
us, it is the most difficult work God asks us to do. The devil
opposes it bitterly. He strikes hardest and most effectively at
the forces which provide the greatest threat to his cause. The
believer who commits fully to Christ and vows to be a faith-
ful witness, at the same time summons the devil to a life-and-
death conflict. To be sure, he will accept the challenge. He
will discourage you, rebuke you, and embarrass you. If you
don't keep your eyes fixed on Christ" you will soon glve up.
God has told us in His Word that He wants everyone to be
saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. Our God is
concerned about the salvation of every man, woman, boy, and
grl on earth. ArE we?
Shnre thc Good Nsws 59
Have you been a silent Christian? Some people seem to be a

Christian only when they go into the house of God. No one
would know they belong to Him during the rest of the time
because they never speak for Him.
Perhaps you have never spoken for Him and about Him
because you don't really know Him. Ask Christ to come into
your life, commit all to Him, and then share your experien@
with others.
Chapter 8
LOVE EVERYONE
Love should be the distinguishing characteristic of those who

are reborn by the Spirit of God. Jesus said, "By this shall all
men know that ye arc my disciples, if ye have love one to
anothet''(John 13:35).
The early church astounded the pagan world with its
demonstration of love in the lives of believers, but the church
today is marked with strife and division. Paul wrote,
u'.
.. walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsufferitrg, for-
bearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and
one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your call-
ing; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all"
(Eph. 4:14). Unity and oneness are predominant truths in
these verses. Both express the idea that those who profess
to be followers of Jesus Christ should walk and work to-
gether in love. This is not mere emotional love but that
6t
which is a practical demonstration sometimes involving sac-

rifice or suffering.
In I Corinthians 13, the great Love Chapter, we read that
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; char-
ity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." The word "charity"
here means "love." Those of us who have experienced the
love of God should be kind. If you arc a believer, do others
know you because of the overflowing measure of Christ's love
in your life? Or are you known for being critical, harsh, and
unkind?
In Galatians 5:22 we read that "the fiuit of the Spirit is
love," and then from this fuit comes such graces iN 'Joy,
peace, longsufferitrg, genfleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperan@." Without love, however, these graces will be un-
known, for 'Joy'' is love exultitrg, "peace" is love in repose,
"longsuf,tering" is love untirin g, "gentleness" is love in doing,
"goodness" is love in actioD, "faith" is love in tnrsting, "m@k-
ness" is love under discipline, "temperan@" is love in fiaining.
It is easy to love those who love us, to love the lovely, but
Christ said we are to love the unlovely. We are to love those
who hate us, and love that is real and sincere must be demon-
sfrated. It must be proved.
It is difficult always to practice this love. It takes much
grace to be patient with people who are selfish, thoughtless,
discourteous, ungrateful, and censorious. But our L,ord said,
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse You, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you:' (Maff. 5:4 l). He also said, "Vengeance
is mine." We are not to fight back when offended. We are
called to be peacemakers. "Blessed ar€ the peacemakers: for
they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9).
There is a great temptation to do only what we think is
expected of us. Few of us even do that. But the Bible tells us
I-ove Everyone 63
repeatedly to go far beyond the line of duty. fn His Sermon on

the Mount Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not
evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to
him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law,
and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain"
(Matt. 5:3941). Jesus not only taught these things, He did
them! He tells you and me that the servant is no greater than
his L,ord. what Jesus did, we are supposed to do.
When you trust in Jesus Christ and become a partaker of the
divine nafure, your sin is forgiven and you arc forever delivered
from the condemnation that rested on you. But this is just the
beghning of the Christian life. The believer is told to "grow in
8E@, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). How do we grow? Petertells us in the
first chapter of his second epistle that certain things should be
added to our lives along the wo/, ". . . add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge tempeftrnce; and
to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to god-
liness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our L,ord Jesus Christ." We read in the Bible how the disciples,
as new creatures in Christ, gfew into loving unselfish and
zealous heralds of the Gospel of Christ.
If a baby does not sow, the parents are rightfu[y con-
cerned. The same is true when one is born into the family of
God by faith in Christ. There must be growth, and an evidence
of growth is loving kindness toward others. It is a must in the
believer's life if he is to be an effective Christian.
It is regrettable that many who claim to be in the light of
the Lord do not follow Christ in a life of kindness and con-
sideration for others. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethrer, yo have done it

unto me" (Matt .25:40). Whatever we do for others we do for
Christ.
Paul wrote, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2), that is, the principle of Christ.
The Lord Jesus practiced this principle of kindness wherever
He went-to the woman taken in adultery, to the leper, to the
sick wonum who reached out and touched His garment. We
see in the Gospels, time and time again, Christ's con@rn for
other's needs. He is just as concerned today. Believers have
the privilege of taking cares and sorows to the Lnrd Jesus in
prayer, with the assurance that He will hear and undertake. As
our Lord manifests this carc for His own, we are in turn to
constantly show it to others. Paul tells us we are to "Rejoice
with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep"
(Rom. 12:15). God has commissioned us to be sympathetic to
the needs of others. But sympathy involves more than words.
Action must back up words. Onesiphorus provides an ex-
cellent example of this. Paul, in writing his letter to young
Timothy, tells of this seryant's help to him, "For he oft re-
fteshed Ine, and was not ashamed of my chain . . . he sought
me out very diligently, and found IIE . . . ill . . . Ilumy things he
ministered unto rle" (2 Tim. l:16-18).
Christianity is not a mere intellectual assent to docffine,
important as sound docrine may be in these apostate tirnes. It
is doctrine in action. Christianity is not simply a state of being.
It is the business of doing{oing good for others. No one
ever became a Christian by doing good, but if one is a Chris-
tian, he ought to be doing good. Jesus said, "l-&t your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Fatlrer which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
It is so easy to live for oneself and completely overlook the
needs of our neighbor. I camot but feet that there arc Christians
I-ove Everyone 65
who suffer nervous disorders simply because they have catered

too much to self and not enough to others. They live within
themselves. The world seems to revolve around their own
interests. A good antidote for depression is to go out and do
some thing for somebody else.
Among those we read about in the Bible who were faithful
in their concern for others was Esther who risked her life by
coming unbidden before the king in order that she might save
her people. There was also Jonathan who unselfishly withdrew
so that his friend David might ascend the throne that otherwise
would have been his.
Florence Nightingale, with loving concern for suffering
humanity, organized a corps of nurses in the face of severe
criticism.
Someone has said, "You cannot get your mind off yourself
unless you get it on others." God says, "L,ook not every man
on his own things, but every man also on the things of others"
(Phil. 2:4).
Is there sorrcone you mn help today? Have you called on
that sick friend recently? Have you remembered him in sorne
way to help encourage and cheer him in his time of affliction?
What about that shut-in who hasn't seen the outside world for
many months, possibly even years? Have you taken some of
the joy from the outside to her, that her long hours might be
shortened? What about that friend who is going through finan-
cial difficulty? Have you helped?
Another necessary part of Christian love is forgiveness.
Jesus frequently talked about Christians and forgiveness. In
His model prayer He said, "Forgive us our debts, as we
forgrve our debtols" (Matt . 6:12).Later in this same chapter
we read, "For if ye forgive men their ftespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forglve you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your ffespasses."
In Colossians 3: 13-14, Paul says, "Forbearing one another,

and forgtving one another, if any man have a quarrel against
any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all
these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Consider these words, "Even as Christ forgave you, So also do
ye." Of course, forgiveness must be from the heart. Mere out-
ward forgtveness, while nourishing a grudge, is not sufficient.
"The Lord looketh on the heaft" (1 Sam. 16:7). If a fellow
Christian wrongs you, you arc to go and discuss it with him or
her. If the person repents, it is your duty to forgive. In numy
cases there is fault on both sides, and in such instances we are
powerless to help others until our own guilt is confessed to
God. Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with
what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why
beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's aYe, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt
thou say to thy brother, Let nrc pull out the mote out of thine
eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite,
first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye"
(Matt. 7:1-5).
If you have an unforgiving spiriL the presence of this disorder
suggests that it is possible that you have never really been born
again. You arc a professor of Crhrist but not a possessor of
Christ. Why not make sure of yotrr salvation? Turn to the Son of
God and ask Him to beconrc your Savior and your [.,ord. If you
do, He will grve you ttrc gra@ and love to forgive.
I don't know of anything that can hinder one's testimony of
Christ more than an unforgiving spirit or a lack of kindness in
one's life. So often we are guilty without even realizrngit. It is
so easy to talk ourselves out of some of our Christian obliga-
tions and to overlook the need to frequenfly confess.
Love Everyonc 67
Not only does one's spiritual health suffer from a lack of

