Why We Can Be Confident Of Victory

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."- 2 Corinthians 12:9

This morning I felt the intense need to read of God's grace...to remind myself that His grace is sufficient. As I searched the scriptures I came across 2 Corinthians 12:9 and then as I searched through some of Morning and Evening, one of the first things I came to was a passage based off of the very same verse! Isn't God kind to lead us to the right thing at the right time? The following passage I'm about to post from Charles Spurgeon speaks specifically about certain kinds of trials, but I believe that the Lord wants us to remember that His grace is still sufficient in all of our circumstances. It's sufficient when we are tired and stressed, it's sufficient when we have sinned and feel as though we cannot approach His throne, it's sufficient when the world seems to be falling down around us and it's sufficient when we are happy and all is going well. Today I hope to honor God by truly believing that His grace is sufficient and living like I believe it.

"If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, Still will I trust in the Lord; when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring--that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as he is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night--I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, steadfast, unmovable,--

Calm mid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory.

He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it--hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end." Charles Spurgeon

Give Honor To Whom Honor Is Due

"Salvation is of the Lord. If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God's gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because he upholds me with his hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God himself first does in me. Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone. Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely. If I have repulsed a spiritual enemy, the Lord's strength nerved my arm. Do I live before men a consecrated life? It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me. Am I sanctified? I did not cleanse myself: God's Holy Spirit sanctifies me. Am I weaned from the world? I am weaned by God's chastisements sanctified to my good. Do I grow in knowledge? The great Instructor teaches me." -Charles Spurgeon

This morning I was reminded that there is nothing in me but sin and misery. Of course I don't like to be reminded of that fact, but it's true. Apart from God working in me, there is nothing good. A lot of people have trouble reconciling how a loving God could save some and not others? As if everyone is running toward the gates of heaven to get in and God is turning them away, but that is not what's happening. Instead, we were all running "away" from God and toward hell as fast as we could and in His mercy He reaches out and saves this one and that one. I don't know why God has saved me...but I know that I never would have chosen Him on my own and He deserves all my attention, affection and praise. Psalm 25:5 for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long...

"I find in God all that I want; but I find in myself nothing but sin and misery. He only is my rock and my salvation. Where do I gather my might? My help cometh from heaven's hills: without Jesus I can do nothing. As a branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in him. What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet: Salvation is of the Lord." - Charles Spurgeon

I sought him, but I found him not...

"Tell me where you lost the company of a Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find him. Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there you must seek and find him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is a true proverb, Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is there. So look for Christ where you lost him, for he has not gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever traveled. Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile back for the lost evidence."-Charles Spurgeon

It is a novel idea to look for something where you lost it or could have lost it and this concept hit me hard when I read this yesterday. I realized that when I fall away from God or become cold to His presence and finally become aware of it, I just start over in a sense. Instead, I should trace my steps back and find out where I went wrong or else I am just as likely to do the same thing all over again. In a lot of ways, I have become lazy in my fight against sin. When I'm convicted of sin I repent and move on. No heart searching to see how I got there, no dealing with the heart or root issue. Like Mr. Spurgeon said, "it is easier to go forward 20 miles, than to go back 1."

"Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to him. But how is it you have lost him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch him every moment for fear of losing sight of him? Yet, since you have let him go, what a mercy that you are seeking him, even though you mournfully groan, O that I knew where I might find him! Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest--not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek him, and he will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover him to thy joy and gladness." - Charles Spurgeon

This last part of the passage was very encouraging to me. As sinners we fail. Sometimes we are surprised when we fail and can feel condemned. But like Mr. Spurgeon says, it is a mercy when we begin to seek Christ again. That is God drawing us back to Himself. Isn't God good to us to hold on even when we let go?! He will never hide Himself from those who seek Him.

Heavenly Father, I have failed You more times than I could ever count and yet You have never failed me. When I have let go of You, You have held onto me. Give me the strength and perseverance in my fight against sin. I pray that in the future, I will be able to watch You every moment for fear of losing sight of You. Be near O God, and have Your way in my life. Amen

Easy To Read...Not Easy To Feel

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God. That is easy to read, but it is not so easy to feel. How is it with your heart this morning? Are you in the lowest depths of sorrow? Does corruption rise within your spirit, and grace seem like a poor spark trampled under foot? Does your faith almost fail you? Fear not, it is neither your graces nor feelings on which you are to live: you must live simply by faith on Christ. With all these things against us, now--in the very depths of our sorrow, wherever we may be--now, as much in the valley as on the mountain, Beloved, now are we the sons of God. Ah, but, you say, see how I am arrayed! my graces are not bright; my righteousness does not shine with apparent glory. But read the next: It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him. The Holy Spirit shall purify our minds, and divine power shall refine our bodies, then shall we see him as he is."

This morning while reading Morning and Evening I was so encouraged while going over this passage. It is so easy for me to focus on the negative things going on in my life or my sin that I can forget to "live simply by faith". Christ has come and purchased me back the dead and when I'm going through a valley in my life, that is the best time to reflect on that truth. I know the faith I am to have, but today I am going to focus on "feeling" that faith as well. How kind God is to remind us of His truths!

Praying Always...

Recently God has yet again been working on a particular area in my life that well...needs work! It's the area of prayer. It's not my frequency of prayer that is the issue, for praying is one of my favorite things to do! It's my heart during prayer, my attitude...my faith. God has been showing me more and more that I have a weak faith in what I think He can do in my life. I have realized that the prayers I've prayed have often been lifted up with half-hearted belief that anything will come of it. How wrong and sinful I have been to doubt our faithful, sovereign and powerful God. Everywhere I turn I am hearing, reading or seeing something about prayer and the faith that we are to have. Isn't God good to correct my thinking?! This morning I am praying for my co-worker who's son committed suicide last week, for my co-worker who just found out she has cancer after losing her husband to cancer a few years ago, for my co-worker who lost her cousin to cancer last week and for my co-worker who may have miscarried her baby this morning. There will never be a lack of things to pray for, but I hope my heart when I pray them is glorifying to God and that I will be able to be a means of grace in these ladies lives and point them to Christ during this difficult time.

"Praying always." - Ephesians 6:18

What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when he had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness, children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls elsewhere. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven, and all the water of which it has drank has flowed from the living rock--Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itself; it has always been a pensioner upon the daily bounty of God; and hence your prayers have ascended to heaven for a range of spiritual mercies all but infinite. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the supplies have been infinitely great, and your prayers have been as varied as the mercies have been countless. Then have you not cause to say, I love the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplication? For as your prayers have been many, so also have been God's answers to them. He has heard you in the day of trouble, has strengthened you, and helped you, even when you dishonoured him by trembling and doubting at the mercy-seat. Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to God, who has thus graciously heard your poor weak prayers. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. -Spurgeon