A New Breed of Warriors

God disturbs the lives of the enemy as He prepares us to be more than conquerors. It is not in God’s plan that we should lose, but gain and possess His victories in our hearts, and in our lives. He gives strategies which when followed the outcome are triumphal. Therefore, we can celebrate Jesus, because he is good unto his people. Let us let Jehovah prepare us now for the victory set forth in our lives both personally and collectively as the Church. We are to become a “New Breed of Warriors” in the kingdom of God. Yet, we must note “the strategic plan of our God” that we might have faith in Him today.
“Fear was struck into the enemy”
What the enemy heard and knew that God did for you and concerning you effects them. In fact, the nations knew Israel because of her God not because Israel was a great army. In the community of this church there are lives - crossings only you can affect. Around you there are people only you can touch and minister too. Others came to the Jordan, but only Israel could cross on dry land. Note our text in verse one. God made the promise in yesterdays He would strike fear in their enemies (Exodus 23:27). The people of Jericho tormented themselves for this is what fear does to people (Joshua 2:9-11; 6:1). Because of God’s record, because of his exploits the enemy is struck with fear. So then, the people of God must take time to name what is an enemy to you. Is it your debt, your flesh, fear of giving, fear of witnessing? God struck fear in the enemy, but he builds us up in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:11-12). Jesus said, “In my name U.”

“God prepares His army”
Circumcision is God’s way of preparing us to fight and gain victory. This is that which bring us into covenant relationship (circumcision) with God. He cuts away the old, the old life and old way of thinking, and the old fleshly desires (9). Within the text God’s desire is to remove the reproach (shame-ness, ugliness, disdainment, disgrace). It was inevitable that this happen, the men of old were men of unbelief, doubt, men of fear and of no faith in the abilities and promises of God after witnessing His mighty acts (6). Jericho was effected by God’s act forty years earlier (Joshua 2:10). Israel’s thoughts of old were let us return to Egypt (sin). God is here to turn us away from old thoughts. Peter said, “I go a fishing” but while he was there Jesus came for his own. Jesus said to Peter, “Loveth thou these more than me.” God has come for his own now to prepare us for victory. It’s time for you to stop losing and going without. It is inevitable that saints must fight the good fight of faith.
Pain and difficulty are apart of God’s process to get us prepared. There is no circumcising without pain and discomfort. Yet, God will not allow us into combat until after we are whole (8). You can not fight the battles of God with reproach in your life. Wholeness and holiness must take place first. This is why there is that need for the church to remain together that we can encourage one another as we see the day approaching. The days of a coming battle . . . God will ensure that we have the strength to go on, for He is the strength of our lives. He will also ensure our protection in a vulnerable state. Hurts and pains of the pass put us in this type of condition. It leaves us with a distrustful spirit, but we can trust God’s protection. Note the prayer of our Lord for us (John 17:11-12). So then, this is the beginning of the new breed of Warriors.

