I SURRENDER ALL

Dr. Labib Mikhail

  First Printing 1999

© Copyright 1999 by Dr. Labib Mikhail Blessed Hope Ministry

1. 0. Box 2581

Springfield, Virginia 22152 U.S.A.

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Dr. Labib Mikhail except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles.

 

ISBN 1-890297-14-3

Printed in the United States of America

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

 

My profuse gratitude to my dear friend, Alfred Riddick Greenwood, for the many hours he spent reading this book when it was in progress; his extensive editorial and comments have made this book a far better book to read.

Hearty thanks to Janine de Cougny Stephens for the long hours she spent in typesetting the countless pages of draft after draft and offering essential editorial feedback and making every effort to get the book in its beautiful final form.

God bless you richly, my dear friends and co-workers.

 

 

Labib Mikhail

 

DEDICATION

 

With affection and love I dedicate this book to my grandchildren:

Robert Harvey and Vidia Mikhail Steven Mark and Sarah Ann Mikhail

John, Michael and Susan Elizabeth Kheir

May they be Christlike Christians in word and in deed, always following His example, and walking in His light, and be ready for His service, for He said:

I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

 

Labib Mikhail

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction                                                   9

Chapter 1

The Need for Complete Surrender                13

Chapter 2

The Meaning of Complete Surrender            19

Chapter 3

The Areas of Complete Surrender                 33

Chapter4

The Steps to Complete Surrender                 71

Chapter 5

The Blessings of Complete Surrender           89

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

I was reading the book of Acts recently and realized that there is a great difference between the first century Christians and today’s Christians.

The Christians mentioned in the book of Acts enjoyed the continuous presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, carried the Gospel message wherever they went, and rejoiced in the Lord because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. In a short period of time the Gospel was preached to many countries, and those early Christians practiced what they preached.

In this day of technological revolution, Christians drift with every wind of doctrine.

Many Christian homes are like worldly homes, where there is little or no parental authority, no Biblical values, or moral parameters.  Christian parents are often so busy, they do not have the time to give their children the care, love and guidance they need.

Many Christians feel emptiness, loneliness and lack of purpose in their hearts, and because of this they embrace Buddhism, New Age, and other man-made religions.

What is the reason behind this spiritual decay and a defeated life?

The answer is that there is no real commitment, and no complete surrender to God.

The way out of this confused life is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

It was Henry Varley who challenged the young evangelist, Dwight Lyman Moody, while sitting with him on a park bench in Dublin.

“Moody,” Varley said, “the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully surrendered to Him.”

Moody thought seriously about these words. He said to himself, “Varley did not say a wealthy man, a highly educated man, a man of great authority, he said, a man… just a man.”

On his knees Moody prayed, “Lord, I surrender all to you, use me as a channel to declare your gospel and glorify your name.”

Moody wrote about his experience after this prayer:

One day – what a day! I can’t describe it! I seldom refer to it! It is almost too sacred to name! I can only say the Lord revealed Himself to me. I had such an experience of love that filled my whole being that I had to ask Him to stay His hand for the vessel was too weak to contain that love! I went to preaching again. The sermons were no different. I did not present any new truth. Yet hundreds were converted. I would not be back where I was before that blessed experience.

 

In light of what I observe in the lives of Christians today, I felt compelled to publish this book to emphasize the need for complete surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this age when cheap Christianity is the norm; and to explain the meaning of complete surrender, the areas that we have to surrender, and the blessings of complete surrender.

If this book drives you to kneel at the Master’s feet and offer yourself as a living sacrifice to Him, with sincerity and honesty, completely surrendered to His will, then this book will have achieved its purpose for

 

the glory of God, for it is to this end that I am writing this book.

Labib Mikhail

Springfield, Virginia United States of America January 1999

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

THE NEED FOR COMPLETE SURRENDER

A large number of Christians who are church members are not satisfied with their religious experiences. They are living defeated Christian lives. They are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives.

There is something lacking; what is it?

“I am a struggling, discouraged, floundering Christian,” the young man exclaimed as he entered my office. “I long for a deeper spiritual life, for a joyful fellowship with God. I am tired of my defeated life, I want to be a victorious Christian. I want to be a real role model for my children. I want to be a successful soul winner. I am tired of my hypocritical life. What is the missing dimension in my life? Can you help me?”

I looked at the young man with great sympathy for I knew the great conflict he was passing through. I knew that his desire was the desire of many Christians who are tired of their failures and spiritual emptiness.

I answered him that the missing dimension in the lives of many born again Christians nowadays is complete surrender to God, and because of this missing dimension, there is no practical, fruitful, joyful, and victorious Christian life.

The difficulty that many Christians encounter is that they are “taking” Christians, not “giving” Christians. When they came to Christ, they came to take. They needed forgiveness, peace with God, eternal life, and they came to take all these blessings which were granted to them when they trusted in the finished work

 

of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and received Him as their personal Savior.

These Christians by being born again became babes in Christ. They are like the members of the Corinthian church to whom the apostle Paul wrote:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

(I Corinthians 3:1-3)

 

They are like the Christians to whom the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote:

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14).

 

• Babies are selfish. They always demand things to enjoy. They want to be fed and cuddled. As they grow older, they want toys and treats. They want the undivided attention of those around them. So the babes in Christ are always asking for things which are going to satisfy them. They have little interest in the glory of They seek their own interests. They pray, “Father, give us health, give us success, give us wealth, give us plenty of material things.”

 

 

And because of this selfish attitude God cannot use them as workers in His vineyards or teachers to His flock.

• Babies are emotional, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers:

… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ

(Ephesians 4:14,15-New King James)

• Babies also cannot eat solid food, they cannot discern right from wrong, and understand the deep things of

Unless you, as a born again believer, come to the point of complete surrender, you will be of little use for God’s service or in winning souls for the kingdom of God.

Have you come to the point of complete surrender in your Christian life? Have you submitted all to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

When someone asked George Muller, the great man of faith, what was the secret of his successful service to Christ, George Muller answered:

There came a day when I died, utterly died; died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval, or censure; died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied the Word of God only to show myself approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed.

 

 

 

In the book of Genesis we read about two men, Abraham and Lot. Abraham was a spiritual believer, Lot was a carnal believer. Why? Because even though Abraham was “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2), he lived on earth with his heart in heaven.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10-NKJ).

 

But Lot set his heart on things on earth. He was a materialistic believer. He did not care about spiritual fellowship with other believers. He did not ask for God’s guidance, but he made his own decisions apart from God:

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt… Then lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other

… and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD (Genesis 13:10-13-NKJ).

 

Because Lot did not ask God for guidance, because of his selfish choice, he lived among the very wicked people of Sodom, with no concern about the bad

 

influence of these people on his daughters. Consequently, he was oppressed and tormented and lived a defeated life. The apostle Peter says,

For God … did not spare the ancient world … bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) (2 Peter 2:4-8-NKJ).

 

Was Lot really a righteous man? If so, why did he stay in that wicked city? Undoubtedly, Lot was a righteous man, this is the testimony of the Word of God about him, but he stayed and lived with these wicked people because he was a carnal, materialistic believer, with no real fellowship with his God and no witness about God even to his sons-in-law. Which one of these two men are you? Are you the victorious Abraham or the tormented and defeated Lot?

If you are the defeated Lot, and tired of your tormented life, then you need to surrender yourself and your possessions completely to God.

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

THE MEANING OF COMPLETE SURRENDER

What do we mean by complete surrender?

1. Complete   surrender     means    giving everything to God unconditionally.

David Brainerd, a great man of prayer, related how one Sunday night he offered himself to God to be used only for His glory.

It was raining, and the roads were muddy. But the desire to surrender all to God grew so strong that I stopped my horse and knelt down by the side of the road and told God about it. I told Him that my hands should work for Him, my tongue should speak for Him, my feet should go for Him, if only He would use me as His instrument. Suddenly the darkness of the night lit up and I knew God had answered my prayer, and I trusted that I was accepted into the inner circle of His will.

 

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse. Although nursing was not an accepted occupation for upper-class women of her day, she became superintendent of a London hospital in 1853. In 1854 she joined the army in the Crimea and, despite strong opposition, reformed the medical services. The wounded soldiers called her the “white singing angel” because wherever she went she filled the atmosphere with joy and singing. Florence became a leading figure in the campaign for improved nursing care.

This is what Dr. Paul Rees wrote about her:

 

Florence Nightingale at thirty wrote in her diary, “I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things. Now, Lord, let me think only of Thy will.” Years later, near the end of her illustrious, heroic life she was asked for her life secret, and she replied, “Well, I can only give one explanation. That is, I have kept nothing back from God.”

1. B. Meyer, a well known pastor and author, who wrote some of the greatest books on the most famous characters of the Bible, came to a crucial transitional time in his ministry. He sat dejectedly in his study. “My ministry is unfruitful, and I lack spiritual power,” he said to himself.

Suddenly, Christ seemed to stand beside him and talking to him, saying, “Let me have the keys to your life.” The experience was so realistic that he reached into his pocket and took out the key ring, he turned his back to the Lord, and took one key from it, then he handed the key ring with the rest of the keys to the Lord. The Lord took the key ring and let it drop to the floor and asked him, “Are all the keys here?’ “Yes, Lord, all except the key to one private room in my life.” “If you cannot trust Me with all the rooms of your life, I cannot accept any of your keys. If I cannot be Lord of all, I am not Lord at all,” the Lord answered and started to walk away. Dr. Meyer was so overwhelmed with the feeling that Christ was moving out of his life because he was excluding Him from one interest in his life, that he got the last key from his pocket and cried out, “Come back, Lord, and take the keys to all the rooms of my life!” Then, with tears in his eyes, he handed the last key to the Lord.

At that time, the Holy Spirit filled his heart with

joy and power. As of that time God started to use F.B. Meyer in a way that he had never dreamed of.

 

Orville S. Walters recorded the following story about Dr. Howard Kelly in Christianity Today:

On the night of his graduation from medical college, Dr. Howard A. Kelly, world-famed surgeon and gynecologist, wrote in his diary: “I dedicate myself, my time, my capabilities, my ambition, everything to Him. Blessed Lord, sanctify me to Thy uses. Give me no worldly success which may not lead me nearer to my Saviour!”

 

We have an example of complete surrender in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul explained to the Philippians:

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 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 (Philippians 2:5-8).

 

This is complete surrender as seen in the example of our Lord.

Dr. Lahman Strauss wrote on this passage in his book, Devotional Studies in Philippians, saying that our Lord passed through three stages:

1. The
2. The
3. The

He said that Christ “was in the form of God” before He took upon Himself “the form of a servant.” The word “form” does not apply to outward appearances and characteristics, but rather to the very

 

essence and nature of a true “servant” (verse 7). What He looked like in outward appearance is described as “fashion” in verse 8. The “form” indicates what He was, the “fashion”, what He looked like.

A certain ladies’ garment manufacturer requires its models to be of specified weight and height. These young women are the forms, while the garments they wear are the fashion.

1

In His complete surrender to the will of His Father, our Lord became a servant. “He emptied Himself’ (New American Standard). “He made Himself nothing” (New International Version). “He made Himself of no reputation” (NKJ). Certainly He did not empty Himself of His deity, for that could never be, but He took the form of a servant. He took the very nature of a servant. He came to serve. He said to His disciples, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Dr. Strauss commented:

Each step down brought Him into deeper humiliation and finally death. From glory to Golgotha He trod a path of humiliation which culminated in a voluntary vicarious sacrifice for sinful mankind. Dying for sin He need not have died, because He was sinless, and death was the penalty for sin. But this He chose that He might become our Substitute and Savior. There were other forms of death from which He might have selected, but He chose to go as low as one could go by submitting to the most degrading and shameful, the most painful and ignominious form of death known to man, “even the death of the cross.”

 

The death on the cross was the worst kind under Jewish law. In Deuteronomy 21:22,23, we read:

If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, for he who is hanged is accursed of God (NKJ).

 

Paul said, “for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).

That is complete surrender. It is to submit all your being to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul had this wonderful experience. His experience started when he met the Risen Lord on the Damascus road and said to Him, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6). Since that time Paul became a “chosen vessel” for the Lord to bear His name and to suffer for His name’s sake.

Listen to his words to the elders of the church at Ephesus:

And now, behold, I go bound in the spmt unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there; save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:22-24).

 

Again he said to the brethren at Caesarea when they pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem because of the afflictions awaiting him there:

 

What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus

(Acts 21:13).

 

By this kind of complete surrender to God of all your hopes and aspirations and prejudices, without reservation, you can experience victory over sin, the world, and Satan, in your Christian life.

We read concerning the overcomers in the book of Revelation:

And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death

(Revelation 12:11).

 

2.    Complete surrender is motivated by our love for the Lord.

Someone wrote:

It is the look that melted Peter,

—-a1;1;o:i        haf-aee ha Step.rum aw-,———–

It is that heart that wept with Mary, Can alone from idols draw,

Draw and win and fill completely, Till the cup o’erflow the brim, What have we to do with idols, Who have companied with Him?

 

Our complete surrender should be motivated by our love for God who first loved us.

We love Him, because He first loved us (John 4:19).

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead; and that He died for all, that they which live

 

should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again

(2 Corinthians 5:14,15).

 

We have a striking example of that kind of surrender in the book of Exodus:

If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever (Exodus 21:21:2-6).

 

We have to consider some important thoughts in this passage:

•             What the Lord has given us belongs to him.

If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself’ (Exodus 21:4).

 

•             If we experience the love of God and are constrained by it, we will gladly surrender our whole life to Him forever.

The Hebrew servant who decided to serve his master  forever  came  to  his  decision  because  he

 

experienced the love, care, and compassion of his master. After six years of serving his master, he wanted to continue serving him for the rest of his life, not because his master bought him, but because he loved him dearly, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life in his service and under his care.

At a Keswick Convention in 1931, Dr. S.D. Gordon told a story that he heard from an English missionary who had been in Africa for years:

He had led many to accept the Savior. And as Christmas time drew near he had taught the people about the giving of gifts at the glad Christmas season. And he told them that they were to bring their gifts to the church that the Jesus message might go to the tribes around who had not yet heard the blessed Jesus name. It was Christmas Eve. They had met in the little chapel. The Communion table was spread, and one after another came up and laid his or her gift on the table. Very homely gifts they would have seemed to our eyes, yet they were gifts of love. Here comes a man with a bundle of heavy­ weighted wheat, and puts his gift on the table. Here is a bit of embroidery. Here is a bit of fruit. Very humble gifts they were.

