© 89 RLM Used by kind permission
Let the Spirit cover you today, that you may be intensely earnest about the deep things of God.
You should be so much in the order of the Spirit that you know that your whole will, your mind, and your heart may be centred in God to such a point that He lifts you into the pavilion of splendour where you hear His voice.
He lifts you to the place where the Breath of the Almighty can send you to pray, and send you to preach, with the Spirit of the LORD being upon you.
You are at the banquet of multiplication.
It is a banquet of no separation.
It is a banquet where you have to increase with all increasing, where God has for you riches beyond all things, not fleshly or carnal things, but spiritual manifestations; gifts, fruit of the Spirit, beautiful beautititudes, with the blessings of God always being upon you.
Are you ready for this glorious place
Where you are dismissed, and God takes place
To send you on your eternal race
To win thousands of people, that they may enter into eternal grace?
For our study today the Lord has led me to select the first chapter of James. It has a marvellous subject in it. It is the Master’s subject.
Tongues Interpretation
The Spirit moveth and changes His operation, bringing the soul into the place of hunger and desire, till the whole of the being cries out for the Living God. Truly, the creature must be delivered from this present evil thing. So God is operating through us by these meetings and letting us know that all flesh is grass. But He also is bringing the Spirit of revelation, that we may know that this inheritance we are having is to endure forever and ever. For we belong to the new creation of God, clothed upon with the Spirit, made like unto Him.
Our whole hearts now are bringing forth that which God has established, and it is out of the fullness of the truth of the hidden heart that God flows forth His glory, His power, His might, and His revelation in association. He makes us one, and says, ‘Ye are Mine.’
Victorious In Battle
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.
Holy Bible James 1:1-2 KJV
No person is ever able to talk about the victory over temptation unless he has gone through it. All victories are won in battles. [Note: Temptation is used here in the sense of enduring a trial of your faith. Ed.]
There are tens of thousands of people in the Old Land, and also in America, and other parts of the world, who are wearing medals to show they have been in the battle. [WWI Ed.] And they rejoice in it. They would be ashamed to wear a medal if they had not been in the battle. It is the battle that causes them to wear the medal.
It is those people who have been in the fight who tell about the victories. It is only James, Peter and Paul, those who were in the front line of the battle, who tell you we have to rejoice in the trial because there is wonderful blessing coming out of the trial: It is in the trial that we are made perfect.
Tribulation, Patience, Experience
You want an experience, do you?
I will read you something that will give you an experience. I know nothing like it.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience…
Ro. 5:1-4 KJV
And out of the experience, we tell what God is doing.
Do you want to have a big victory story to tell? Well, here it is. Just count it all joy in the midst of temptations! (James 1:2)
When the trial is severe, when you think that no one is tried as much as you, when the trial is so hard you cannot sleep, and you do not know what to do: Count it all joy. God has something divine in it.
You are in a good place when you do not know what to do. Your story of victory is forming.
After Abraham was tried, then he could offer Isaac, but not before he was tried. God put him through all kinds of tests. For twenty-five years, he was tested. He is called, ‘the father of the faithful’, because he did not give in to temptation. We have blessings today, because one man dared to believe God, without a move from Him for twenty-five years.
‘Lord, You Have Done It!’
A woman came up to me in a meeting one day and said, ‘I have come for you to heal me. Can you see this big goitre?’
‘I can hardly see anything else‘, I said.
She had told her father and mother, and the family before she came, that she believed she was going to be healed, because Wigglesworth was going to pray for her.
As soon as she was prayed for, we had a testimony meeting. Her testimony was wonderful.
‘Oh’, she said, ‘I thank God, because He has perfectly healed me!’
She went home, and they were all glad to hear what she said.
‘When I was prayed for, I was perfectly healed!’ she exultantly exclaimed.
For twelve months she went all up and down among the assemblies, telling how God had healed her.
Twelve months later, I was in the same place. She came filled with joy. When she walked in, the people said, ‘Oh, look how big that goitre is!’ They were all looking on. By and by, we had a testimony meeting.
‘Oh’, she said, ‘twelve months ago, I was prayed for here and I was marvellously healed. I have had twelve months of the most wonderful time on Earth, because God so wonderfully healed me.’
She went home. When she got home, she said to her mother, ‘Oh, if you had been there and seen the people! How they were moved when they heard me tell how God healed me!’
