l-v\ir'J.

3^Vstls,tdt
NECESSARY STEPS TO SALVATION
1. ACKNOIILEDCE: "For alt havc sinncd aql com short of
t he gl ory of God" (Rom. rns 3: 21)
(n)(l
bc mcrci f url ro mc a
si nner" (Luke
l 8: 13). You nrust rcl n(t r! l dl l c nr rhc I i ghl of
God' s Word t hl t you are a si nncr.
2. RI : PENT "Exccpt yc rcpcnr. yc shrl t r, , l i t c\ vi se per; sh' .
(Luke l 3: 3). Rcpcnt ye t h, rl l ore. rnd bc convc\ rcd. l hat your
si ns mry be bl ot l ed ouf ' (l ' s
3: 19). Y(N musr s. e t he awf ul -
ness of si n and rhcn rcpenr oi i l .
3. CONF 55: l f we conf css our si ns, hc i s f ai {hf ut l nd
j ust
ro
forgivc us our sins, and to clcanse us fron) all unri8hlcousness"
( I John l:9). "Wilh the mouth confession is made unto satvarion"
(Romrns l0:10). Confess not 1() men bur to Cod.
4. IORSAKE,
'Ler
the wickcd forsrkc his way. .rnd rhe utr-
nghteous man his thoughrs: and ler him rcrurn unto rhc Lord . _ .
f or hc wi l l aburd. rnt i y pardon" (l sai ah
55: 7). Sorrow f or si n i s
not enough in itsclf. We musr want ro be done wirh ir once and
for all.
5. IJELIEVE: For cod so loved rhe wortd, rhrr hc
Save
his
oDly bcgouen Son, rhat whosocver betivclh in him shoutd nor
peri sh, but havc cvcrl asri ng l i f c" (John 3: 16).
. I f
t hou shat t
confess with thy mouth rhe Lo.d Jesus, and shak betieve io thine
heart that Cod hath raised Hin from rhe dead. thou sbatt be
saved" (Romans
l0:9). Believe in the finishcd work of Christ
on tnc cross.
6. RECEM: "He am unro hi s own, and hi s own recei ved
him nol. But as many as rceivcd him, to rhem grve hc power
to bccome the sons of Cod, cvcn ro rhcm lhar bclicve on his
name" (John
l : l l . l 2). Cl ri sl musr be recci vcd pcrsona y i nro
the hcart by fairh, if the expcriencc of rhc Ncw Birlh is to be
yours. (FGBMFI)
If yoo wish ro acccpr Jcsus Chrkr inro your solt rnrt tit., it wil hlp you to
D.rr H,v.oly Frth.r.
I lh.rl you lndr you lov. mc.
I as\ your
sn ,cs!s Chri to com.
I tnow I hnv. si-red and comnirred
deds unpl.asi.A ro you.
I ast you now lo forSivc mc of rh6c
$ns and to ct.an* ny tife.
H.lp me ro follow You and
your
P.ot.cr 6e f;m Saran nnd Gvil.
T.!ch mc to pur You frrn In c my
lhouahlj nnd !cIons
H.lp me ro lovc my fcltow man $ yo!
,{nd, Farh.r, show nE slcp by st.p (h.
plan you ntde for ny life.
I
Bive
you myscla rnlt my lirc.
I worship ud prdse
to!,
my Cr.aro.
I vi l l conr i nur l l y t hr nk You f or
slcrificin8 Your Son on lhe ooss thar
I nishl hrv. terral lifc wilh You.
Hlp mc to win orhers io Christ_
I lwair lh. r.nrrn of christ to lat. mc
Cohc smn. l-ord J6us. Amcn.
CHAPTER I
inayrn
,rnet:
MovES MouNTATNS
T
EsUS i n \ rJrr. 2r: 3t -! ! rt i i d, Ver' l y I \ ay unl o you. i I yc
J
l rrve f ui t I rrrd dnuhr nol . ye shal l not onl y do t hi s whi ch
is done to thc ffg tree, but also if ye say unto this moun-
trin, Be thou removed, and bc thou cast into the sea; it
shall be done. And all things whatsocver yc shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall rcceive.
Power to move mountainsl That is what
Jesus
said. His
p.omise includes that and more; it nrcludcs ":rll things."
."And all things whatsocvcr ye ask in prayer, belicving, ye
shall receive." It sounds too good to bc truc, but
jt js
true.
Perhaps fricnd, at this motnent you are weightcd down
with a heavy burdcn. It may be that a serious illness has
g)mc
to you or a rnember of your family. Or it may bc
thdt you nre
qrcstling
with cmbxirassing ffmncial prob-
lems. Whatevcr your need might bc, at
tour
ffngertips is
thc means by which yorr crn solve cvcry problcm. You who
arc sick, iD your very roon there is a power waiting to be
rcleased that crn set you free from every illness and dis-
Powcr to Dovc mountanrs! Yes! But you nust ]arn thc
secrct by which you Inay relcAsc this power.
Just
widring for
things to get bcttcr won't bring the result. You have prob
ably found this out already; yet, the right kind of prayer,
thc kind that
Jcsus
spoke .rl,out when IIe said,
'If
ye ask
anything iD rny nane, I will do it," will bring thc answer
wi t hout f ai l . (Jn. 14: 14)
I'e.haps onc of dre most .r,mmon wry.\ in which people
werkcn thcir frith is thc issumption that nany of tlreir
prnycrs arc Dot lnswercd bccause it is not the will of God
to rDswcr thc"r. While it is true that pcople so,nctimes ask
for things thrt rrc not IIis will to givc, thc fact rcmairs
I
id
4
I
(
1
t l
- \
that many things they ask for are in hamony with the re-
vealed will of Cod. It is the will of cod that the sick be
haled. It is the will of God that we have good halth.
It is tle lvill of Cod that we have victory over oppression
and fear. It is the will of Cod that our dailv needs be suo-
plied. It is the will of Cod that we have rhe joy of tbe
Lord in our heart. It is the will of Cod tlat we prosper and
be in health even as our soul prospers. (III
Jn,
2)
Let us get this straigbt. Cod doesn't want His pople to
recuncile theoselves to defeat and failure in their oraver
lile. He wants them to have tangible results from theii pray-
ing
iust
as people did in Bible days. P.ayer isn't a last re-
sot.to turD to in an emergenry. Prayer is an essential part
ot our &y by day life. When we lam tne scrt of praying,
our whole Me will become a succession of miracles.
Look at the mighq affwers to prayer the men of the
Bible experienced. Whn Abraham at advanced age desired
God to give him a cbild of his wife, Sarah, cod rnirac,
loudy stiengthened Sarah's wornb so that sh coutd bear
him a son,
Ja!.ob,
the gmndson of Abraharn, once a common adven-
turr, but later to become a prince with God, wrestld with
Cod in a night of prayer, while his b.other Esau rode to-
ward him with an army seeking vengence. H prevailed
with Cod and God prevailed with Esau. (cen.
32,33
)
Jerusalem
was invsted by a superior force of Assyrians
that had been invariably successful in all previous cam-
paigns. The rcsourcs of Hezekiah were no match for
thir great anny. But Hezekiah prayed and that nigbt a
plague of death struck the invading host, and by moming
185,000 men lay dead. (II Ki. 19:1585)
Shody after this, Hezekiah was sick unto death, so that
in tlre natural order of things there was no hope for his
rcovery. But Hezeldah tumed his face to the wall and
plead with Cod. The result was thnt Gfteen more yars
wre addd to his life. III Ki.20)
,i
I
Eliiah prayd for the widow's son who had died. Never
before had Me retumed to inv Derson after death had
come. There was no precedent ioi raising th dead in all
history. Yq the prayer of Elitah reversed time and caused
the dead boy to open his eyes and rehrm to tlris wo d.
(I Ki. 17:20-23)
Daniel prayed for the restoration of
Jerusalem,
which
had beer lying iD ashes since tle days of Nebuchadnezzart
insioD. The faitiful prophet lived to see King Clrus make
a decr perrnitting all
Jews
who would, to retum and rc-
build thir city, ( Danil 9)
Peter was cast into p son, and orders had been given
for his execution. But the church prayed without ceasing
for his release, and Io, an angel of the Lord visited the p!i-
son and led Peter to safety.
And thus we see again and again how God answered
payer for every concivable need of His people and under
every inaginable circumstance. Wlether it was deliver-
anc from sickness, or fcir a rniracle of supply, for prcserva-
tion from dan8er, for divine guidance, for saving one from
dyibg of thirst, or for needed wisdom in ruling a kingdon,
no matter wbat the need was, God supplied it in answer
to believing prayer. The law of receiving is positive and
certain.