By and by the missionary saw a young woman, just budding into rare young womanhood, come in very shyly up the aisle as though she feared she might be noticed; very softly and quickly she put a bit of something on the table, and she moved shyly and modestly away. The missionary was startled to find that her gift was a bit of silver, equivalent to thirty­ five shillings. That might sound very little to us, but there it was almost a fortune; it was immense wealth. He knew the girl and he naturally wondered how she got such wealth, and he felt as if he ought to have a word with her in a gentle, fatherly way afterwards when there was an opportunity. Later on, he saw her and he said, “I saw your gracious gift. But where did you ever get so much?” And her dark eyes filled up; and if an African can blush, she

 

blushed. And with a flush on her face that revealed the flush in her heart, she said, “I had nothing to give. And Jesus has meant so much to me; He is everything to me; and those folks over there they do not know Him; and my heart was heavy at the thought that I had nothing to give. And I found a man in a neighboring tribe who wanted to buy a slave, and I sold myself to him, and that was the money I got, and I brought it.” And her eye flashed out again, and with a bit of a tremor in her voice, she said, “Jesus gave all for me. I am so glad to give myself for Him.”

 

Frances Ridley Havergal wrote one of her most famous poems while she was in Dusseldorf, Germany. She had gone to Germany to do some specialized study. While there, she saw a copy of Stemburg’s great painting, THE CRUCIFIXION. A comment above the picture was, “All this I did for thee; what hast thou done for me?”

Inspired by the probing question, and thinking of the awesome work and the great sacrifice of our Lord, she wrote her famous poem:

My precious blood I shed

That thou might’st ransomed be And quickened from the dead

I gave, I gave My life for thee. What hast thou given for Me?

The greatest motivation for complete surrender is our love for God who first loved us.

3.        Complete surrender means separation from all worldly pleasures, filthiness and unclean things.

 

Separation from the world seems to be absent in the life of a large number of Christians today.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman had what he called “my rule for Christian living:”

Anything that dims my v1s1on of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.

 

We are commanded by the Lord not to love the world.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world (1 John 2:15).

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Behal? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

 

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

(2 Corinthians 7:1).

The filthiness of the spirit is pride, and self-righteousness.

 

4.             Complete surrender means putting Christ first in everything and trusting Him in every situation.

The apostle Paul says:

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence

(Colossians 1:18).

 

When Queen Victoria had just ascended to the throne, she went, as is the custom of royalty, to hear a rendering of Handel’s Messiah. She had been instructed as to her conduct and was told that she must remain seated when the others stood up at the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. When that magnificent chorus was being sung and the singers were shouting “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” it was difficult for her to remain seated.

It seemed as if she would rise in spite of the

custom of kings and queens, but finally when they came to that part of the chorus where with a shout they proclaim Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords, suddenly the young queen arose and knelt down and took her own crown from her head and cast it at the feet of Jesus and joined the singers in proclaiming Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

With that kind of surrender we have to crown Jesus Lord of all in our life.

Moreover, we have to trust Him completely.

Here is the experience of Robert G. LeToumeau:

Our young people had been going regularly to a mission to hold a gospel service, and I had been

 

going with them. One night, I had some special work to do. I was operating a small factory at the time, and machinery had to be built the next day for which I had to make the design that night in order that a crew of men on contract could build it the next day.

How could I do my work and attend the meeting at the mission? The Lord and I had quite a struggle while I was trying to decide what to do. Although I could not understand how I was going to get the plan drawn for the next morning, I put the Lord and His service first, and trusted that he would guide me on that project. I went with the young people and we had a profitable and blessed time.

I returned home at about ten o’clock. Up to that time I had been unable to make a single plan. I sat down at the drafting board, and in about five minutes the outline and plan was as plain as it could be. What is more, the little peace of machinery I designed that night has been the key machine in all that I have been building since. It pays to put Jesus first.

 

Our Lord said,

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

 

Years ago a young man began a small cheese business in Chicago. He failed. He was deeply in debt. “You didn’t take God into your business. You have not worked with Him,” said a Christian friend to him. Then the young man thought, “If God wants to run the cheese business, He can do it, and I’ll work for Him and with Him!” From that moment, God became the senior partner in his business. The business grew and prospered and became the largest cheese concern in the world! You ask the name of that young man? J. L. Kraft who became president of the Kraft Cheese Company!

 

The apostle Paul says:

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, 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, and 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: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead

(Philippians 3:7-11).

 

Andrew Murray used the story of Joseph in Potiphar’ s house to explain the two states of the Christian life. He said,

Joseph was a slave, bought with money, and he served Potiphar. But look what a change came in his work as a slave. He was so successful in all he touched that Potiphar got the conviction “that the LORD was with him” and accordingly made him overseer over the house.

We see Joseph occupying two positions:

• The position of a servant, a slave.
• The position of master over Potiphar’ s

This is exactly what takes place in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. At first, when a man is converted, he takes Jesus Christ as his helper, and regards him very much as a servant to supply his needs. He takes Jesus to take away his sin; to bring him to heaven; to help him when he prays; to give him success in his business, and to bless him with every blessing. But he does not take Him to be his master. He does not take Him to please Him only and alone. Many Christians never reach that point of

 

complete surrender. They have never thought of saying, “I am no more going to have my own will, Jesus must have my will every hour.”

But Potiphar said, “I will give my whole house over to this man, because God is with him.”

Potiphar was an important officer in the court of pharaoh, and his own house had to suffer. He could not manage two houses – the king’s house and his own – and he had to trust slaves, who robbed him.

Potiphar is like many Christians in this respect. They try to manage two things – a worldly business and a heavenly business; the things of heaven and the things of the world; and the latter gets the mastery of the former, simply because the heart is still partly clinging to the world, and therefore necessarily only partly to Christ. Potiphar decided to put his whole house under Joseph’s control: “and all that he had he put into his hand” (Genesis 39:4).

Put your life in the hands of Jesus, and you will be in God’s mighty hands.

What was the result of that complete surrender?

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field (Genesis 39:5).

 

There was a blessing in every area:   in the house, in the field, upon all that he had.

And that is the experience awaiting you when you surrender all to the hands of Jesus.

 

CHAPTER THREE

THE AREAS OF COMPLETE SURRENDER

It was Andrew Murray who said:

In the world of physical life people are divided into two classes – some are sickly, and some are healthy. The sickly you find in hospitals, in homes everywhere, and you know what trouble comes from being in bad health . A man is unfit for the work he has got to do. He lives in constant suffering and fear, always dependent upon circumstances. He cannot serve others; they must serve him. Looked at externally, it is a sad thing to be always sick. It is a blessed thing to have a healthy, full life.

It is a fact that the church is full of people who are in a sickly state. Paul addressed such people, saying:

 

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

 

The carnal Christian is the one who is still living the sickly life, the life of sadness and weakness, unfit for the service of Christ, and always dependent upon the  spiritual  Christians        dependent upon conventions, prayer meetings, preachers.

The main reason behind the sickly Christ life is unsurrendered life.

 

God requires from every believer in His Son, Jesus Christ, to surrender his body, his money, his time, and his very best.

 

He commanded His people:

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5-NKJ).

 

If the believer obeys this commandment, he will surrender all without reservation.

What areas of your life should you completely surrender to God?

•       Present your body.

I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1,2).

 

The cause of moral decay and deterioration in our society today is the belief that every individual owns his or her body, and that he or she is free to do with it what he or she wishes.

What we hear from the unsaved person is, “my body is mine. I can be homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual. I can take drugs and indulge in alcohol. I can have premarital sex or extramarital sex. I can die from natural causes, or I can commit suicide, or die by euthanasia.”

But the born again Christian, who really longs to experience life under God’s first best, should surrender his body completely to the Lord. For the fact is that the body of the believer belongs to God because of two basic reasons.

 

First because of creation and second because of redemption.

First because of creation.

When God created man, He said,

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (Genesis 1:26,27).

Contrary to the evolution theory, God is our Creator. We are not evolved from monkeys, but we are a direct creation of God. And His image is the image of every one of us.

When the Pharisees plotted how they might entangle Jesus by His words, they sent the Herodians along with their disciples, saying, “Is it lawful to give tribute unto Ceasar, or not?” Jesus perceived their evil intent:

Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:19-21).

 

God created us in His image. In the image which His Eternal Son Jesus Christ intended to take when He came in the flesh. We must therefore render to God our bodies which are His by creation.

David says in his psalm:

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are

 

thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them

(Psalm 139:13-16).

 

Second because of redemption.

The apostle Paul says,

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 are God’s (I Cor. 6:19,20).

 

Again he says,

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

…For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness (Romans 6:11-13,19).

 

Simon Schrock wrote in a tract entitled, Weighed and Found Wanting,

Your body was not made for your own selfish pleasure. Your body was made to be the house where the Holy Spirit dwells. It is not God’s will

 

that you do with your body as you please, but that you present and dedicate it to God for His residence and the place from where you glorify Him.

 

The Bible says, “Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:13).

Ungodly persons want the freedom to use their bodies for sexual relations outside marriage, but our bodies were not designed for that. It is not the will of God.

 

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 are God’s

(1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

 

The world says that you have a right to do with your body as you please. That is a deceiving slogan. God says, “I bought you with a price, give your body to Me.”

 

We have to admit that it is not easy to surrender our bodies completely to God. But by meditating on the mercies of God (salvation, forgiveness, peace, joy, eternal life with all the daily care of our Heavenly Father and all the material blessings He bestows on us), the Christian will be able to present his or her body at His altar a living sacrifice, set apart totally to Him.

Albert B. Simpson said:

Present your bodies. This consecration must include, and not merely imply, the whole physical life… We should present our bodies to be wrought by God into that new and spiritual life which will perfectly fit them to be the instruments of His complete will. Present them to Him to heal them, to renew them, to purify them, to quicken them, to fill them with His own risen life, and then to use them –

 

every member, organ and new power – for His service and glory.

 

By presenting your body to God, you will forsake many pleasures, that is indicated in the words, “a living sacrifice.” And you will continue by the grace of God to keep your body under subjection, and to say with the apostle Paul, “But I keep my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be cast away”

(I Corinthians 9:27).

Then after presenting your body at the altar, you have to keep it there,

Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar (Psalm 118:27-NKJ).

 

You have to bind your living sacrifice with cords:

First:    With the cord of the love of Christ.

 

For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (2 Corinthians 4:14,15-NKJ).

 

… whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory

(1 Peter 1:8-NKJ)

Second:    With the cord of the Word of God.

 

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way

 

prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8).

 

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11-NKJ)

 

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, 0 LORD God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16).

 

Third: With the cord of the cross of Jesus Christ.

 

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world

(Galatians 6:14).

 

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).

Fourth: With the cord of the eternal reward.

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he looked to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26-NKJ).

 

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

When you surrender your body to God, He will control your appetites and your emotions.

 

 

He will give you the ability to set aside time for    / fasting, that you might be able to say with the apostle Paul, “in fastings often” (2 Corinthians 11:27).

Biblical fasting is a neglected area in the life of many Christians. Paul admonished the married couple:

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency

(1 Corinthians 7:5).

He will give you power to control your sexual life and to live a pure life according to the will of God.

That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel – that is his wife – in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God (I Thess. 4:4,5).

 

He will give you    special  help to flee    sexual immorality and will remind you with the words of Paul:

Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:13-18).

 

Purity is a requirement of God.    But God never intended us to live a pure life in our strength.         He

 

 

grants us power to live that life. You will never again use your eyes to look through pornographic magazines. You make a covenant with your eyes, and say with Job,

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31:1-NIV).

 

Paul wrote to Timothy: “Keep yourself pure”

(1 Timothy 5:22).

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).

 

The German sculptor, Johann Von Dannecker worked for two years on a statue of Christ. It looked finished and perfect to him.

To test it he called into the studio a little girl, and pointing to the statue, asked, “Who is that?”

She replied promptly, “A great man.”

He turned away disheartened, knowing that he had

 

failed.

He began to study the gospels, and to follow Jesus

 

Christ in them and to imagine His face.

Then he took his chisel and began anew. For six more long years he toiled, and inviting another little girl into his workshop, he stood her before the figure and said, “Who is that?”

She looked up at it for a moment and the tears began to gather in her eyes as she folded her hands across her breast and answered, “This is the one who said, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me’ ” (Mark 10:14).

It was enough. Dannecker knew that his task was

done.

 

 

Sometime later Napoleon Bonaparte requested him to make a statue of Venus for the Louvre. But he refused. “A man,” he said “who had filled his eyes with the beauty of Jesus Christ can never defile them by carving a pagan goddess.”

Since we are talking about presenting our bodies to Christ, we have to say a word about the way women dress, especially at church meetings, where reverence for God should be displayed. The apostle Paul said:

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works (1 Timothy 2:9,10).

 

The apostle Peter added:

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1 Peter 3:3,4).

 

Christian women’s and young ladies’ dress at church meetings and religious retreats should be modest, proper for women professing godliness.

The beauty of the Christian woman is not her appearance, but it shines from a gentle and quiet spirit in the hidden person’s heart, through the work of the Holy Spirit in her life.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me All His wonderful passion and purity.

0 Thou Spirit divine, let my nature refine Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

 

 

It was Frances Ridley Havergal who realized the necessity to surrender her body at the altar of God and wrote her blessed hymn:

Take my life and let it be Consecrated Lord, to Thee

Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King.

 

Oh! May the cry of your heart be the cry of the psalmist,

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee (Psalm 73:25).

 

•       Present your money.

On every American dollar you may read the words, “In God We Trust,” and on every British coin you may read the letters “D. G.” (which means “By the grace of God”).

God is the one that we should trust but at the same time we have to realize that He is the giver of all that we have:

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:8).

 

You may say that you earn your money by the sweat of your brow.  Every dollar is the result of your

 

 

 

work with your physical or mental power.    This is true, but,

Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Yes, God protects you from paralyzing disease. He keeps your mind in perfect balance. If He touches you with a stroke or mental disability, you will become helpless to bring in one dollar of income.