‘Look!’ the mother said, ‘You don’t seem to know, but the people are believing there is something wrong with your mind, and they believe all the family is touched with it. You are bringing disgrace upon all the family. We are disgusted with you. It is shameful. The whole thing is rolled onto us because you are touched in your mind. Why don’t you go and look in the glass, and you will see the thing has not moved at all?’
She went to her room. She said, ‘Lord, I do not want to look in the glass. I believe You have done it, but let all the people know that You have done it. Let them all know You have done it, just the same as You have let me know You have done it.’
The next morning, she came down the stairs as perfect as anybody could be, and the family knew the Lord had done it!
Believe, and You’ll See the Glory of God
Some people, because they are not healed in a moment, wonder what’s up.
Maybe you wonder that.
God never breaks His promise.
The trial of your faith is much more precious than gold.
God has you in the Earth so He can try to bring out His character in you. He wants to destroy the power of the Devil. He wants to move you inside, so that in the face of difficulties and hardships you will want to praise the Lord.
‘Count it all joy‘, James 1:2 says. You have to take a joyful leap today. You have to leap into the promises. You have to believe God never fails you. You have to believe it is impossible for God to break His word, because He is from everlasting to everlasting.
Forever and ever, not for a day,
He keepeth His promise forever;
To all who believe, to all who obey,
He keepeth His promise forever.
There is no variableness with God; there is no shadow of turning (James 1:17). He is always the same. He never fails to manifest His divine glory.
To Mary and Martha He said, ‘… if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God‘ (John 11:40).
We must understand that there will be testing times, but they are only to make us more like the Master. He was tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without sin. He endured all things. He is our example.
Oh, that God would give us an earnest, intent position where flesh and blood have to yield! We would go forward. We would not be moved by our feelings.
The man who is prayed for today gets a blessing; but tomorrow, because he does not feel exactly as he ought to, he begins murmuring.
What is he doing?
He is changing the word of God for his feelings.
What an awful disgrace it is for you to change the word of God because of your feelings!
Let God have His perfect work.
The phrase, ‘Count it all joy‘, does not mean, ‘count a bit of it joy’, but ‘count it ALL joy‘. It doesn’t matter from what direction your trial comes; whether from the direction of your business, your home, or whatever, you are to count it all joy. Why? ‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.‘ (Romans 8:28)
This is a great word. It indicates that you have a special position where God is ‘electrifying’ the very position of you so that the Devil will see there is a character about you. And he will have to say something about you, as he said about Job in Job 1.
‘Satan, what is your opinion about Job? The Lord asked. ‘Don’t you think he is wonderful? Don’t you think he is the most excellent of all the Earth? Isn’t he beautiful?’
‘Yes, but You know You are keeping him’, the Devil said. (Praise the Lord! I am glad the Devil has to tell the truth. And don’t you know, God can keep you!)
‘If You touch his body’, the Devil said, ‘he will curse You to Your face.’
‘You do it. But you cannot touch his life’, God said.
(The Scriptures say that Jesus was dead, but is alive again, and hath power over death and Hell; at that, there is a big ‘AMEN!’ (Revelation 1:18) Jesus has power over the Devil. The Devil cannot take your life unless the Lord allows it.)
‘Thou shalt not touch his life’, God commanded.
The Devil thought he could do it, and you know the calamity he caused in Job’s life. But Job said, ‘Naked came I into the world, and naked shall I go out of it. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!‘ (Job 1:21 paraphrased).
Oh, it is lovely! The Lord can give us that same language Job had. It is not a language of the head. It is a divine language; it is of a heart acquaintance with God.
I want you to know that you can have a heart acquaintance.
It is far better to speak out of the abundance of your heart, than out of the abundance of your head.
I learned a long time ago, that nothing but libraries make swelled heads, and nothing but THE Library, makes swelled hearts.
You are to have swelled hearts, because out of a heart that is full of the fragrance of the love of God issues forth the living life of the Lord.
Tongues Interpretation
It is the Spirit that giveth liberty. The prophet is nothing; but the Spirit brings us into attainment, where we sit at His feet, and seek with Him, and have communications of things divine. For now, we are not belonging to the Earth; we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, and set in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
You must cease to be. That may be a difficult thing for you to do, but it is no trouble at all when you are in the hands of the Potter. It is only hard when you are kicking! You are all right when you are still, and He is forming you afresh. Let Him form you afresh today, and make another vessel, so that you will stand the stress.
Continue: Smith Wigglesworth on Trials
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© 89 RLM Used by kind permission