Jesus
said,
'nsk
and ye shall receive, seek and ye
shall ffnd, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For he
tlat asketh receiveth and he that seekth Andeth, and h
that knocketh. to him it shall be ooened." What does this
rnean? It means that there is atr In;isible Power about.us,
that is abl to work out every problem, that will antici-
pate every need, and supply whatever may be rcquired, a
powI so great that it can move the very mountains if
need be. Dos. this souDd too eood to be true? As Cod is
true, so the promise is true. Suah answe$ to prayer can be
yours
too if
you
will take time to leam the secret.
Y-
1
I
I to by dowh some of the great principles tbat governed
the successful opemtion of preyer.
Jerus
was interested only
in
prayer that was successfu! prayer that brought the
"""*"t,
pt"y"t that would, if need b, move the very
ClIaPTrR Il
THE SECRXT OF THE PRXSENCE OF GOD
N THE 6rst rorded semroD of Ch st, He took occssior
sFagopes snil in ihe comer! of the !rtk, rh6t rhey
may be seen of men. Verily I say uro you, They h.v;
their reward. Sut thou, dhen rlou pniye<,
enter inro
lhy closet, and wheo thou hajr shufthl door. Dmv to
rhy Father which
js
in *crert aDd thi Filheiwfuch
s.eth in scret shall reward thee openly.'' (Matt. 8:5.6)
Why trrust meD get aloDe to pray? Bcause in the act of
prayer they are entering into the Presence of God. When
men pray they must be c'orucious tbat they are applosching
their Crator, the ODe Who is worthy of ab,solute Ivernco
and rcspct. The Old Tartament writer wisly said:
''Be
not rash with thy mouth, ud let not thin hed
be hsty to utler rny t'hins bfore Cod: tor Cod is iD
leavm, ana *ou upon o"lttr, rt
"..fo."
ler rhy words
be f ew. " l Ecd. 5: i )
Most evryone knows that Cod is in heaven, ,ut rtp
great secaet of prayer is to leakze aniL und,erstand that He
i.s also in the aery rcom uhele you are.lt is the rc li,z Eo\
that Cod is actually prerent that makes prayer vital and
powerful. When one realizes that cod is in the very room
whre h ii he will not be careless in his conversatio! wttl
Him. As
lesus
said,
'But
when ye pray, l'se not vain rep-
titions as the heathen doi for they tiink they shall be heard
for their nuch speaking," (Verse 7)
Cod is in heaven, but He is also on eartll. When David
was chased frcm place to place by Saul, he was ready io be-
lieve that Cod was so far ofi that he misht not be abls to
hear him in time to save him. (I Sarn. 27:l) David was
to leam that wherever he was. God also was present. In
Psalin 139:6-10, he acknowledges this, although he admits
he does lot fully undeNtaDd it:
"Such knowledge is t@ wondertul for ne; it is high,
I cannot attnin unto it. Whither sholl I so from thv
spirit? or whither shall I dee from thy Dresnce? lf I
a;crnd up into hcaven, thou an rhd;: it I m*e my
bed in hell, behold, thou art there- If I take the vidas
of t he morni ng. nnt l dwel l I n t l , e ut t ermosr part s, ' f t h1
It was always the habit of
Jesl$
to strike right at the
heart of tbe matter. He Lnew what wa! essential and what
was not. He didtrt tll men they ought to pray That in-
stinct was boft in their hearb. The mdst ignorant heathen
prayed. The
ProPhets
of Baal prayed. The hyPocritical
bhadsees Draved.-What Tesus
was interested in was show'
i"g -eo tt" igtt way io
Prsy,
so that rbey could have
miracls in answer to their
Preyers.
rHE SECRET CLOSEI
Iesus besan at the beginning. He showed tlat true
Prayer
*as co-In"union ,"ith ti" Supieme Being-tlre Father God'
llrat Draver was a solmn act, &Dd should b entred into
tlre riihr'wav, He told rneD lhat before
Praying'
they wer
to secfude themselves where tlev would be
(ree
from in:'
terruDtron. Men could not succssfuuy carry on human
and Divine cornmunion at the srme time.
Jesus
bid t}lern to
Eo into their closet, make fast the door, and then to
Pray
to
iheir Heavenly Father Who
"seeth in secret."
To emohasize His point He reminded rhem of the
pharisees'who
Draved ;n the skeel comers to be seen of
men. H cautio;ed His disciples not to be like them:
"Ard when thou pnyst, thou shllt not be as the
h}?ocrites ar: Ior tiey love to prtry standing in the
sea; cven there sball thy hnnd lcrd m.. md d,y right
hdnd shnll hold ne.
GOO IS EVERYWHERE
_
HE DOESN'T COM: ANO HE DOESN'T GO
God is cverywhrc. H is ai ornniprcicnt as th air we
breath. He doesn't come and He docs t go. I{c is the great
I AMI
Jesus
showed that worship of Cod is not to b con
ffned to a ccrtain place, or a crtain time. Thc woman of
Samaria wantd to know wbether
Jcn,srlem
or a mountain
narby was the proper place to worsbip. This qlcstion was
th subject of bifter controvrsy in thnt day and it oc
curred to the woman that this was a golden opport'rDity to
get a prophett answer.
Jesus
replied to her question in a
way she hardly expected. IIe said,
''woman,
believe mc, the hourcomcth, when yc slall
nejthcr in this mooDlrin .or yet .t
Jcrusalem,
worsl'ip
th. Flther . . . But th(f }our coftetl). rnd now is. wh(n
thc tn,c worshjppers shall worship lhc Fither in St,irit
dnd in tnrth: for the Frther seketh str.h to worslip
Hi f t . " ( Jn. 4: 21 93)
IIow di0crcnt men's lives would bc if thcy rctngnized
that another wo d was watching thonl That rngck are
near. (Psa. 34,7) But more than angeh, thc Prvtcc of
Cod sees all, obscrues all and records all. Thc('is nothing
we can hide from Him.
''But
withotrt faith it is impossibh to please hinr. lfor
hc t hat dhei h t o Cod must bl i . v. l hr t hc h, n, nl l l , r t
hc i s r r cs. r der of l hem t hat di l i gcnt l y nl l LnD. '
( Heb. l l : 6)
WE MUST RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF GOD
It is tle recognition of the Presencc of Cod thrtt m,rkes it
easy to pray, casy to havo fnith. Though
(;(xl
is not present
in virible fonn, He is prescnt just thc srmc. It is in recog-
nizing this actual prescnce of Cod tl,rt wc fi.d that
Pray-
er no longer is a chore, but a supreme delight. That
Christ's presence is always with His people the Lod made
pl ai n i n
John
14, 23.
"te$N
aDswqcd dnd said unto him, If a man love
mc, he will }ecp my words: and ny Fathcr will love
hnn, nnd w. will mme unto hin, and nak. our ibode
Moses becarne the great intercessor of the Okl Testament.
When the children of Isnel sinned so tlat the Lord re-
fused to mntinu with them on their
ioume),
to Canaan,
but ofiered to send His angel instead, Moses would have
none of it. He said, "If thy pre$nce go not with me,
carry us not up hencc." (Exod. 33:15) And he prsuaded
the Lord to grant his rcquest. God reassured him, saying:
"My
prescncc shrl l go wrt h t hee. and I wi l l
si v
rhee
rest. And th. LorJ spakF to Mn\es face to fne, as a
mon speal et h unt o hi s f ri end. " (Exod. 33: 14, 11)
The day came that
Jesus
was to teave His disciples. How
they longed thar IIe migbr tarry with them longr! But
Jesus
cxplained why He nust leave, saying, "If I go not
away th Comfortor will not come." If
Jesus
wcnt away, the
Comfort$ which is thc Holy Spirit would bc sent by thc
Father inro the world. Through thc Holy Spirit,
Jesus
then
could bc prasent, not with a few, but with bclievers everv-
where. He could thcn fulfill His promise that "Where two
or three are gathred togetl,r. in my name, there am I in
t he mi dst of l hem. (Mrt t . l d: ! 0)
Wtutt is the
flst
secrct of proycr? What is thc sccrct ol
,iooing mountai e b! th.e prager ol
tdth?
The
frct
thing is
to rccognize the
ftresen
c of Him uho ,eated ,nountoins.
Recognil,e thnt Cbist is rDith
lou
eaery flnncnt ii
llout
.lailg lile. Then it &ill be easy to rccognize the prcs.rve ol
Christ uhen gou p g. Start today rccolnizing aul ptuctic-
ing thr prcsence ol Chtist in
lon
life.
't
CgAPTBR III
THE SECRXT OF PRAISE
VOU
WI SH t o l earn t be secret of prJ)er d, ut wi l l move
I mounrains? Praye! that will change things? Prayer
that will tap the innnite resources of Alpighty Cod? That
will mak the invisible to become visible? That will rcleas
th power of heaven for the benefft of huDranity? Well, you
can leam tlat secret, but he who would lcarn it, must be
wiling to follow the rules.
