But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
— Job 23:10
Ten thousand enemies cannot stop a Christian, cannot even slow him down, if he meets them in a attitude of complete trust in God. They will become to him like the atmosphere that resists the airplane, but which because the plane's designer knew how to take advantage of that resistance, actually lifts the plane aloft and holds it there for a journey of 2,000 miles. What would have been an enemy to the plane becomes a helpful servant to aid it on its way. The main thing is this: we should never blame anyone or anything for our defeats. No matter how evil their intentions may be, they are altogether unable to harm us until we begin to blame them and use them as excuses for our own unbelief. Then they become potent to do us injury; nevertheless, we are to blame and not they.
If this should seem like a bit of theorizing, remember that always the greatest Christians have come out of hard times and tough situations. Tribulations actually worked for their spiritual perfection in that they taught them to trust not in themselves but in the Lord who raised the dead. They learned that the enemy could not block their progress unless they surrendered to the urgings of the flesh and began to complain. And slowly, they learned to stop complaining and start praising. It is that simple ? and it works!
thought
Our culture is not inclined to accept the truth that tribulations, difficulties, trials are for our good. Yet as believers we know that those experiences need not cause defeat and failure, rather God uses them to refine us.
prayer
It is true, Lord, as the old hymn expresses it: "The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine." I have so much dross that needs refining!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen
— Ephesians 3:20-21
It matters little how twisted a man's life may be, there is hope for him if he will but establish a right attitude toward God and refuse to admit any other element into his spiritual thinking. God and I; here is the beginning and the end of personal religion. Faith refuses to acknowledge that there is or ever can be a third party to this holy relation. Attitude is all-important. Let the soul take a quiet attitude of faith and love toward God, and from there on the responsibility is God's. He will make good on His commitments. There is not on earth a lonely spot where a Christian cannot live and be spiritually victorious if God sends him there.
He carries his own climate with him or has it supplied supernaturally when he arrives. Since he is not dependent for his spiritual health upon local moral standards or current religious beliefs, he lives through a thousand earthly changes, unaffected by any of them. He has a private supply from above and is in reality a little world within a world and very much of a wonder to the rest of creation. Because this is true, we can easily see why we should never blame our spiritual failures on others. The habit of seeking weak consolation by blaming our poor showing on unfavorable circumstances is a damaging evil and should not for one moment be tolerated. To live a lifetime believing that our inner weakness was the result of an external situation and then find at the last that we ourselves were to blame ? that is too painful to be contemplated.
thought
It's me, not them or it. I am personally responsible to God for faith recognition of His presence and His promises in the darkness; for appropriation of His promised enablement. No one can do it for me. No one can keep me from doing it ? except me.
prayer
You are able to do immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine according to Your power presently at work in me. It is for me to simply trust You, O Lord.
A lifetime of observation, Bible reading and prayer has led to the conclusion that the only thing that can hinder a Christian's progress is the Christian himself.
The true child of God can live and grow in circumstances that are wholly unfavorable to such life and growth.
Outward circumstances can help little or none in a Christian's spiritual life.
The whole philosophy of the spiritual way requires us to believe this.
For this reason, it is always bad to blame anyone or anything for our spiritual or moral failures.
God has so ordered things that His children may grow as successfully in the middle of a desert as in the most fruitful land.
It is necessary that this should be so, seeing that the very world itself is a field where nothing good can grow except by some kind of miracle. The old hymn asks the rhetorical question, "Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?"
And the implied answer is no. Grace operates without the help of the world.
verse
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
— Second Corinthians 12:10
thought
Our greatest spiritual growth often occurs in the most unfavorable of circumstances. When most aware of our weakness we are more inclined to collapse into God's strength and there experience His amazing grace.
prayer
No matter the circumstances nor the evil intent of other people, I may be strong in You, O Lord, but only in You!
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
Satan's distracting words often come from the most unexpected quarters.
Martha would call Mary away from sitting at the feet of the Master.
Sometimes, if we are not careful, our best friend may distract us.
Or it might be some very legitimate activity.
This day's bustle and hurly-burly would too often and too soon call us away from Jesus' feet.
These distractions must be immediately dismissed, or we shall know only the "barrenness of busyness."
The multiplying agencies and the extraneous activities of much of the current gospel "programming" may distract us if we are not wary and lead us into some meandering by-path that comes to a dead end.
Our genius is preserved by sticking at the task of worldwide evangelization that God has called us to by the tried and proven methods that God has blessed, thereby avoiding the slough of an effete denominationalism on the one hand and unproductive, fevered activity on the other.
In a world like ours, we need to master the art and keep at the business of dismissing distractions.
verse
'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'
— Luke 10:41-42
thought
So easily we fall victim to busyness. But with whose business are we busy? Is it distracting us from simply sitting at Christ's feet?
prayer
There are times when I try to sit at Your feet, Lord, when in fact You are directing me to ministry action. And there are times when I am ministry busy when I desparately need to just sit at Your feet.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
Nehemiah, the good, rose up from his weeping to do something about a vision God had laid on his heart.
Under divine providence, he was soon transported from Shushan to his beloved city, Jerusalem, armed with authority and equipped with materials to rebuild the ruined city. .
