The Dangers of a Shallow Faith: Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy

by A.W. Tozer

The only way to deal with this is to crucify it—bring it to the cross of Jesus—a radical act on our part.

The general rule in this area is to deal with the flesh, or the flesh will deal with you and it will not be nice.

If you are a serious minded Christian, you will not take this as just one more warning. The wise want to know where the dangers are and what they are and how they can recognize them and overcome them.

I believe that deliverance is not only possible, but it is also normal for the child of God, if we have our eyes open. God does not want us to walk around with our eyes closed.

If we will call upon the Lord and cry unto Him, He will hear us from His holy temple and will send from above, take us and deliver us out of many waters, and deliver us because He delights in us.

God is on our side, and God is on His holy throne and in His holy temple, and all is right with the man or woman who dares to believe.

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

The problem with this is that nobody has ever experienced a life of absolute victory, without any defeat, except our Lord Himself.

We must vigorously search the Scriptures to discover God’s definition of the victorious Christian life and then commit ourselves to that.

No other definition is acceptable to the Christian.

The danger of victory is that it develops within us an arrogant spirit and we think we are invincible. Then the inevitable happens. Suddenly we are plunged into failure, which creates within us a spirit of discouragement often leading to a disheartenment.

I said, “Sure, don’t let a little thing like this get you down. If God has called you, He is not withdrawing the call because of some questions you could not answer. Study up on it, find out what the trouble is, bore into the book, get hold of it, pray and ask God to help you; the next time, you will go through all right.”

Never trust your heart when you are feeling discouraged or, for that matter, when you have just won a great victory.

If you are in the throes of a horrible defeat, simply quiet your heart and make no decisions. Remember, this too shall pass.

A discouraged heart always exaggerates everything. Do not trust a discouraged spirit, for it will never give you the true picture of you or your situation.

When you are down and blue, do not make a move.

Every decision for the Lord has the right moment.

When you are on top of the world, and you say, “I can do all things through Christ when strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13), then make your decision.

Regardless of your victory or failure, your relationship with God does not change. You are no less dear to God when you are a failure than when you are successful.

As I peruse the Scriptures, I discover, much to my delight, that God thinks the world of me. I am his child. Even though I make mistakes and stumble, I am still a child of the living God. He looks down on me with a bright smile of grace and mercy. I am the apple of His adoring eye.

Time alone with God, with an open Bible, can change a heart filled with defeat into a heart rejoicing in the unchangeable promises of God. God’s Word never changes, regardless of our success or failure. God is your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, your buckler, your strength and your high tower. He sent from above, took you, and drew you out of many waters. He delivered you from your strong enemy and from them that hated you. He brought you forth to a large place, and He delivered you because He delighted in you (see Ps. 18:16-19).

“For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Ps. 18:28).

Well, God will light our candle for us. He will light it and He will enlighten our darkness. Believe it.

God is our refuge, and we are not going to let victory spoil us, nor will we allow defeat dishearten us. We are going to take it all in stride. Win or lose, we are on God’s side; and if we keep away from sin and keep above it all and keep happy in God, we are winning whether we know it or not. We can be just as happy when we are not happy ...

On to Victory Elisha A. Hoffman...

Superstition is not something to joke about. It is a specific defamation of the character of God.

Superstition assumes, without knowing it, that God is weak and cannot control things.

Whereas, God knows all things, and our thoughts are loud to Him. He can hear the tiniest thought that lies in the back of your mind, infinitely amplified, and He knows it before you entertain it.

God cannot be fooled.

The child of God has infinite liberty in worshiping God.

We worship God spontaneously, out of our heart. We love Him, He loves us; there is no form there.

Jesus said it did not matter what entered into a man’s mouth, that did not defile him; but it was what came out of the man’s mouth that defiled him (see Matt. 15:17-20).

If it is modest and you can afford it, it is appropriate. That is all God cares about dress.

Do not get into bondage to anything. Jesus Christ set us free to do His will.

God set us free, but He did not set us free to do evil.

He set us free to do good. Freedom to do good is the Christian’s liberty. God never said, “You’re free now, go out and sin.”

Christian liberty is freedom to live in the Spirit, unhindered by externals. Christian liberty is freedom from the fear of the government, freedom from fear of your sins, freedom from fear of God’s service, freedom from fear of the devil, freedom from black cats and birds and amulets and spells and charms and wizardry, freedom from religious bondage of every kind, and freedom from the iron yoke of traditions.

Christian liberty is freedom to live in the Spirit and worship God in spirit and in truth.

We have freedom to love, so our conduct springs out of love and the freedom not to hate. It is wonderful to be free from hate. Hate is a moral cancer and eats on the soul until it kills the victim.

To get free from hatred is like being healed of cancer. Freedom from hatred, from envy, from unholy ambition, from wanting your own way, and the freedom to do the will of God is Christian freedom; that is true Christian liberty.

A rule I go by is to be as free in Christ as He made you.

Mortify the flesh and keep your flesh subdued, and lay loving burdens on yourself, for Christ’s sake. A burden I voluntarily lay upon my shoulder is no burden at all.

The Lord Jesus has never asked a hard thing of me. My miseries have always come out of my own flesh, never from any burden Jesus ever laid on me.

What few burdens I have laid on myself for Jesus’ sake, I have never felt the weight of them at all. They are as easy and light as can be.

So let us watch and not become bound to anything, for we are free men and...

Let us remember that the man in whom Jesus Christ dwells ought to be a good man. Do not be afraid of the word “good.”

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free and be not entangled with the yoke of bondage, but use not your freedom as a cloak for the flesh (see Gal. 5:1,13).

Knowing that you are free, discipline yourself for Jesus’ sake and trust the indwelling Spirit to f...

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God’s sending His Son has done by th...

Jesus Only Ralph ...