THE DISCIPI,ES SAID, "I.ORD, TEACI{ US TO PRAY"
In tbe Luke account of the Lordt prayer (read Luke
11;14) the disciples had said to
Jesus,
"Lord
terch us to
pray." There why tbey asked this question.
The disciples had witnessed His ^mazing and unntue nin'
istry. They had watched
Jesus
as He healed the sick. They
had seen Him with the touch of His h^nd clernse the
leper. They had witnessed His healing power go out to tLe
blind and the deaf. They had observed that even th ele-
ments responded to His command. That at His word the
$.inds werc stilled, that as He spoke thc waves of the
angry sea were calmed. How was He able to do these
things? Wbat was thc secret of such mighty power? At
6rst it all smed a mystry, but gradually the disciples
learned tbe secret.
Jesus
had this power becausc He knew
how to prayl And as thy continued day l,y dry with tl
Lord, a longing came into their hearts to also lcirrn how to
play. One day they ventured to ask
Jesus
i{ Hc worrld teach
l'he Lord did not hesitate to g.nnt their request. H never
was one to keep His secrets to Himseu. Men have often
sought to noDopolize power-but not Christ. IIc cam into
the world to teach others to do what He did. Ilc was will-
ing that His disciples should Ieam to do even gratr
wo*s. (Jn. 1a:1,) Yes, He would teach them to pray. And
He began
by
telling them that they were to pra', aftr this
mannff,
'Our
Father which art in heaven, hallowed be t\
name." And as He ended His rpodel prayer, He concluded
witl thse words, "For tline is th kingdom, and the power,
and the glory {orever. Amen." In these sentences Christ
revealed a second great secret of prayer. Prayr tbat
reaches God, begins and ends with worshipl
PRAYEI BEGINS WITH WORsHIP
Our Cod is a great Cod, a good God. All that we are or
will be, is entirely due to Him, the "Civer oI every good and
perfect gift," Therefore, as a creatur to his Creator, we
owe God our sincere worship dnd pnise. Worship, there-
fore, b the Snt element in prayer.
Right ther is where some make their mistake. Prayer is
regarded by them mostly as a means by which they can
receive help in time of emergency. True, that is a purpose
of prayer, but certainly such is far from the whole purpose.
God will rnove mountaiDs, He will stop the sun and the
moon in iheir courses, if necessary, but He wants some-
thing out of prayer also. What could God possibly want?
He that is etemal, the A['su6cient One-what have w to
give Him who rules the rriverse?
h
But there is indeed on thing that we can give cod,
something tlat He seeks and longs for-our devoted wor-
ship. Since ttre creature owes everything to Cod, it is right
and p.oper that the creature should worship Him. Men
should praise tbe Lord all the days of their life. tu th last
verse of the I'salms declares,
'Let
everytiing tlat hath
breatl' praise the Lord." (Psa. 150:6)
We mentiond in the ffrst chapter the account of the
wornnD at
J.rcob
s well. She had brought up th question as
ta wbere was tlre best place to worship. To ths poor unen-
Iightened soul, Christ gave one of HL greatest revelations.
He said,
.But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
li
I
worshippeB shall worchip tlte Fathr in spirit and in truth:
for ttrc Falhe? seeke,h 6tch to
'./.j,orship
hin: (1'r.4t2,3)
Cbrirt thus revealed thet Cod seek! one thinq from th
hurnan race, the one thing that they can give if ihey will-
worship in spirit and in truth.
When
Jesus
was on earth, religious people of that &y, to
a great extent, had made prayer a form. One sect claimed
that men should worship Cod only in
Jerusalem.
Anotler
said that the proper place to wo$hip was irl Mount Ceri-
zim in Samaria. But
Jesus
levesled that neitler
Jeruialem
nor a particular mountain had an,'thing to do with where
men should pray. Cod is a spirit. He is everywhere. There-
fore, He \rants all men, wherever thy are to worship Him.
Cod seeks Juch worlhip.
Satan also comDetes for the worshio of men. When tbe
devil tmpted Cfirist, he pronised H-in the kingdoms ot
this world and the glory of them if only He would fall down
atld worship him. (Matt. a:9)
Jesus
spumed the ofier of
Satan and lold him that worship was rcsened for God only.
Notice how Christ in His praying, gave tianlsgiving and
praise to God. His frst recoided prayer was,
'I
thank thee,
O Father. Lord of hesven and earth. because thou hast hid
these things frotn the wis and the prudent, and hast rc-
vealed them unto babes."
(Matt.
11:25) Before Chist
uised Lazarus from the tomb, He thanked God that He had
already heard Him. When little children prajied the Lord
as He made His triumphal ntry into
Jerusalem,
instead of
rebuking them as He was urged, He said, "Yeaj have ye
nevr rad, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou
hast perfected praise?" ( Matt. 2l: 16)
Impodaht h the an ol proget Ij the seuet of pnise atd,
tha*sgit lng, Enter lrto Co.l's preserce uith praitc. Bnng
low
reqtests to Cod
l./,ith
tha*sgioing. Pruise Him
lor
$hat he has alreod! done. The potterc ol hzaoen and ean\
the
ln&,er
to tnooe fiottta .s, is at the biddin\ of those
ulw haoe lzaast thc secret ol yaisc. BeEi^ todog thd
habit of giolng Hhn the sa.rVice ol pfli'e contin'au.
Heb. 13:15
10
expression to comc upon peoplc. Surely, they say the word
''mountains-
muit be Gsurative. Tbe l-ord did not mean
that a ral mountain coJld be moved by p."y"'.
It is true that tbe term "mountain" i; oid used Geure-
tively in the Scripture-though lhis dos Dot lessen the iorce
of the promise. "Mountain" is olten used ai symbolic of a
kingdom. Christ's Kingdon ir spoken of in Daniel 2:SE,
44-45, as a
'great
mountain" that "flled
tle earth." In the
above verses which speak of the "mountain o{ the Lordt
house," Isaiah refers to the Kinqdom of Cod tlat is to be
established upon th earth-a kingdom that wil result in
universal pace, with the nations beating "their
swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks.'
Bul let us ask this question. How is tbis great
'mounlain
of tbe Lord's house", the Kinqdom of cod to be esrab-
lished on the earth? The starttins answer
j!
that it will come
as the result of the prayen of fu's peopte! That is what
Jsur
indialred in the praye' He taught His disciptes when
He said, "Pray . . . thy kingdom mme, tby will bi done on
CHAPT8R IV
THE SECRIT OF THE WORID VISION
"Pmy
. . . thy lingdom come, Thy witl be done in
errth is it is in heaven. lMatt. 6:9-10t
''And
it shall cornc to pN in rhe last days, thar the
mounlain of the tord's house rhall be $rablished in
the top of lhe mountains, lnd shall be xaltd above the
hilsi and all nations shall flow unto it. And he sha
judge
amory l]le nalions, and shall rebuke many popli and
they shall bal th.h swords into plowshares, and then
spea into pruninghooks: nation shall nol lift up sword
agaiNt nalion, neither shall they leam w& dy more."
( l e. 2: 2, 4j
HEN ONE rcfcrs to the promise of
Jesus
rhat pmyer
has power lo move mountains, it often causes a Duzzled
-r
t
i
l l
i
errth as it is in heaven." Christ would Dot ask rF to pray for
somethinq that would conrc to pass whether we praved or
not. He nevcr tdd us to pray for the sun to rise whn it
would rise anyway. But ilc
(lkl tcll us to
Pray
for the
Kingdom to con
-
a kingdom tl' lrPcrcede the kingdoms
of t hi s worl d.
(Rev. 1l : 15 and 16: 20)
fHE I{NGDOIi MUST COME FIR T
INIO HEARTS OF MEN
Are we then to pray until the
(ingdo'n
drops down out of
hcaven? No, l esus
made ' t pl ui n l hrt i t woul d nol come
t l , at wav. He sai d. The Ki nqdorn ' rf Cod c, rmah not hy
obscwaiion; Nithd shqll tht say, Lo there! Lo hercl for
behold the Kingdom of Cod is within you" (Luke 17:20-
2l) Christ musi rule in th hca.ts of men before He will
rcisn ovcr them. The supreme work, therfore, of the fol-
towen of Christ is to preach the Kingdom of Cod' that it
misht enter into th he;rts of mcn This was the great task
tha-t was begun by tle apostles and today is still unnnished
Chiist has expressly stated that,
'This
gosPcl of the king-
dom shall be Dreached in all thc world for a witnes unto
oll nations; and then shall thil end comc." (Matt. %:14)
Cod, fron His great positiorr on the throne, looks over
thc arth with all its sonow and woe caused by sin and the
broken law, and He yearns for its redemPtion He so lovcd
thc world that Hc gave bis only bcgotten Son. Yct He still
awaits the evangcliation of vnst population! wtro have
never heard the namc of
Jesu$.
