Secret Kisses

When a Christian is in a wilderness, which is a very solitary place...then God delights to speak affectionately to him. 

Hos 2:14  Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.  

When I have her alone, says GOD, in a solitary wilderness I will speak such things to her heart, as shall exceedingly cheer her, and comfort her, and even make her heart leap and dance within her!

Certainly the soul usually enjoys most communion with God in secret.

But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  

A husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when she is alone; and so does Christ to the believing soul.

Oh the secret kisses, the secret embraces, the secret visits,the secret whispers, the secret cheerings, the secret discoveries, which GOD gives to His people when in secret prayer.
 
Psa 73:28  But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

~Thomas Brooks~

The "Overcomer" Stands on the Ground of the Perfections of Christ, and Meets the "Accuser" by Faith's Appropriation Thereof

What is the meaning of the Blood being applied?

It is that which is the absolute sinlessness of the Lord Jesus being the ground upon which we stand.

That gives us authority, gives us power.

It is the essential perfection of Christ as being the ground of our confidence, our faith, our trust and our testimony.

If we stand in ourselves we are defeated.

There are no perfections in us, there is nothing in us whatever that can bring Satan to naught and deliver us from his accusations and from his position of power over us.

But when we stand in Christ, in all the perfection of His nature, of His being, in the absolute sinlessness of Christ represented in that incorruptible Blood, there is deliverance. 

And so that Blood poured out becomes active, operative, in motion, and it is a great thing to have the perfections of the Lord in motion on our behalf, flowing, active to meet all the accusations of the enemy.

The accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 

Why? Because they are not standing now on the ground of their own imperfection and sinfulness and weakness and faultiness, but they are now standing on the ground of His absolute perfection, and bearing testimony thereto: 

The word of their testimony. "They overcame because of the blood."

It is a question of a ground of absolute holiness, absolute holiness not in ourselves but in Him, and our appropriating by faith and apprehending by faith all that the LORD Jesus is in His essential being as the spotless Lamb of GOD for us to GOD, from GOD to us.

We can never reiterate that note too often. That is the ground of victory.

Give the enemy one little fragment of old Adam, of the flesh, of self, of sin, and he immediately takes the place of power and immediately brings you under accusation and begins to weaken both life and ministry.

You know this is true; if you do not you will find it out.

But stand continuously in the efficacy of that Blood, stand continuously in your receiving by faith of all that the LORD Jesus is made unto you from GOD, clear up everything concerning which the Holy Spirit speaks in conviction, clear it up in virtue of that Blood, and the enemy is ruled out, he is not in the place of power.

~T. Austin Sparks~

Do Not Tolerate False Doctrine

If we would hold fast that which is good, we MUST NOT TOLERATE any doctrine that is not the pure doctrine of Christ’s Gospel.

There is a hatred that is downright charity: that is the hatred of erroneous doctrine. 

There is an intolerance which is downright praiseworthy: that is the intolerance of false teaching in the pulpit. 

Who would ever think of tolerating a little poison given to him day by day? 

If men come among you who do not preach “all the counsel of God,” who do not preach of Christ, sin, holiness, of ruin, and redemption, and regeneration, – or do not preach of these things in a Scriptural way, you ought to cease to hear them.

You ought to carry out the spirit shown by the Apostle Paul, in Gal.1:8: “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed.”

~ J.C. Ryle~

Rock Flowers

Psa 60:3  Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

I have always been glad that the Psalmist said to God that some things were hard. There is no mistake about it; there are hard things in life.

Some beautiful pink flowers were given me this summer, and as I took them I said, "What are they?"

And the answer came, "They are rock flowers; they grow and bloom only on rocks where you can see no soil."

Then I thought of God's flowers growing in hard places; and I feel, somehow, that He may have a peculiar tenderness for His "rock flowers" that He may not have for His lilies and roses.

~Margaret Bottome~

The tests of life are to make, not break us. Trouble may demolish a man's business but build up his character.

The blow at the outward man may be the greatest blessing to the inner man.

If God, then, puts or permits anything hard in our lives, be sure that the real peril, the real trouble, is what we shall lose if we flinch or rebel.

~Maltbie D. Babcock~

Heroes are forged on anvils hot with pain, And splendid courage comes but with the test.

Some natures ripen and some natures bloom Only on blood-wet soil, some souls prove great Only in moments dark with death or doom.

God gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.

How To Wait

Dan 12:12  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
     
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. 

Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still.

There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take.

Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?

No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid.

Wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him. 

Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come, and shall not tarry.

Wait in quiet patience. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses. 

Accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done.

I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities; but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes.

I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower."

~Morning by Morning~

Wait patiently wait, God never is late;

Thy budding plans are in Thy Father's holding, And only wait His grand divine unfolding.
      
Then wait, wait, Patiently wait.

Trust, hopefully trust, That God will adjust Thy tangled life; and from its dark concealings, Will bring His will, in all its bright revealings.