forgtveness, but his physical health as well. A New York phy-
sician reports that 70 percent of his patients reveal resentment
in their case histories-resentment resulting from an unforgiv-
ing spirit. We cannot profess to be followers of the L,ord while
we harbor hatred in our heart toward others.
Christians should also be concerned about their treatnrent of
believers who yield to temptation and fall into sin. One
passage on the subject is Galatians 6:11, "Brethren, if a man
be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an
one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ. For if a nran think himself to be something,
when tte is nothing, he deceiveth himself." "Brethren" suggests
ttte unity of the Spirit that should prevail among believers. The
word "fault" is really the word for "transgressions." The Bible
says to "restole" the one who has yielded to sin. Don't criti-
cizn! Don't condemn!
It is said that when a sheep becomes sick, very often the
others will turn on him and if possible will fiample him until
he is helpless. In His Word God ftequenfly speaks of His
people as sheep, and this is the way sonrc Cluistians react
when others become spiritually sick and fall into sin. Believers
may worship together, pray togetheq and serve the Lord to-
gether, but if one falls short of what the rest think he or she
should be, the entire group may turn on that one. They gossip
or they condelml. They make that Christian feel like an out-
cast.
David was out of fellowship with God for an entire year
after he had committed adultery and murder. One of the
reasons he stayed away from the Lord rather than confessing
may have been the attitude of his brethren. He wrote later, "f
looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there wim no rnan
that would know me: refuge failed me; no nxan cared for my
soul" (Ps. 142:4). The L,ord Jesus is concerned about every-
one, and you and I should be as well. He says if we claim to be
u'restore
"spirituol," then we are to such an one in the spirit of
meekness." "Meekness" is one of the fruits of the spirit, and
the word suggests working with the one who is in need in the
same manner in which a physician seeks to set a broken bone.
The doctor does it with tenderness and kindness. This should
be the believer's attitude as he or she seeks to help a fallen
fellow Christiall.
Jesus did not hesitate to mingle with publicans and sinners
in order to help them, even though it was suggested to Him
that He might become contaminated by close association with
them. He crossed the barrier betrveen Jew and Samaritan re-
gardless of criticism because He wanted to spread the Good
News. His great love for mankind led Him to the cross where
He sacrificed Himself for the sake of others. As He hung on
the cross, His enemies shouted, "He saved others; himself lrc
cannot save." He was not interested in saving Himself. He did
not come into the world for that purpose. Christ "came to seek
and to save the lost." This wzts His mission. This should be the
mission of every follower of Christ. We are not here to sere
ourselves; we are here to serue Him.
Chapter9
DENY SELF
"What is the chief problem of your minisfiy?' someone asked

the leader of one of the sessions at a pastor's conferen@.
"Myself' was his realistic reply. To be sure, this is most
everyone' s chief problem.
The world is rampant with the age-old sin of selfishness. We
have wars with nations coveting territory of other nations. Men
and women think only of their personal comforts while millions
perish with hunger and cold. Selfishness is seen in buses, in
fiains, in planes, on ttrc highways, and in hotels and restaunants
where thoughtless men and wonrcn ignore the welfare or rights
of others. It is seen in the spirits of some employers who with-
hold reasonable wages ftom their employees, and also in the
spirit of some employees with their unreasonable clamor for
wage increases producing sftikes and untold inconvenien@.
The psychologists tell us the trouble with most people is
egocentricity, which simply means that a person is self-
engrossed. The outcome can be neurosis and emotional break-
down.
69
Dealing with the self-life is a constant battle for Christians

as well as the unsaved. The devil seems to exert even greater
pressure when the child of God desires victory over the self-
life.
Some years ago Dr. A. T. Pierson wrote about the futility of
the self-life in believers. "Much of our spiritual life has a great
deal of the leaven of self comrpting in it," he said. "We aIE
seeking self-advantage and self-glory, only on a higher level
and of a more refined sort. Nothing is so hard to kill as pride
and selfishness. Man is like an onion-layer after layer, and
each a layer of self in some form. Srip off self-righteousness,
and you will come to self-tnrst; get beneath this, and you will
meet self-seeking and self-pleasingi and even when you think
these arc abandoned, self-will betrays its presence, if this seems
stripped off, you find self-defense, and last of all, self-glory.
And when even this seems abandoned, the heart of the human
"onion"-pssf offensive of all-is the selfish PRIDE that
boasts at last of being truly humble."
The children of God have no right to live for themselves, for
they are God's possession. We rcad in I Corinthians 6:l%20,
"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." He has gtven
us talents to use for Him, yet we often wantonly bemay our
trust. We are so often cowardly in witnessing for Christ because
the self-life is dominant.
An enthusiastic reporter recorded the experien@s of a young
couple who, several years oBo, fled from society to make
their home on a barren piece of land on the Gulf of Mexico,
120 miles from their nearest neighbor. The reporter wrote
about their "perfect life." I would say the life the reporter
described is the ultimate of the selfish will. The perfect life
Deny SeU 7l
starts with receiving Christ and then forsaking self to follow
Him. Jesus said, "verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth al;ne:
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fmit" (John 12:24). He
describes the life that dies to self and becomes alive to Him.
This is the life that sacrifices for God, that spends itself to do
the will of God.
It was this spirit that constrained God to send His Son into
the world rather than to dwell in isolated splendor, ignoring
the heartbreaking needs of sinful humanity. And it was the
unselfish nature of Christ that brought Him to die on the cross.
Our Lord didn't think of Himself when He went to the cross.
He thought orily of lost humaniry and our need for redemption.
This is the Christ spirit.
Totally opposite is Satan's spirit. At one time, Satan was a
beautiful angel, but he said in his heart, "f will ascend into
heavetr, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the most High" (Isa 14:13-14). Because of his selfish and
rebellious spirit, he was cast from his high and noble position
and became the instigator of evil. Millions of people in this
world arc mastered by this same selfishness. Everything they
do is motivated by benefit to self. After one comes to Christ
and is born again, it should be different. The tnre believer
enters into Calvary's love. This kind of love "seeketh not her
own" (l Cor. 13:5). It never looks inward. It looks outward.
We shall never be effective for God until we arc willing to
deny self and let the Lord Jesus have the preeminence. He said
in Matthew 16:24, "If any man will come after ffi€, let him
deny himsell and take up his cross, and follow rle.,'
Jesus didn't nrean that we should follow Him simply to be
saved, but throughout life{rour by hour, monrcnt by moment.
In a goup pmyer meeting an African Christian prayed, "Oh

Lord, Thou art the needle and I am the cotton." That may
seem like a strimge prayer, but it was a vivid word picture of a
Christian following Christ. The African had visited a mission
school that day and, while watching the girls sew, had ob-
served that the coffon thread always followed the needle. Christ
wants those who believe in Him to be close to Him at all
times, to be completely yielded to Him, to follow Him iN
directly and dependently as the thread follows the needle. The
apostle Paul win able to say, "For me to live is Christ, and to
die is gain" (Phil. l:21). This is what it means to follow Christ.
Regardless of what comes our way--{unshine or rain, joy or
sorrow, peace or turmoil-to follow Him.
Many have to Say, "For me to live is my business." To
others it is pleasure, my family, or dozens of other interests
that turn us from our supreme object in life.
Not long ago a num whose net worth was $50,000 said, "In
about ten years I expect to be a millionaite." He had a goal and
was extending his talent and energy to arrive at it as soon as
possible. Ten years wasn't too long to wait to be as rich as he
wanted to be.
A young medical student declares, "I'm going to be a heart
specialist." She knows it means ffimy years of schooling, but
she determined to sacrifice to attain her goal.
If we do not establish goals, we live aimlessly<nly for the
present-{oing what is exciting today without concern for
tomorrow. Goals in the Christian life should be the outgrowth
of the Christian's closeness to Jesus Christ. The Lord said,
"Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will
lose his life for my sake, the sitme shall save it" (Luke 9:24).
Christ was talking about having a purpose in life outside of
one's self, about having goals that terminate in eternity. He
was talking about forgetting personal gain to serve others. The
Deny Self 73
principle He taught is backward iN far as many in the world