Whnt is the Churcb doing
about this? What are wc doing about it?
The truth is that the Church'.s prayers arc vcak becarse
of the nanowness of its vision. A vrst number of CMstians
Drav onlv for their personal iDtcrests Of how nany
ir'*"t'."'"rn it bc said that thcy hrve r real
jnterest
in
world cvanselization? How nHny havc ar interest in Cods
work outside of thcir own dox)miDrthn? Surcly we must
bro^den our vision b widcr horiTons. World evangelization
. . . n o, , l ) . 1" l l l l l y l , r ul l ( hr al , out by t ha u, i ! t \ t qn
ol t hp
t r t t , l , l t , ul t t , / /
(
4, i r i . Onl v t h. n wi r t , , . r vor t d Let i eve
t hr t Chr ht i \ t h Snn of Cod:
'''llrt
t|.y rll div be ooei rs thou. t..rrh.., are nr
' x , . ' , , t I n, r l . t . { hx her J ho m. , ) l x . , r ! . r , , h. r , , z r
ut
. r , nt , t
ni t t hr h. t . t t t at t ht u f un
y, , t
n, . . . t Jt t .
l ; : : I )
. _Y' l " I ,
ri rnc f or. rhc Chrrt h ro prrv x\
Jr. $s
t rughr.
I ny ar ngdom comc t h) vr h. , t or r . n, . . , r t L, , s
i t i s i n
h. i ven . Lct r hc Cl ) r , r ch
l ) r r v
t t , r t i r \ mi , mt r r s t x1omc one
l h. , t l hc wor l d may L. t i nt p t l , r r
l , s, r ,
Cl , r i st n i , nt , ! , . t JcDr
ol t h' . Fl t hcr . They wh, r \ ,
I , r . r )
t hi s r r r s, . l : t r pr , r ver
f uav
. l so pr . r y. " Ci vc
us t hi \ , t . , y n, , r , l , i Jv
t , - , , , t . , , n1t r ' t , . y * t i t
not wait long for thc answcr.
Shortly afklr our conversion, Coct qavc
us lr vision of
worl d revi v. , l . Tl , c, . , t t 4f t h,
so\ p. t
: rhs. , h1t our whot e
l ei ng 1, , l l r, r' \ t . 1, r t h. rt . , l l , , rL. r. rml , i ri ot l s
rrr t i f e t aded.
We fouml.drat $f \oukt rrthcr prcnch the gospcl than
anything clsc in th. lvorld.
Much.of our cvangclistic worl was during the depression
years. Tlxrsc-lrre tbc davs lvhen o,. c'r.l,i prove ;h6r
he had a crll from Cod or not. ofren aD ovingciist night
f f nJ_ l hrt hi s l Dvc df l c' i nA
ar t hc cn, l , , t rt r. r\ . 1. r
amount cd
ro l rum t hn? t o f f rc dol hrs. Bur wh, , r"! n, t he f f nj rnci al
r. rn' mf l , , t i or. w. , : , n I nrrt , t u
y si ) rt , . , r r^v. , , t i d w. hi ve
rh. \ t r(ht , . \ t t , mpt : rri o, r t o l cavc t hc I ri ni \ rD.
Nevorl l ch$ f n, n rhc bcgi nni ng. i n i , n, , rl , i ng w.
! vcr.
gr. rrl y, l n\ . , ri . f i nt .
ThF rcsut i s w. r. Dor i ! p, nt . , rl l , n ro rh.
overwhrlnnrg
nced. The church was winnlng-th.j Iost, onc
by one, bur all thi w:rs not a .trop i th( tn,(k.r !s frr as
world evangelization wu" .on""-"a. It was planr from rhe
Scriptu.es rhar Cod nncnded that rhjs Cost,i.t ot thc ling-
dom sl)ould bc prcached as a lvihress unr,, r11 Dltrn,N. I;
deed He sajd,
'Preach
t|e qoqrt
to clrry cre,,tuk,. But
at the ratc thc jol, wns b.ilrg donc, it rvoul(t r(,v(,r bc ac.
complishcd.
. , co, '
s] i , y, 1l ro , , s d, , , ' Ds rhos. (h| s.
as r! ! r i , s ro rnany
ot hers, t | al rr rcvi val rvas comj ng t h: rt w, rr, l <l I , rch t hc
|l
i
t2
t 3
masses. How wc prayed and lookcd forward for its coming
A revival th^t would rach thc whole rvorld! one that would
rcach audiDccs of teos of thbusaDds!
Tl,en God scnt the rcvivall By n scries of strangc provi'
dences, we were brougbt into the ccnter of it lt wrs our
pnvilege to share in the organizaiion of the 6rst union mel
ings of this present visitation. As timc went on, it-was our
joy to see many of our colleagues
Participating
in great cam'
paigns in {oreign lands-revivals that were rerching terls,
even hundreds of thousands. Mrole nrtions wcre being
stirrd. wler missionaries had laborcd arduously for years
with meager rcsults, the mightiest visitations crrne. The re'
vival soon proved to be of a scoP.i nevcr bcfrxt: knorvn in
history.
We thank God for those to whom He ht$ givcn this
world vision. In praying'"Thy kingdon conic, thy will be
done on ea' l h as i ' done i n hc. rv, n. t h. y , r. t (("i vi ng a
rich reward in pcrsonal happincss. l]tlt all this is but a token
of what is yet to come. Before the Church are bturder vis-
ions of accomplishmnt. W mtrst enter a praycr crusade
for revivat tlat has never been known before. Cod give us
.rll a vision of world revival, a rcvivat that goes beyond or-
ginization or dcnomination, otxr th^t will take in the rvhole
-hurch. As rvc pray "Thy kingdom come," wc will 6nd that
otrr pcrson.l trmd$ will be trkcn cnre of That as Cod pours
out His blessiog L'pon the wholc world, we, ourselvcs, shall
rcceive abundnntly, cvcn nbovc our crPacity to rcftive.
ll ue aoulrl leam the scctct of no\ine norntains bg
pflt\pt. th?n ur mus! a..cpt tlw u rrLl t;tion W' nt.J? ptty
lotlh?
wond lla.trst. \v.
"rtst
tt
y
lot
thc ,a nn{lizotiotu
of a thousand tttillioa souls oithout Chrkt. W. tnust
fa!
thrt Cod's kingdom rjill come and His n'iII bc
(Ioie on eatth
-anrl
he @|to ptutJs this yauct nnselfishq uill see nuun-
toiB noae(t atuI his o@n Meds
.|.]ill
ffit go u'vtnsuercil
I
I
CHAPTER v
THE SECRET OF PRAYING IN
THE WTLL OF GOD
' ' Tl , !
\ i l l be dooe n c$t l ) , r s i t h h Lenv. , , ( \ l i t t .
6: r O)
''An(l
llNgh r hiv. rll faith, so thrt I coulcl r.m,vc
mot rrt rnrs, and hrv. ' rJt chari t y,
(Di vn' c
l ove) I rnr
nol I nrs. (l Cor. r3: 2)
f ' t
Ol ) l l . \ s
f rorni \ "J
' ! s
l )ow. r
l o rnovc moDnt ai n\ . l rrt
t f wn mrnt l * rure t hnt wc move l he mount ai ns t l c wrnl \
moved. Cod nevr puts His powcr on display, nor docs IIc
give spccixl dcmonstrations for the entertainment of the
vulgar. T}c n'oving of a mountrin is of no benefit unless it
accomplishcs a purposc in thc will of Cod. and unless thr
act is motivated by a love for humanjty. As l,aul says, if wc
have faith to move mountains and have not love we an
nothing.
In this we see thc all impo.t.rnt factor of the will of cod.
It is necessary that when we pray,
'Thy
will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven," that we seck thc will of Cod ti,
be donc in our life. As I
John
5:14 says,
'And
this is th,
confidencc that wc bavc in him, that if wc ask anything r(
.
cordi ng t o Hi s wi l l He l rcrrct h us. '
MAN 15 GOD'S MASTERPIECE
Man is the crowning glory of the cro.rtnn, of Co(|. IIc
war made in the image and likene$ of Cod an(l givc', domi
ni on ovcr t hc eart h. (Gor. 1: 26) I I i s homc rvas i n t hc
Cardcn of Edcn, and in this Pnradis(i tlrcrc wrs no sin, no
sickness, no pain, no $,ll(ring Dor dcath. In,forc r,.rn chose
to disobcy Cod, all thiDgs nr)v{\l in thc orl)it of cod's per-
fect will.