The ungodly person might think that happiness is being rich.

Benjamin Franklin once said:

Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it doubles and trebles that want another way. That was a true proverb of the wise man; rely upon it: “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble therewith.”

But most of the ungodly people, and even believers, are like Midas

According to legend, Bacchus the Greek God of wine and pleasure once offered Midas his choice of gifts. Midas asked that whatever he might touch should change into gold. Bacchus consented, though sorry that he had not made a better choice.

Midas went his way, rejoicing in his newly acquired power, which he quickly put to the test. He could scarcely believe his eyes, when he found a twig of an oak, which he had plucked, become gold in his hand. He took up a stone; it changed to gold. He touched a sod; it did the same. He took an apple from a tree; you

 

 

would have thought he had robbed the garden of the Hesperides.

His joy knew no bounds; and, when he got home, he ordered the servants to set a splendid feast on the table. Then he found, to his dismay, that, when he touched bread, it hardened in his hand, or put a bit to his lips, it defied his teeth. He took a glass of wine; but it flowed down his throat like melted gold.

In consternation, fearing starvation, he held up his arms, shining with gold, to Bacchus, and besought him to take back his gift. Bacchus said, “Go to the River Pactolus, trace the stream to its fountain head, there plunge your head and body in, and wash away your fault and its punishment.” Through this bitter experience Midas learned that happiness is not in wealth and splendor.

The most precious things in life cannot be bought with money.

Money    Will Only Buy:

A bed BUT NOT sleep. Books BUT NOT brains. Food BUT NOT appetite. Finery BUT NOT beauty.

A house BUT NOT a home. Medicine BUT NOT health. Luxuries BUT NOT culture. Amusement BUT NOT happiness. A crucifix BUT NOT a Saviour.

A church-pew BUT NOT heaven.

A lawyer BUT NOT a clear conscience.

 

Anonymous Sometimes we imagine that security is in being rich.

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own esteem (Proverbs 18:11-NKJ).

 

 

This verse indicates that it is only imagination that makes wealth a source of security.

Oftentimes the most discontented and fearful people are those who have great riches. When Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955, he left a fortune of $420 million! Did riches bring him happiness and peace? Never! He lived in constant fear. An electric barrier surrounded his home in Paris and many private guards and spies guarded him and his mansion

The Bible speaks about money from Genesis to Revelation. It teaches us how to deal with money and how to surrender it to God.

First:  We have to realize that it is our duty to provide for our own:

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever

(1 Timothy 5:8)-NKJ).

 

Second: It is also our duty to live in the sphere in which God has called us:

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highrninded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).

 

Third: It is also within our right to hold a certain amount as capital for our retirement:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8).

 

 

 

 

 

save:

But we should never put out trust m what we

 

 

He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch

(Proverbs 11:28).

 

… if riches increase, set not your heart upon them

(Psalm 62:10).

 

… how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:24-NKJ).

 

For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations (Proverbs 27:24).

 

Fourth: We have to take the Bible’s warning concerning money seriously:

The Bible teaches that the desire to be rich leads to destruction and perdition:

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition

(1 Timothy 6:9-NKJ).

 

Read for yourself the story of Achan, and how his desire to be rich led to the destruction of his whole family (Joshua 6:17-19, and 7:1,16-26); and the story of the prophet Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, and because of that he was killed by the sword (2 Peter 2:15 and Joshua 13:22); and the story of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, and how, because of his desire to be rich, he was cursed with leprosy and also his descendants (2 Kings 5:20-27); and the story of Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and

 

 

how he ended up hanging himself (Matthew 26:14-16 and 27:3-5).

Be godly and content with what you have:

Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: ”The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5,6-NKJ).

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out

(1 Timothy 6:7-NKJ).

 

Trust that God shall supply all your needs:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus

(Philippians 4:19).

 

The Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and the source of many sorrows:

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 many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10)

 

The Bible teaches that the rich shall weep and wail in the last days:

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days (James 5:1-3);

 

 

 

Fifth:  We have to keep in mind are stewards of the Lord Jesus consequently we have to use His money cause and service.

that we Christ, for His

 

Many believers give Christ a tenth of their money, but they fail to understand that every dollar they own is His. The believer is only a steward. Jesus praised the poor widow who cast two mites into the treasury, saying,

…this poor widow has put in more than all: for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty has put in all the livelihood that she had (Luke 21:3,4).

 

When King David prepared for the house of God a large amount of gold and silver and brass, he said,

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee (I Chronicles 29:13,14).

 

In chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians Paul sets forth a model of giving, when he directs our attention to the churches of Macedonia. He began by saying that the Christians in these churches “…first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God”

(2 Corinthians 9:5).

Here is a model to fallow. “They first gave themselves to the Lord.” This is the important factor. These believers recognized that giving money without heart and spirit was meaningless. They thus gave themselves first to the Lord before they offered any of their money for the Lord’s cause.

 

Our offerings should symbolize the dedication of our heart, mind, and body to the Lord so that the outflow of our consecration to Him is seen in our liberal giving to His cause.

According to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we should give in the following manner:

1.        Joyfully

 

… for God loveth a cheerful giver( 2 Cor. 9:7)

2.         Sacrificially

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints

(2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

 

Frances Ridley Havergal wrote her famous Hymn, Take My Life, in 1874. It was not until 1878 that the lines were put into print. When she read the second stanza, “Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold,” she was suddenly convicted of her failure to do just that. She had an amazing collection of exquisite jewelry, most of which came by inheritance. Immediately, she packed the jewels, and sent them to her church missionary society. Then, just to be sure, she included a check to cover the monetary value of the jewels she had chosen to keep! “I don’t need to tell you I have never packed a box with such pleasure!” she exclaimed.

 

3.        Voluntarily

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity

(2 Corinthians 9:7)

 

4.       Readily

That means without delay.

Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have

(2 Corinthians 8:11).

5.         Bountifully

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully ( 2 Corinthians 9:8-NKJ).

 

6.        Confidently

Believing that God will multiply to us what we have given to Him.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts

(Malachi 3:10-12).

 

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work

(2 Corinthians 9:8).

 

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:10).

 

7.        Responsibly

But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you. And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; and not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men

(2 Corinthians 8:16-21)

 

It is of great importance to know how our gifts will be used, and make sure that those who receive them are people of faith and integrity, and will use them for the glory of God and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sixth: We must guard our hearts so that money will not become an idol to us.

Jesus knew that money could become an idol and master of one’s life if that person puts his trust in it.

 

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches) (Matthew 6:24).

 

Job was a victorious believer because he declared that all that he had was a gift from God, and that God had the right to take them, and in any case, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Examine yourself, and think about what you would do if you were to lose your money; would you become sick and bitter, or would you bless God?

Seventh: We must lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.

The reason why we should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven is, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

If we lay up treasures in heaven, our heart will be heaven bound.

But how are we to lay up treasures in heaven?

First, by using our money to promote God’s kingdom.

Second, by helping the needy saints.

When Jesus told his disciples the parable of the unjust steward, He concluded it by saying, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon (riches) that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations” (Luke 16:9-NKJ).

In that parable Jesus did not commend the steward for his dishonesty. He pointed out that the dishonest steward was wise, for he realized that money was to be used to secure his future. And he commanded His disciples to use money for their eternal reward, and when He called money “unrighteous mammon,” He

 

declared that money, as the means of exchange between labor and wages, is unrighteous because many are getting less than they deserve, and a few are getting more than they deserve. A man who wins in boxing may end up with thirty million dollars, while a teacher or an engineer may not get enough money to make ends meet.

When we use this unrighteous money in helping the needy saints or in spreading the gospel, the recipients of these blessings, when they reach their eternal state, will receive with joy those who gave generously to help them in their time of need, or to reach them with the gospel message. That does not mean that salvation is by works, for salvation is only through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it indicates that our reward and joy in the eternal state depends on our sacrificial giving.

Imagine yourself when you go to heaven, welcomed by those needy saints whom you helped with your money while on earth, and those who were saved because of your financial support to the true ministers of the Gospel. What a joy when you see them and hear their testimonies!

Eighth: We have to keep in mind that we cannot extend our years or days on earth by acquiring wealth.

This is clear from what Jesus said in the parable of the foolish rich man:

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he

 

thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:15-21).

 

This foolish rich man was a self-centered man. He used the pronoun “I” six times in that parable. This man trusted in his riches rather than in God.

Would you surrender yourself and your money totally to the Lord and experience His blessing?

When you surrender all to Jesus you will experience freedom from the endless cycle of frustration caused by wanting more money, or seeking more power, or trying to find happiness through possessions and sensual pleasures.

It was Albert B. Simpson who wrote,

Tell me not of earthly pleasure; Tempt me not with sordid gain; Mock me not with honors vain. I am weaned from sinful idols; I am henceforth not my own;

I have given my heart to Jesus, I belong to Him alone.

Weary soul, give up the struggle, Cease at length thyself to own; Give yourself away to Jesus, And belong to Him alone.

Once He gave His all to win thee, Now He asks as much of thee; All He has He fully gives thee; Let thy love His portion be.

 

•       Present your time.

Believers are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and as such they have to surrender their time totally to the Lord.

Moses, the man of God, said in his prayer in the book of Psalms:

The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away (Psalm 90:10-NKJ).

In the light of that fact, he continued:

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12-NKJ).

The life span of the average American is seventy­ five years. A person spends twenty-five years sleeping, eighteen years working, ten years in recreation and cultural pursuits. Eight years are required for meals. Seven years for travel.  Four years for sickness. Three years getting dressed.

An unknown writer divided the states of life in the following poem:

When as a child

I laughed and slept – Time crept!

When as a youth

I dreamed and talked – Time walked!

When I became

A full-grown man – Time ran!

Then as with the years I older grew –

Time flew!

 

Soon I shall find As I travel on – Time gone!

 

The psalmist prayed:

Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am (Psalm 39:4-NKJ).

The Lord showed him the measure of his days: They are as handbreadths (Psalm 39:5)

They are as nothing (Psalm 39:5) They are like a vapor (Psalm 39:5 They are like a shadow (Psalm 39:6)

James wrote:

Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil (James 4:13-16).

 

With this Biblical knowledge concerning our days, the believer should be wise in using his or her time.

Statistics show that the average American watches television twenty-one hours a week, some twenty-eight hours. In Ecclesiastes we read:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-NKJ).

 

 

time.

This verse teaches us that we must organize our The apostle Paul says:

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15,16).

 

How are we to redeem our time and use it wisely? The word “redeem” means to make up for.       It

 

means that we have to exchange our time with good things.

Here we have to set priorities.

Redeem your time with Bible study.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

Bible study is very important, not only Bible reading. The reason is that many believers read the Bible without understanding its meaning.

When Philip joined himself to the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch, who was the minister of finance of Ethiopia, Philip heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said to him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30).

It is important to understand what you read from the Bible, because understanding is like digesting food, the body will profit only from digested food. Jesus said:

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side (Matthew 13:19).

 

To understand the Bible you have to ask God to enlighten the eyes of your understanding.

The psalmist prayed:

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law (Psalm 119:18-NKJ).

 

God said:

Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3-NKJ).

If you fall in love with the Bible, delight yourself in reading it and meditate on what you read. You will eventually understand it. God will reveal its depth to you.

Read Psalm 119 to see how precious the Word of God is.

In the first psalm we read about the blessed man:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3).

 

It is clear that the blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He does not stand in the path of sinners. He does not sit in the seat of the scornful.

His delight is in the law of the Lord. He meditates in that law day and night.

He is like a tree planted by the rivers which brings its fruit in its season.

 

Whatever he does shall prosper.

It is a shame to spend hours watching television, and not even a few minutes in Bible study.

Bible study will equip you for every good work.

Paul wrote to Timothy:

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

 

Do not waste your time in watching things that will corrupt your mind and hurt your spiritual life.

Redeem your time with Bible study.

Redeem your time with prayer.

Do you really love God with all your heart? Do you have a daily appointment with Him?

How much time do you spend in prayer and communion with Him each day? Five minutes, fifteen minutes?

The apostle Paul says:

 

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

 

That means do not allow anything to hinder your communication with the Lord.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear

me (Psalm 66:18).

 

Again Paul says:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

(Philippians 4:6,7).

 

The dedicated believer must be in an attitude of prayer at all times.

All the great men and women in the Bible and in history are men and women of prayer.

Becky Tirabassi wrote in her book, Let Prayer Change Your life, ”

Somehow in my fast-paced, busy little Christian life I rarely stopped and said, “You are God. Show me the way to go. You’ve already planned it. I want to know.” No, I hustled and bustled through every day and then figured out at the end of the day (after I had “crashed and burned” a few times) that I would have been better off to consult Him earlier in the day.

Upon recognition that prayerlessness was sin in my life, I was deeply touched by God to make a commitment to pray for one hour a day. Eleven years (and many “hours”) later, God has changed my personality and character, increased my faith through unbelievable answers to prayer, called me to accountability in innumerable areas, and given me a vivid vision of possibilities for His will in my life. Having been a teenage alcoholic, I know that this disciplined prayer life is a work of the Holy Spirit within me, not a privileged performance that I have perfected.

When confronted with the fact that I did believe that

prayerlessness was sin, I was forced to make a decision. If Jesus Christ was the priority that I said He was in my life to other people, to my friends, and to my family, why in the world did I spend so little time with Him on a daily basis?

 

You make time for those you love. You make time for what you consider a priority. Think over your last day… your last week… your last month. What did you make time for? It may be different from what you say your priorities are, but what you actually did tells you what you really feel strongly about. I had to stand back and say, “Then where is my time with God in all of this?”

At that juncture I made the decision to pray for an hour a day for the rest of my life.

I felt a great need to know God and love God like I had when I first met Him. I was exuberant when I met Christ. I was changed! I was excited! I was renewed! I dropped unsavory habits left and right. Why as an older Christian did I consider spending time with God a discipline?

My decision to pray an hour a day took me knee deep into discipline.

My priorities changed. I couldn’t help but meet with God every day and let Him filter through my “to do” list, which at the time included a few hours of watching soap operas and at least an hour of chatting on the phone. I could probably add twenty minutes if I added up all the time that I stood in front of the refrigerator wondering what was in there! My time became very important to me because, all of a sudden, I felt it was important to God.