Then trust, trust, Hopefully trust.

Rest, peacefully rest On thy Saviour's breast; Breathe in His ear thy sacred high ambition, And He will bring it forth in blest fruition.

Then rest, rest, Peacefully rest!

~Mercy A. Gladwin~

He Purgeth To Bring Forth More Fruit

John 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Recently we passed a garden. The gardener had just finished his pruning, and the wounds of the knife and saw were just beginning to heal, while the warm April sun was gently nourishing the stricken plant into fresh life and energy.

We thought as we looked at that plant how cruel it would be to begin next week and cut it down.

Now, the gardener's business is to revive and nourish it into life.

Its business is not to die, but to live.

So, we thought, it is with the discipline of the soul. It, too, has its dying hour; but it must not be always dying: Rather reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Death is but a moment. Live, then, ye children of the resurrection, on His glorious life more and more abundantly, and the fulness of your life will repel the intrusion of self and sin, and overcome evil with good, and your existence will be, not the dreary repression of your own struggling, but the springing tide of Christ's spontaneous overcoming and everlasting life.

~A. B. Simpson~

A Special Blessing

In this twenty-fifth chapter of the book of Numbers, verses 11-13, there is that which speaks of a very special blessing for those who will have nothing to do with unholy things.

The LORD secures unto them very special promises and very special blessings; for those who, like Phinehas, will have no compromise with unholy things.

Phinehas, as you notice, saw this relationship with a Midianitish woman taking place, in the very act, and he took a spear and thrust both man and woman through and slew them and so he prevented GOD from breaking out because that thing was coming into the presence of the house of GOD.

GOD'S wrath was stayed, and Phinehas turned aside judgement.

It was an uncompromising attitude toward something which was unholy, and to all such the LORD gives very special promises of blessing.

There are great blessings for those who will remain absolutely clean and clear for GOD. 

GOD is with them in a very special way.

~T. Austin Sparks~

He Knows Us

Gen 18:19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

God wants people that He can depend upon.

He could say of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children..that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken."

God can be depended upon; He wants us to be just as decided, as reliable, as stable. This is just what faith means.
     
God is looking for men on whom He can put the weight of all His love and power and faithful promises.

God's engines are strong enough to draw any weight we attach to them. 

Unfortunately the cable which we fasten to the engine is often too weak to hold the weight of our prayer; therefore God is drilling us, disciplining us to stability and certainty in the life of faith.

Let us learn our lessons and stand fast.

~A. B. Simpson~
     
God knows that you can stand that trial; He would not give it to you if you could not.

It is His trust in you that explains the trials of life, however bitter they may be.

God knows our strength, and He measures it to the last inch; and a trial was never given to any man that was greater than that man's strength, through God, to bear it.

He Opens His Bountiful Hand And My Needs Are Met!

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Each morning everyone gathered as much manna as he needed.
Exo 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

My daily bread is the gift of God. Never let me divest it of its specialness and glory, as if it were a common thing.

Never let me partake of it without reverence and the giving of thanks.

There may not be about its bestowal, the same manifest miraculousness which marked the coming of the manna to Israel.

The King of kings prefers to accompany me in modest quietness. 

But behind the loaf and the grain, above the farmer and the miller-my sustaining Father stands unseen. 

He opens His bountiful hand and my needs are met.

He could easily leave me destitute-apart from Him, I must go hungry and thirsty, a beggar and in rags. All to Him I owe!

Do I praise Him for His bounty as I ought?

The daily bread is to be received in faith. Morning by morning the men of Israel gathered the manna.

My Lord would prove me, by keeping me a perpetual pensioner on His charity, and a continual guest at His table.

I can never be self-sufficient. I never can walk alone. I am taught to cling and trust-to look up and wait in hope.

The daily bread is a picture of higher and more sacred things. 

The children of Israel saw in the manna, something unearthly and inexplicable. They knew not what it was.

Just so, as I sit at my food and drink, a window should be opened for me into a world more wonderful and more divine.

I should see Him Who is the Bread of my undying spirit...Him Who gives to me the Water of everlasting life.

Him, too, I must seek and find, with the return of every fresh morning.

I cannot thrive on the grace of yesterday, as nourishing and ample as that was for yesterday's need.

I am dependent on God hour after hour, and minute after minute, for...fresh grace, fresh wisdom, fresh peace to garrison my heart and mind, fresh strength to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.    

~Alexander Smellie~

Trust Means Joy

For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name. Psalm 33:21.

The root of faith produces the flower of heart-joy. We may not at the first rejoice, but it comes in due time.

We trust the LORD when we are sad, and in due season He so answers our confidence that our faith turns to fruition, and we rejoice in the LORD.

Doubt breeds distress, but trust means joy in the long run.

The assurance expressed by the psalmist in this verse is really a promise held out in the hands of holy confidence. 