I
I
t 4
l 5
I
r l
iil
Man in t}le Carden made an evil choice and thus moved
out of the will of Cod. Cod countermoved to save him by
sending Christ into the world to redeem birn, so tbat in tle
end he should have all that Adam originally possessed and
more too. Through Christ all was to be his for the ashne.
As
Jesus
said:
"Ask. ud shail be given your seek and ye sha
ffndr knocl,,nd ir shallb; openld unto you.
noi evew-
oDe that asketh reeivethj a;d he thar ;eketh findetirj
and to hin that knocketh it shalt be opened.,,
(Luke
. I 1: 9_t 0)
Why tu it tben that so many of Cod's children seem un-
able to appropriate the promise? wlry is ir rhar they fail so
ol(en in getting beir prayers answered? Why do so tew
miracles happen in their lives? Wly is it that no moun_
tains are moved? Could ir be that 6ere is somethins miss.
in&-something lacking in tleir livcs rhar deprives tl,em of
the benefft of the Dromise?
THE MYSTERY OF UNA SWERED PRAYET
Here ]ies the answe! ro the mystery of much unanswered
Fayer..
Cod has{ pattem {or the lifi of every person bom
into this world- For very creatue made in ihe- irnage and
like-ness ol Cod there is-i special purpose. The grearit mo_
metrl m any Uhrisrian s experience i\ when he discovcrs
that purpose for his being on earth.
Wher a man finds the;i)t ot Cod tor his life. rhen rhe
pow9r!.9r
-heaveo
and earth work for his good. As ir
js
$yir_
teD,
'AlF
thiDgs work rogether for good to rhem that love
Cod. to tlem who are the calted according to his puypose."
(norn.8:28)
When a rnan becomes absoluielv cornmitied to
tbe will of cod. he will djsmver to his dclisht thar the mosr
vexing,problems
-of
life have a mysrerious way of working
tnemselver out. How does this happen? Thc Cod Who mad;
the planets, the sun, the moon, and srars and Who causes
them to follow in their appointd parhs by His turesistible
I 6
l 7
will is now causing all things in that porsou's life to also
follow in their proper orbits.
HOW GOD SHOWED US HIs WILL IN BUII,DING
CHRIST FOR THE NATIONS PI.ANI
The importance of the will of God in accomplishing any-
thing worth while became very clear in our work with THE
VOICE OF HEALINC. In the year 1951, we contemplated
building ofrces in Dallas. At that time we had no money to
pay for the project.
We knew that this move must be absolutelv in Divine
will if it wele to succced. Daily we took the matter to the
Lord in prayer. Once we were ready to move, but Cod
checked us. Those who wait on the Lord will not make
harte. We continued to pray. Day by day we laid the maF
ter before Cod. Finally the hour came when God said, "Now
is the time. Risc and build. We were certain that we were
moving in the will of Cod.
But we were to 6nd that evry step needed to be care-
fully prayed through. First we had to make a choice of a
buildine site. W werc about to make a deal for a lot which
later we would ffnd was not at all adequat for our future
grcwth. We did not then fully realize what Cod had in store
for us. But God knew. He kept us from making a mistake.
Thrcugh an unexpected legal technicality, we were held
, from going {orward until we had a chance to locate a piece
of
Foperty
that would meet our requirements. Thq City
Planning Commission had intended on zoning this arca for
residences. but through a clerks error we were given
I'eF
mission to build. Then when the mistak was discovcred,
the Commission decided to let us go ahead. We havc always
felt that tlis location is ideal and that Cod save it to us.
But now we came to the crilical moment. lf Co(l war in
dur move, He must supply us wjth $m,000 in a short time.
Did God neet us? He didl The miracle took place, and in a
few months' time we had a line commodior$ buildine
erccted. But it was only a slnall part of whrt we were go-
ing to need i'r the next few ycars.
SooD th.' urlrrging nnri$trios of CllRtS,t t.Oll TIID
NATIONS deuranded that wc cxpand. Fro,,r rvl,crc was th
money thrt would be need.d to conre? Crxl gavc us thc
nnswer in irn une\pected \eny. llc blt.sscd rrs in the min_
istr!, of the writtcn Nord, whioh Dot
(nrt)..
rbled us to
support our family but the proccccls cnrbli{ l$ k) contiDuc
our progra r of expansion. This, with t|c rdd nn of some
libcrnl gifts pcrmittcd tlt to rnovc forwi[d witl grear
rapidity. Silco then we hxve built .d(l(ionrl ,)(ices for a
missionary (lcpartmeDt.
\\/c hlv. erc(lltl n
0ublication
building rtrd installed printing eq[Dment ro rtr lrteratuc
crusade. So rt the present ti,no frorr alnrost rnnt)jng .l {cw
yelus ago, $e no| lrrvc a lrrge rvellrrlrril,u d cstabtish_
m. nt . Tl , I s . r r r . vc g| , r r ed t ^ r t l x. , \ r , r \ i \ , . r , h\ r , i i . . r y
progran i n whi ch now wc. uc deept y conl l i cd.
As wc Iook forward, wc can scc grertcr (,spoDsibilities
ahead. But wc have tearncd that wh;n ..ctr sr,,t, i. prayed
through and is clearly in the rvill of Cod, rhc ,xirrcic ihat
is needcd will always takc place.
THE PII.I,AR OF CLOUD
_Gods?lan
for guidancc of His redccmed pcoptc is beau-
tifully illustrated in rhe story of how cod ldt ric children
oJ IsraI. Tl'cy knew tlat they were ro mrtc rll(,
i{x,rney
to
the Promjscd LaDd, but they wcre not left to llx.ir own rc-
sources and wisdom even in thc making of thxt rtrort jour-
ney. They wcrc to be lcd by thc
prcscncc
of ttr Lord that
dwelt in thc Cloud of the Txbcrnacle. \M)sn rhar Cloud
moved forward they went forward, aDd vhcn it lnrried, they
tarried:
''And
when the cloud wrs rakcn froDr th. r,be.
nacle, t}e cl)ildren of tsrict wcnt onNr(l ir) nI rheir
iomrcys:.But
if the ci{nd wns .ot raker up, ltreD they
joumeycd nol till the dry rh.r wrs r.tcr-up. r|or th;
l 8 l 9
cl ot r ( l oI t l , c Lr d $as upon t hr t r br n, r . l ( l ) r , h\ , r r t r l
r l . , l . ' , $r , , r , , t I , w ni 8l , r . i , , r l , , . , [ l , r . , 1 . ' l l r ] r 1n. , .
of I $' i ! 1, t hnr ugl , out r l l t hcn j , nD, . ! s. ( Er l 0: r l ( i
38)
I t i s n s, ) l { 1nn t hi ng t o not c t h. t whdr l s. r { 1 f t f , , s. d t o
follolv thc
(ll,ntrl,
that particulxr generrtioD $i,! 'ra,(,. pcr
Di t t . d l , ) , ' r t , , r l hr Pr omi scd Lr Dd.
The l csson i s cl ear . Thcsc t hi ngs r r y. $r i l l , . r l ( . r our
r dmoDi t n, r . ( l Cor - l 0: l l ) WhcD we sc. r r ! r 1r D( nr
t r agedy ot
( j l r r i st i ans
who ar c no l onger goi r g l r t r wi r d i n
their ChristiNn cxperiencc, wc know thrt in !)rrn lvrv th.v
have ci t hcr r ( j { r ct ed or i gnor cd Di vi ne gunh' r t i r t l ni ,
l i v. s. Thos, \ ! I t r ) wi sh t o have t hei r pr ay$s r n( v i i al
" , ' , \ t
be wi l l i ng r t i l l cost s t o f ol l ow t he l eadi ng of
( i h. i \ t
i i l l ! . i r
daily livcs.
S. r d i s t l ! st ( r y of t hose who dr y af t cr dr y phi nl i ! ( l v
cry for tLis
(,
thrt pcrson to pr|y for themi who corl.ss llul
Cod docs nol .Dsvcr their pruyors. That though thc)' phv.
seemingly linl)ing happens rnd their problerns bccom.
grerter rnd q(
at, r. Wh:rt is wrong? Why arc thcsc
Frph
so beatcn?
(in,l(l
it be that thcir life in somc way is out
of thc rcvonl(rl will of Cod? Thc rcNn,n for thcir coDsistcnl
faihrrc is rs,,,'lly right therc.