are concerned. They say you lose by grving yourself to others.
But once we've glven our life to Christ, we arc to live by
divine principles.
The apostle Paul expressed his goal in life! To the chuch at
Philippi he wrote, "That I may know him, and the power of his
resulrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, hing made
conformable unto his death; If by any nrcans I might attain
unto the resunection of the dead . . . I press toward the mark
for the pnre of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.n' It was
not easy for Paul to achieve his god; there was a price to pay.
"But what things were gain to ffie, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubfless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, &rd do count them
but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith" (Phil. 3:7-9). Everything had to go except
that which exalted the t ord Jesus Christ, for anything that did
not exalt Christ was a hindrance to Paul's quest for his goal.
James Hisky, discussing college students and the symptoms
of moral decline on the campus, says, "At the heart of the
students' problem is their lack of meaning for living." Many
have neither "God nor goal." Millions, on and off the curmpus,
have no purpose in life other than to get ttrce square meals a
day and to live fairly comfortably. Some Christians, too, are
without vision and without concern; living for themselves, they
show little love for Christ or others.
In Proverbs 29:18 we read, "Where there is no vision, the
people perish." If you and I who profess to be followers of
Christ do not fix our eyes upon Him and follow Him, millions
who have never heard the Crospel will perish without it. Only
those who love Christ and obey Him grve sacrificially of their
tinre and money. They ure the ones who arc supporting the
missionary progftm and witnessing to their neighbors and
friends.
If you are mastered by self, you have never entered into the
joy of living. Truly happy people do what they can to help
others. In helping them, they create life for themselves. The
story is told about two men who were traveling in the moun-
tains on a bitter cold snowy day. Both were so frozfrn that they
despaired of aniving at their destination alive. About that time,
they stumbled over a man half-buried in the snow and nearly
dead from exposrrrle. One of the men suggested that they carry
the unfortunate man with them, but the other refused to help,
insisting that they would have all they could do to save them-
selves. One went on his way while the other shouldered the
unconscious rum and, with great difficulty, suuggled on with
his heavy burden. Through his extra exertiotr, he began to
warm up and felt better in spite of the severe cold. And the
nearly frozen fellow hangrng on his shoulders felt the warmth,
and by the tinre they arrived at the village, he had recovered
consciousness. Shortly before arriving, they found the nmn
who had refused to help, fallen by the wayside and frozen to
death. When we reach out of ourselves to help someoro, we
save ourselves.
We can help those around us, and we must help those around
us; but we can do this best if we are what God intends us to be.
We mn only be this as we commit oumelves fully to His
conffol, unreservedly yielding to His Lordship. He wants to be
more than our Savior. He did not save us simply to take us to
Heaven. His purpose far exceeds that.
Paul wrote,*Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no
Deny Self 7 5
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross" (Phil .2:5-8). He wiu emphasizing
that the Son of God was equal with the Father in power and
authority, yet He left Heaven to come to earth, not to be a
great teacher, but to be a Savior. He took upon Himself a body
and was born as a baby. He suffered the usual privations of life
and was taken as a young man and crucified on a cross. The
perfect, holy Son of God was humble. The apostle Paul pleads
with us to be humble as Christ is. Humility is impossible as
long as pride reigns in our lives. Pride is first on a tist of things
that God hates (Prov. 6:1G19). One may not have many
worldly possessions, yet be extremely proud. One may not be
handsome or attractive, yet be proud. The misleading thing
about pride is that it is always obvious in the other person but
we rarely detect it in ourselves. Someone has said, "The great-
est of faults is to be conscious of none." Pride is at the root of
many disnrbances in the world. Pride glves no consideration
to wisdom. Pride can never reason things out. Pride wants
what it wants at any cost, and very often it will pay any price
to get it. This is the thing God says He hates.
The mighty Nebuchadnezznr who is porhayed in the book
of Daniel had a wonderf,rl estimation of himself. He was ex-
tremely proud. He had a huge golden image of himself con-
structed and issued a decree that everyone should bow and
worship this image. Later, this selfish monarch was humili-
ated. God made him uN a beast of the fields, eating the grass of
the field as the oxen. He was a living example of Proverbs
16:18, "Pride goeth before destnrction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall." The psalmist wrote, "Lift not up your horn on
high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion conrcth nei-
ther from the east, nor from the west, nor frrom the south. But
God is the judge: he putteth down one, and seffeth up anothet''

(Ps. 7 5:?7). These verses present a strong warning against
pride. The lifting up of the horn on high is really an attempt of
man to flaunt himself before God. Actually, this is what the
proud man does. He feels within himself a certain sense of
superiority that God has not intended for any man. It is impor-
tant that we let ttrc Lord have first place regardless of the
consequences. For the believer in Christ, this means a life of
humility. In practically every church there are factions and
divisions which are usually the result of personality conflicts.
Some people never seem to learn how to get along with each
other, and they refuse to give in. I have been told that if trvo
goats meet each other in a narrow path where they cannot turn
back and they cannot pass one another, they do not butt each
other and fight and try to knock the other out of the way. One
lies down so the other can pass over it. All of us could learn a
lesson from the goat.
In James we read, "fu resisteth the proud, but giveth grace
unto the humble." This word "resisf' means "to set one's self
against." God sets Himself against the proud. God exhorts the
believer saying, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the [.ord,
and he shall lift you up." Promotion comes not from ourselves.
We don't have to push ourselves atread by telling everybody
what we have done. God knows all about that. He tells us,
"Humble yourself in My sight, and I will lift you up."
If you want to tell people what God has done for you, that's
a different thing. This is what Paul did. He said in Galatians
6:14, "But God fo6id that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto
rle, and I unto the world." Paul did some boasting, but not
about himself. About all he could say regarding himself was "I
know that in'me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing'
(Rom.'7:18).
Deny SeU 77
It is important that we look into our hearts to ask God to

make us aware of our own pride. If you have thought you
could get along without God, you arc guilty of pride. You
have gone through life the best you possibly could, ignoring
the claims of Christ on your soul. God created us dependent
beings. No one is self-sufficient. We need the help of the Lord
in everything.
The stadium was packed, and the crowd had gathered to see
the University of Southern California play its most important
football game of the season. On the team was All-American
Rl Smith. A few days before the game, the mother of this star
player had died. She had followed her son's career with interest
and delight. She was to have occupied a box seat at the guune.
Until game time it wiu not known by the crowd whether Rl
would play or not. But when the team ftotted on the field,
there he was. A moment or two before the starting whistle, Ed
walked over to the box where his mother would have sat. It
was draped in black, and on the seat was a large picture of her.
The big player stood before the picture a monrent" and then as
he turned to leave said, "Mother, I am playing this game for
you." With that, he was off to add another brilliant perfor-
mance to his record.
Such respect on the part of a son for his mother is certainly
commendable. But if you arc a Christian, think about the signifi-
cance of this illustration. We who have truly believed on the
Lord Jesus are God's own, ood day by day, as we live before
Him and as we desire to live for Hinu He will grve us the
strength to do so.
Chapter 10
LIVE CONVINCINGLY
A certain minister seldom prcached more than twenty minutes.