Oh, for grace to appropriate it. If we do not rejoice at this moment, yet we shall do so, as surely as David's GOD is our GOD.

Let us meditate upon the LORD's holy name that we may trust Him the better and rejoice the more readily.

He is in character Holy, Just, True, Gracious, Faithful, and Unchanging. Is not such a God to be trusted? 

He is All wise, Almighty, and everywhere present; can we not cheerfully rely upon Him?

Yes, we will do so at once and do so without reserve.

Jehovah-Jireh will provide; Jehovah-Shalom will send peace; Jehovah-Tsidkenu will justify; Jehovah-Shammah will be forever near; and in Jehovah-Nissi we will conquer every foe. 

They that know Thy name will trust Thee; and they that trust Thee will rejoice in Thee, O LORD.

~Charles Spurgeon~

The Gaze Of The Questioner

Jer 50:5  They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

The trouble is that so many people inquire about a thing while their faces are set upon something else.
 
They ask about one way but they are looking another. they are interested in theology but not in religion. they will engage in ecclesiastical controversy, but they will not surrender themselves as vital members of the Church of Christ.
 
They will discuss the psychology of conversion, but they will not turn their feet toward home and seek the LORD with all their minds and hearts.
 
They will study the map, but they have no intention of making the journey.
 
They will read the guide-book, but they are not like travelers whose faces are steadfastly set to go to Jerusalem.
 
They inquire concerning Zion, but their faces do witness against them.

Now that kind of inquiring is fruitless. What is the good of asking questions in one direction while the soul is looking another!
 
For one thing, such a soul does not bring the needful equipment for the apprehension of the truth.
 
A merely curious spirit can never really know the secrets of the LORD. 

It is one of the conditions of spiritual discovery that the entire strength of mind and heart be brought to the exploration, and that we ask, and seek, and batter away at the closed doors until they open, and we pass from room to room in the ever-brightening rooms of the temple of truth, which is the home of our GOD.

The secret of the LORD is not revealed to a mere debating society; it is unveiled in the holy place where we have built an altar and offered our entire being in Holy sacrifice.

The man who is only curious is turned empty away.

The seriousness, or flippancy, of our questions will be seen in the fixed direction of our gaze.

Are our faces thitherward?

Every minister is acquainted with the talking inquirers whose souls are looking another way.

They will discuss the atonement by the hour, but if we ask, "do you desire to have your sins forgiven, and to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?" 

We speedily find that their faces are not thitherward.

They will question through a long night, even to the cock-crow, about the divinity of our LORD, but if we ask them if they are ready to cast their crowns at His feet, we see at a glance that their faces are not thitherward.

And therefore all such questioning is a waste of time.

Nay, it is worse than a waste of time, for it wastes the powers of the soul in a semblance of earnest-ness which is only an unreal and painted fire.

If there is ever to be revelation and revolution, the asking must be packed by that eager and determined gazing which is the primary secret of triumphant prayer.

~John Henry Jowett~

The Eyes Of The LORD

1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

And how does the Holy LORD look on things?

Have we any guidance as to what it is that distinguishes His sight from that of the children of men?

Yes, certain hints have been given to us about the character of His discernmen.t

Here is one. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

The LORD'S eyes survey the secrets of the inner life.

That great truth has frequently been taught as though it were only a fearful thing and clothed in unrelieved gloom.

We have thought of those searching eyes as the eyes of a policeman and not the eyes of a lover.

We have regarded them as intent on looking for unlovely things and not for things that are lovely.

They are eyes of suspicion rather than of trust. They are dross-finders rather than gold-finders.

And so the great truth has been perverted. Certainly there are aspects of the truth which ought to move us to serious disquietude.

But there are other aspects which should inspire us with joy. 

The LORD looks upon the heart and He sees the hidden fault. 

But He also sees the precious things which He puts among His jewels.

A poor widow drops a coin into the treasury and human     observers see only a mite.

But the LORD looks upon the heart and He sees untold millions in the gift.

All the movements of the soul are known unto Him.

He sees the desire that has never yet found fulfilment.

He sees the hidden heartache which never hangs a black flag out of the window.

He sees the prayer before it had uttered itself in words. 

He sees the love which has no adequate means of expression. 

The LORD sits over against the heart, and He knows every silent, stealthy thing that moves across its floors.

He knew what was in man.

And here is another hint about the eyes of the LORD: "As the heavens are high above the earth, so are My thought higher than your thoughts."

It is the captain's view of things at sea which is so different from the landman passengers.

The captain can interpret the heavens. He knows the path across the trackless sea, the big waves have no terror in their approach, the night shineth even as the day.

The landman is the victim of immediate discomfort. He cannot read the language of the skies. He sees things out of proportion. 

The breeze is a squall, and the rolling is a tragedy. And so it is in the affairs of life. We are landmen on the sea.

The captain sees with  "larger other eyes than ours." Our great Captain plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. 

~John Henry Jowett~