Jc$s
said to pr.ry,
'Thy
will
bc done in o,"1h, rs it is in horven." And hc who prtyr
that pr.ryer nnrst includc it to mean, "Lord let thy
",ill
lx.
done i n my l i f t . For t hc wi l l of Cod can onl y bc
( l onc
i , l
carth as it is d(,rc in the livcs of men-
Yt cvcn vhilc IIis soul was tortured in the trrril)k.stirg-
gle, He wrs rl,lc to pray,
"O
my Father, if it bc possil)I..
let this c'rp pass from me, nevertheless not as 1 will, l)rt rs
t hou wi l t . ( l vl at t . : 39) Chr i st r csi gncd Hi , ns( l f
( , '
t l ) o
will of Co(l though it meant His drinking thc c,'p t,' thc
bi t t er . l r egs.
If wc in going to sec mountains movd rs
(;hri\t
saw
them movcd, then wc Iike H must pray, Not ,rs I rvill, but
as thou wilt." If we are going to receive.nswcrs h) prayer
as FIe receivcd answers, then wc must commit orrrrclves, as
He did, to tbe will of Cod. This means deatb to th self-life.
It means crucifixion. But wilh dealb. therc also comes as
compensationa rhe resuncction lifc. rn(l with it joy and
peace in the Holy Chost. Tho'igh Christ endured sufiering
in thc closing hours of His life, Cod also gave Him such
joy that He could say,
'These
things have I spoken unto
you, that my joy mi8ht remain in you, and that your joy
mi ght be f ul l . "
(Jn.
15: l t )
Nou ue haae leamed another impodant secret ol prayet.
We trust like Chist proy,'Not m! l.],ill hut thine be do@;'
Eaery step u,'e Utke must be commifled to God. Not thot
God, shotld, bless ou plans, btt that @c sl'did seek Cods
&ill and. ask Him to bless us hr doing it. Cod.
,a.ill
giE us
pouer to moDe mouilai'rt il it ac.o'nplish.s a
f'rpos?
in
tle uil of Cod. "ry ye abide in me, and |n! uords obiAe in
you, ye shnll ask uhat
le
uill, and it sha be done unto
ttou." (|n. 15:7)
I
20
CHAPTER VI
THE SECRET OF THE DAILY CONTACT
"Gi v(
rs dry by day our
(l dl y
bread. " (Luke rr, 3)
I N
I l l Est \ vOl l DS t here i sa cl ue t o nnot hcr vi t . ' l s{crrt
l i rr t h aa of
UJf i ng
t o change t hi ngs. Thi \ i s t l (
l , r' ni r
plc of daily cotrct with the living Cod.
Jcsus
taught mr,
to pray sayiDg,
'Cive
us day by day our daily brea<|.
(lod
hLrs o,(lnirr(:(l certain laws for thc govenring ot llis
univcrs('. Lr no sphcrc is th immutableness ot thesr: laws
more evident thrn in the realm of praycr. Successf,'l prny-
er Ineans drily coDtact with God. When a rnant spiritual
IiIe bcgins to dctdiorate, gencrrlly the causc can be traccd
to a hck of consistcnt daily prayer. Those who have in'
vstigntcd havc lrcn amazcd to learn the small amount
of rinrt nrany pcoPlc, cren ministers, give to real prayer. Per
h. pr f f r, or t ' r, ' , , i , , , , rp\ J dl y . rrc spent i n sayi ng praycrs.
and then they arc up and on their way. No wonaler the
forces of darknrxs .rre able to mobiliz agairr* thm and in
some cascs complctcly paraly?-c their efiorts.
The things of rvhich a succssful life is made are shapcd
in the crucibl. of tl,c daily hour of prayer. Cod 'nust worl
with thc rnrt(rirl givcn Hinr and if thcrc is a paucity of
matcrial nlrdc av,ril,rbl, He is limited in what He cnn
(lo.
Many pcople do trot realize thnt tbere is an acturl sub
stanc. to praycr. That therc is, may be scen in Rev. It:3,
where Cod storcs up the prnyers of His saints for usc irt
thc
frrpcr
ti'nc. In a vital wny the prayers of Cods pco'
plc hrvc a pa( in tbe execution of His plau on earth.
Cod has ordaincd that rncn should have at thei, csn-
rnand the resourccs of heaven. "All powcr in heavcn and in
enrt h i 3 dcl i vcrc(l ' rnt o mc, ' sai d
Jesus,
"Thcrcf ore go ye
into nll the rvorld and prerch the C.apd to everl cre!'
2l
ture.'
'As
the Fathcr hath ni)t Dc s,) scDd I you." The
Church c,rn undertale this rDo,,rcntous task bccaosc all
powcr hrs becn 'na(lc rlrilablc but it is avrilable onty to
those who day by drv keep coirtrct vith thcir Cod.
. cnc
us day by, hy oL, r di i l y brer(l . "
Josus
di d not ask
us to prrv for a ycar's supply, or r rnondis. r,r cven a rveek's
supply ot bread. Cod wants us daily b b. i,, urtcr dcpcn-
dencc of IIim. Hc wants us n, daily fccl th( nced of the
strength of Hjs prcscnce, oI l.lis sushiDhg power.
IHE DAII.Y MANNA
This great lesson of daily dcpcndcncc ,tr) Cod $as tt'ught
in the giving of nrDna to the children of Isfrtcl. Thcy wcre
to rcccivo only enough for a d[y's ngny. No 'nxn
(n,td
gathclr nrpply for reveral days .nd l)o rd it for fuh,rc
use. Thosc who did, foLrird that it bred rvorms and rvas un
fit for humln consumption.
Thcrc is a comnDn mistake that is nadc by many Chrisr
ians. They would have haling that thcy can't lose
',
rath-
er than thc hcalth that comes from a daily dependence on
the.tuic*cning powcr of thc Spirit of Cod. Thcy would
rather hrve fnllncial securjty that docs not compcl thcm
daily to go to the secret chanber and ask God to meet their
needs. Thoy woultl havc a Bnptism of thc Hoty Chost that
does not rc.q,,i.e.r
(l.rily
waiting on Cod f('r l fre-d, anoint
ing. Brt such dcsircs .rre not i'l .rccord itl, Cod's purpose.
God s plan involvcs a daily dcpendenc. on IIi'n. Without
Hin we can do nothing. And if wc are t0 successfully ac-
cgmplish His will ir our lives wc must not .rllow a single
day to p.rss without that vital cominunion with cod. "Man
shal not live by brcrd alonc, btt by evc.y word that pro-
ceedeth from thc mouth of Cod." Men rrc careful to par,
take regularly of thc natural food, but thoy r'.e not so care-
ful abort the iDner man which aho nceds a drily replenish-
ing.
Just
.rs the body feels tbc eficct of doing withour food,
so the spirit sufiers when it fails to be fcd on the Bread
of Iife.
22
Dani cl i s n spl endi (l i l l ust rrt nn' ot on. r' l n t carrul rk
secret of l rx srrcccss. f l i s l i f e spl DDr(l r (r, l t I r\ ' .
drrri Dg
whi ch t i ' D,
(l \ . nst i cs
rose and f t ' l l . I t wrs, t r! , rl t h. , Dost
hrrl nrl cnt , , rxs i n t l e hi st ory of t l ). : worl d.
' 1i , , !
i nd l ! {l | i D
I )ani cl s l i JI wxs i D gri ve
t eoprKl v.
on( h rvrs corr
dcmncd l o
| r' ri sh
wi t h al l t he wi se men i , l l hbvl (n. At
, r n' l l xr l i ! , x l i s. r \ t l , r i ^ v' r , l i v. i nh' a dFr , , 1 r i , , , { r s l i , ' ns
(h
cacl r rr! , Lsnrr hi s l i f c was ri rrcul ousl l p(, s(n1al . I l i s
i r)t cgri t | ' r(l wi sdorD c Uscd hi t rr t o ri se i n f avor ryi l l r erch
succeedi Dg rcgi rn. . l l ( (ause
t he Spi ri t of God drrl t i n l ' i ' !
hc v{s r(L,rir(rl t',r(l ft sl,ccted by kings and {lu(nx. (l),rn.
5: l I ) Whcr). vcr rD
(l Dergcnc)
arosc. t bey t ur! ' (d b hnn
for beb. Ii,r rll( hctn r prrt of n ccntury his lite in{tucrrccd
nat i ons. I I i s l crrl css . ort ragc. t Dd f ai t h movcd ki ngs t {)
acknou4crlgc tl,c tr,.,
(;od.
What wrs rl,c n!r.t of Danicl! powcr? Thc rnswcr is
t hat pray(r wl l s l I nrsi Dcss wi t h l i rn. He di d Dor go rt l hni ng
ro
(l , nl
j , , \ r \ ] " ' , s. , , , r , ri si s . , ppi , rred. Cri scs wcrc crt rn-
nn,n in his lilc l,rt !!lxD thcv clrne he always knew what
to do. Thrco tiDes u drl hc mct with Cod and gave thanks.