HOW TO KEEP HOLINESS

Do you ask, 'How can I keep the blessing?'
1. Do not let your poor heart be burdened with the thought that you have to do it all yourself. In this, as in all else, you are only a worker together with God. He loves you more than a mother loves her little child, and He is going to help you to keep the blessing. Remember that the blessing is simply the result of His indwelling in your heart' and you are not to think so much about keeping the blessing as about keeping Him.
It will not be a hard matter to keep Him in your heart if you are in earnest, for He wanted to get there when you were a sinner, and He certainly desires to stay there as long as you will let Him; and if you will let Him, He will keep you.
One of our leading Officers, who is a personal friend of mine, once told me that when he first heard the doctrine of holiness, he felt that he could not be holy while engaged in worldly business. But one day he read the prayer of Jesus: 'I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil.' He saw at that moment that God could keep him, and he sought and found the blessing, and has been rejoicing ever since.
Oh, how it rested me and comforted my heart one day, when, sore tempted by the devil, I read these words, 'Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.' I saw that He was able to keep me, and I knew that He was willing, and my heart rested on the promise; and, bless Him, He does keep me.
'Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.' (Isa_41:10.)
Paul got fairly jubilant over the keeping power of God, -- it was his boast when he wrote, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? 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' (fallen angels, or devils), 'nor principalities, nor powers' (no combination of devils or men), 'nor things present, nor things to come, nor height' (of prosperity), 'nor depth' (of adversity), 'nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Rom_8:35-39)
Paul trusted God to keep him, and so must we. We should surely fall if God withheld His help for a moment.
But James tells us that 'faith without works is dead;' and so we must not only trust God, but must work together with God if we would keep the blessing.
2. To keep the blessing, you must keep all upon the altar. What you have given to the Lord you must not take back. You gave all to get the blessing, and you must continue to give all to keep it.
My all is on the altar.
I'll take it back no more,
must be your motto and your song, The devil will try to get you to come down from the cross; the world will allure you; the flesh will cry out against you; your friends may weep over you, or frown upon you, or tease and torment, or threaten you; some of your comrades will criticize you and doubt you, but you must stick to Jesus, and take nothing back that you have given to Him. There is usefulness, and peace, and God's smile, and a crown, and a kingdom before you, but only condemnation, and ruin, and hell behind.
A little heathen boy in Africa heard a sermon about Jesus, and His tender dying love and saving power, and he gave himself fully to the Lord, and Jesus came into his heart. This so enraged his heathen father that he said, 'I'll get this Jesus out of him; I'll beat Him out.' And he beat the little fellow most cruelly.
But the boy was still true. Then the father said, 'I'll smoke this Jesus out of him.' So he put the boy into a hut, shut up the opening in the roof, and nearly smothered him with smoke. That failed also, and then he tried starvation, and he gave the boy nothing to eat for several days. All persecution failed, however, and the little fellow remained true. He had given all to Jesus, and he would have nothing back. When asked how he had endured all the terrible trials he had passed through, he quietly said, 'I just stuck to Jesus.'
3. If you would keep the blessing, you must be quick to obey God. I do not mean by this that you are to get into such haste that you will not take time to think and pray about all that you do. God wants you to use your head and your heart and all the good sense He has given you. He wants you to take time to speak to Him, and consider, and find out His will; but once you have found it out, if you would have His smile and favor, and keep the blessing, you must not delay, but obey at once. Oh, the losses of peace and power and joy and sweet communion with God that people suffer through hesitation at this point! Like Felix, they wait for 'a convenient season,' which never comes! and, like Felix. they lose all. 'Strike while the iron is hot' 'Make hay while the sun shines.' 'Put out to sea while the tide is in.' Do as Abraham did. God told him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering -- Isaac, the joy of his house, the light of his eyes, the hope of his old age, the treasure of his heart! He did not parley and delay, but rose up early in the morning ..... took Isaac, his son ..... and went unto the place of which God had told him.'
A Salvation Soldier who was greatly used of God told me that he was one day reading a half-religious novel. He had reached a most thrilling point in the story when the Holy Spirit seemed to say to him, 'Stop reading this at once, and you shall never regret it.' He said that he closed the book at once, put it down and never opened it again, and such a blessing came into his soul as he was hardly able to contain. Years after, when he told me this, he was still rejoicing that he had promptly obeyed the voice of the Lord, and left that sort of thing for ever.
If you have lost the blessing through a failure to promptly obey, do not be utterly discouraged, but begin over again, and the Lord will restore you. But do not trifle with God again; pray and believe for His help to obey, lest a worse thing come upon you.
4. If you would keep the blessing, you must not depend upon your feelings, but as a friend of mine used to say, 'Stand by your facts' Young Christians are very likely to be betrayed into mistakes by their feelings -- by their happy feelings as well as their unhappy ones.
When they are happy, they are in danger of thinking themselves better than they are, and of not watching and praying as they should; and when they are not happy, they are likely to get discouraged, cast away their confidence in the Lord, and conclude that it is useless for them to try to be holy. The safest way is to pay attention to your facts, and let your feelings take care of themselves.
If people are kind to you, and your digestion is good, and your sleep sound, you will probably feel well. But if people are unkind. and the east wind blows, and you eat something that lies heavy in your stomach, and your sleep is broken by horrid dreams, you will probably not feel well; but in neither case is your relation to God changed. Your facts are just the same. If you have given yourself to God, and have taken nothing back, but can look up into His dear face and say, 'My all is on the altar, and I trust in Thee,' then you are His, and your business is to stand by that fact, and trust that the Blood keeps you clean.
When you are happy, sing songs, and when you are heavy-hearted pray, and try to sing a little too, and never cast away your confidence, for there is a great reward before you, if you hold fast.
5. One of the greatest helps to keeping the blessing is for two or three young people who have it to meet together as often as possible to read the Bible, and pray with and encourage each other. This can usually be done just before or between the meetings on Sunday. This practice helped me more than anything else, I think, when I first got the blessing. Put a burning coal or sack by itself, and the fire will go out, and it will be cold and black; but put several sticks or coals together, and they will burn brightly. And so it is with hearts full of holy fire.
At such little meetings it is well to unite in prayer for others whom you are eager to see converted, or to enter into the blessing, and as you see them getting saved and sanctified, this will add mightily to your own faith and love.
Finally, wholehearted and continued consecration and self-denial, earnest prayer, joyful and diligent study of God's Word, deep humility before the Lord, aggressive work for others, and humble definite testimony to the blessing, will surely establish us in holiness, and keep us from falling.
How blest are they who still abide
Close sheltered in Thy bleeding side:
Who life and strength from Thee derive,
And for Thee fight, and in Thee live.