And my possibilities changed. I was no longer destined to live in a two-mile radius. Hopes and dreams, ideas and goals, plans and problems-all bombarded me so much that I had to do something about them. God was giving me ideas to change the world, my home, my church, and myself.

 

Redeem your time with prayer, and prayer will illuminate the difference between knowing God’s will and guessing about it.

When you pray, begin with thanking God and praising His name and His greatness.

Learn from the prayers of Moses, Nehemiah, David, Daniel, Paul, and delight yourself in the Lord:

 

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday

(Psalm 37:4-6).

 

Enjoy the blessings of each day.

The psalmist says:

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

 

Each day is a gift from God to you, rejoice and be glad in it.

Jeremy Taylor wrote:

Enjoy the blessings of this day, as God sends them, and the evils of it bear patiently and sweetly! This day only is ours; we are dead to yesterday, and we are not born to the morrow. He, therefore, that enjoys the present, if it be good, enjoys as much as is possible, and if only that day’s trouble leans upon him, it is singular and finite.

 

The apostle Paul says:

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

 

An unknown writer said:

63

 

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry – two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains, its faults and blunders. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed, we cannot erase a single word we said.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and performance. Tomorrow also is beyond our immediate control.

 

Always remember the words of the apostle Paul:

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

Take time for rest and relaxation.

This was the Lord’s command to His apostles:

And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while”: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat (Mark 6:30,31).

 

Come aside by yourself. No friends to bring with you. No relatives. Be by yourself, with your wife if she is a believer. Rest, relax, enjoy nature. Listen to the birds singing, look at the beauty of the flowers, the magnificence of the mountains,  glorious scenes of

 

 

sunrise and sunset, the beauty of the stars, and renew yourself.

Take time to work for the Lord.

Set aside time to work for the Lord. Write a letter to a depressed person, invite someone to attend your Bible study or church meeting. Distribute evangelistic tracts. Send Bibles or New Testaments to those who need them.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

 

As part of working for the Lord, choose a group of spiritual believers to share Biblical truths with them in depth and to have a blessed time of spiritual fellowship.

We read in Malachi:

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord, and who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of Hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” (Malachi 3:16,17-NKJ)

 

 

•             Present your dearest and very best.

Does that sound difficult?

 

 

 

A surrendered life is not a cheap life. It is not a game. It is not pretense. It demands great sacrifice, but it results in great rewards. Jesus said to the multitudes who went with him:

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26-33).

 

Surrender to God your dearest and very best.

There are two experiences in the life of Abraham where he had to exercise his faith.

The first experience was the one of his call, which is recorded in Genesis 12:1-9, and in the letter to the Hebrews:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (Hebrews 11:8).

 

The second experience was that of sacrificing to God his dearest son, Isaac. God said to Abraham,

 

 

 

Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of  the

mountains which I will tell thee of (Genesis 22:2).

 

In the first experience Abraham was a taker. God promised to give him the land of Canaan, and to make him a great nation and to bless him and make his name great.

In the second experience he was a giver. God tested him to show us that Abraham was willing to give Him his dearest and very best, his only son.

We must not forget that Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Isaac was the joy and delight of his heart. Gradually Isaac became Abraham’s idol.   But God wanted Abraham to be completely surrendered to Him and Him alone.             So he commanded him to bum his idol.     That was a time of agony for Abraham.     It was a time of real confusion.  For God told him “In Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Genesis 21:12) and now He was asking him to slay him.          How would that promise be reconciled with God’s command?

Abraham came to the point where he believed that he would offer his son as a burnt offering and most certainly God would raise him from the dead.

This is what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews recorded concerning this painful experience.

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).

 

 

Abraham laid his only son on the altar and stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay him. At that moment Abraham proved that God was first in his heart. He manifested his readiness to sacrifice his beloved son in obedience to His command.

Are you ready to offer your very best to God?

Hudson Taylor tells us that after a blessed missionary meeting at Cardiff he received a letter from a widow, who had the desire to give her very best to God. She wrote in her letter:

I could not put into your hand yesterday any money or jewels, for my husband is dead and we have hard times to live. But I have one jewel – my daughter. She has long wanted to go to the mission field but I could not let her go from my care; but last night I gave my alabaster box of very precious ointment to Christ; and if you will see to her going out to the mission field now, I will be delighted to send her.

 

Hannah gave her first son Samuel to the Lord when he was a child (1 Samuel 1:9-28).

When Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher, decided to surrender himself completely to God, he wrote:

I claim no right to myself – no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me: neither do I have any right to this body or its members – no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears, or eyes.

I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him. I have given every power, so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my

 

 

 

happiness. His law is the constant rule of my obedience.

I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the Gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be. I receive the blessed Spirit as my Teacher, Sanctifier, and only Comforter, and cherish all admonitions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort, and assist me. This I have done.

I pray God, for the sake of others, to look upon this as a self-dedication, and receive me as His own. Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God, or to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business.

If I murmur in the least at afflictions; if I am in any way uncharitable; if I revenge my own case; if I do anything purely to please myself, or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust to myself; if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me; or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God’s. I purpose to be absolutely His.

 

Adelaide Pollard wrote the fallowing hymn which expresses the desire of the believer who is willing to surrender all and longs for full blessing:

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Search me and try me, Master today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now, As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!

Power – all power – surely is Thine!

 

 

 

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Hold o’er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me!

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote:

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

THE STEPS TO COMPLETE SURRENDER

A Christian family invited their pastor to have dinner with them. After dinner the pastor read some verses from the New Testament, commented on them, then asked the members of the family to pray with him the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come”, the pastor prayed. When he came to the words, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” the mother of that family opened her eyes and said, “Pastor, I cannot pray that petition, I cannot say to God, “Thy will be done.” Shocked by the mother’s behavior, “Why my dear sister?” the pastor asked. “Because I am afraid that, if I ask God to fulfill His will in my life, He might take my husband, or one of my children, or He might bring a disaster to our family.”

“You do not know the loving heart of God, my

dear sister. God is not cruel, nor is He a despotic dictator,” the pastor said.

Many Christians do not want to surrender all to God because of the fear that He might hurt them..

This is why it is very important to know the God to whom you will surrender all.

We read in the book of Jeremiah:

This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands

 

 

 

and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth for in these I delight declares the LORD

(Jeremiah 9:23,24-NIV).

 

The only source for knowing the true and living God and His attributes is the Bible, because in it God reveals Himself.

What are the attributes of God mentioned in the Bible?

The Bible says that:

• God is   omnipotent,    which means all-powerful,

I am the Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8-NIV).

 

• God is omniscient, which means all-knowing, all- seeing, all-wise, having infinite knowledge.

David says in his psalm:

0 LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, 0 LORD, You know it altogether; You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it

(Psalm 139:1-6-NKJ).

 

• God is    omnipresent,      which    means    present

 

 

David said:

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You (Psalm 139:7-12).

 

• God is   immutable,    which means He does not change:

For I am the LORD, I change not… (Malachi 3:6).

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:7).

 

•              God is faithful:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24).

 

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it

(1 Corinthians 10:13-NKJ).

Great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23).

 

 

 

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19).

 

•             God is all loving:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

(John 3:16).

 

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10-NKJ).

 

•              God is our Father:

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12).

 

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:16,17).

 

The first evidence that a man is born of God is that he lifts his heart to heaven and says, “Father.” This is a different thing from the God of the modernist, from the doctrine of the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.

No man has the right to call God “Father,” unless he believes that Jesus is the Son of God:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of

 

 

 

the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12,13).

 

Miss K. F. Oestreich, secretary of the D. M. Stearns Missionary Fund in Pennsylvania, selected the following quotation and sent it with the November 1998 letter to the contributors:

God is my Father. He is almighty in power. He is perfect in all His ways. He is the God of all grace. He is light – sees all things. His is love – love because He is love. He has understanding of all things. He rules all things in perfect wisdom. Love is the spring of all His ways – wisdom the course they pursue. No power can stay His hand, thus all things work together for good, and all things are ordered with that in view. Hallelujah! Selected.

Praise ye the Father! Praise our God most holy, Who cheers the contrite – girds with strength the weak

Praise Him who doth with glory crown the lowly And with salvation beautify the meek!

 

God is not like some human fathers, who neglect their children, or abuse them, or exploit them, or deal harshly with them. God is a loving, kind, caring Father, and who would not surrender all to that great God?

There are four steps to complete surrender:

1.       A deep sense of spiritual need

There were five circles of disciples around our

Lord.

The first and outer circle consists of   the five

hundred brethren to whom the Lord appeared after His

resurrection. Paul mentions them in his words:

 

 

 

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once… (1 Corinthians 15:6)

 

The second circle consists of the seventy whom the Lord appointed and sent:

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come (Luke 10:1).

 

The third circle consists of the twelve disciples, who became His apostles, who are mentioned in the book of Luke:

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor

(Luke 6:12-16).

 

The fourth circle consists of the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, who were close to the Lord. They went with him when He raised Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37). He took them with Him to the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17: l); there they saw His glory at that time. Peter wrote about this glorious expenence:

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from

 

 

 

God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount

(2 Peter 1:16-18).

 

The fifth circle is the very mtlmate inner circle, consisting of the beloved apostle John:

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved (John 13:23).

 

In which circle are you? In the outer circle, or in the inner circle?

To have an intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, you must have a deep sense of spiritual need.

The psalmist says:

As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1,2).

 

David says:

0 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;                                     to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips (Psalm 63:1-5).

 

 

Are you thirsty for a deeper fellowship with the Lord? Or are you content with your superficial Christian life?

We read in the gospel of John:

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink (John 7:37.

 

You cannot do anything for a man until he gets thirsty. Are you contented with yourself, or are you thirsty? There is no physical desire so intense as the desire for water. Thirst is the most intense physical desire there is.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

 

You need to hunger and thirst after the deep things of God, and to feel the need for a victorious life rather than a defeated life. The need of power to witness for Christ. The need of greater nearness to the Lord. The need for overflowing joy and peace. When you sense that need, God will fill it.

1. B. Simpson said,

In the heart of man Aery

In the heart of God Supply

 

2.       A sense of obligation on the part of the redeemed.

Complete surrender is not an optional privilege for  the ministers of the Gospel or for a few select

 

 

Christians only, but it 1s    the obligation   of   all   the redeemed.

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 are God’s

(2 Corinthians 6:19,20).

 

Every Christian was bought by the precious blood of the Lamb, and therefore must fulfill his obligation to the one who bought him or her. This is the only Christian standard we find in the Bible.

In the book of Revelation we see in the midst of the throne of God the Lamb slain to redeem mankind, and we hear the four living creatures and the twenty­ four elders, each having a harp, singing a new song:

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth (Rev. 5:9-11-NIV).

 

You were bought with a price, and you have to surrender to the Lord what He paid for.

3.       Absolute trust in the greatness of God.

All those who surrendered their lives to God came to the point of complete surrender by absolute trust in His greatness.

What does it mean to trust God absolutely?

The late Dr. Oswald J. Smith recorded in his booklet, What Is your Answer?, the following story:

 

 

 

It was a glorious morning. Great crowds had gathered. The mighty cataract of Niagara thundered on the rocks at the foot of the falls. A long tight-rope stretched from bank to bank, upon which the world’s greatest tight-rope walker was to cross.

Balancing his long pole lightly, he steps upon the rope and starts across, while the voices of the throngs are hushed until, as he triumphantly places his foot on the farther bank, a great cheer rises even above the noise of the cataract itself.

Turning to the sea of faces he now makes a thrilling proposal. He offers to recross the cataract with a man on his back.

But who is to be the man? Excitedly the people talk

among themselves.

“Do you believe I am able to carry you across?” at length asks the rope walker, turning to a likely looking individual.

“I certainly do,” at once responds the one addressed. “Will you let me?” inquires the waiting hero.

“Will I let you? Well, hardly. You don’t think I am going to risk my life like that, do you?” And he turns away.

“And what about you? He asks, as another presents himself.

“Will you trust me?” “I will!”

Breathless the people watch. The pole is balanced; they start; and the great rope tightens beneath their weight. Step after step, slow but sure, without hesitation, they move along. What confidence! The center is reached. They are above the rushing, boiling, foam covered water, the angry rock beneath, poised as it were, in mid-air. Now they are nearing the other side. A great hush has fallen on the excited crowds. The people hold their breath. The strain is terrific. At last they are over, the final step is taken, and they stand once more on terra-firma, while the spectators go wild with excitement. The tension is broken; the nerve-wracking experience ended.

 

To reach the point of complete surrender      you need that kind of trust in Jesus Christ who is able to

 

 

 

carry you through life’s problems, temptations, and trials. You have to commit yourself totally to Him. Absolute trust is a must for complete surrender.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).

 

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need

(Hebrews 4:14-16-NKJ).

 

4.       Time alone with the blessed Lord.

We have to admit that complete surrender to God is not an easy experience, and may I say it is a painful experience to start with.

The patriarch Jacob passed through this experience at a place called Peniel. It was a very difficult time for him. He had to wrestle and struggle with God.

Why is it hard to reach the point of complete surrender? Because it is a sentence of death for self life, and who would like to receive a sentence of death for his self life? Why does a man or a woman struggle when death comes, if it is easy to die?

Jacob passed through two experiences with God. The first experience took place when he was on his way to Padan Aram upon the advice of his mother.

On his way to Padan Aram he came to a certain place and stayed there all night because the sun had set. The story goes on to say:

 

 

 

…and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:11-17).

 

In that wonderful experience, Jacob came in touch with the heavenly world. He saw the angels of God. He saw the Lord God and he heard His voice. He felt His presence.

At that time, God revealed Himself to Jacob as a Giver and Protector. He assured Jacob of His blessing to him and his descendants. We may say that Jacob entered into a vital experience with God. He became a babe in the kingdom of God, and as a babe he started his selfish babyhood.

Let us read his words in that occasion:

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone, which I have

 

 

 

setfor a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee (Genesis 28:20-22).

 

Notice that in that first experience Jacob was a Taker. He asked for protection, food, and clothing. And vowed to build a house for God, and to give him the tenth of his income if He met his conditions.

But that first experience did not make Jacob a man that God can use. He was still planning for himself, for his future, using his carnal tactics to achieve his goals.