This was ll tlaily lrrl'it with him that nothing was allowcd
THE LESSON OF TIIE BREACHED WALLS
-
T] ' e i mp, , rt . , ' (, , , 1 dJi l y pi , ycr. J dai l y rnechng w h
uod. and not j6r .' c.'sunl saying of phyers is forcefull;
i l l usharc(l i r, l h, rr, ' r) , ' l a Chrt si t an i rmeni an merchrnr
who was c.rrying nrcrchandisc by caravan across rhe de,s-
rt to a town in Turkish Armenia. Ilaving been brought ut)
by Christirn parcnts hc had formed a life habit oi.da y
committing himsclf into the hands of God.
At thc tirne of this incident, thc country was infcsrctl
with Kur(ls," that is bandits who lived by robbing ct'ft'-
varx. Unknown to the merchant, a band of thert: )righ-
waymcn had been follcwing the caravan, intcndjrg i,) rol)
it at thc ffrst carnping plac on the plains.
At thc chosen hour, under covcr of darkness, thcy drew
near. All lvas straDgcly quiet. Thcrc.scemed
to be no
8ua' ds.
no w, t ch. rs l , ut . rs rh. ) presseJ , , p. t o rhei r
ast oni shmcnr. rt , ev f o, , n(l hi gh wr \ wh"! e wr[ { had never
Thcy contiDued to follow bllt, th,l ncxt night, thcy found
t h. \ i m. i ' npasahl (. w. ,
s. Thc rl , i ut ni ! . hr rt , e wJt t srood
hrrt l h. re $ci c hf t . aches rn t h, . m rt rrouqh whi ch rhey
Th() captain of the robben, rerritic(l b! thc lnysrery,
awakened the mrcbnnt.
.What
does this mcan? said ho.
..raver
sinc{j yo,r lfr
Ezcrum. wc, havc f o owed. i nrcndi ns ro rob v, r, . i he 6L. l
nr(rrr . r, d r. s. ci , ' rt i f ht w. f o, r, rl 1, , 8h w: , \ , rround
t he c. rri van bul . t , , ni gl ' r we cnt pre, l rl , , , , , Ah t {, , k, 1r pt , ces.
I t yo, r $i i l t (l l I s rhc secr. t ot . , t hi r. I vr n, , t , , , oh+
. . Ti
T: ' d" " j . r ' l T' , l r F.
wJs r " r pn$, r . , n, r
r , , 7/ r , , r
- My
l f l cn(t r. hp si d
"t
I uve done rnt l , i rg r, , h, r", . rvrl i s
rarsc(l , ' l )o! r us. . Al i I do i s pray c! r. D . vcnn, g. (omm -
f i ng mysel t and t hosc wi t h me ro C, {t I f ul t y t rr{r i , r Hi m
t o k, nn. me f rorn a cvi t i bur roni ght . Lei ng very t i r, "t and
sl cct y. I rn. de a rrt hcr I HI f -herrt c(t t i f p, d). r. ' Tt , , , r musl
be wl'y
)ou
$erc nltowed to bre.rl rlnrrghi
. .
l . hc
"Kurds"
I ncn rnd thFre, they gave the,ru.lv.\
to
lc,u\
Clrrisr, and
werc saved. From caravan robbcrs, tt,cv became Co(t-fcar-
i . C. , -, ", Th
Ann, rri ' r. . howev. r. r[ v, . , t , t rE, , r rrr. , t l t rcnch
' n rne wnl l or prry' , r,
And thA we learn mottrcr secrt\ ol nighty
ttayet.
He
who wws mounlains.must
tkl.kt
r'.ryft
i tiic tu,"tn. ne,
t,tK. L,aneL must ttEurottlj ne(t uittt k Cod.
pfttlcr
nu,sl
becone os tutturcl as breothing. With tuch p tga\'rrun
dc_
Jeat
s?ititual-
torces
aftayed aluin$t tham th;t no hunan
m?ans courL! oDcrcortr- By tuch rc inuou, prtlJct thc
cn(tn! is k"pt at bay and. a hedEc ol prot?.1ion
is nuin_
tahwl about us thnulh
whXh et)il cannot touch us.
24
CH,|PTER VII
THE SECRET OF PRAYER
THAT ANTICIPATES EVIL
''And
the devil, trking him up n,to r high mountiin,
shelvcd untd hin all the knrgdoms o( die world in a
momcnt of time. And thc devil s.kl untd him, All this
powcr will I give thcc, r,d the glory of thom: for ihxt
is dclivcred urto ftei rnd b whonso.v.r I lvjll I gjvc
it. lf thou thereforc wilt worshiP mc, all shall bc
t hnr c. ( Lnke 4: 57)
"r\nd
lerd us not ndo temprrlnnr, htrt dclive.usfrom
.vil: l'o. thine is thc knrqdo;. aid lhr poscr, ddd the
gl or y, f or ever . Amen. ( Nt at t . 6: 13)
TFI I EI t E
l s r uch , , t l , i ng. b p, Jycr t l ' . , t , noves mn, r nt . r j ns.
I B" t hc wl , o wor l l pr l y r l ! , s
) ) r . , y,
r must Jl so h. wi l l i " g
to meet rnd overcome thc tcmptations involved in moving
mountains. In the abovc prssage, wc.rrc told that Christ
was transportcd to a high mountain, where He received
a dazzllng ofier from thc prince of tbis world. Fmm the
vantage poiDt of thc mountain, the devil in a moment of
tine, showed
Jcsus
th{, kingdoms of this world and the
glorl,of thcm. He then proposed to give all to
Jesus
if
H world but fall down and worship him. Christ spurncd
the dcvilt ofier declaring that worship was for Cod only.
Mor'rtrins havc oftcn been the trysting pl.rcc bf th.
testing of the saints. It was at a mountain that thc chil(lr.n
of Isracl witnBsed thc thunderings lnd lightnings ind
shaking of Sinai. lt was this awe-inspiring scehc tb:rt c.used
thm to draw back tlnd say to N{oscs, "Spc:tk tho', lvith
us, and we will bean but let not Co(l spcak with ,,s. lcst
we di c. " ( Exod. 20, 19) B t Mo( s r cp) n' <l , " Fcar r ot : f or
Cod is comc down to provc you, rDd thit his fcrr may
be beforc your f!c.s. thit ve sin not (Verse 20)
It lvas on \{t. Nloria[ that Al]r.h.rn mct tlrc supreme
lcst ol his ljii, $4rcn I). lvas rskc(l
(o
gi\.. ,rp tsaac, his
onl y s, )r.
"l l v
l xi t h ?rl , rah: rDr, l vt r(| 1r. wrs t ri cd, of crcd
up I s: urcr . . . l . couDt j ng rl nr
(i xl
wi rs i rt )t . t o rl i se hi m
qr, rw. rr nrr r t l t r dcrd. (rr(, 1, . l r, 17 19) AbrnhaDrs
st crdl nst l ( ss i l rcct i Dg t hc rcsr (. l usrrl
Li I r t o be crl kx]
' ' f rt l x
r , , 1 t l r. f i l hf rl . "
I t . wl s (rr
. \ l t .
(j t l nI . rl
rt rrt l l l i j rt r (hi rt kj rged
t hc Brf l l
l
, l , l ! t s, rl , l cI l l r(l l srncl bi ck t r)
(i rt
\ ! i t h rhe wor. l s,
'II{^v
l{tr'g hnlt
)t
l}ervecn r$r) opi,rii)rrr? iI thc Loftl Lc
co(1, t 0l l (^! Li nr: bt rt i f But , rt x] n f 0l t rnv hi | n. (r Ki .
l 8: 2I ) 11n11. , hcf o? t t re peopl c. l )c j [ st j I n{t ] )i s f ai t h i n
n supcrnrt rrnrl Cod when i n rnswcr l , ) hi s prarer, f i re
(r' nc
dowr , t rrt of h. ravcD and col srrrrrrt rt rf sr(ri f i cc.
Thoso wl x, woukl nrov. nxnrnt i s l l rsr l )c
q, i
i ng t o
nt qj t t ho (, l rxl kDl {c
of t | e nrount ri rs. rcy rrrst hc rbt (,
r ^ s, . , 1( t l r , r r l , , i ql , r : , r r t 1. , t , , r h, L, , , . , , . , r ; , . \ r , l : , t ! \ : , r \ .
l h l , i r l n r , ' r r ql : r r r l n
r h. g, , . i , l , r Li . t , r , , l , r . , t n, n. r ; i t l
h,
. \ r t l x r , ' 1, h r vr l l r r r , . r t l x. t , , r , l , r , . r t . ! " . t o J. , e r \
(l hri r-t
t rxrt hi i ,
SooDcr or lnk r l). \,ill f:rcc thc (k\
it s Dn,sr sulntc teDrp,
' f t nrr
-
t h t
j Dvdl vi Dg
}r' l nan pri (k, rDd t l , nrLrD a rbi t i on.