When one of his faithful listeners rcquested that he make his
sermons longer, the pastor replied, o'ff you practice all I preach,
you will find them long enough."
The pastor suggested something of supreme importance,
"PrActice what is preached." We hear sermons on every hand.
Many of them provide substantial food for the soul, but so
often we listen and that is all. God says in James l:22, "Be ye
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves." Merely storing great fiuths in our hearts and minds is
of little value. These must be manslated into living if we are to
be effective for God.
Those who profess the name of the Lord Jesus are to take
their stand for Him and reveal Him by a transformed life.
Simply to say, "I believe," is not enough. Actually, one only
believes what one is willing to apply to daily tiving. So often
we find that people will argue for Christianity, unite for it,
fight for it, die for it, anything but live for it. The Lord Jesus
79
said in Matthew 5:1 6, "I.et your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven." The most effective testimony Christians mn
give to the unsaved is evidence in their lives that they know
Christ. Those who believe on the Savior are new creations. If
the unsaved can see the Lord Jesus in you and lro, they are
more apt to believe.
Two businessmen went to special meetings to hear a well-
known Gospel preacher. They were competitors. After several
nights one went forward as a seeker of life in Christ. The other
was convicted but unyielding. As he saw his competitor going
fonvard, he decided, "I will watch him. If he lives differently
for one year, I will believe there is something in it and become
a Christian myself." For a year he watched the man and saw a
complete change in all aspects of the man's life. Convinced,
he too asked for forgrveness of sin through Christ.
I wonder how many have come to the Lord Jesus because
by observing our walk they were convinced that there is sonre-
thing reat in the Christian faith? Many people never go to
church or read the Bible, so every Christian is obligated to
reveal the l,ord Jesus Christ through holy living.
Peter puts it this way, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you zls
strangers and pilgeims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which wir
against the soul; Having your conversation honest ilmong the
Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you zls evildoers,
they may be your good works, which they shall behold, glorify
God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:ll-12). "The day of
visitatior," literally, is the day of inspection when the Lord
conrcs for His own at the rapturc. Only those who can pass the
inspectior, having been saved by the grace of God, wil live in
a way that will make others want to know Christ and be rcady
to meet Him.
There is so much hypocrisy ilmong those who profess to be
Live Convincingly 8l
Christians; it is no wonder that many arc not interested in our
Christ. We go to church on Sunday and sing the great hymns
of our faith with enthusiasm and piety. The singing of a hymn
should be a deep experience for the child of God. It can be a
prayet, 3 testimony, praise, or an invitation, but too often it is
another step in revealing our inconsistencies and lack of devo-
tion. We sing "Sweet Hour of Prayed' and pray for only a few
minutes a day. We sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and fail
to get into the battle for God. We sing "Oh for a Thousand
Tongues to Sing Our Great Redeemer's Praise" and don't use
the one tongue we have to talk to others about Christ. We sing
"Bless Be the Tie That Binds" and let the least offense sever it.
Many in our churches today have not really surendered them-
selves to Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 3:1 God says, "Wherefore, holy brethren, par-
takers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." Someone has said that
as "Aposfle," the Lord Jesus brings us up to the height of our
calling and that as "High Priest," He maintains us there. We
have a calling more exalted than the children of a king. We
have been brought into intimate relationship with the King of
kings, the Iord Jesus Christ. We arc holy brethren, members
of the family of God, and this places a supreme obligation on
us to live holy and obedient lives.
The Queen of England, when she was a little princess, was
asked who she was. In reply, she said, "I am nobody, but my
daddy is the king."
It doesn't matter who or what you ffe, God has a purpose
for your life. He wants to make us like Christ. Then He wants
to use us to bring others to Christ.
If you are a Christian, is your tife bearin g a consistent wit-
ness to Jesus Christ? Many Christians know how to make a
living, but they do not know how to live. They can talk Christ,
but seemingly they have never learned to walk Christ. The

Christian faith is more a way of walking than it is of talking.
Which is more important, preaching or practicing? I-et me
answer that from the Word of God. In 1 Timothy 4:16, we
read, "Take heed unto thyself." In I Corinthians 9:14, "They
which preach the gospel shoutd live of the gospel." I John 2:6,
o'He
that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked." There are veffies in both the Old and New
Testaments that emphasize holiness and obedience to the [,ord.
Are there inconsistencies in your life shutting out the Lord's
power and keeping others from coming to the Savior? Con-
sider honesty, for example.
The Christian should live in such a way that he cannot
possibly be charged with dishonesty. He must be aboveboard
in all his deatings. We are living in a day when many people
no longer think honesty is the best policy. According to an
insurance company report, office emploY@S, executives, and
salespeople steal more than one billion dollars a year from
their employers. And a recent survey conducted at a top-
ranking meftopolitan area high school revealed that 9l percent
of the pupils in the ttrce upper grades pmcticed cheating.
Though the human race has changed its standard of ethics,
God has not. He warns in His Word, "Be not deceived; God is
not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reiry
comrption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap tife everlasting" (Gal. 6:7-8). We may think that we arc
deceiving those around us, but we can never deceive God. We
arc told in Psalm M:21 ttrat "He knoweth the secrets of the
heart." Real and effective honesty must come from the heart"
not the head.
You are familiar with ttrc saying, "Honesty is the best policy."
A policy may be good, but the word also means "a procedtrre
Live Convincingly 83
based primarily on material interest rather than on higher

principles; hence, worldly wisdom." If people are honest in a
given situation merely to create favor or for rnaterial advan-
tage, they might be dishonest in another case if they thought
they would gain by it.
True honesty is a Christian virtue held before us repeatedly
in the Scriptures. David spoke of it in Psalm 5l:6 when he
said, "Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts." Paul
said in Romans 12:17 that we are to "Prrovide things honest in
the sight of all men." He repeated almost the same thought in
2 Corinthians 8:2l, "Providing for honest things, not only in
the sight of the [,ord, but also in the sight of men." And again
in2 Corinthians l3:7 Paul said, "Now I pray to God that ye do
no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should
do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates." This
means that we are to do that which is honest for its own sake.
Probably there is no beuer way for Christian business people
to let their light shine for Christ than in their business dealings.
What a stumbling block they arc if they are not honest. Christian
employees are to do a full day's work for their employer.
Christians should realizc, that they do not only work for an
emploYer, but for the Lord Jesus Himself. How it would
relieve the drudgery of manual labor if workers kept this in
mind. This same realization could lead many of us to grve up
our careless ways and to render in everyday life a tnrer, mott
honest service for the Lord we profess to love. If you arc a
Christian, arc you honest?
We are living in an age when lying also is routine for ruuly.
God says Satan is the father of lying (John 8:44). In other
words, the habitual liar is marked by a satanical spirit. His lies
are prompted by the wicked one. But you may say, I have
known Christians who lie. Did they tell lies continually? If
they did, you can well doubt their profession of taith in Christ.
All of us know there are some people who say they are
followers of Christ, but even their profession is a lie. The nuul
or worum who is in Jesus Christ may tell an occasional lie, but
there is forgiveness as he or she confesses to God.
Those who obey God and do His will no longer choose to
lie. They will speak the truth in love as we read in Ephesians
4:15. But the habitual liar is outside the fold, God tells us. He
is among those classified by the Bible as the wicked. He has
never experienced new life in Christ.
Christians need to guard against half-tnrth. Maybe you are
not guilty of a downright lie, but you exaggerate or you tell
something in such a subtle way that it cannot be classified as
an outright [ie. Few consider exaggeration in the same class
with lying.
A wonmn came to D. L. Moody and said, 'uI have a habit of
exaggerating. Can you tell rre how to overconrc tttis habit?'
Moody's answer was to the point. "Yes," he said, "the next tirrrc
you are guilty of this sh, go to the person to whom you exagger-
ated and confess that you lied and that you arc ashamed and sorry
for it." "Oh, but I wouldn't like to call it a lie," said the wornuln.
Moody replied "If you do not call it a [ie, you will neverquit."
God says in Proverbs 28:13, "He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall
have mercy." If you arc a believer nying to escape sinrations
with a [ie, face up to your problem. Recogruze it as a sin Crod
hates and confess it to the [.ord. He says in 1 John 1:9, "If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us ftom all unrighteousness."
Christians need to examine other aspects of their lives to
see whether they are pleasing God and convincing non-
believers that they are for real. I would not suggest that all
Christians ire hedonists, but I have a sftong suspicion that far
too many practice hedonism. By this I mean they are living
for pleasure rather than for God and the expansion of His
kingdom.
In a world blinded by materialisrn, it becomes more and
more difficult for God's people to escape the temptation to
glve morc attention to "things" than to Christ.
A party of engineers became lost in the jungles of Africa.
Soon their food supply ftrn out. In their search for food, they
found some berries which seemed to satisfy their appetites for
days. The nrcn grew weaker, however, and one by one they
died. Later when help arrived, there was only one man left to
tell the story. The berries were analyznd and found to be
absolutely worthless as nourishing food. They satisfied the
appetites while the nren starved to death.
Certainly Christians need not deny themselves tlre necess {y
and legitimate things of life, but John 6:27 must always be
kept in mind. Jesus said, "Labor not for the meat which
perisheth, but for that nreat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the son of man shall grve unto you."
Don't get swept up in the mad world of materialistic [iv-
ing-with one foot in tlre world and one in tlrc spiritual realrrF-
instead of nullifying the flesh that the life of Christ might be
seen in us and the world evangelizndin our day.
The Bible declares and history demonsftates that prosperity
can be dangerous. It led Israel into idolafiy again and again. It
ate the foundation from under the Roman empire. Prosperity
prcsents to the qrnest Christian a subfle temptation. The spirit
of a covetous materialism, which is idola0y, can oveftake Chris-
tians as quietly as the falling of a shadow across their pattr. fn
order to keep up with the crurent of social progess, they find
that a bigger and better job is indispensable. This, in turn,
requires a bigger and better office, fann" or factory. A bigger
car and home naturally follow, and sometimes even a bigger
and better chtrch.
Money itself has no spiritual significan@. Wealth means

