Grace

It does not take Grace long, when it is once in the soul, to overturn the reigning power and the active energy of sin, even when these, for a while, appear to get the upper hand. Brothers and Sisters, I hope you know this. I hope that the Spirit of God, which is in you, and the love of Christ, which reigns in you, have destroyed the power which sin once had in your souls. If it is not so, then question yourselves whether the Spirit of God is in you at all! It is not possible that the Ark should be in the temple and that Dagon should be standing there unbroken! Not till the morrow morning shall evil remain unchallenged and unmoved upon the throne!

It is not possible that you, dear Friend, could live and delight in sin, and yet be a child of God! If your heart is set upon iniquity, where your heart is, there your treasure is—and if sin is your treasure—you are no heir of Heaven! That which governs your heart is your Lord and your God—what your heart loves, by that you shall be judged—and if you love evil, you shall be condemned! We may sin—ah, would God we did not!—but to love sin is not in the Believer!

There is a deadly antagonism between Grace and sin—and where the gracious life comes, the evil life must fall. There cannot be an alliance between Dagon and the Ark, between God and the world, or between Christ and sin!

Spurgeon again...

The great theologian, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote the following in his Morning and Evening devotional. He could have been writing to any of us.

"Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel, carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord's own Word are defilements and polluting . . . There is among Christians far too much inclination to square and reconcile the truths of revelation; this is a form of irreverence and unbelief. Let us strive against it, and receive truth as we find it."

CLIMB ON...

Spurgeon warned in his day that, "When the old faith is gone, and enthusiasm for the gospel is extinct, it is no wonder that people seek something else in the way of delight. Lacking bread, they feed on ashes; rejecting the way of the Lord, they run greedily in the path of folly"

Who would ascend my holy hill and come into my presence? Truly he who has a true and repentant heart. My hill should not be an arduous one to climb. Behold the mountain of the Lord....those who would climb it, must take what is needed. I go before those who climb my mountain. I go and discard the things which have blocked the passage. I say to my servants of mine, "Do not be content in staying in the lowland." Take the path that is before you, and pursue it with diligence. Come up higher, I say. Here the air has a stillness about it. Go the way which I will show you. Behold your view....look around at your surroundings....look at the distant hills and surrounding plains. This mountain is my training ground. Some have been content, and they have stopped, and pitched their tents at certain places. They have developed a certain "laxness" and they have become used to the things "that they see." But I say to them, "Get up and walk." This is not for those who are lazy, or are not ready for the journey, but for those who long to seek my face. This pathway leads to higher ground. For those who desire Me, I will show them more. Here the eagles gather, and circle round about this mountain. Here the water is pure, and its taste leaves one renewed. Have some of this water, and let it refresh you for the journey ahead. I say unto my servants, "CLIMB ON, CLIMB ON." Forget the former things; look not to the past. Let your hearts and minds be set like flint. Climb up the mountain, and leave your beds of laxness behind. "