Then it was God who brought him to the second experience, which we may call “The Peniel experience.”

After twenty years in Padan Aram which were spent with his uncle, “…the Lord said unto Jacob, return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.” (Genesis 31:3).

Then Jacob took his two wives, Rachel and Leah, and his children to go back to his father’s land, where his brother Esau lived. Jacob as usual used his carnal tactics to protect his family from his brother, Esau, who had threatened to kill him when he deceived his father and took his birthright blessing (Genesis 32:13-21).

God saw that Jacob needed a second experience, one to lead him to complete surrender, that he might bless him and use him for His glory.

This is what the Bible says:

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said,

 

 

 

Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed (Genesis 32:24-28).

 

As Jacob was left alone, he was not wrestling with a man, but a man was wrestling with him, the divine object of that struggle was to bring Jacob to see what a poor, feeble, worthless creature he was.

Charles H. MacKintosh explained this well in the following passage:

This is a turning point in the history of this very remarkable man. To be left alone with God is the only true way of arriving at a just knowledge of ourselves and our ways. We can never get a true estimate of nature and all its actings until we have weighed·them in the balance of the sanctuary, and there we ascertain their real worth. No matter what we may think about ourselves, nor yet what man may think about us; the great question is, what does God think about us? And the answer to this question can only be heard when we are “left alone.” Away from the world; away from self; away from all the thoughts, reasonings, imaginations, emotions of mere nature, and “alone” with God; thus, and thus alone, can we get a correct judgment about ourselves.

During that blessed night God wrestled with Jacob to bring him to complete surrender. Jacob was alone with God, and that indicates that the struggle here is an individual struggle, a personal experience. And when Jacob persistently held out against the divine dealing with him, “He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint as He wrestled with him.”

The sentence of death must be written on the flesh. The power of the cross must be entered into before we can steadily and happily walk with God.”

 

Now Jacob was brought to complete surrender but not before he became handicapped when God touched the socket of his hip. When Jacob became limp, he realized his helplessness and asked for God’s special blessing. He knew then that He could not face his brother Esau with his physical strength and his infirmity became God’s opportunity.

At Peniel, God changed his name from Jacob, which means the supplanter, to Israel, which means prince with God.

At Peniel, Jacob realized that he saw God face to face, “And Jacob called the name of the place ‘Peniel’ for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).

At Peniel, the place of complete surrender, “the sun rose upon him” (Genesis 32:31).

This was the sun of blessing. The sun of a new and useful life for God.

Asaph also passed through a difficult experience; he was about to stumble, but he was helped when he went alone to the sanctuary of God.

This is what he wrote:

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth (Psalm 73:1-9).

 

Then he continued:

When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me (Psalm 73:16).

 

Where did he find the answer? He said:

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst’set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, 0 Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image (Psalm 73:17-20).

 

At the end of this painful experience, he came to the point of complete surrender:

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 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

(Psalm 73:23-28).

 

The prophet Isaiah also passed through a similar experience. Isaiah put his trust in King Uzziah. King Uzziah began his reign in a blessed way:

Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began !O reign, and he reigned fifty and two years m Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the

 

sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper (2 Chronicles 26:3-5).

 

His fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped until he became strong. But alas,

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God…(2 Chronicles 26:16).

 

Then God plagued him with leprosy:

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death… (2 Chronicles 26:21).

 

Isaiah was depressed and confused because of what happened to King Uzziah. At that time he saw the Lord of Hosts on His throne, and he realized that He is in control. If Uzziah died, God will never die, He is the absolute, sovereign God, He is the Holy God. Isaiah came to the point of complete surrender.  This is what he wrote about his experience:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of

 

hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar (Isaiah 6:1-6-NKJ).

 

When Isaiah faced the holiness of the Lord, he saw his sinful condition, confessed that he was a man of unclean lips, and he saw that he was living among people of unclean lips. He was cleansed by a live coal from the altar. Could you imagine an angel touching your lips with a live coal? What a painful experience! Sometimes you need to be hurt so that you can be cleansed. Isaiah became ready to proclaim God’s message, and responded to God’s call:

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me (Isaiah 6:8).

 

Do you have a deep sense of spiritual need, a sense of obligation to surrender all, an absolute trust in the greatness of the Lord, and the desire to be alone with God until He blesses you? These are the steps to complete surrender.

 

CHAPTER FIVE

THE BLESSINGS OF COMPLETE SURRENDER

 

It is impossible to mention all the wonderful blessings of complete surrender. In fact, they are beyond measure. However, here are a few:

1.       The blessing of a divinely shaped life.

God’s will for every believer is to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians:

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you (Galatians 4:19).

 

Again he wrote to the Ephesian Christians:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ

(Ephesians 4:11-15).

 

 

 

This is God’s measure for every Christian, “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, we have to be divinely shaped.

To learn how to let God shape us to be conformed to the image of His Son, we have to look at the eighteenth chapter of the book of Jeremiah:

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 0 house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, 0 house oflsrael (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

 

Today the lives of many Christians look like the potter’s clay. They have been marred by abuse, by drugs, by alcohol, by homosexuality, by degeneration from television which emphasizes sex and violence.

These Christians need to place themselves in the hands of God and completely surrender to Him to shape their lives.

“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand” (Jeremiah 18:6).

“For we are his workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10).

A story is told about an American couple who went to England to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anmversary.

Both the husband and his wife were fond of antiques, poetry, and china.

 

When they came to Sussex Gardens, they passed a small china shop. They instantaneously stopped, backed up, went in.

Their eyes singled out a little teacup on the top

 

shelf.

“May I see that?” the husband asked.

“I   have never   seen  a  teacup  like   it.      It   1s

 

beautiful.”

But, suddenly, the teacup spoke!

“You don’t understand. I have not always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was red.. and I was clay.

My master took me and rolled me, and patted me over, and over, and over.

I yelled out, ‘Let me alone!’

But he only smiled and said, ‘Not yet!’

Then I was placed on a spinning wheel.

Suddenly I was spun around, and around, and around.

‘Stop it, I am getting dizzy!’ I screamed.

The master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet!’

Then he put me in an oven. I have never felt such

 

heat.

I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I

 

yelled, and I knocked at the door of the oven. I could see him through the opening in the oven, and I could read his lips, as he shook his head, whispering, ‘Not yet!’

Finally the door did open… Then he picked me and put me up on the shelf, and I began to cool.

‘That’s better,’ I said.

Then suddenly he brushed me, and painted me all The fumes were horrible, and I thought I would

 

‘Stop it, stop it!’ I cried.

He only nodded, ‘Not yet!’

Then suddenly he took me and put me back into an oven, not the first one, but one twice as hot. I knew I would suffocate.

I begged, I pleaded, I screamed, I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening, nodding his head and saying, ‘Not yet!’

Then I knew there was no hope, and I would never make it.

I was ready to give up. But the door opened, and he took me out, and he placed me on a shelf.

One hour later, he handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself!’ And I did, and I said, ‘That is not me, it could not be me! I am beautiful!’

‘I want you to remember,’ he then said, ‘I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you, you would have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin you around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

I know it hurt, and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I had not put you there, you would have

cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed you, and painted you all over, but, you see, if I had not done that, you would never have hardened. There would have been no color to your life.

And if I had not put you back in the second oven, you would not have survived for very long, and the hardness would not have held.

Now, you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.’ ”

 

In the book of Malachi, we read:

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness (Malachi 3:3-NIV)

 

An anonymous Christian poet wrote:

Behind our lives the potter stands And works His wondrous will

He shapes the clay with tender hands And never failing skill.

Surrender all to Jesus Christ and let him shape your life as He wills. You will come out of his hands beautiful.

2.        The blessing of an instructed life.

The believer who refuses to surrender completely to God will live under the permissive will of God, not under the direct will of God, which is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. He or she may make his or her life a mess.

But the believer who will surrender to God will have a special, instructed life.

David passed through a terrible crisis when the Amalekites invaded Ziklag and took captive those who were there. Here is the story of that crisis as told in the Bible:

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6).

 

David needed a special instruction to get out of this crisis:

And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all (l Samuel 30:8).

 

When David received God’s instructions and followed them he was able to defeat the Amalekites and recover all that they took:

And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil (1 Samuel 30:17-20).

 

We read in the Bible these precious promises:

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye tum to the right hand, and when ye tum to the left

(Isaiah 30:21).

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye

(Psalm 32:8).

 

And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not (Isaiah 58:11).

 

The Christians of the early church were completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit, and because of that the Holy Spirit controlled their steps.

The apostle Peter was led by a special vision to go to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48).

Paul and Silas were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia. And they were led not to go to Bithynia (Acts 16:6,7).

Paul was led by a special vision to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:9).

And by another special vision, the Lord commanded Paul to preach at Corinth, saying:

…Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city

(Acts 18:9,10).

 

How wonderful it is to live a life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit when you choose your husband or your wife. When you choose the house in which you will live. When you choose the profession of your life. When you witness to the Lord.

Elijah was a man fully surrendered to God. God led him to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith and He said to him, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” He led him to go to a widow at Zarephath. God said to him again, “I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (1 Kings 17:1-10). God will take good care of the believer who completely surrenders to Him, and is in the place He wants him to be. Then God led Elijah to present himself to King Ahab (1 Kings 18:1) and He protected him from harm.

 

Are you living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit moment by moment? Or are you confused and consequently is your life a mess?

The late Dr. J. H. Jowitt said that he was once pitifully perplexed, and he consulted Dr. Berry of Wolverhampton.

“What would you do if you were in my place? he entreated.

“I don’t know, Jowitt, I am not there, and you are not there yet. When do you have to act?

“On Friday,” Dr. Jowitt replied.

“Then,” answered Dr. Berry, “you will find your way perfectly clear on Friday. The Lord will not fail you.”

And sure enough, on Friday all was plain.

Give God time, and even when the knife flashes in the air, the ram will be seen caught in the thicket and Isaac will be rescued.

Give God time, and even when Pharaoh’s army is on your heels, a path through the waters will be suddenly opened.

Give God time, and when the bed of the brook is dry, you shall hear the guiding voice (I Kings 17:7,8)

3.        The blessing of a sanctified life.

The apostle Paul concluded his first letter to the Thessalonians with this prayer:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

 

To analyze this prayer we have to understand the nature of sanctification, the range of sanctification, and the continuation of sanctification.

The nature of sanctification.

The word “sanctify” has three meanings, all of them imperative. The first meaning is “to separate,” or “set apart.” We are sanctified when we obey the command:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17).

“Touch not the unclean thing.” If there 1s a besetting sin, some “unclean thing,” which has been difficult to give up, there is going to be no sanctification, there is going to be no victory, if there is any compromise with sin.

Enter into the presence of the Lord, and pray as David prayed:

Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23,24).

 

And when God reveals what that unclean thing is, put it out of your life, do away with it.

The second meaning related to the word “sanctify” is dedication. It is something we have to do.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts

 

thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Romans 6:11-13).

 

The suggestion is that once we have presented our life over to God it means that all our gifts, all our words, all our deeds are to be done for the glory of God and to bring praise to Him.

This is a solemn step. Are you prepared to take that step?

The third meaning of the word “sanctify” implies “filling the hand.” When King David spoke to the congregation about the things he prepared for his son Solomon so that he could build the house of God, David asked them, “Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” (2 Chronicles 29:5). The word “consecrate” literally means “fill his hand.”

We nearly always find that to get into this experience there is a crisis; and if we read about the lives of the saints who have passed through this experience, we will see that there is a supreme moment when, by an act of faith and of complete surrender, there has been a handing of the life over to God and the coming in of the glory of God. It is of vital importance to express the desire of our heart and place it in the hand of God.

The following is an example of a prayer you might offer, or you can choose your own words:

“Being persuaded that I am called of God to surrender all that I am, and all that I have to His service, I now, as an explicit transaction, surrender my whole being to the Lord Jesus Christ for Him to do with me as He wills. I renounce all right to order and direct my life, and place myself unconditionally in His hands, so

 

that, from now on, wherever I go and whatever I do it may be, ‘Not I but Christ liveth in me.’ ”

The range of sanctification.

Sanctification touches every department of    our life, spirit, soul, and body.

• The “spirit” is the center of communion with God. Paul says:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son (Romans 1:9).

 

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23,24).

 

• The “soul” is the seat of our emotions, our intelligence, our feelings, our imaginations, our appetites, our desires.

The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might

(Deuteronomy 6:4,5).

Bless the LORD, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1).

 

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will

 

pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry Luke 12:16-19).

 

The soul has been darkened by the original sin, consequently it has been dominated by “self.” When “self’ controls the soul, all our passions, thoughts, emotions, and desires are earthbound. But when we surrender completely to Christ and He is enthroned in our innermost being, He transforms our desires, ambitions and longings, and the fruit of His indwelling is seen in love, joy, and peace.

• The “body” is the container for the sp1nt and the soul: it is the temple of the Holy Spirit:

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 are God’s

(1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

 

Major W. Ian Thomas gave a beautiful illustration of the above mentioned truth in his book, If I Perish I Perish, a study of the book of Esther. Major Thomas says that those who were mentioned in the book of Esther represent all the areas of our lives.

• King Ahasuerus represents the soul of man
• The kingdom   of   one hundred   and   twenty-seven provinces represents the human body
• Haman the Agagite represents the old sinful nature
• Queen Esther represents the spirit of man
• Mordecai represents the Holy

 

When Haman (the old sinful nature) dominated King Ahasuerus (the human soul) and achieved his desires, we read:

 

… so the King and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed (Esther 3:15).

 

Perplexity is the result of giving the old sinful nature the upper hand over our soul

Mordecai, (the Holy Spirit) used Esther (the human spirit) to communicate His message to King Ahasuerus.

Esther, (the human spirit) was not able to communicate the message of Mordecai until she came to the place of death, “If I perish, I perish.”

When Haman (the old sinful nature) was in control, Mordecai (the Holy Spirit) grieved. When Mordecai (the Holy Spirit) was enthroned by the king, and dominated the scene, we read:

And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad (Esther 8:15-NKJ).

 

Esther, strengthened by Mordecai (the Holy Spirit) crucified Haman’s ten sons:

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24).

 

The sanctified life is a life of joy and peace.

A story is told about a couple who experienced this kind of life.