. . The first device of the "enemy," upon hearing of the undertaking, was to heap ridicule on the whole plan.
Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem laughed Nehemiah and his helpers to scorn.
Undeterred, Nehemiah replied with firm assurance, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us."
And the work went on according to plan.
After all other means had failed to hinder the reconstruction, the conspirators tried to arrange for a conference with Nehemiah.
The man of God saw in this an evil purpose to do him mischief and divert him from his monumental work. His reply to the would-be mischief-makers is classic, and might well be adopted for the all-time stock reply to all such overtures: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3).
The great task to which God had called Nehemiah was so important that every other consideration must be waived.
Would that we might have such an overpowering sense of being about our Father's business and be so impressed with the grandeur of our task that we would reject every suggestion of the evil one that would bid us take up some lesser pursuit.
Let us rout him with the words that date back to 445 B.C., and which cannot be improved upon: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down."
verse
So I sent messengers to them with this reply: 'I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?'
— Nehemiah 6:3
thought
When we are certain of the Lord's will, we may with faith confidence pursue it despite the obstacles and opposition. Being about His business is our business.
prayer
Lord, as I determine to do Your will as I know it, You confirm Your will and reveal it more clearly and fully. Your business is my business.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
Failing in his frontal attacks upon the child of God, Satan often turns to more subtle means of achieving his evil purpose.
He resorts to devious methods in his attempt to divert the Christian from carrying out the task God has committed to him.
He often succeeds by involving the saint in some other lesser occupation and so distracting him.
Nehemiah, the good, rose up from his weeping to do something about a vision God had laid on his heart.
Under divine providence, he was soon transported from Shushan to his beloved city, Jerusalem, armed with authority and equipped with materials to rebuild the ruined city.
When Nehemiah's purpose and plans were made known to the men of Jerusalem, they raised the determined shout, Let us rise up and build.
verse
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
— Psalm 143:10
thought
It is not always to the vile and evil that Satan seeks to divert us. It may be to the good but not the best ? anything to keep us from concentrating on that to which God has called us.
prayer
Forgive me, Lord, for succumbing to Satanic diversion by concentrating on the minors rather than the majors, the lesser rather than the best. I want to invest the life You give in doing Your will.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
The amount of loafing practiced by the average Christian in spiritual things would ruin a concert pianist if he allowed himself to do the same thing in the field of music.
The idle puttering around that we see in church circles would end the career of a big league pitcher in one week.
No scientist could solve his exacting problem if he took as little interest in it as the rank and file of Christians take in the art of being holy.
The nation whose soldiers were as soft and undisciplined as the soldiers of the churches would be conquered by the first enemy that attacked it.
Triumphs are not won by men in easy chairs.
Success is costly.
If we would progress spiritually, we must separate ourselves unto the things of God and concentrate upon them to the exclusion of a thousand things the worldly man considers important.
We must cultivate God in the solitudes and the silence; we must make the kingdom of God the sphere of our activity and labor in it like a farmer in his field, like a miner in the earth.
verse
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
— Jeremiah 29:13
thought
Do we seek Him with all our heart or is it merely an occasional glance? He is to be found in the solitude and silence as well as the emotionally charged moments.
prayer
Make me a heart-seeker after You, O God. To seek You throughout the day and recognize You when You are found.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
Success is any field is costly, but the man who will pay the price can have it.
The concert pianist must become a slave to his instrument; four hours, five hours each day he must sit at the keyboard.
The scientist must live for his work.
The philosopher must devote himself to thought, the scholar to his books.
The price may seem excessively heavy, but there are some who consider the reward worthwhile.
The laws of success operate also in the higher field of the soul spiritual greatness has its price.
Eminence in the things of the Spirit demands a devotion to these things more complete than most of us are willing to give.
But the law cannot be escaped.
If we would be holy we know the way; the law of holy living is before us.
The prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New and, more than all, the sublime teachings of Christ are there to tell us how to succeed.
verse
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
— Colossians 3:2
thought
Our minds are so much set on things earthly and so little on things above. To grow in Christ as God desires demands on our part priority time and devotion to things holy.
prayer
Lord, I don't want to just float along. I want to grow and I have so much growing to do.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/o.
God has also given us a wealth of opportunities.
An opportunity may be defined as a providential circumstance which permits us to turn our time, our money and our talents to account.
Of all gifts this is the most common, and it is the one which makes the other gifts of value to us and to mankind.
The wise Christian will watch for opportunities to do good, to speak the life-bringing word to sinners, to pray the rescuing prayer of intercession.
The foe of opportunity is preoccupation. Just when God sends along a chance to turn a great victory for mankind, some of us are too busy puttering around to notice it. Or we notice it when it is too late.
The old Greeks said that opportunity had a forelock but was close-shaven behind; if a man missed grabbing for her as she approached, he would reach for her in vain after she had passed. Possibly the worst effect of waste is the mental habit it creates.
To allow time or money or talents to go to waste is to do something harmful to ourselves.
It is to injure ourselves inside where it is most serious.
verse
Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
— Ephesians 5:15-16
thought
Wise living is making the most of opportunities. That means recognizing them for what they are and utilizing them without delay. How many opportunities have we already lost.
prayer
O Lord, may I be alert to opportunities You send and make the most of them while there is yet time.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/