"So to walk even as he walked."

1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Why should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul-if they would escape the sickness of sin, and enjoy the vigour of growing grace, let Jesus be their model. For their own happiness’ sake, if they would drink wine on the lees, well refined; if they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them walk even as he walked. There is nothing which can so assist you to walk towards heaven with good speed, as wearing the image of Jesus on your heart to rule all its motions. It is when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in his very footsteps, that you are most happy, and most known to be the sons of God. Peter afar off is both unsafe and uneasy. Next, for religion’s sake, strive to be like Jesus. Ah! poor religion, thou hast been sorely shot at by cruel foes, but thou hast not been wounded one-half so dangerously by thy foes as by thy friends. Who made those wounds in the fair hand of Godliness? The professor who used the dagger of hypocrisy. The man who with pretences, enters the fold, being nought but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, worries the flock more than the lion outside. There is no weapon half so deadly as a Judas-kiss. Inconsistent professors injure the gospel more than the sneering critic or the infidel. But, especially for Christ’s own sake, imitate his example. Christian, lovest thou thy Saviour? Is his name precious to thee? Is his cause dear to thee? Wouldst thou see the kingdoms of the world become his? Is it thy desire that he should be glorified? Art thou longing that souls should be won to him? If so, imitate Jesus; be an "epistle of Christ, known and read of all men."

But now is Christ risen from the dead

But now is Christ risen from the dead." 1Corinthians 15:20
The whole system of Christianity rests upon the fact that "Christ is risen from the dead;" for, "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain: ye are yet in your sins." The divinity of Christ finds its surest proof in His resurrection, since He was "Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." It would not be unreasonable to doubt His Deity if He had not risen. Moreover, Christ's sovereignty depends upon His resurrection, "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living." Again, our justification, that choice blessing of the covenant, is linked with Christ's triumphant victory over death and the grave; for "He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Nay, more, our very regeneration is connected with His resurrection, for we are "Begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here, for, "If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." If Christ be not risen, then shall we not rise; but if He be risen then they who are asleep in Christ have not perished, but in their flesh shall surely behold their God. Thus, the silver thread of resurrection runs through all the believer's blessings, from his regeneration onwards to his eternal glory, and binds them together. How important then will this glorious fact be in his estimation, and how will he rejoice that beyond a doubt it is established, that "now is Christ risen from the dead."
"The promise is fulfill'd,
Redemption's work is done,
Justice with mercy's reconciled,
For God has raised His Son."
"The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
Believer, YOU can bear your testimony that Christ is the only begotten of the Father, as well as the first begotten from the dead. You can say, "He is divine to me, if He be human to all the world beside. He has done that for me which none but a God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a heart of adamant, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He hath turned for me my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy; He hath led my captivity captive, and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let others think as they will of Him, to me He must be the only begotten of the Father: blessed be His name. And He is full of grace. Ah! had He not been I should never have been saved. He drew me when I struggled to escape from His grace; and when at last I came all trembling like a condemned culprit to His mercy-seat He said, 'Thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee: be of good cheer.' And He is full of truth. True have His promises been, not one has failed. I bear witness that never servant had such a master as I have; never brother such a kinsman as He has been to me; never spouse such a husband as Christ has been to my soul; never sinner a better Saviour; never mourner a better comforter than Christ hath been to my spirit. I want none beside Him. In life He is my life, and in death He shall be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in sickness He makes my bed; in darkness He is my star, and in brightness He is my sun; He is the manna of the camp in the wilderness, and He shall be the new corn of the host when they come to Canaan. Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: and of truth and grace He is full, infinitely full. My soul, this night, bless with all thy might 'the only Begotten.'"—Morning and Evening

