He Is Our Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present

help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

I once heard the following statement from a simple

old man, and I have never forgotten it: "When God

tests you, it is a good time to test Him by putting

His promises to the test and then claiming from 

Him exactly what your trials have made necessary.

There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is 

simply to try to get rid of the trial, and then to be 

thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize

the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger

blessing than we have ever before experienced, and

to accept it with delight as an opportunity of receiv-

ing a greater measure of God's divine grace.

In this way, even the Adversary becomes a help to 

us, and all things that seem to be against us turn out 

to assist us along our way. Surely this is what is 

meant by the words "In all these things we are more 

than conquerors through Him who loved us. Rom 8:37

A B Simpson

Not always OUT of our troubled times,

     And the struggles fierce and grim,

But IN--deeper in--to our sure rest,

     The place of our peace, IN Him.

Annie Johnson Flint

Reader, after I go through deep waters and God

has showed up, it is then I believe His promises. 

Ahhh, to grasp them in the going would be so 

much better. 

It is a Walk

They that wait upon the Lord...shall walk and not
faint. Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill in walking; it is the test of all the sta-
ble qualities. To :Walk and not faint" is the highest
reach possible for strength. The word "walk" is used
in the Bible to express the character--"John looking
on Jesus as He walked, said, 'Behold the Lamb of
God!'" There is never anything abstract in the Bible,
it is always vivid and real. God does not say--"Be
spiritual," but--"Walk before Me."

When we are in an unhealthy state physically or emo-
tionally, we always want thrills. In the physical domain 
this will lead to counterfeiting the Holy Ghost; in the
emotional life it leads to inordinate affection and the 
destruction of morality; and in the spiritual domain if
we insist on getting thrills, on mounting up with wings,
it will end in the destruction of spirituality.

The reality of God's presence is not dependent on any
place, but only dependent upon the determination to set 
the Lord always before us. Our problems come when 
we refuse to bank on the reality of His presence. The ex-
perience the Psalmist speaks of--"Therefore will we not 
fear, though..." will be ours when one we are based on 
Reality, not the consciousness of God's presence but the 
reality of it--Why, He has been here all the time!

At critical moments it is necessary to ask guidance, but
it ought to be unnecessary to be saying always--"O 
Lord, direct me here, and there." Of course He will! If
our commonsense decisions are not His order, He will
press through them and check; then we must be quiet
and wait for the direction of His presence. 
Oswald Chambers

Reader, I so appreciate the final sentences. God has given
us understanding as to the normal day to day things. He
will let us know if we are getting off the track. Oh, yes,
He will let you know! The second thing I appreciate is
that life is not really a marathon, but a walk.

He Remains

You remain. Hebrews 1:11

There are so many people who sit by their fireplace
all alone! They sit by another chair, once filled, and
cannot restrain the tears that flow. They sit alone so
much, but there is someone who is unseen and just
within reach. But for some reason, they don't realize
His presence. Realizing it is blessed yet quite rare. 
It is dependent upon their mood, their feelings, their
physical condition, and the weather. The rain or thick
fog outside, the lack of sleep and the intense pain, 
seem to affect their mood and blur their vision, so
they do not realize His presence...So recognize the
presence of the Master. He is here, close to you, and
His presence is real. More so, the truth is a presence,
not a thing, a fact, or statement. Some One is present,
and He is a warmhearted Friend and the all-powerful
Lord. This is a joyful truth for weeping hearts every-
where, no matter the reason for the tears, or whatever 
stream their weeping willow is planted beside.
Samuel Dickey Gordon 

Reader, many of you are discouraged, lonely, and close
to despair. But near to you, in you, is a Presence who is
for you, regardless of what you feel, your lack of faith,
your faithlessness. He declares that He will NEVER
leave you nor FORSAKE you. He remains true.

Sow in Tears

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs 
of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying
seed to sow, will return with songs of joy,
carry sheaves with him. Ps 126:5,6

None who loves the Lord does not weep. Weep
with sympathy for sinners, weep with desire for
the glory of God, and weep with eagerness to 
overcome the enemy. Of course, those who have
no heart to please the Lord do not have such ex-
perience. But all whose hearts on the Lord's work
are bound to weep. 

Without a doubt tears are something we must have,
because this world is in great need of much tears 
by which to wash her. Many young believers need
to be nurtured and disciplined with tears. Spiritual
life needs to be maintained with tears. Numerous
sinners need to have the seed of the gospel sown in
their hearts with tears. 