nothing, for it cannot be taken out of this world. Poverty has
no claim to merit. It, too, is a transient condition. Our attitude
toward the material is what is important. Where on the scales
of values do we rank money? Is it our master or otu slave? Do
we desire it for what we can do for others with it? Is money a
first considenation in our lives or rrcrely incidental to our living
for the honor and glory of Crod? The Bible makes it plain that
money mn be either a curse or a blessing. It is a tnrst from
God. It is something which He places in ou hands to be used
for His glory.
For whom are you living, self and pleasnre or God and the
Gospel? I urge you, if you arc a Christian, to take account of
your real interests in life. Jesus declared in Luke l2:l5, "Be-
wate of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth." Our Lord also
said in Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you." l-etChrist have the preeminence. If you are a follower of
Him, live for Him. Then everything you have will be considered
as belongmg to Him and will be used for Him.
This means your talents too. The L,ord has endowed every
one of His children with abilities which are to be dedicated to
the [,ord's service. When they are used along with those of
othem in the Body of ChrisL they beconrc a mighty force for
our Savior and His kingdom. If the Chtrrch of Christ is to
prosper and do what Crod intends, there can be no shirkers. We
have a high calling, a divine appointment. '"\Me arc laborers
together with God" (1 Cor. 3:9Fa serious responsibility.
Will He be able to say to you, "Well done thou good and
faithful servant?" Or are you living for this world only? Many
arc so busy heaping up treimures for themselves that they over-
look their occupation for Jesus. When Christ walked on earth,
He said to His own, in the words of Luke 19:13, "Occupy till I

corne." Get a job for God and do it well.
Many Christiirns arc not doing any sacrificial work for Christ
because they lack spiritual commitnrcnt. If you claim to be a
Christian, rcalizn Whose you are and Whom you serve. If you
are not a Christian, Christ wants to save you. He paid the price
for your sin. All that remains for you to do is to repent of your
sin and ask Him to come into your life.
Chapter 11
CLAIM VICTORY OVER STN
There is victory in Christ that some Christians never find. The

Bible tells us how sin should not have confrol over us (Rom.
6:14). The apostle Paul wrote that he would not be controlled
by any sin (l Cor. 6:12). But many who profess to be followers
of Christ are controlled by sin. Some have not even recogniznd
that their "habif' or "weakness" is sin.
Perhaps you know that you talk too much but have not
faced up to it as sin. Yet God clearly tells us not to be guilty of
an uncontrolled tongue. "Put away from thee a froward mouth,
and perve$e lips put far from thee" (Prov. 4:24). Ttte word
"froward" is really the word for ungovernable or unconffolled.
The Bible has much to say about how we should speak. The
psalmist exhorts, "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips
from speaking guile" (Ps. 34:13). In Jarnes 3:6 and 8 we read
that "the tongue is a fir€, a world of iniquity . . . set on fire of
hell . . . an unmly evil, full of deadly poison." Our most God-
like means of expression can be seized by Satan and turned to
his own ends. It's no wonder that James also wrote, "Wher€-
89
fore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow

to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). And, "If any num among
you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain" (James
l:26).
It has been estimated that most people speak enough in a
week to fill a five hundred page book. In an average lifetime,
this amounts to three thousand volumes, or one million, five
hundred thousand pages. ffis is a frightening thought when
we consider what our Lord said, "For by thy words thou shalt
be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt.
12:37). We shall either be justified or condemned, xo@ive
reward or suffer loss on the grounds of the words we have
spoken.
Evil speaking may be speaking ill of one's neighbor. Crossip
is in this category and is strongly condemned in the Bible. God
says in Irviticus 19: 16, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a
talebearer among thy people." Yet there are those in our
churches who are constantly stirring up trouble by their
gossiping tongues. Paul described the condition of women in
the early church who were creating trouble because of their
failure to claim victory over an uncontrolled tongue. "And
withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to
house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not" (1 Tim. 5:13).
If you know something about another Christian, don't tell
others about it. Instead pray and go to the person in a kind,
loving way. Do what you can to correct the situation.
Paul in his letters to the churches stressed the importance of
carcful speech, "Irt no comrpt communication proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, tlmt
it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph. 4:29). We are to
speak nothing that hurts, but rather only that which helps. To
ClaimVictory over Sin 9l
the Colossians Paul urged, "L&t your speech be alway with
gB@, seasoned with salt" (4:6), and this nrcans there is no
room for sharp, caustic words.
Much tnouble and misery have resulted from the uncon-
trolled tongue. Few of us tealizn the serious consequences
involved in thoughflessly talking about othens. Gossip has sepa-
rated old friends and brought cruel misunderstandings. It has
blasted the reputations of godly men and broken the hearts of
saints. It has impeded the power of the Holy Spirit in churches,
preventing revival. It has brought untold gnef and misery to
pastors and other Christian leaders.
The one who speaks carelessly suffers also. Perhaps you've
had the experience of spreading gossip or telling sornebody
what you really thought, and then for days you were sorry for
what you said. And even though you went to that person and
apologrred, it seemed that you couldn't get over what you had
done. God says you mn keep yoruself from this "soul tnruble."
"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul
from ffoubles" (Prov. 2l:23). Souls have been turned away
ftom Christ because of careless words of Christians, while on
the other hand right words might well athact the unsaved to
the Savior. I heard of one such case several years ago. A
young nuul, who had started out as a lawyer, got to making
money in sonre big constnrction projects. One day, just before
the concrcte was to be pourcd, a tnrck driver backed into the
forms and smashed them. As the truck driver got out of the
truck and came toward the angry young man, he smilingly
said, "f'm sorry I broke your forms, I'll conre out and fix them
on my own time. But, brother, you have just used in an unholy
way the nilme of a Friend who is very dear to me. And I want
to tell you, you're missing alot out of life." He turned and left.
The angry young man was confused and morc than a bit
resenfrrl. This tnrck driver, with his limited education, had
upset him with his calm reaction to his swearing. The Lord
dealt with the young man until he surrendered his heart to the
Lord Jesus Christ and went on to go into Christian service,
because a truck driver who loved the L,ord had spoken the
right word at the right time.
God says in Janres 3:2, "lf any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
The word "perfect" here means "mature." He is grown up in
the Lord. He has advanced in the faith.
Gossip is not the only kind of speech that suggests you are a
carnal believer. Some are guilty of foolish jesting, wasting time
with the idle throng, enjoyrng gddy nonsense, echoing their
hollow laughter, and delighting in their wicked conversation.
Criticism is another speech sin among Christians. Yet Jesus
said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judg-
ment ye jud5e, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again. furd why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother,L-etme pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold,
a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the
beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to
cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matt .7:1-5). If we
deal with our own sin and look at our own failures, we arc less
prone to criticize others. But most of us recognize other's
faults far easier than their good points. The story is told of a
teacher who hung up a large sheet of white paper with one
small black dot in the center. She then asked the children what
they saw. All of them said they saw a black dot. Not one
mentioned the white paper. Most of us are like that. Ratlrer
than seeing the good in others, we see the bad.
Maybe you irritate and disturb people because you arc lack-
ing in the love and grace of Crod. If we could project ourselves
ClnimVictory over Sin 93
into the lives of others, to understand their problerns, their

heartaches, their weaknesses, perhaps we would be less critical
and far happier, too. Consider the thoughts in this poem en-
titled'oDo Not Judge Others Too Hard."
Pray, don't find fault with the man who limps,

Or stumbles along the road,
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load.
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt
Though hidden away from view,
Or the burdens he bears, placed on your back,
Might cause you to stumble too.
Don't sneer at the man who's down today,
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall, or felt the shame,
That only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, if dealt to you
In the self-same way at the self-same time,
Might cause you to stagger too.
Don't be too hanh with the man who sins,
Or pelt him with words or stones,
Unless you are sure, !ao,, doubly surc
That you have not sins of your own:
For, you know, perhaps if the tempter's voice

Should whisper uLs soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray,
'Twould cause you to falter too.
Anger is another serious sin among the people of God. In