HONOURING GOD

"Hallowed be Thy Name"

GOD'S NAME is His Nature---His attributes, the various qualities that go to make Him what He is. When we ask for it to be hallowed, we ask that all which obscures it should be swept away as mists before the dawn. We thank God for all that is known of His wonderful Being, for the message of Nature, for revelation given to seers and prophets, for the Word who came from Him, and for the Holy Spirit who reveals Him. But there are still vast unexplored tracks in God's Being of which we know nothing, and there are myriads that know still less than we do. By their sinful ignorance and superstition, men have misunderstood and misrepresented the character of God; therefore we need to pray that in this world, and in all other worlds, His glorious personality should be understood, appreciated, and loved.
When we pray "Hallowed be thy Name" it is to remind ourselves of the greatness and glory of God our Father. Before you utter petitions for yourself, be still! Compel the intruding crowd of daily needs and desires to remain outside the fence which surrounds the mountain foot. Go up to meet with God, desiring to look at the needs of the world and of your own little life, as subordinate to your own great desire that God should be loved, honoured, and obeyed. Put God's interests above your own. Enthrone Him in thought and petition.
In a world that neither knew nor hallowed God's Name, Jesus set Himself to reveal and unfold all its wonderful depths. Let us try every day to know more of that Name, and to make it known. It is through ignorance of God that men turn from Him. They have distorted views, obtained from the lives and words of professedly religious people which are often a sad travesty and misrepresentation of God. If only men really knew God, surely the love with which He has loved them would enter and fill their hearts.
It is said that the passion of the French soldiers for Napoleon was so great, that even when mortally wounded they would raise themselves as he came riding past on his charger, and cry: "Long live the Emperor!" It is when we have become wholly absorbed in bringing glory to God in the highest, that we shall know peace in our hearts, and become the channels of goodwill to men, as men of good-will, i.e., the doers of God's Will.

THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD,

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of theLORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of goodcourage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on theLORD." PSA 27:13-14.