If we shed tears for the work, what will be the out-
come? Do be aware of this, that tears will not be
shed forever, because there is a time for it to cease.
For please note this verse: "Thus saith Jehovah: 
Refrain they voice from weeping, and thine eyes
from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith
Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land 
of the enemy" (Jer 31:16) Watchman Nee

Reader, turn your sorrowing tears into a plea to the
Lord for men and women to be saved. He will save
those tears to pour out upon the hurting sinners, for
He would have none to perish. 

The Line is Obliterated

"Therefore come out from them and be separate,"
says the Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I
will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and
you will be my sons and daughters," says the
Lord Almighty. 2 Cor 6:17,18

I do not believe that there is any doctrine more
needed today in the Christian church in America
than the doctrine of separation.

We have lost power because the line between the
church and the world has been almost obliterated.
A good many people profess Christianity, but their
profession does not mean much; the result is that
the world does not know what Christians really
believe.

For every unconverted man that reads the Bible, a
hundred read you and me; and if they see us hand-
in-glove with the ungodly they are not going to
have confidence in our professions...

I believe that the cause of Christ is suffering more
from this one thing than any other ten things put
together. God cannot give us power because we
are allied with the ungodly. The mirth that satisfies
the world will not satisfy the true child of God,
and yet how many of us are just looking to the
world for our pleasure. 
Dwight L Moody 1837-1899

Wow, reader, if it was bad two centuries ago, what
is the condition of the church today? We are adapt-
ing to the world instead of influencing the world. 

His Seal of Ownership

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand
firm in Christ. He appointed us, set his seal of
ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts
as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
1 Corinthians 1:22

Now what is a Christian? He is a man clear of death
and judgement, brought to God, his sins forgiven:
one who has a new nature, who has received the
Holy Ghost, and who has a new place before God
in Christ, of whose body he is a member; one who
knows he is a child of God, an heir of God, and a
joint-heir with Christ; who has nothing but glory
now before him, and is looking for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, to take him home to the rest
and glory of the Father's house. It is therefore a
wonderful thing to be a Christian: an unspeakably
blessed thing!  WTP Wolston  1840-1917

Reader, what a description of all God is to us and
all God is giving us! A saved Life from the moment
we exchange our poor sinful life for His! An eternal
life that has no beginning and no end for we are now
IN the eternal Son. He is our dwelling place.

If We are Faithless

If we are faithless, he remains faithful--
for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

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 we use a pencil to write with--better still, using us as 
one of the fingers on His hand.

When our life is not only Christ's but Christ, our life will 
be a winning life; for He cannot fail. And a winning life 
is a fruit-bearing life, a serving life. It is after all only a 
small part of life, and a wholly negative part to overcome; 
we must also bear fruit in character and in service if Christ 
is our life. "He cannot deny himself;" He "came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister." An utterly new kind of
service will be ours now, as we let Christ serve others
through us, using us. And this fruit-bearing and service,
habitual and constant, must all be by faith in Him; our
works are the result of His Life in us, not the condition,
or the secret, or the cause of life. 

The conditions of thus receiving Christ as the fulness of
our life are:

1 Surrender absolutely and unconditionally to Christ as
Master of all that we are and all that we have, telling
God that we are now ready to have His whole will done
in our entire life, at every point, no matter what the cost.

2 Believe God has set us wholly free from the law of sin--
not will to do this, but has done it. Upon this second step,
the quiet act of faith, all now depends. Faith must believe
God in entire absence of any feeling or evidence. For 
God's word is safer, better, and surer than any evidence 
of His word. We are to say, in blind, cold faith if need be,
"I know that my Jesus is meeting al my needs now (even
my need of faith), because His grace is sufficient for me."

And remember that Christ Himself is better than any of 
His blessings: better than the power, or the victory, or the 
service that He grants. Christ creates spiritual power; but
Christ is better than that power. We may have Christ, 
yielding to Him in such completeness and abandonment
of self that is no longer we that live, but Christ that lives
in us. 

Will you thus take Him?  Charles Trumbull 1872-1941

Reader, this concise explanation of what brings victory
in the Christian life, is what changed my Christian life
about 13 years ago. I never want to go back into "oughts"
and "shoulds." There is such a freedom in serving if the
Lord is doing the work--through me! ( and I need to be
reminded periodically. :) )