Many years ago, Rev. George MacGregor was giving four Bible studies at the Keswick convention in England on “A Holy Life and How to Live It.”

 

At the back of the tent there was a young surgeon from America, who had heard that God did wonderful things for people at Keswick. He had been living an unsatisfactory life in America. So he and his wife came to Keswick to seek for that which they longed to have. And during those Bible studies Mr. MacGregor urged everyone to pray, “Lord, all I am and all I have is Thine.” And those two laid themselves at the Master’s feet. On the fourth morning Mr. MacGregor took them up into the heavenlies; he explained that God “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), and that He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). By these verses he caused them to hear the Voice of the Lord saying to them, “All I am and all I have is yours.” Fifteen years later, Dr. Howard Kelly, of Baltimore, was asked to stand up on the Keswick platform to testify to what the Lord had done for him fifteen years before, when he gave his testimony, and there was not a soul in the tent that was not stirred as Dr. Kelly told of the life of victory, of communion, of fellowship as a result of the dedication of himself and his gifts to the Lord. He said that for fifteen years he had been enjoying the royal bounty of Heaven.

Is Jesus on the throne of your life? Have you come empty-handed and allowed Him to fill your hands with the riches of Heaven?

When you present yourself at the altar of God, God will sanctify your life, for it is written,

The altar… sanctifieth the gift (Matthew 23:19).

 

You pass out of self-life into Christ-life.

 

Wendell W. Price clarified the difference between justification and sanctification in his words:

Justification has to do with our standing. Adoption is a change in our position. Sanctification is a change in our character and conduct. In justification we are declared righteous in order that in sanctification we may become righteous. Justification puts us into a right relationship with God, while sanctification exhibits the fruit of that relationship – separated life.

 

When you offer yourself completely to the Lord, the song of the Lord will begin in your heart, as we read:

And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also (2 Chronicles 29:27).

 

4.       The blessing of a useful life.

What kind of life do you live? How is it ordered? What is its principle? For there is a principle which governs every life, some particular thing which is the secret of every life. What is your secret? The apostle Paul says,

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20-NKJ).

 

The principle of his life was faith in the Son of God, a complete, all-mastering, all inclusive faith in the Son of God. That, he said, was the principle along which his life was governed.

No wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ said to Ananias concerning Paul,

 

… he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake (Acts 9:15,16-NKJ).

 

And no wonder that He said to him:

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 26:16-18).

 

There came a day in the life of Paul which was a day of serious decision. Here are the words of the book of Acts concerning that day:

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:1-7).

 

 

From the day when Paul said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Jesus took control of Paul’s life and led him all the way, and made him a useful vessel.

God needs consecrated vessels to use them in His great service to bring men and women into His kingdom.

He said to the prophet Ezekiel:

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30).

 

Would you be that man or woman whom God is looking for?

It is very important to know that God will only use clean vessels, completely surrendered to Him.

This is what Paul says:

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour

(2 Timothy 2:20).

 

God uses only vessels of honor, gold and silver, vessels which are thoroughly clean.

The way to be clean, so you can serve, is through the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ:

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13,14).

 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

(1 John 1:7).

 

The other way to maintain your cleanliness 1s through the Word of God. Jesus said to His disciples:

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3).

 

Paul wrote:

… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word (Ephesians 5:25,26).

 

Let Jesus take total possession of your heart and will, study the Word of God and meditate on it daily, and He will then say to you,

Follow me, and I will make you fisher of men (Matthew 5:19).

 

5.    The blessing of a spirit-led life.

The Holy Spirit will lead the believer who surrenders to Him completely in two areas.

The first area is his prayer life.

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that

 

 

 

searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he mak:eth intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26,27).

 

Jude admonished the believers in his short letter:

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost

(Jude 20).

 

Again, Paul says:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:18).

 

Many times prayers go unanswered. James gives the reason:

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:3).

 

But the believer whose life is fully surrendered to the will of God will pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and all his prayers will be heard. He shall receive an answer.

It could be “Yes:”

That happened with King Hezekiah:

The story is told in the following verses:

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine

 

house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, and said, Remember now, 0 LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years (Isaiah 38:1-5).

 

It could be “No:”

That happened with Moses:

When Moses disobeyed God and struck the rock instead of talking to it according to God’s command,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them” (Numbers 20:12-NKJ).

 

Moses remembered his sin with sadness and said,

And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 0 Lord GOD, you have begun to show Your servant Your greatness, and Your mighty hand: for what god is there in heaven or on earth, who can do anything like Your works, and Your mighty deeds? I pray, let me cross over, and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon. But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me: so the LORD said to me: Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. (Deuteronomy 3:23-26-NKJ).

And it happened also with Paul:

 

 

 

 

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:7).

 

Or it could be “Wait:”

That happened with Zacharias the Priest, the father of John the Baptist:

Zacharias prayed for a child. Years passed by, and there was no child. Zacharias became old. God did not forget his prayer. God’s answer was “Wait.” And when God’s time came, we read:

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to bum incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:8-15).

 

 

When we put ourselves under the authority of the Holy Spirit, we will pray according to the will of God, and our prayers will be answered.

Many years ago, while I was still living in Cairo, Egypt, Rev. Robert Hodges, the pastor of a Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, visited me there. Before he came to Cairo, he went to Lebanon. From Beret, Lebanon, he went with other ministers in a car to visit Damascus, Syria. On their way to Damascus, Rev. Hodges felt in his heart that the Holy Spirit was telling him that his wife, who was in America, was in danger. He asked the minister who was driving the car to stop the car, because he wanted to pray under a tree near by. The other ministers teased him, but they stopped the car and joined in prayer for his wife. When they arrived in Damascus, Rev. Hodges called his home in Tampa and learned that at the time the Holy Spirit prompted him to pray for his wife, she was in a very serious car accident, was taken to the hospital, but her life was miraculously saved.

Let the Holy Spirit lead you in your prayers and

you can expect miracles from the Lord.

The second area in which the Spirit leads the surrendered believer is the area of gospel ministry.

The believer who is concerned about winning souls for Jesus Christ will be led by the Spirit to say the words which the sinner needs.

A story is told about Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of London, England. He had a member in his church whose wife was a Catholic and refused to attend Spurgeon’ s church. Every time Spurgeon shook hands with that member, he would say, “Try to get your wife

 

to come to church.” The husband tried again and again. At last his wife said, “I will go one Sunday, but I will not tell you when, because if I tell you when, you may tell Reverend Spurgeon and he will prepare a special sermon to convince me.” One Sunday morning the wife disguised herself so that Reverend Spurgeon would not recognize her and went to Spurgeon’s church. On that particular Sunday the Holy Spirit told Spurgeon not to preach the sermon he had prepared. “What shall I preach, Lord?” Spurgeon asked. “I will lead you to the chapter and the verse,” said the Lord.

The congregation began singing, then time came for the opening prayer. At that time the Holy Spirit led Spurgeon to read chapter fourteen of the book of First Kings and to preach on verse six.

As Spurgeon started to read the verse, the wife who had disguised herself entered the church, to hear Spurgeon saying, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person?” (1 Kings 14:6). The woman was shocked; she listened to every word of that blessed sermon, and at the end of the meeting she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. Her husband came home, not knowing that she had attended the meeting. He told her that Spurgeon preached an anointed sermon that morning, then he said, “I wish you had been there.”

“I was there, and I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, because I now know for sure that Spurgeon is a true man of God; God led him to speak today to my heart.”

One Sunday evening, in February 1956, while I was a pastor in Cairo, Egypt, I prepared a message based on the prayer of Jesus when he was on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). As the congregation began singing, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Do not preach the sermon

 

you prepared.” “Lord, I spent a long time preparing this sermon, my mind is set upon it,” I argued with the still, small voice. “I will give you the words that you should preach this evening,” the Spirit responded. I surrendered to the voice of the spirit.

The congregation stood up for prayer. At that time, the Spirit said, “Read Ephesians chapter five, preach on verses fifteen and sixteen: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

I felt the anointing of the Holy Spirit on me. I said that the letter to the Ephesians is divided into three parts: the believer’s wealth, the believer’s walk, and the believer’s war. In this two verses we are admonished to walk circumspectly; we must be careful about what we say, careful in our behavior in society, careful in keeping ourselves pure from sexual immorality, careful about what we look at, what we hear, what we read. I concluded that the Lord Jesus Christ can grant us the power to live this pure life.

Right after the sermon and while the congregation was singing the final song, a discerning brother whispered to me. “Pastor, I feel that there is someone here who might give his heart to the Lord after this anointed message; please give an invitation.”

After I gave the invitation, two young men came forward.      One of them prayed with a contrite heart, “Have mercy on me Lord Jesus, I am a dreadful sinner.” The next day I went to visit that young man, whose name was “Awad” and who was the son of a church elder.        I thought that he was already a saved person because he was always nice and quiet.                                     When I arrived at Awad’s home, he asked for privacy, and the

other members of the family left us alone.

 

“Yesterday afternoon,” he said, “I was taking a nap. During that time, I had a dream: a man in white apparel said to me, “Wake up and go to hear Pastor Mikhail’s message.” “Pastor Mikhail is having a series on the book of Acts. I am not interested in that,” I said. “That series was ended two weeks ago, arise and go to hear his message tonight.”

I got dressed and went and entered the meeting place while you were reading the Word of God. Then when you announced the title of your message, “Living a careful life in the evil days,” and read the verses, I listened carefully; the Holy Spirit convicted me of my terrible sins. I decided to give my heart to Jesus Christ; when you gave the invitation I was ready to submit to Christ; I know he forgave me and washed me by his blood.” “Pastor,” he said, I had an affair with a woman and today I told her that it was over because I received Jesus Christ; the first thing I did after leaving the church yesterday evening, was to cut all the boxes of cigarettes I had and threw them away.”

Currently this young man is an active elder in an Evangelical church in the United States.

When the minister of the gospel surrenders completely to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will lead him to the messages which he should deliver to his congregation so they can be fed by the Word of God properly and grow toward spiritual maturity.

6.        The blessing of a spirit filled life.

Where do you stand in your spiritual life?

In the book of Ezekiel we read about four levels in our spiritual life.

Ezekiel says:

 

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. Then, when the·man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed (Ezekiel 47:1-5).

 

The water coming up to the ankles represents the first steps in our spiritual journey.

The water coming up to the knees represents our prayer life.

The water coming up to the waist represents our service to Christ.

The    river     that    could    not    be    crossed represents the spirit filled life.

At which level are you in your spiritual life? Are you a spirit filled believer?

There are five words in the Bible describing the work of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit:

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (Acts 1:5).

 

 

 

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit:

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that

the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Cor. 3:16).

 

The filling of the Holy Spirit:

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

 

The sealing of the Holy Spirit:

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13)

 

The anointing of the Holy Spirit:

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him (1 John 2:27).

 

The earnest of the Holy Spirit:

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory

(Ephesians 1:13,14).

 

Moreover, the Holy Spirit 1s represented m the Bible in the following types:

 

Oil:

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows

(Hebrews 1:9).

 

Fire:

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:3,4)

 

Water:

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39).

 

There is a difference between being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you own a house and rent one room to a person, that person now indwells your house, but he does not fill it. If you give that person the whole house, he now fills it.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means giving the Holy Spirit access and total control over all the compartments of your life.

Every true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit:

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 (Romans 8:9).

 

But every true believer may not be filled with the Holy Spirit unless he asks for that blessing:

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)

 

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are commanded to be filled with the Spirit:

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

 

To be filled with the spirit, you have to empty yourself of all unclean things, and surrender completely to God.to fill you with His Spirit.

A vivid illustration of how to be filled with the Holy Spirit is found in the book of Second Kings:

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she

 

said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed (2 Kings 4:1-6).

 

Where there are empty vessels, the oil of the Holy Spirit will fill them; when there is no vessel, the oil ceases.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with power; if you are not filled with the Spirit you are a powerless Christian.

Jesus promised His disciples:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

 

• The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to witness

When the apostle Peter received that power he preached to the Jews, saying:

 

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it (Acts 2:22-24).

 

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the

 

Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (Acts 2:37-41).

 

Three thousand came to Christ because Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. The reason why some of our pulpits today are empty and dead is because preachers need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

When the chief priests and elders threatened the apostles and commanded them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus, the apostles told the believers:

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:24-31).

 

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will speak the word of God with boldness.

• The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Every believer has two natures, the sinful nature inherited from Adam, and the new nature created by God the Holy spirit.                  There is a continuous conflict between the two.

It is our responsibility to surrender completely to the power of the Holy Spirit so that he can manifest His fruit in our lives.

The apostle Paul wrote:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long­ suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22-26).

 

• The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to see Christ in the midst of afflictions, persecution and

I would say again and again that the Christian life is not an hour at church on Sunday morning, and sometimes if there is a football game on television at that time, then some Christians feel it is alright to stay at home to watch the game, and miss the worship service. This kind of Christian life is cheap, it is not Biblical Christianity.

The Christian life should be taken very seriously. Jesus said:

 

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat (Matthew 7:13).

 

Paul and Barnabas, in their missionary journeys, returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch:

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

 

• By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will always sense the presence of the Lord Jesus with us.

We see that clearly in the life of Stephen, the first martyr of the church in Jerusalem.

The church in Jerusalem elected seven men to administer food for the widows, one of them was Stephen, who was “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). The Jews accused him of speaking blasphemous words against the temple and the law. They brought him to the Jewish council:

And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).

 

Stephen spoke to the council and concluded with the words:

Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers (Acts 7:51,52)

 

When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But

 

he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:54-60).

This is what a spirit filled man experienced at a time of severe persecution and death. He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God to welcome his spirit, he was able to ask forgiveness for his attackers.

• By the power of the Holy Spirit we can pray and sing in the most difficult situations.

This was manifested in the life of Paul and Silas, whose story is recorded in the book of Acts:

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs,

 

which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:16-25).

 

The Lord answered their prayer and the result was the salvation of the Philippian jailer and his household. No wonder that Paul wrote to the Ephesians, saymg:

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:18-21).

 

These are God’s promises to the redeemed, to those who are His; trusting these promises will fill the heart with peace and the lips with praise:

Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through 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 (Isaiah 43:1).

 

Hearken unto me, 0 house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar

 

hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you

(Isaiah 46:3,4).