The psalmist was not a stranger to the struggles and trials that weexperience in this life. He was not a stranger to the withdrawingof the Lord. In DEU 33:25 we read, "Thy shoes shall be iron andbrass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be." This teaches usthat the Lord will prepare us for the thorny path that we willtread. He gives us iron shoes to protect us and shield us againstthe thorns and rocks of the steep places that we must climb. When David longed for God’s presence, he cried out in PSA 39:12,"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thypeace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner,as all my fathers were." David understood that this life is onlyin preparation for a great and never-ending journey. Struggles andtrials can keep us from thinking that the earth is our resting-place. We will find no rest in our flesh. As long as our heartsare set on the things of the flesh, the Lord will undermine them sothey will not take root. Every thorn in the flesh and every storm that passes over our headsare foreordained of the Lord. The psalmist said, "I had fainted,unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD." TheApostle Paul said in 2CO 12:7-8, "And lest I should be exaltedabove measure through the abundance of the revelation, there wasgiven to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffetme, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing Ibesought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." If we experience a great trial, do we beg the Lord to deliver us?Paul continued in Verse 9, "And he said unto me, My grace issufficient for thee." The Lord was teaching him that he would seethe grace of God in the trial, "for my strength is made perfect inweakness." We learn to see our weakness. When we have a sinkingfeeling, like we will collapse, the Holy Spirit lifts Christ beforeour eyes, and we see that we are fellowshipping in the sufferingsof Christ and that He is crucifying the flesh. Verse 9 continues,"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, thatthe power of Christ may rest upon me." The Lord’s purpose insuffering is that the power of Christ may rest upon us. One of the things that makes the way rough is that it is unknown.ISA 42:16 says, "And I will bring the blind by a way that they knewnot; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I willmake darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." If wecould know what the future held, we might endure the trial, for wewould know when we would be delivered, but the unknown is haunting. The troubles of our paths are surely as ordained of the Lord as ourglory at the end. PRO 20:24 says, "Man’s goings are of the LORD;how can a man then understand his own way?" Every trial andstruggle we go through has been ordained of the Lord for thecrucifying of our flesh. JER 10:23 tells us, "O LORD, I know thatthe way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh todirect his steps." All of the places that the Lord leads us arefor the purpose of emptying us of ourselves and making us propercandidates to serve Him. In MAT 11:28 we see the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ toserve Him: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest." We do not become labored and heavyladen with sin, guilt, and misery until the Lord has brought usthrough the purging process. The Lord uses the trials andstruggles to make us proper candidates for the Lord’s service."Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly inheart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke iseasy, and my burden is light," MAT 11:29-30. David often speaks to the heart of God’s people in the book ofPsalms, but in our text, as is most often the case, he speaks ofhis own personal experience. See the beautiful distinction betweenthe first part of the chapter and the last. David began this Psalmby praising God, and ended by showing the foundation that gave himthe ability to praise the Lord. He said, "I had fainted, unless Ihad believed." He could praise the Lord because he had faith tobelieve that he would see the goodness of God in the land of theliving. He concludes, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, andhe shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." He begins in PSA 27:1 with, "The LORD is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whomshall I be afraid?" As David goes on to praise the Lord for Hisgoodness, he describes what he means by "The LORD is...mysalvation." He said in PSA 27:4, "One thing have I desired of theLORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of theLORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, andto enquire in his temple." Is salvation the mere fact of escapinghell? To David, salvation was the nearness of the Lord. However, David also spoke of a time of trouble. PSA 27:5 says,"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: inthe secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upupon a rock." He needed the solid rock, Christ Jesus, as thefoundation of his hope. David clearly reveals that his pleading ground was based uponundeserved favor. He did not claim any merit. He said in PSA27:7-8, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy alsoupon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; myheart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek." He pled on thebasis of mercy. In the beginning of the Psalm, David spoke of the canopy of Divinelove over him that made all his oppressors as nothing to him, andyet in our text he referred to such extreme circumstances that hewould have fainted. David said that if there had not been suchgreat support holding him up, he would have fainted. "I hadfainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD inthe land of the living." The Lord leads us through many changing circumstances, bothspiritually and in providence, to wean us from this world and self.JER 48:11 tells us, "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and hehath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel tovessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his tasteremained in him, and his scent is not changed." We must be emptiedfrom vessel to vessel, from trial to trial. We will be purged fromthis sin and then that sin. When the Lord has convicted us of thepride of our hearts and has truly humbled us, then He will convinceus of the uncleanness of our hearts. Then He will teach us anothersin, and we will go through another struggle to be cleansed fromthat sin. If this does not happen, then we will be like Moab,whose "taste remained in him," whose bitterness of sin was neverremoved. The Lord does not give His people uninterrupted peace in this worldlest they settle into complacency, nor does He leave them without agood hope lest they should faint and despair. That is what is soprecious about our text: "I had fainted, unless I had believed tosee the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." The Lorddelivers us in His time. HEB 12:3 says, "For consider him that endured such contradiction ofsinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in yourminds." Trials and purging come so that we will take our eyes offof ourselves and lift our eyes unto Christ, that we might know whatit is, as the Apostle Paul says, to "live by the faith of JesusChrist." The faith of the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted before oureyes and imputed to us so we may walk by His faith. David was led through great depths of discouragement, trouble,distress, and well nigh despair, yet he never once questioned hisrelationship with God. A good example of this is PSA 86:1-2; "Bowdown thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preservemy soul; for