Ecclesiastes 7:9 we read, "Be not hasry in thy spirit to be
angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."
And again in Proverbs 27:4, "Wrath is cnrel, and anger is
oufrageous." Maybe you feel that because your temper flares

up only once in a while it is not a serious problem. Billy
Sunday had a woman say to him, "I have a bad temper but it's
over in a minute." His reply was, "So is a shotgun, but it blows
everything to pie@s."
Frequently a Christian woman requested prayer for her
husband's salvatiotr, but still he remained cold and indifferent.
He did not hesitate to tell the preacher, when he asked, that the
reason he did not rcspond was that he didn't see anything in
his wife's life that gave her victory over an uncontrollable
temper. When the pastor shared this with the woman, she felt
convicted and vowed that wittr ttrc [,ord's strngth things would
be different. Not long aftenvard she placed a new lamp in the
hall hoping to surprise her husband. When he came home, he
brushed against it accidentally and it fell to the floor and broke
into a myriad of pieces. He waited rather apprehensively for
the fight to begin. But instead, his wife laughed and said,
"Never mind, it's all right. You couldn't help it. We can get
another one." A day or two later, when he was late for dinner,
she gave him a big hug and said, "That's all right" dear, I know
you have worked hard. I don't mind waiting for you."
Before the week was over, he told her frankly, "I don't
know what's come over you. Your terrible temper is gone. If
the Lord can do that for you, you had better remember to pray
for me because this is the kind of salvation f need."
Many Christians get victory over drinking, profanity, lying,
and other forms of defeat, while overlooking the deceptive evil
of anger. God says in Proverbs 14:29, "He ttrat is slow to
wrath is of grcat understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit
exalteth folly." It is important that we weigh every word that
we speak cautiously. The instant we speak a word, it is no
longer ours. "Be not rash with thy mouth, ord let not thine
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for Clod is in
ClaimVictory over Sin 95
heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few"
(Eccl. 5:2). This verse includes the real source of the problem.
It is deeper than the tongue. It is the heart. Jesus said in
Matthew 12:34, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh." The reason our words are not pleasing to God is
that our hearts are not right with Him. If you are guilty of
gossip, criticism, and temper, examine your heart to determine
whether you are yielded to Christ. Only one who has fully
committed himself to the L,ord Jesus Christ can know victory
over these sins. Ask Him for gr:rce to control your tongue.
Perhaps you are trying to control sin in the power of the flesh
when the Holy Spirit must do the job.
The Scripture tells us that everyone who believes on
Christ receives the Holy Spirit into his life at conversion. In
1 Corinthians 6: 19 we read that ttrc "body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost." Since Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
we must be very careful that we do not offend Him. "Grieve
not the holy Spirit of God" (Eph. 4:30). Paul lists six things
that grieve the Holy Spirifi bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,
evil speaking, and malice. Bitterness here is temper. Wrath is
really anger on a larger scale. God says, "I-et not the sun go
down upon your wrath" (Eph. 4:26). In other words, never go
to sleep at night without apologizing to anyone you may have
offended during the day. It is difficult to distinguish betrveen
wrath and anger. In fact, in many verses throughout the Bible
where God nrentions wrath, He usually mentions anger. Clamor
can be translated "contention." It has to do with those who try
to dominate every situation, to talk others down with a view to
exalting one's self. Pride is at the root of this evil. Evil speak-
ing is literally abusive talking-etaliating vertally. Malice as
used here means "spite," an "I will get even" attitude.
The apostle Paul tells us not only what we should put
out of our lives, but what we should permit the Holy Spirit
to work in us-kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgive-

NESS.
There is victory, but we must be willing to do business with
God. There must be no halfiilay meimures. We cannot compro-
mise. There must be a sellout. Body, soul, and spirit must be
yielded to Christ for His control and His will. Then there will
be victory.
Chapter 12
GIVE GENEROUSLY
Many Christians arc only on the receiving end in their rela-

tionship with God. Of course, lou become a Cluistian when
you receive Jesus Christ into your life, and then many bless-
ings from God follow in the Christian experience. But you are
not to be a storehouse. Jesus said, ". .. fieely ye have received,
freely grve" (Matt. 10:8).
First we are to gtve ourselves to the confrol of Christ whole-
heartedly. Then we are to grve of our time for service to God,
and we arc to gtve of our money to the cause of Christ. Many
Christians are selfish when it comes to glving to God. When
we comparc what they grve with what they receive from the
Lord, it would seem that they don't care very much for the
One they profess to love. God says, "Every man shall grve as
he is able, according to the blessing of the I.ord thy God which
he hath glven thee" (Deut. 16: l7). If we were to gtve in the
same manner in which God has blessed us, it would make a
difference in reaching the world with the Gospel of Christ.
Some people refer to the tenth they grve to God as though
97
they arc sacrificing. We do not glve God the tithe; it already

belongs to Him. tn Irviticus 27:30 we read, "The tithe . . . is
the Lord's." The tithe win required under the law.
Others acknowledge that the tithe belongs to the Inrd but
think that the other 90 percent belongs to them. In Christ, we
have been delivered from the law and we have libeffy. We are
under gra@. But Paul reminds us that we ire not to use our
liberty "for an occasion to the flesh" (Gal. 5:13). One way is in
giving. A Christian having experienced the grace of God ought
to give far beyond the tithe. The New Testament standard for
Christ's followers is not a tenth, but 100 percent. Jesus said, ".
. . whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hattr,
he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14,33). If you are a child of
God through Christ, He wants all. This does not mean that you
arc to grve all you have away, but rather you ire to relinquish
all claim to it. We arc to recoguzfr the fiue ownership of every-
thing we have. It is not ours, but His. God is not as concerned
with how much we grve as with what we keep and spend on
ourselves.
When we invite a guest to our home for dinner, we do not
serve ourselves and our children first. We serue the guest first
out of respect and courtesy. As true believers, we ought not to
use our paycheck on ourselves and then remember God if
there is anything left. We can show Him respect and honor by
first laying aside at least a tenth for the [,ord's work before we
spend anything else.
Some thhk a tenth is too much. We don't thhk a tenth is
too much when we tip the waiter after eating in a restaurant. fn
fact, in most cases we leave fifteen percent as a gramiry. Should
we do less for God, who gives us all things, than for someone
who performs a few moments of service?
Many Christians are not being used of the Lord today
because of their desire for comfort and ease. God says in His
Give Gencrously 99
Word, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where

moth and rust doth comrpt, and where thieves break through
and steal: But lay up for yourselves freasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth comrpt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also" (Matt. 6: l9-Zl). Every cent we spend on
ourselves, regardless of how legitimate, is still an expenditure.
All that we heanily and faithfully contribute to the cause of
Christ is an investment which pays eternal dividends that do
not depreciate. What we try to keep for our purse and our
person we inevitably lose; but what we willingly share of
ourselves and our substance is forever "laid up" for us in
heaven. Present blessings and future rewards arc God's inter-
est payments on all that we return to Him. Someone has put it
this way, "What I kept, I lost; what I spent, I used; what I gave
to Jesus Christ, I saved."
It is not wrong to have money. Wealth is not wrong. But the
only way to avoid corruption of motrey, be it a fortune or a
pittance, is to realizn that you are a steward over what God has
given you. Sonre Christians plan to grve when the car is paid
for, when the mortgage is clear, when the children arc edu-
cated. They plan to grve, but it is all in the future.
Paul wrote, "Llpon the first day of the week let every one of
you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered hinu that there
be no gatherings when I come" (l Cor. l6:2).In Proverbs 3:9
we read, "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the
firctfruits of all thine increase." First, we arc to "honot'' the
Lord with all that we receive from flim, and second, we are to
remember Him first, before any other obligations are con-
sidered. He should receive the "firstfnrits." Some never have
anything left for the work of GoG because they spend it. When
God's people put the L,ord first in their giving, they will not
want for any good thing.
Henry Parsons Crowe[, former president of the Quaker Oats