 

 

7.        The blessing of a victorious life.

The Christian life is not a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ; or coming forward after an invitation at church; or being baptized. It is a life of tough battles.

The true Christian has to fight on three battlegrounds. He encounters three enemies. An enemy within himself, that is the sinful nature inherited from Adam; an enemy around him, that is the world; an enemy above him, that is Satan and his satanic powers.

Besides, he has to face the trials and afflictions of

 

life.

Victory over the enemy within us.

Many newly born again Christians act like the

 

children of Israel when they left Egypt. The Egyptians begged them to depart, loaded them with silver and gold; moreover, terror had smitten the heart of Egypt, when the firstborn of every Egyptian family was stricken. The children of Israel were very happy and cheerful, they were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, they thought that they would arrive to the promised land within a few days. Instead, they came to Marah, where they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, and they murmured. They were free from the tyranny of Pharaoh, but they were under the influence of their sinful nature.

This is the picture of the newly born again believer; he marches out of Egypt spiritually at the time

 

of his conversion; he is very happy and cheerful; but before many days are past he will discover that there is an enemy within himself, and that he is living in the seventh chapter of the book of Romans, saying with Paul, “I find then a law that, when I would do good, evil is present with me… (Romans 7:21). Then he will begin to cry, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24).

How can you be victorious over that sinful law within you?

The apostle Paul gives the answer:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death

(Romans 8:2).

 

The law of gravity is an active law in the universe, but in the mechanism of the airplane there is another law that will make it fly high in spite of the law of gravity.

When the believer comes to the point of complete surrender to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit within him will put to death the deeds of the sinful nature:

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Romans 8:12,13).

 

Dr. Charles G. Trumbull, editor of The Sunday School Times (1903-1941), was a living example of victorious life over the enemy within us. He gave this testimony before the National Convention of the Presbyterian Brotherhood of America at its meeting in St. Louis in 1911 which was printed in the book, Crisis Experiences.

 

“There is only one way to victory over our sinful nature, that is the life of Jesus Christ,” he said.

The pattern of Dr. Trumbull’s experience is similar to every other man or woman who has come to know what the apostle Paul experienced and declared in his words,

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life

(Romans 5:10)

Dr. Trumbull passed first through failure, then he felt the need for a victorious life. After that came an awareness of the secret of the indwelling Savior, a secret so simple that most Christians stumble over it or are unaware of it.

Then followed a definite encounter with the Lord Jesus and complete surrender of heart which brought him into personal realization of the life that is Christ. Thereafter, he experienced the outflow of that life, spoken of by Christ as “rivers of living water” (John 7:39).

Dr. Trumbull related what he passed through before he realized the fact that victorious life meant that Christ lives in him.

He was aware of great fluctuations in his spiritual life, on occasion in conscious fellowship with the Savior, and then again down in the depths of defeat. There were seasons of lifting up because of a searching message or a Spirit-filled book. But after that came the decline.

 

He observed, “Sometimes by a single failure before temptation, sometimes by a gradual downhill process, my best experiences would be lost, and I would find myself back on the lower levels… It seemed to me that it ought to be possible for me to live habitually on a high plane of close fellowship with God, as I saw certain other men doing, and as I was not doing.”

There was the matter of “failure before besetting sins.” He did believe that in certain areas he could be more than conqueror, but not in others. Despite earnest prayer for deliverance, abiding victory was not his continuing experience.

The third conscious lack was “in the matter of dynamic, convincing spiritual power that would work miracle changes in other men’s lives.” He was a very active Christian, engaged in many duties and responsibilities. He had to say, “I was even doing personal work – the hardest kind of all; talking with people, one by one, about giving themselves to my Savior! But I wasn’t seeing results. ”

This lack of effectiveness he rationalized with the old assurance (so much used by the Devil) that it wasn’t for him to see results. He felt that he could safely leave that to the Lord if he did his part. such rationalization over spiritual barrenness left him heartsick, however.

Trumbull knew that he had received the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. Certainly he was most sound in the faith and very active in Christian service. He sought to satisfy the hunger of his heart and to excuse his ineffectiveness by his orthodoxy regarding the person and work of the Savior.

The hunger of heart became more intense when he heard a preacher speak on Ephesians 4:12,13; especially on those words “till we all come… unto a full­ grown man, unto the measure of the stature  of  the

 

fullness of Christ.” Trumbull testified, “As I followed it I was amazed, bewildered. I could not follow him. He was beyond my depth. He was talking about Christ, unfolding Christ in a way that I admitted was utterly unknown to me.”

Let Dr. Trumbull speak for himself:

I went to the World Missionary conference in Edinburgh (1910) eager to hear a message on “The Resources of Christian Life.” I expected to hear from the speaker a series of definite things that I could do to strengthen my Christian life. But his opening words showed me my mistake, while they made my heart leap with a new joy. What the speaker said was, “The resources of the Christian life, my friends, are just – Jesus Christ.”

 

That was all. but that was enough. It was the beginning of a great change in Dr. Trumbull’s life.

“To begin with,” he said, “I realized for the first time that many verses throughout the New Testament refer to Christ in a different light:”

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

 

“All the contents of John 15 were filled with new life. I also read the following words of Paul:”

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the

 

breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19).

 

“In these verses I realized that, when Christ dwells in our hearts, then we will be able to comprehend what is the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.”

“Then I read:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not (Philippians 1:21).

 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me

(Galatians 2:20).

… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

… For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:11-13)

“I realized that Christ our life, and abiding in Christ, are literal, actual, blessed facts, and not figures of speech.”

 

“I rejoiced and accepted that blessed fact. No longer was my faith only in the Christ who had died on the cross for our sins. My faith was also in the Savior who dwells within me. I am now ‘saved by His life’ ” (Romans 5:10).

“At last I realized,” Dr. Trumbull declared, “that Jesus Christ was actually and literally within me; and even more than that: that He had constituted Himself my very life, taking me into union with Himself, – my body, mind and spirit, – while I still had my own identity and free will and full moral responsibility.”

And how does this fullness of life, the life that is Christ, demonstrate itself in the experience of the believer? Trumbull wrote:

The three great lacks or needs of which I spoke at the opening have been miraculously met.

1. There has been a fellowship with God utterly differing from and infinitely better than anything I had ever known in all my life before.
2. There has been an utterly new kind of victory, victory-by-freedom, over certain besetting sins – the old ones that used to throttle and wreck me – when I have trusted Christ for this freedom.
3. And, lastly, the spiritual results in service have given me such a sharing of the joy of Heaven as I never knew was possible on earth. Six of my most intimate friends, most of them mature Christians, soon had their lives completely revolutionized by Christ, laying hold on Him in this new way and receiving Him unto all the fullness of God. … A white-haired man of over seventy found a peace in life and a joy in prayer that he had long ago given up as impossible for him. Life fairly teems with the miracle-evidences of what Christ is willing and able to do for other lives through anyone who just turns over the keys to His complete indwelling.

Jesus Christ does not want to be our helper; He wants to be our life. He does not want us to work for Him.  He wants us to let Him do His work

 

through us, using us as one of the fingers on His hand.

He wants complete surrender, and that is the way for victory over our sinful nature.

Victory over the enemy around us.

The enemy around us is the world. God commands the believers:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever

(1 John 2:15-17).

 

Do not love the world.

What is this world which we are not to love? Most certainly not the universe. The universe itself has nothing in it that can hurt our souls:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork (Psalm 19:1-NKJ).

 

It is not the world of nature. We do not need to be afraid of a beautiful rose bush or a lovely flower. Jesus loved the lilies of the field. He drew attention to the beauty of nature. He would have his disciples see in them the goodness of the Father:

Heaven above is softer blue, Earth beneath is sweeter green! Something lives in ev’ry hue Christless eyes have never seen:

 

Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, Flow’rs with deeper beauties shine, Since I know, as now I know,

I am His, and He is mine!

Author unknown

 

The psalmist calls all creation to praise the Lord:

Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven (Psalm 148:1-13).

 

The world is not the people living on this planet:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

(John 3:16).

 

But what, then, is this world?

It is the world created by man’s carnal mind apart from God, dominated by Satan.     It is the system that

 

man has built up on this planet in which he is trying to make himself happy without God.

Jesus called Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30).

The apostle John wrote to the Christians:

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one

(1 John 5:19-NKJ).

 

This wicked world has three evils: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

What is the lust of the flesh?

It is anything against the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:16-22).

What is the lust of the eyes?

It   is   to   look   with   envy    at   other    people’s possessions and wish to have them for ourselves.

 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s

(Exodus 20:17).

 

What is the pride of life?

The pride of life is using your resources to do or accumulate things to impress people to praise you for your achievements or what you have.

King Hezekiah fell into the snare of the pride of life when he showed his treasures to the men sent by the King of Babylon. This is the story recorded in the book of Isaiah:

At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not (Isaiah 39:1,2).

 

God was not pleased with Hezekiah, whose sin was the pride of life:

Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

said:

house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon

(Isaiah 39:3-7).

 

To illustrate the pride of life, Dr. Henry Ironside

 

Here is a Christian, and while he is little in his own eyes and has not much means, he lives in a quiet little home, but the Lord trusts him with a good deal of money, and he immediately says, “I must have a better house now; I must have some style about me; I must have magnificent furniture and draperies.” What for? Is he any more comfortable? He can eat just three meals a day, he can sleep in just one bed at a time, and sit in just one chair at a time, but he feels he must impress people.

 

How can we have victory over the world?

First:   Acknowledge that if you love the world,

 

then the love of the Father is not in you:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).

 

Second:    Acknowledge that friendship with the world is enmity with God:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).

 

Third: Acknowledge that all that is in the world is not of the Father:

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:16).

Fourth:     Acknowledge that the world and the lust of it is passing away:

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever

(1 John 2:17).

But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).

 

Fifth: Look forward to the eternal City of God. We read concerning Abraham:

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:9,10).

 

We read also concerning Moses:

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he looked to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).

 

Dr. Henry Ironside recorded the following story:

There was a young lady with great musical ability preparing to go on the concert stage when the Lord saved her. She said one day, “You know I have made a wonderful discovery; my very love for music is coming in between my soul and Christ,” and that young woman for eight years would not touch a musical instrument, for she was afraid she would become so absorbed that she would not enjoy the things of God. The time came when she said “I cannot enjoy music for its own sake, but I can use it as a vehicle to bless the souls of men,” and she gave her talent to Christ, and He used it in attracting people to hear the gospel.

 

To have victory over the world and its three evils, you must not put anything before Jesus Christ, not your work, not your friends, not even your family… you have to surrender all to Jesus and most certainly you will have victory over the world.

Jesus said:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

 

And this is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith:

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4).

 

Every consecrated believer should repeat Paul’s words:

 

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place

(2 Corinthians 2:14).

 

Victory over the enemy above us.

Speaking about Satan the apostle Paul said that he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

Indeed, Satan is using the air to affect the minds and souls of millions, through radio talks, sex and violence on television, and even on the Internet.

The true Christian is in a constant conflict with Satan and his angels:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

 

The group of angels which Satan led after him were organized into a kingdom like God’s system.

He organized them according to their ranks:

Principalities refer to those who govern.

Powers refer to those who exercise some particular assigned authority.

Rulers of the darkness of this age refer to those who control the minds of the human rulers and move them to commit atrocities and wage wars.

Spiritual hosts in the heavenly places refer to the satanic hosts who wrestle with the believers who are seated in Christ in the heavenly places. They are like the enemies of the children of Israel who fought them when they entered their promised land.

 

The battle is fearful, because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against unseen enemies.

The devil   has many   names   which   reveal   his character and activities.

1. Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12). Here Satan is mentioned not directly but as the power behind the king of Babylon. The name could be rendered,. “star of the morning,” or “son of the dawn.” It speaks of the light that was his character before his rebellion against God.
2. Satan (Zechariah 3:1; Revelation 12:9). This name means adversary or opposer.
3. Devil (Luke 4:1,13; Revelation 12:9). this name means slanderer. Those who slander the believers falsely are under the influence of the devil.
4. Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9). This name shows how Satan used the serpent to seduce Eve. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ

(2 Corinthians 11:3).

 

5. Great Dragon (Revelation 12:3,7,9). This title portrays Satan as a terrifying, destructive beast who seeks total annihilation of the believers.
6. Evil One (John 17:15; 1 John 5:18). This name exposes Satan as a being who is not content to be corrupt in himself but seeks to corrupt others. Jesus prayed that believers might be kept from his power:

 

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one (John 17:15-NKJ).

 

7. Destroyer (Revelation 9:11). This names reveals Satan as the angel of the bottomless pit. Both his Hebrew name, “Abaddon,” and his Greek name, “Apollyon,” mean “destroyer.” It portrays Satan as destroyer of both physical and spiritual.

Satan also has other names which reveal his activities:

1. Tempter (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5). As tempter Satan tries to entice believers to do evil things
2. Accuser (Revelation 12:10). Satan always accuses the believers before God, as he accused Job (Job 1:9-11; 2:4,5), and as he accused Joshua, the high priest (Zechariah 3:1,2).
3. Deceiver (Revelation 12:9; 20:3).

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9).

 

He will continue his deceptive work even after the millennium. At that time he will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

How can we as believers in Jesus Christ have victory over such a deceptive, wicked one?

 

First: Use the sword of the inspired Word.

When the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, to confirm His sinlessness, Jesus defeated the devil by the word of God. He said to him:

It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:7).

It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10).

 

These verses are taken from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:16, 10:20).

When Adam and Eve listened to Satan and disobeyed God,

He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24-NKJ).

 

When Jesus defeated the devil,

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him Matthew 4:11),

 

It makes a great difference to be victorious.

But to use the sword of the word, you have to read, study, meditate, and memorize the Word, so the Holy Spirit can bring to your memory the answer you need to defeat Satan in due time.

The apostle Paul admonishes the believers:

 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

(Ephesians 6:17).

 

Second: Take up and put on the whole armor of God.

The devil may use wiles or schemes against you; he may wrestle with you; he may use your frustration in the evil day, the day in which you might encounter severe tragedies, as the day during which Job lost all his seven sons and three daughters and all his possessions (Job 1:13-19); he may use fiery darts to torture your mind, as he did with Joseph.