I am holy [one whom He favors]: O thou my God, savethy servant that trusteth in thee." David spoke of a tremendousstruggle, but he never questioned God’s favor to his soul. The Lord empties His people from vessel into vessel, leavingeverything of the flesh (that tends to faint) behind with thedregs, so that their only hope is to encourage themselves in theLord their God. In HEB 11:6 we read, "But without faith it isimpossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believethat he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seekhim." Unless David "believed to see the goodness of the LORD inthe land of the living," he would have fainted. God is a rewarderof those that wait upon Him. "Wait on the LORD: be of goodcourage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on theLORD." If Abraham had not been emptied of self, his heart would havefainted when God commanded him to offer up Isaac, in whom was hishope of salvation. If the Lord had not emptied Abraham from vesselto vessel, emptying him of all flesh and all human reasoning, hewould have fainted. Abraham had been emptied of all human reasoning even before hereceived Isaac, for he could not believe Isaac could be born! GEN17:17 tells us, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, andsaid in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is anhundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old,bear?" Abraham did not faint when God commanded him to offer up Isaacbecause he believed in the goodness of the Lord, "Accounting thatGod was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence alsohe received him in a figure," HEB 11:19. Abraham could believebecause the Lord had completely stripped him of all humanreasoning. Abraham did not faint when his faith was tried because he had beenestablished in faith through being emptied from vessel to vessel.We read in ROM 4:19-21, "And being not weak in faith, he considerednot his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old,neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at thepromise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, givingglory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised,he was able also to perform." His human reasoning had beenremoved. There was a secret power that kept Jacob from fainting when he hadto let Benjamin go with his brothers. He "believed to see thegoodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Jacob cried outof his anguish, "All these things are against me;" he thought thesethings would bring down his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.Yet within his soul, a secret power sustained him. Although Jacobmay have felt ready to faint, he saw such a remarkable deliverancethat his heart fainted for joy. GEN 45:25-27 says, "And they went up out of Egypt, and came intothe land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, And told him, saying,Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they toldhim all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and whenhe saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit ofJacob their father revived." He saw the goodness of God in thislife, which was the secret power within that sustained him. Think of the trials David had from the time he was anointed by theLord as king to the time the crown was set upon his head.Believing in God brought David through the climax of his trialsjust before he became king. We see in 1-SA 30:6, "And David wasgreatly distressed; for the people [his own six hundred men] spakeof stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouragedhimself in the LORD his God." He remembered how the Lord haddelivered him from the paw of the lion and the bear as well as thehand of the Philistine. He encouraged himself by believing in thegoodness of God. The Lord most often uses trials and deliverance in providentialleadings to teach His people to trust Him for spiritual things.David said in PSA 27:1-4, "The LORD is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whomshall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though anhost should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though warshould rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thinghave I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I maydwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to beholdthe beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." Hisspiritual blessings were connected with his temporal deliverancebecause they required the exercise of faith. David was tried in spiritual struggles to the point of faintingfrom all human reasoning. PSA 28:1 says, "Unto thee will I cry, OLORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, Ibecome like them that go down into the pit." Notice that David didnot say that he would go down into the pit, but he felt that empty,fainting feeling in himself. When the Lord remained silent, Davidfelt as faint as those who go down into the pit. How different David’s language is from the first verse of thechapter before us. In PSA 27:1, he said, "The LORD is my light andmy salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of mylife; of whom shall I be afraid?" That is the language of one whois established in faith. The circumstances that occasioned this fainting feeling aredescribed in the previous verse: "Deliver me not over unto the willof mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, andsuch as breathe out cruelty," PSA 27:12. He was being tried bycircumstances in providence, which brought him to spiritualstrength, faith, and deliverance. The Lord uses our trials inprovidence to bring us to spiritual victories. The Lord tried Abraham in providence, causing him to be childlessfor 100 years. The Lord promised that he would have a son, butafter 20 years he still did not have a son. The Lord tried hisfaith in providential things, but He also granted him suchtremendous spiritual blessings as a result. The Lord has Hispurpose in providential trials to prepare us for spiritualblessings. David provides a beautiful illustration in our text of thedistinction between faith and unbelief: "I had fainted, unless Ihad believed." We read of the song of Moses in EXO 15. Miriam andher maidens danced and sang of the glory of God: "And in thegreatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that roseup against thee," EXO 15:7. Then they sang about how theCanaanites would melt away. "And Miriam the prophetess, the sisterof Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went outafter her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them,Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horseand his rider hath he thrown into the sea. So Moses brought Israelfrom the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness," EXO15:20-22. All of this was unbelief because they only believed after they saw.That is in contrast to David, who believed before he saw. Hestrengthened himself in the Lord when his own men spoke of stoninghim, while the Israelites forgot how the Lord had spared them atthe Red Sea. In the climax of his trial, David believed that theLord would deliver him, which is why he did not faint. Thechildren of Israel fainted when they came to the land of Canaanbecause they would not believe. When they came to the waters ofMarah, just three days after they had sang that beautiful song ofMoses, they could not "believe to see the goodness of the LORD inthe land of the living," because they did not have faith. Theyforgot the deliverances of the Lord, and they would not believeuntil they saw. Although God’s people may feel as though they will sink and neverrise again, there is that inward consolation of DEU 33:27; "Theeternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlastingarms." Sometimes