Sl l rr) l Do\ l nrg t hat
(t l ni sr
l )ad srrcccssf ul t y ovcrcone al t
ot }. r t . l rl nl t k)I s. gave I l i m \ 1, t rhi s o| c nx)rc t ho
prorni s. (| , rl
xl l t hc ki ' rgdoms ot t hc woJd woukl hc
Hi s, i f l L w, r, l (l bur gi vc hnn l vor$hi l ).
THE SECRET OF VICTORY OVER TEMPIATION
AI I nxr ' r6t nr(r' t t (r, rpt rt i , , l .
i Usr
rt Cl rri st had t o
nrcet i t . I }, t \ ' c &. Dot t o ruD i Dt o i t . I hcro i s no advan_
tigc in pr'ltnrg
(nrrsclves
ir thc $,u\ of h,,npration. That
i s ! vl )y Chri : i t l xught mcn t o prry t hc. uu. i l , , . . r, ead
us
not
jr)to
tclDplafioD. but dcliver rrs f \n ayit." IIerc is the
DiDinc anti.4x ioit ol. tid th.t dctiD&ok:c
t
n eail, belorc
A r&thcr, wlur wrs a young Christian, tcarned the sccret
of Cods prokcti g pn,vjdencc. lrrycr had becorne a very
irnportnnt ptt b hcr lif. rnd slrt l'(.{antc scnsitive to
the Spirit s l adings. ThL drily living in thc spirit rcsultcd
i" h{Y Il iDg rble to pray in tnnc to rvcrt r tragedy in thc
lifr: of lrr child. This is hcr testimony:
"o'r' (hy
in the fall, just bcfore time for school to be
oot, r grcat fcar suddcnly gripped my heart. Something
t.agic was about to happcn. I knew that one of my children
was in danger. This was a ncw cxperience for me, as I
had knom only happiness sinc I had been saved. I
rcalized this was a waming from God, so I began to pray.
Relief camc. A great calm camc over mc. I rose up. thank-
ing thc Lord.
"When I saw ny children running down the road, I
stcppcd out of the gate and went to met them. As they
of the girls reported that our nei8bbor's
little boy had been stn,ck by a car.
"Johnny, my little boy, crm up with a puzzled expression
on his tace. He said, Mother, that car would have goften
mc, too, for wc wcrc crossing the road togctber, but it
was going ro falt that the wind trom the car
iust Picked
mo up and st me out
()f
th road.'I told bim it was the
harrd of Cod that movctl Liru frorr the path of danger."
SOME PRAYERS ANE PRAYED TOO IAIE
Some prayers are praycd too late. Some peopl seek God
carnestly after they get into troublc, not realizing that had
they praycd sooner, thy might have avoidd dle
Pidall
Therc is such a thing as foreseeing evil and avoiding it
"A prrrdent man foreseth thc evil, and hidedr himsclfr
but the sinple pass on, and arc
Punished
"
.(
Prov 27il9)
How can a man hop to sc.rPc the traPs that devils con'
tinually devisc against him? Thc answer is, not in h',n,xtr
foresight or wisdom, for the srmc writr adds,
'Tnrsl
in
the l,ord with all thine herrti .rnd lcan not unto thinc own
undcrst andi ng. ' (Prov. 3: 5)
Thcrc is a place of safety that is hid frorn th. cye of
26
2',7
the ordinary passerby, that is reservd for hin who "over-
turns mountains."
Job
alludes to this:
"Therc
is a prth which no folvl looweth, rdd which
the vlltures etc hrth not seen: the lions whelPs have
not troddcn it, nor the fferc. li{t, prssed by it. He
PUr
teth fo.th his hand upon the rocki hc otttlrrneth the
nountoin bq the rools. (lob 98:7-9)
This placc of saiety and protection from cvil is phinly
revealed in the
glst
Psalm:
"Hc that dwellcth in the secret
Ph.c
of the .nn
High sh.U abide under the sh.dow of tht Almightv . . .
suely hc shall dcfiver the. trcn rlrc sor. ol the
fo@lct,
and from the noi$me pestiletrce. He shall cover th(
with lris feddrcrs, a'd uDder his whgs sbalt thou
Here is pro,nised deliveranc from Satan's trapsl The
cxpression
'tnare
of the fowler" is r clcar allusion to thc
work of Setan who is busy setting snares for Codls people.
Many indecd get caught in their grip and Cod in Bis mercy
somehow ext.icates thern. But how much better to be fore-
warned and be able to avoid thc snares, lt is onc thing
to fall into a pit and.be rscue(I. lt is another thing to see
the dangcr, and avoid it.
Jesus
taught men to pray to bc delivered from temPtrtion
rather than to be rescued fro it after it engDlfs them
The terson of anticipatnrg tcmptation before it over-
whelms us is clearly portraycd in thc drrrna of Gth6emane.
Thre, that fateful night
Js[s
mct the greatst cnsis of
His life. The powcrs of darkness concentrrtcd their fo.cs
in a despffate efiort to foil thc pt'rpose of Cod in one over-
whelrning attack upon Christ. As
Jcsus Prayed
that awful
night, His soul was d.awn o'rt 'n aSony. Sweat a. it were
,{re3t
drops of bloo(l fFll fro'n His Ltow to rhe ground
i r" **' rl *l on i n ' norral comhat whi l e rhe di sci pl es
cngaged in stumber, in apparent ignorance of the drama
that was engaging the ahention of tbe univcrse. But
Jesus
praycd on, until rt lcngth. victory crownd His efiorts
' ' And
t hcr, rpl FJr"d . n angcl unt o r, t rom heJven
\ t rcngt l ' cni ng Hi m. " ( Lukc ! ! : 43)
But all rvru not so well rvirh the disciptes. They too
were about to mcct rhc gre.test crisis of rlien Iives. soon
the b.tr:rycr wodld npfcar and thoy woukl lre thrown into
panic and confusbn. Yet durirq this
Drccnn,s time when
the) nrigi)t have fortified thc;rtves' aguinst rhe storm
that woukl bust upon tbenr, they onrinued to slep.
Christ intcrr',ptcd His own pr.ycr in t'n cfiort to rou;e
thcm to th(jir pcril.
''Rjsc
and prav," He srnt. Iest ye cnter
into teDrlnirtion.
'
But it was to o avail.
The discides slept on till th( hour stn,ck. Thc armcd
soldiers cirnre and they awoke to ftlll ink, a grcat conf[sion.
Pctcr, h panic, spolc bcforc hc thoughr, oDly to discover
in shocllxl reatjzation thit }c h,r(t deDi{,(t his i,ord. Littcrt),
he \rept oler his act of covrr(licc. \1,hrr $ould he not
have givor if he
qrrld
have h,rn.(t tnn. bnck just a tew
hours. His great mistake r,.rs that he clkl r(tr pray wnen
temptation thrcatened. IIc did Dot hccd rl)c lvords of
)esus
rvhen Hc wdned hin to
'ltisc
.nd prry." But hc slept
on while his lvorld wns hlliDg at his f;et.
A WARNI NG FOR OUR TI ME
.
This wnning b lvntch ind prav was uor a warn,ng
t hrt
Jcs, a
I nr. n, l ci l l or rhe , l i r(, t l . s rl onc. The w. rmi nA
i r rl )pl i cal ' l c t o
(: l rri {t rrns
. f . rl l . rges. rnd i t i s csp. ci a
;
timelv for llf
ttres(nt
hour. \\,1e;
l*us
(are H* grext
discourse on e!enrs wl,ich w,n'ld precede His
gccon(l
Coming, H warned that the "cares oI lifc" would cxusc
that day to come upon many
'irnawarcs."
"For as a snun:
shall it conrc on all therr that dwcll on the face ot rhc
eh(i c eart h. " (LDkc 2r: 35) Hc gave a \ pocj at wi nri , , g
t o t l osc who shoukl l i ve i n t hat day:
.
\ \ . , r ( 1, vn r l nj , . l nn. i n' l
l , ' : , v
r l wi v\ . r l , , t v, . , , , . , r
r r
'
. ' , , , , , r
"
r i i t \ ' d , \ r o . s, , r t n.
. l l r l cw. t l , n. E\ r l , . , r
\ l i . i ' l , . { ' r ' ' r i i
t r , s . . , r r l
t , , \ t r r n l L . t , { , . r t I S, r , , , 1
r r . , , r r r . , , t , . : l : r ] { i )
29
I ' ubl | \ h( r l l l y
(
r l Rl \ l l ( ) R l l l l l NAl l ( ) \ s
l ) r l l i r \ , l . r s
\ l l l i , r r ht \ I ( r \ f r \ cr l
28