every fresh instance in wh ich He helps and delivers m e w ill tend towards the increase of m y faith. On this account, therefore, the believer should not shrink from situ ations, positions, circumstances, in which his fa ith m ay be tried but should cheerfu lly embrace them as opportunities where he m ay see the hand of God stretched out on his behalf, to help and deliver h im and whereby he m ay thus have his faith strengthened. T h e last importan t point fo r the strengthening of our fa ith is th a t we let God work for us when the hour of the tria l of our faith comes and do not work a deliverance of our own. W herever God has given faith, among other reasons, it is for the very purpose of being tried. Y ea, however weak our fa ith m ay be, God w ill tr y it, on ly w ith this restriction, th a t as in every way He leads on gen tly, gradually, patien t ly , so also w ith reference to the tria l of our faith . A t first our fa ith w ill be tried very little in comparison w ith what it m ay be afterwards, fo r God never lays more upon us th an H e is w illing to enable us to bear. Now when the tria l of fa ith comes, we are n a tu ra lly inclined to distrust God and to trust ra th er in ourselves or in our friends o r in circum stances. W e w ill rather work a deliver ance of our own somehow or other than simply look to God and w ait for His help. Bu t if we do not pa tien tly w ait for God’s help, if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the n ex t tria l of our fa ith it w ill be thus again ; we shall be again inclined to deliver ourselves. And thus w ith every fresh instance of th a t kind, our fa ith w ill decrease, whilst on the con trary, were we to stand still in order to see the salva tion of God, to see H is hand stretched out on our behalf, trusting in H im alone, th en our fa ith would be increased ; and w ith every fresh case in which the hand of God is stretched out on our behalf in the hour of the tria l of our faith , our fa ith would be increased y et more. Would the believer, therefore, have his fa ith strengthened, he must especially giv e tim e to G od who tries his fa ith in order to prove to His child in the end how w illing He is to help and deliver him , the moment it is good for him . END.
guilty conscience, th en m y fa ith is weakened by th a t instance o f dis tru st; for faith w ith every fresh tria l of it either increases by trusting God and thus getting help, or it decreases by not trusting Him. T h en there is less and less power of looking simply and d irectly to H im and a hab it of self-dependence is begotten or encouraged. One or the other of these w ill always be the case in each particu lar instance. E ith er we trust in God, and in that case we n either tru st in our selves nor in our fellow men nor in circumstances nor in anyth ing besides, or we do trust in one or more of these and in that case do not trust in God. I f we indeed desire our fa ith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith m a y b e t r i e d an d , t h e r e f o r e , through the tria l be strengthened. In our n atu ral state we dislike deal ing w ith God alone. Th rough our natu ral alienation from God we shrink from H im and from eternal realities. Th is cleaves to us more or less even a fter our regeneration. H ence it is th a t more or less, even as believers, we have the same You r Praye r Requests Each morning at eight the editorial staff of T h e K in g ’ s B u s in e s s magazine gathers for prayer. Over the years God has answered the heartcry of thousands. Should you have a request we would count it a privilege to take it to the throne of grace. Your request will be held in the strictest confidence. Address: The Editors, T h e K in g ’ s B u s in e s s , 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17. Phone: MAdison 5-1641. shrinking from standing w ith God alone — from depending upon H im alone; from looking to H im alone - and y et th is is the position in wh ich we ought to be if we w ish our fa ith to be strengthened. T h e more I am in a position to be tried in fa ith w ith reference to m y body, m y fam ily , m y service fo r the Lord, m y business, etc., the more shall I have opportunity o f seeing God’s help and deliverance; and
ought to be used: T h e c a refu l rea d ing o f th e W o rd o f G od com b in ed w ith m ed itation on it. Th rough reading of the W o rd of God, and especially through medi tation on the W ord of God, the believer becomes more and more acquainted w ith the natu re and character of God, and thus sees more and more, besides His holiness and justice, what a kind, loving, gra cious, m ercifu l, m ighty, wise and faith fu l being H e is, and therefore in poverty, affliction o f body, be reavement in h is fam ily , difficulty in his service, w an t of a situation or employment, he w ill repose upon the a b ility and w illingness of God to help him . Th is he w ill do because he has not on ly learned from H is Word that H e is of alm igh ty power and in fin ite wisdom, but he has also seen instance upon instance in the H o ly Scriptures in wh ich H is a l m igh ty power and in fin ite wisdom have been actu a lly exercised in helping and delivering H is people. And the consideration of this, if G od h as b ecom e kn ow n to us through p ra y er an d m ed itation on H is own W ord, w ill lead us, in gen eral a t least, w ith a measure of con fidence to re ly upon H im . And thus the reading of the W ord of God, together w ith meditation on it, w ill be one special means to strengthen our faith . W ith referen ce to the growth of every grace of the Spirit, it is of the utmost importance th a t we seek to m ain tain an upright h eart and a good conscience. And, therefore, we do no t know ingly and hab itually indulge in those things which are con trary to the m ind o f God. T h is is also true w ith reference to th e grow th in fa ith . How can I possibly continue to have fa ith in God concerning any th ing if I am h ab itually grieving H im and seek to detract from the glory and honor of H im in whom I profess to trust, upon whom I pro fess to depend? A ll m y confidence towards God, all m y lean ing upon H im in the hour of tria l w ill be gone if I have a gu ilty conscience, and do not seek to put aw ay this guilty conscience bu t still continue to do the things which are con trary to the m ind of God. And if, in any particu lar instance, I cannot trust in God because of the
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The King's Business/June 1957
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