we feel that sinking feeling in our hearts as ifwe are going to collapse. We may feel that we will never see thegoodness of the Lord in the land of the living, but David said,"Unless I had believed to see." David’s faith in the everlastingarms not only allowed him to rest, but he taught Christ’s church towait upon the Lord lest they should faint in their minds. "Wait onthe LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:wait, I say, on the LORD." When do we wait and where do we wait? We wait when all humanreasoning tells us the situation is impossible. When Abraham fellon his face and laughed, when the world mocks us that it cannot be,unless we have faith to believe what the Lord has promised He isable to perform, then we would faint in our minds. David said, "Beof good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say,on the LORD." David said, "I had fainted, unless." This expression unless isused by David in PSA 94:17-19; "Unless the LORD had been my help,my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My footslippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of mythoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul." Unless the Lordsustains us and gives us that indwelling faith, we will fall. There is such a distinction between true faith and what some peoplecall faith. Some people will tell you that faith is something youdo, but David speaks of the indwelling, internal strength of theHoly Spirit. It is not what I do or what I believe, but "Unlessthe LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence."Is not this word unless the secret strength of a child of God?There is a secret, divine power, which preserves us from despair ormaking shipwreck of our faith. This faith is a gift from God. What was a help to David at just such a time of fainting? "I hadfainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD inthe land of the living." Faith is believing that God "is arewarder of them that diligently seek him." David believed thatGod was a rewarder. He believed that he would see the goodness ofGod. David did not say that he would have fainted if the Lord hadnot helped him out. That would have been unbelief. He had faithbefore he was delivered. The Israelites walked by sight; theycould only believe after they saw. David could believe that theLord was "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," even whilehe was in a fainting condition. Even when he was at Ziklag and hadwept until he could weep no more, he encouraged himself in theLord. This is the distinction between faith and unbelief. David’s faith rested upon the Rock. He not only looked to the Lordfor deliverance from his temporal trials, but he could not livewithout the Lord’s presence. That is the key to salvation. Whenwe have had the favor of the Lord to see His goodness in the landof the living, then we, like David, learn to love the Lord. Hesaid in PSA 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that willI seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all thedays of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquirein his temple." The goodness of God can only be comprehended in proportion to ourrealization of our unworthiness. David said in Verse 7 of ourchapter, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy alsoupon me, and answer me." David did not plead on the basis of anymerit, nor any foundation but mercy. Very often, when we seem to be in a fainting condition, the HolySpirit will send deliverance by lifting the Lord Jesus Christ upbefore our eyes of faith. Right in the midst of the most grievoustrial, the Lord gives us a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ and wesee that we are only walking in the footsteps of our Saviour. Weread in HEB 12:3, "For consider him that endured such contradictionof sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in yourminds." When it seems as if our enemies will prevail over us, theLord comes with this Scripture to "consider him." True faith iswhen the Holy Spirit sets before our eyes how the Lord Jesus Christwas in that same place. In the midst of such circumstances, Christis made precious to the soul. When we see that we arefellowshipping in His sufferings, all of these things strengthenus. The circumstances do not necessarily change, but the fainting istaken away. Our hearts can be totally transformed from a faintingfeeling into a state of rejoicing when our eyes are opened to seethat we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus, even though ourcircumstances have not altered. Even though the trial is notremoved, we can rejoice and exalt the Lord because Christ is liftedup. The Lord uses these struggles so that we will learn to "know Christand him crucified." He was crucified not only upon the cross, butalso in every step of His life by denying Himself. To walk in thefootsteps of Christ is to take up our cross and follow Him,crucifying everything of flesh and self. This is what happened to Moses after Israel had sinned sogrievously in making a golden calf. EXO 33:18-19 tells us, "And hesaid, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will makeall my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name ofthe LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will begracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." Thecircumstances never changed; Moses was still in the wilderness withthe same rebellious house of Israel, but "the LORD said, Behold,there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And itshall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put theein a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while Ipass by," EXO 33:21-22. Moses was blessed through this struggle with the rebellious houseof Israel. God had told Moses that He would destroy them in amoment and make of Moses a great nation, but Moses replied, "Whatwill the heathen say? For thy great name’s sake, have mercy." SoGod proclaimed that He would be gracious to those very people whoHe might have destroyed because He delights in mercy. God caused all His goodness to pass before Moses. In that we seethe glory of God. During your greatest trials, has the Lord everreminded you how He preserved, spared, and blessed you in yourchildhood? He will cause all of His goodness to pass before you sothat in the present hour you can see His great salvation. In ourstruggles, we can hide in the cleft of the Rock, in the cleft sideof our Saviour, which is why He allows these trials. David said,"I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of theliving." In this lifetime, the Lord shows us how He has blessedus, and we see His goodness and salvation. Oh, beloved, there is no greater blessing to be obtained in thislife than to receive the assurance of our faith that God has put usin the cleft of that blessed Rock, and that we are covered in theshadow of those crucified hands. The Lord shows us by faith thatour names are written on His crucified hands, that we are treadingin the footsteps of our Saviour in the way of the cross. He iscrucifying the things of the flesh and all human reasoning. Heempties us from vessel to vessel, leaving the dregs behind eachtime, which is a type of the work of sanctification. He sanctifiesus by bringing us through the furnace of affliction. The Apostle Paul said in 1TH 4:18, "Wherefore comfort one anotherwith these words." Let us comfort each other with this: "I hadfainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD inthe land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, andhe shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Whenare we to be of good courage? When we are fainting in our flesh,and our own men talk of stoning us, we may encourage ourselves inthe Lord.