Compffiy, gave from 60 to 70 percent of his income to the
work of the Lord for more than forff yeirs. He began this
sacrificial glving when he came to know the L,ord in a deeper
way. This is usually true. Those who have a vision of the
importance of sacrificing for God have first of all recogniznd
their own need of yielding completely to the Lord. Paul de-
clared, they "ftrst gave their own selves to the Lord" (2 Cor.
8:5). A full heart commitment to Christ usually results in a life
of unselfish devotion to Him.
When one gtves with love for the Lord, out of a heart of
appreciation for Him, God always far exceeds our giving by
His provision. It is impossible to get alread of God in giving. It
is somewhat like the African violet. The more cuttings you
take from the plant, the more it grows.
You will find the promise of Luke 6:38 to be true. "Give,
and it shall be glven unto you; good measure, pressed dowr,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men glve into
your bosom. For with the same nrcasure that ye mete withal it
shall be rneasured to you again."
Perhaps your glving is based on what you have and not on
faith. Take a step of faith and tell the Lord that you will do
greater things in the realm of giving and that you will 0ust
Him to enable you to do it. Maybe you have not really tested
God relative to your finances. Why not glve Him a chance to
prcve to you what He can really do? Don't expect to be able to
figrrre it out. We are to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor.
5:7).
Some preachers refuse to discuss Christian stewandship from
their pulpits, yet Christ spoke about money frruquently when
He was on this earth. fn fact, thifiy-eight of His parables were
concerned clearly with stewardship of material possessions.
Furtlrermore, do you know that the Bible refers to prayer about
Give Generously l0l
five hundred tfunes, to faith less than five hundred times, and
to material possessions about a thousand times.
If a Christian is not glving to God in a nranner pleasing to
the Lord, he or she is sinning. Some who would not think of
continuing in some other sin arc holding back on God as far as
investing in His work is concerned.
Some years ago there was a man named William Allen
White. He was a very generous person. One day, while hand-
ing the mayor the title of a tmct of land to be used for a clty
park he said, "Your Honor, there are three good kicks in a
dollar. One kick conrcs when you eirn it. This I have had. I
greatly edoyed it. The second kick comes from just having it.
This I inherited from my father. He was a Scotsman. I have
much enjoyed having it. The third kick conrcs in glving it
away. This I inherited from my rnother. She was hish. I will-
ingly indulge in that privilege." Considering the vast needs in
the world for the Gospel of Christ, nnny believers have never
come into the "third kick." They know well the kicks of earn-
ing and having money. There is joy and satisfaction in these,
but the suprcnrc satisfaction comes in grving. The Lord Jesus
reminds us, "It is morc blessed to grve than to receive" (Acts
20:35).
Dedicate your income to the L,ord and receive the blessing
He has for you. Start taking 25 percent or more of your in-
conrc for God. Perhaps you ar€ saying, "f could never do that."
You don't know what you could do. Even morc important,
having never tried ig you don't know what God can do through
you. Give Him a chance to work.
Chapter 13
CARE FOR THE BODY AND MIND
Is it harmful to body or mind? Christians should be sure they

can answer "no" to this question in connection with any life
style or habit they adopt. Paul clearly stressed otu responsibil-
ity to God to take car€ of the body and mind. "What? know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which ar€ God's" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Any
detrimental habit is sin against God because we belong to
Him. We must do nothing to jeopardizn the most effective use
of our minds and bodies for God. We should be concerned
that any habit we acquire will actually build us up physically,
mentally, and spiritually.
A young wonum was thrilled with the effects of LSD. She
had only praise for its effectiveness to carry her into her drearn
world. Though she was only eighteen years of age, I could
detect the denimental results it was having on her mind.
So much has been written about drugs that Christians are
103
well aware of their many proven bad effects. The crime rate
and the death rate have increased as the result of what drugs
have done to people. No Christian can even consider such a
habit harmless.
And there is alcoholisnr-fourth among the nation's most
serious heatth problerns, fotlowing heart disease, mental illness,
and cancer. Alcoholism does not only strike the unemployed
and destitute. A news story illusfrates this well. A num was
brought into a Colorado court on a charge of killing his wife in
an alcoholic rage. He had something in common with the
judge, the prosecutor, and the defense attorney. All were baffling
drinking problems. This evil strikes at every class.
Many American adults are heavy drinkers, according to a
nationwide survey. A heavy drinker is defined as one who has
a drink almost daily, or five drinks in one session once a week.
More rrcn drink than women. Most of the heavy drinkers are
in their nventies and thirties, are in the higher income groups,
and live in cities and suburbs.
Dr. Andrew C. [vy, former head of the Clinical Sciences
Department of the University of Illinois, said, "Radioactive
fallout may pose a health menace to Americans, but alcohol-
ism is a more serious one. The dangers from radioactive fall-
out arc guarded against and every effort to protect the public is
being made; whereas very little is being done to protect the
public from the disasfious effects of alcoholisrn."
We should do well to consider the wisdom of sonrc of the
famous men of the past.
Alcohol is a poison men take to steal away the brain. -Shakespeare
Strong drink is more destructive than war, pestilence, and famine.
4ladstone
My experience through life ha.s convinced me that abstinence from spiri-
*1}t:t*,
tus liquors is the best safeguard to moralt
nt Theodore Roosevert
Care for thc Body ard Mind 105
It tends to produce idleness, disease, pauperism, and crime.

United States Supreme Court
-The
It is a cancer in human society, eating out its vitals and threatening its
desuuction. Liicoln
-Abraham
It is distilled damnation. Hall
-Robert
But even mol€ important is what the Bible says about the
effects of strong drink. fn Proverbs 2O:l we read, "Wine is a
mocker." It is also the cause of strife, woe, &[d sorrow. ouWho
hath woe? who hath somow? . . . They that tarry long at the
wine; they that go to seek mixed wine" (Prov. 23:29-30). In
the next two verses we read, "Look not thou upon the wine
when it is red, when it grveth his color in the cup, when it
moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and
stingeth like an adder." Further, we see that drinking mn be
debasing, "They also have erred through wine, and through
strong drink . . . they err in vision, they stumble in judgment"
(Isa. 28:7). Drinking can also lead to poverty, "For the
drunkard . . . shall come to poverty" (Prov. 23:Zl).
Perhaps you have akeady been defeated by alcohol, and
you would grve anything in the world to break this habit which
has mastered you. Jesus Christ can grve you victory over the
drinking habit or any habit.
Smoking is another habit that is a known enemy to health.
There is definite evidence that it causes cancer and is detri-
mental to health in other ways. In our concern to avoid the
morc obviously harmful habits we may not be exercising care
in other ways. Like overeating. Or not getting enough sleep.
The psalmist tells about people who rise up early and sit up
late. Then deny themselves sleep for purposes of selfish gain
or anfiition. I think most of us were guilty of this during
college days. Many business people live this way every day.
One cannot burn the candle at both ends without soon paying
the price.
Have you ever reatized that sleep is a glft of God? If you

have had the experien@ of tossing and turning through the
long hours of the night, you appreciate more than ever how
necessary sleep is to our overall welfare.
God gives to His beloved the sleep of a quiet conscience.
Peter's sleeping betrveen two prison guards the night before he
wzts to be killed is an exirmple of one who was not disturbed.
He was right with God. He wim in the will of God. He had
nothing to fear. Some cannot sleep because of a troubled con-
science due to acts of dishonesty, lying, or cheating. These
things and many more can rob one of precious sleep. Others
don't have quietness of soul regarding the future; only those
who have met tlre Inrd can have this peace and tlrc sleep of
security.
Perhaps you have neglected sleep and endangered yotrr health
to make money. Or you worry about your business and don't
sleep. "But they that will be rich fatl into temptation and a
snare, and into ffirny foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown
men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the
root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with numy
sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
A man of wealth (after he made all his money) said, "As to
myselt t live like a galley slave, constantly occupied and often
passing the night without sleeping. I am wrapped in scores of
affairs and worn out with care. I do not value my fortune. The
love of labor is my highest emotioll. When I rise in the morn-
ing, my only effort is to labor so hard during the day that"
when the night conres, I may be able to sleep soundly."
Why should we intentionally ruin our health? God has pro-
vided us with bodies, not to abuse and exploit, but to use
intelligently for worthwhile endeavors.
An officer wearing the insignia of a colonel's rank called to
Care for the Body and Mind lW
see President Linc.oln. Lincoln listened with sympathy to the
man for he knew that he had a record for gallanuy, but he also
knew that the lines on the officer's face told their own story of
long and unrestrained indulgen@. He rose up, and as was his
habit when deeply moved, he grasped the officer's hand in
both of his own and said, "Colonel, I know your story, but you
carry your condemnation in your fa@." The president after-
ward said, "I dare not restore this ruut to his rank and glve him
charge of a thousand rrcn when he puts an enemy into his
mouth to steal away his brains."
When we ask ourselves whether or not a habit is harmful,
let's be sure to give it another test. Will it glorify God? Paul
wrote, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye
do, do all to the glory of God" (l Cor. 10:31). We might even
thhk what it would be like to have the Lord Jesus in our
prcsence while we arc participating in the habit. Could we ask
Him to go with us, or would we be at liberty to share it with
Him? Would He be happy about it?
Chapter 14
THE SOURCE OF POWER
In an unbelieving world the Christian must be credible. If