Jacob mentioned the painful battle, which Joseph passed through in his words:

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel). Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren (Genesis 49:22-26).

 

The whole armor of God which we have to take up and put on is mentioned in the following verses:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of

 

God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:10-20).

 

Third: Always use the spiritual weapons provided by the Lord.

The battleground for the believers’ war against Satan is the mind, and to defeat Satan we have to use the spiritual weapons.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

 

Commenting on these verses, Dr. Charles Hodge wrote in his commentary of 2 Corinthians:

Our weapons are mighty in that we pull down strong-holds. What the apostle was thus confident he could cast down were imaginations, thoughts, i.e., the opinions, or convictions of those who set themselves and the deductions of their own reason

 

against the truth of God. Compare 1 Corinthians 1:17-31, and Romans 1:21-23. And every high thing, every tower, or fortress; the same as in the fourth verse. Not persons, but thoughts, are intended by this figure. It is everything which the pride of human reason exalts against the knowledge of God, i.e., that revelation of himself which God has made in the Gospel (1 Corinthians 3:18-20). The conflict to which the apostle here refers is that between truth and error, between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. When the gospel was first proclaimed it found itself in conflict with all the forms of religion and philosophy then prevailing among men. To the wise of this world the gospel appeared as foolishness. It was, however, the wisdom and power of God. The conflict then begun has continued ever since, and is now as deadly as at any former period. Men of science and philosophers are as confident in their conclusions, and as much disposed to exalt themselves, or their opinions against the knowledge of God as ever. There is no doubt as to the issue of this contest. It is a contest between God and man, in which, of course, God must prevail. The instructive lesson which the apostle designs here to inculcate is that this warfare must not be conducted on the part of the advocates of the gospel, with carnal weapons. They must not rely upon their own resources and attempt to overcome their enemies by argument. They must not become philosophers and tum the gospel into a philosophy. This would be to make it a human conflict on both sides. It would be human reason against human reason, the intellect of one man against the intellect of another man. Paul told the Corinthians in his former epistle that he did not appear among them as a philosopher, but as a witness; he came not with the words of man’s wisdom; he did not rely for success on his powers of argument or of persuasion, but on the demonstration of the Spirit. The faith, which he laboured to secure, was not to be founded on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God; not on arguments addressed to the understanding, but on the testimony of God. That testimony has the same effect which intuition has. It reveals the truth to the

 

mind and conscience as self-evident; and therefore it cannot be resisted. A rationalistic Christian, a philosophizing theologian, therefore, lays aside the divine for the human, the wisdom of God for the wisdom of men, the infinite and infallible for the finite and fallible. The success of the gospel depends on its being presented, not as the word of man, but as the word of God; not as something to be proved, but as something to be believed. It was on this principle Paul acted, and hence he was in no degree intimidated by the number, the authority, the ability, or the learning of his opponents. He was confident that he could cast down all their proud imaginations, because he relied not on himself but on God whose messenger he was.

And bringing into captivity every thought. This word means either thought, or the mind, that which thinks. 3,14. 4,4 Philippians 4:7. Hence it may be translated thought, as it is in our version; or as in the Vulgate, “ornnem intellectum,” every understanding, and by Luther, “alle Vemunft.” Although the modem commentators make an outcry against this latter translation, it really differs little from the former. It does not matter much whether we say that human reason must be subjected, or that all the products of human reason (every thought) must be subjected. It amounts to the same thing. Both forms of statement are equally true. It is the indispensable condition of salvation that our understanding should be brought into captivity, led submissive, as though bound, into the obedience of Christ. Agreeably to the figure in the context, the obedience of Christ is conceived of as a place, or fortress, into which the captive is led. The sense is the same as the date would have expressed. We must renounce dependence on our own understanding and submit implicitly, as obedient children, to the teaching of Christ. He who would be wise, must become a fool (1 Corinthians 3:18).

 

Fourth: Resist the devil when tempted.

In two cases the believer has to flee.

 

First from sexual immorality:

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18).

 

This is what Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him to commit adultery with her; he said to her, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). When she insisted, “he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside” (Genesis 39:12).

Second, from the love of money.

Here I have to repeat the verses which I mentioned previously because they fit the point:

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many 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 many sorrows. But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (1 Timothy 6:9-11).

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom (Proverbs 23:4).

 

When the believer encounters the devil he must resist him and the fear he wants to instill in his heart; he must face him, for there is no armor for the back. If he turns his back or retreats, he but exposes himself to the fiery darts of the wicked one.

James recorded:

 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

 

The apostle Peter said:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (1 Peter 5:8,9).

 

Satan is not a lion; he just roars like one. The true Lion is our Lord Jesus Christ, “… the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).

As believers in Jesus Christ we must not fear his roanng. We must be confident of what the apostle Paul says:

 

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. (Romans 16:20).

 

Fifth: Surrender completely to God and wait for the manifestation of His mighty hand.

When Pharaoh and the Egyptian army followed the children of Israel after they left Egypt in an attempt to bring them back to Egypt, the children of Israel were terrified:

And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness (Exodus 14:11,12).

 

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus 14:13,14).

 

Pharaoh and his army  represent  satanic hosts.

Jesus defeated them on His cross:

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15-NKJ).

 

Every consecrated believer should repeat Paul’s words:

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place

(2 Corinthians 2:14).

 

Victory over afflictions, suffering, and trials.

There are many sources of suffering.

First: We may inflict suffering upon ourselves by our wrong choices.

A young lady called Linda, who used to attend my church while I was a pastor in Cairo, Egypt, came to my office one day for counseling. “Pastor, I have to make a serious decision,” she said. “Two young men proposed to marry me, one is a minister of the gospel, a very intelligent and kind person, but he is poor. The other is an unbeliever, he is quiet and nice, and rich.  My father

 

wants me to marry the one who is rich. What is your advice?” I opened my Bible to the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians and read:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18-NKJ).

 

Then I said, “This is my advice: marry the man of God even if he is poor.” “But if I marry the man of God, my father will die,” she said. “I do not think that your father’s life is linked to your marriage; life and death are in the hands of God.” Linda cried, and left. She agreed with her father’s decision, contrary to the Word of God, and married the rich unbeliever. He arranged for her a beautiful house with magnificent furniture. But from the first month of her marriage, I never saw Linda without tears in her eyes. She had a miserable marriage. She used to say to me, “I only blame myself, you showed me God’s Word and I disobeyed it. I brought suffering upon myself.”

Second: We may inflict suffering upon ourselves by our wrongdoings.

The apostle Peter says to the believers:

 

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (1 Peter 4:15).

 

All the things mentioned in this verse will cause suffering.

Committing    adultery    will    result    m    severe suffering:

My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother: Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when thou sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering the tongue of a seductress. do not lust after her beauty in your heart; nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread: and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be seared? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whosoever touches her shall not be innocent. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving; yet, when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give up all the substance of his house. Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get; and his reproach will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband’s fury: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased, though you give many gifts (Proverbs 6:20-35-NKJ).

 

Another    source    of    suffering     is    simply because you are a Christian:

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29).

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).

 

In the early church Christians suffered      perse­ cution only because they were followers of Jesus Christ.

The apostles suffered for being Christians, Paul went to jail because he preached about Christ.

He mentioned the sufferings he passed through in the following words:

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

(2 Corinthians 11:23-27).

 

Jesus told His disciples:

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it ha,ted you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than

 

his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:18-21).

 

Again he said to them:

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you (John 16:1-4).

 

But in all the persecution and suffering for Christ, there is joy. We read concerning the apostles:

 

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name (Acts 5:40,41).

 

I repeat again what Peter wrote to the suffering

saints:

 

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified (1 Peter 4:12-14).

 

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said to His

disciples:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Matthew 5:10-12).

 

We read about the Old Testament saints:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God:

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:35-40)

 

There is suffering according to the will of

 

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator 1 Peter 4:19).

 

When God brought His people out of Egypt, He

 

led them to suffer, to teach them and discipline them for forty years.

Here are the words of Moses to the children of

Israel:

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and

 

multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his command­ ments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him

(Deuteronomy 8:1-6).

 

The apostle Paul wrote concerning the thorn m the flesh which was given to him:

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in

 

weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (2 Corinthians 12:2-10).

 

When we pass through trials and afflictions according to the will of God, we have to count it all joy, because these various trials produce in us patience, that we may be complete.

James wrote:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4).

 

At this point, I would like to relate my personal expenence.

On Sunday night, January 25th, 1998, my wife Esther had a severe stroke. As a result, the left side of her body was completely paralyzed. Even though she was given physical therapy, she never regained the use of her left arm and leg. She became bedridden.

For the first three months after the stroke I felt very sad; I cried a lot when I was alone; I was passing through the valley of sorrow. I lost a lot of weight.

Then, one day, I realized that this was a spiritual battle, in which Satan wanted to destroy me physically in order to destroy me spiritually. The only way out was to surrender all to the Lord. I prayed, “Lord, I surrender my wife Esther, I surrender myself, and all the members of my family to you. Lord, it is hard for

 

me to count it all joy in my situation; give me grace and strength to endure this trial and glorify Thy name.”

The Lord provided a good and kind nurse to care for Esther eight hours a day. After she leaves at 5:00 PM, I have to care for Esther. I cannot leave home. The Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “What did the apostle Paul do when he was imprisoned?” The answer was that Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian believers, in which he said, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). I decided to do the same by the grace of God and to use the eight hours every day writing the books and booklets I wanted to write. During this time I was able to publish my English book, God’s Last Messenger, and three Arabic booklets, What does the Bible Say About Strong Drink?, True Christianity, and Greater Than All The Prophets.

Besides  these  publications,  the  trial  I  was  passing

through inspired me to write I Surrender All. Writing this book has been a blessing to me, it brought me to experience the presence of God through my trial. The situation is difficult but sure enough the grace of God is sufficient. To surrender all to God was the key to victory during my time of affliction; it was the way to count my trial all joy.

Oftentimes we do not understand the reason for our trials. When Job questioned God and asked him why He allowed him to go through his terrible trials, God did not answer him. Instead, He called Job’s attention to His marvelous creation:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.  Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the

 

foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the comer stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)

 

Read also Job 38, 39, 40, and 41.

Job realized his folly, he knew that God’s thoughts and ways are above our thoughts and ways:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

 

Then he came to this conclusion:

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that pideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have ( uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:1-6)

 

The story ended with the words:

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave

 

him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days (Job 42:1-6).

 

One thing we have to observe here:    Indeed, “the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” God gave Job twice of everything he lost except his children. He gave him only seven sons and three daughters. Why? Because the seven sons and the three daughters whom he lost, he will meet again on the resurrection

day. They are not lost.

Surrender all to the will of God when you pass through sufferings and afflictions and rest assured that God will comfort your heart.

There is a verse in 1 Kings 12:24 that says, “for this thing is from me.” Meditating on that verse, Laura A. Barter Snow wrote the following beautiful and comforting words, addressed to every child of God:

My child, I have a message for you today; let me whisper it in your ear, that it may gild with glory any storm clouds which may arise, and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread. It is short, only five words, but let them sink into your inmost soul; use them as a pillow upon which to rest your weary head. This thing is from Me.

Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you concerns Me too? For, “he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye” (Zechariah 2:8).

 

You are very precious in My sight (Isaiah 43:4). Therefore, it is My special delight to educate you.

I would have you learn when temptations assail you, and the “enemy comes in like a flood,” that this thing is from Me, that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background? This thing is from Me. I am the God of circumstances. Thou earnest not to thy place by accident, it is the very place God meant for thee.

Have you not asked to be made humble? See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are only working out My will.

Are you in money difficulties? Is it hard to make both ends meet? This thing is from Me, for I am your purse-bearer and would have you draw from and depend upon Me. My supplies are limitless (Philippians 4:19). I would have you prove my promises. Let it not be said of you, “In this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God” (Deut. 1:32).

Are you passing through a night of sorrow? This thing is from Me. I am the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation (2 Thessalonians 2:16,17). Have you longed to do some great work for Me and instead have been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness? This thing is from Me. I could not get your attention in your busy days and I want to teach you some of my deepest lessons. “They also serve who only stand and wait.” Some of My greatest workers are those shut out from active service, that they may learn to wield the weapon of all-prayer.

This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil. Make use of it free, my child. Let every circumstance that arises, every word that pains you, every interruption that would make you impatient, every revelation of your weakness be anointed with it. The sting will go as your learn to see Me in all things.

 

The way of victory over trials and afflictions is to take them to Jesus. Mrs. E. L. Hennessay wrote this beautiful poem:

Have you taken it to Jesus?

Have you left your burden there? Does He tenderly support you?

Have you rolled on Him your care? 0, the sweet unfailing refuge

Of the everlasting arms;

In their loving clasp enfolded Nothing worries or alarms.

Have you taken it to Jesus,

Just the thing that’s pressing now? Are you trusting Him completely With the when, and where and how? Oh, the joy of full surrender

Of our life, our plans, our all; Proving, far above our asking That God answers when we call.

Have you taken it to Jesus? ‘Tis the only place to go

If you want the burden lifted And a solace for your woe. Oh, the blessedness to nestle Like a child upon His breast; Finding ever, as He promised

Perfect comfort, peace and rest.

 

Rest assured that nothing will separate the true believer from the love of Christ, he will be more than a conqueror in all situations:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through

 

 

him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).

 

This is the kind of life every Christian should live. And the only way to live it is to surrender all to Jesus Christ. And if you live this victorious life, you will receive the rewards which Jesus promised to all overcomers.

Here are these great promises:

• To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7).

 

• He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Revelation 2:11).

 

• To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it (Revelation 2:17).

 

• And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations (Revelation 2:26).

 

• He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Revelation 3:5).

 

• Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is

 

 

 

new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name Revelation 3:12)

 

• To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne (Revelation 3:21).

 

• He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Revelation 32:7).

 

Would you say now “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (The Song of Solomon 6:3) and sing the song written by Judson W. VanDeVenter, All to Jesus:

All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me, Jesus, take me now.

I surrender all, I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender,

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; May Thy Holy Spirit fill me, May I know Thy power divine.

 

 

 

I surrender all, I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me.

 

I surrender all, I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all

Will you make your decision today to yield yourself to Christ and give Him the lordship over your life that He may be enthroned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all the areas of your life?