Character is Crucial

God expects us to build spiritually mature, godly character in this life, becoming ever more like Him (Matthew 5:48). We build eternal, godly character by remaining faithful to what is right in spite of pulls to the contrary. We resist the temptation to do things we know we shouldn't. We live by faith that God will give us the strength to endure whatever trials we face in this life. But when we compromise we tear down that character. We give in. Every time we give in, we find it that much harder to resist giving in the next time we face temptation.
One of the insidious things about compromise is that it spreads. If we get away with something once, we find it much easier to try it again next time. Compromise grows like a cancer. It comes on slowly, then spreads. Before you know it you can be in a fight for your spiritual life. That is why God says that, if our actions aren't done in faith or according to faith, if they violate our conscience, we are sinning.
We need to be sure that what we do is out of faith and confidence that it is right and acceptable to God—or not do it. We need to be sure our motives are right and our conscience remains clear in everything we do. For this reason it is vital that we properly educate our conscience so that it is in accordance with God's Word, the Bible. It is not within our natural ability to discern right and wrong (Jeremiah 10:23). We are to learn God's ways that define right and wrong for us (Hebrews 5:14).
God wants us to live within the boundaries and standards He has set for us, to change our values, attitudes, thoughts and lives so they are in line with His standards, not our own. The process of conversion can be simply defined as replacing our standards, values and thoughts with God's standards, values and thoughts