Christ is to be honored and new believers attracted to Him, the
Christian should resemble the Christ he or she narnes.
God has made clear in His Word the characteristics He
desires His children to have and to project to unbelievers and
to fellow Christians. In the preceding chapters we have con-
sidered these characteristics, but too often the Christian profile
is not what God intends. Many find it easy to talk Christianity
but not to live it. We may be scrupulously careful in our
actions but never say a word for the L,ord. We may appear a
stalwart of faith but be filled with wony. Many other failings
make Christians less than convincing and our spiritual life
vague and incomplete. This is too often fiue because we fail to
use the power God has provided to enable us to live a consis-
tent Christian life. Many lack power because they have not
first yielded themselves to God. tn Romans 6:13 we read,
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, iN
109
those that are alive from the dead, and your members as insffu-
ments of righteousness unto God." There is a challenge in the
heart of this verse: "yield yourselves unto God as those that
are alive from the dead." The Weymouth translation puts it
this way: "sun€nder your very selves to God iN living nren
who have risen from the dead." When we grve up our human
personalities to the control of Christ, then there can be a
remarkable demonstration of Holy Spirit power in ou lives.
Whether it was John Wesley, Amy Carmichael, D. L. Moody,
Elisabeth Elliot, or others who have been greatly used of God,
they had to settle the question of whether they would regulate
their own lives or turn them over to God. Had the decision
been in favor of self-will, their names-like those of many
Christians-would have been soon forgotten. These men and
women srurendered themselves to the Lord as those who have
risen from the dead. They relinquished all selfish rights to their
lives, and they fully committed themselves to God.
James H. McConkey was in the ice business just east of
Harrisbug, Pennsylvania in the day when the industry was
dependent upon the weather. Several bad years had put the
company in the red. One year a splendid return wim in sight
when suddenly the weatlrer threatened disaster. McConkey fell
on his knees and sought the L,ord to intervene. As he prayed,
he realizrnthat he faced more than a financial crisis. He faced
a spiritual crisis. The L,ord could save the ice, but the question
was could he have the use of McConkey's life? The answer
wzts yes. God accepted his yielded heart. After this experierco,
the Holy Spirit empowered him in a mighty way, and his
writings have been a blessing throughout the world.
The L,ord Jesus declared, ". . . ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is conrc upon you" (Acts 1:8). This nrcans
that after we arc saved, we ought to gve God complete conftol
of otu lives; then the Holy Spirit will provide us with power to
Tlrc Source of Power 111
live the Christian life. Niagara Falls is a mighty display of

power, and much of it is harnessed by a hydroelectric plant.
Similar waterfalls can be found around the world with tons of
water pouring over unhamessed. This is all wasted power.
Likewise, many Christians have not harnessed the resources
they have in Christ to be witnesses and living exirmples of His
grace and glory. Some are like Samson. He could tear a lion
apart, he could easily handle a couple of hundred Philistines,
yet this was wasted power because he was disobedient to the
revealed will of God. And because of his disobedience, he
came to an early death. On the other hand, the apostle Paul is
an exitmple of one who laid hold on the power of God and wim
used iN a mighty missionary and a great soul winner. The
same power that motivated Paul to go all over the known
world is available for every believer today.
The world, the flesh, and the devil are three enemies con-
fronting all Christians. Without the power resulting from a
yielded life, we cannot handle these enemies. We have the
flesh within uS, and among its repeated manifestations are
jealousy, hatred, strife, worry, impatience, and rnany mor€.
We say with Paul, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)
dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). We have the world
around us, the system of things appealing to the flesh within.
This seeks to provide every comfort and convenience, every
satisfactiotr, every desire of life--+ducational, social, moral,
physical, financial--$ut apaft from God. And then there is the
devil who far excels man in position, power, cunning, and
deceitful ways, who seeks to make the world alluring and to
keep us from God.
Paul described those who arc not yielded to God as "Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof' (2 Tim.
3:5). As a result, their lives arc far from convincing to others
or pleasing to God.
ll2 Living Consistent$
We need to lay hold of the promises of Scripture and yield

ourselves fully to the Holy Spirit. We need not look for a
second Pentecost but only for the blessing of the fust Pente-
cost. It is not a repetition of Pentecost we need but a realir:,-
tion of it. Power is at our disposal. All God asks is that we
yield ourselves to His control and turn our lives over to Him.
Paul wrote, ". . . be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
butbe filled with the Spirit" (Eph.5:18).The word "filled" is
really the word "conffolled." As we drive our car we have it
under control. Occasionally we hear of a wreck and sometimes
of a fatality because the driver lost control. Very often we hear
of spiritual wrecks and spirinral fatalities, not because of the
driver losing control, but because we refuse to permit the Lord
to control us. We ffy to live by our own puny human wisdonU
making mistakes, creating problems, breaking friendships, all
because of living in the control of the flesh rather than the
Spirit.
When we do our pa$ He does His. Ours is yielding. His is
filling. He stands ready to fill every recess of otrr being that is
yielded to Him.
A friend told of examining the locks after they weIE con-
stmcted between Puget Sound and Lake Union in the state of
Washington. He went down into the great concrete spillways
before the water was let through. The water was only waiting
the moving of a lever to rush and fill every bit of space where
he was standing. So it is with the blessed Holy Spirit. If we arc
willing to grve God control, there will be no limit to the in-
coming power.
Are you using His power to live consistently?
ls "t lp-on-the-rnou ntai n-top, down-i n-
Christians?
Veteran pastor and speaker J Allen Blair presents

6hsise'-lhs choice to live consistently in spite of life's ups and
downs. Using founteen key protlles of the believer found in the
New Testament, Dr. Blair demonstrates that spiritual grourth and
loy can be the norm not the exception.
oR consistent christian livins presented
f,"JffiilJ!; iffilfltopics
Read and Apply the Bible
Desire God's Will
Share the Good News
Claim Victory Over Sin
has a
ISBN E-AeSq-e1,87-X
90000
illlllilllliltllll ilililllllllll

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Living Patiently-lUhen God Seems Far Away

Living Victoriowly-When Winning It AU Isn't Enough

Living Peacefiilly-lUhen tlre WorldWon't Leave You Alone

Living Consistently-Wlwn Ltfe Goes Up and Down

A Deuotiona! Study of the Ghristian Life

Gnand Bapids, Ml 49501

Copynght @ 1995 by J. Allen Blair.

Cover Photograph: CLEO Photography

Library of Congrcss Cataloglng-in-Publication Data

Prilted in tlw United Sntes of America

There is no promise that this journey will always be pleasant.

BELIEVE AND KNOW IT

Jesus chose seventy disciples, endowed them with power to

Hebrews" of the tibe of Benjamin, a Pharisee. He had left no

or she receives the Spirit of God. The Christian is "born of the

To deny Christ, one needs only to remain silent when he or

gives asswurnce that it is irreversible. As in physical birth, it is

even died, as he used the ternr" "and nxany sleep." fu judged

I know not how the world turns 'round

READ AND APPLY THE BIBLE

A survey of a thousand pastors, Sunday school teachers, and

lnZ Timothy 3:l Gl'| we arc told uuAll scripture is given by

New Testaments. In Isaiah 40:8 we read, "The grass withereth,

TALK WITH GOD

Among the gracious invitations to followers of Christ is the

"It shall be done." He will answer, but it may not be as we

God at His Word and experienced the mighty miracles of

Few believers take full advantage of the power of prayer.

selves by being downright practical in the use of the money

and Jesus answercd, "O wonum, great is thy faith: be it unto

Years ago a number of prominent literary men werc assembled

Godhead, yet lack awarcness that it is He who empowers us to

a large extent, by prescribed offerings. Cluist's call was for indi-

to receive glory and honor and power." This is a reminder that

DESIRE GOD'S WTLL

went up to the temple for a time of meditation. But it was on

There are also Christians who are more concerned about

Fear is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the present age.

ire to conquer the fears and anxieties of life that rob us of

We limit God when we neglect to claim the promises in the

For the believer in Christ, faith is essential for another reason.

Late one night a Christian wonnn had occasion to go from

SHARE THE GOOD NEWS

God never does anything halfivay. A deaf man with a speech

This is a selfish approach to the things of God, to nrerely

experience this love. Such a Christian will be well on the way

about us and how we are performing uN Christ's representa-

discipline. With rubber attachments and a pen she had learned

that his people were not witnessing for Christ. He preached

your own words? You do not have the earnestness that we

Have you been a silent Christian? Some people seem to be a

Love should be the distinguishing characteristic of those who

which is a practical demonstration sometimes involving sac-

repeatedly to go far beyond the line of duty. fn His Sermon on

it unto one of the least of these my brethrer, yo have done it

who suffer nervous disorders simply because they have catered

In Colossians 3: 13-14, Paul says, "Forbearing one another,

Not only does one's spiritual health suffer from a lack of

"What is the chief problem of your minisfiy?' someone asked