Issue: 2015 September

I Met God, My Manager

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“God is my Partner!” was my happy exclamation again and again as I drove my car through the congested street of a beautiful eastern city, with a young preacher as a companion. Finally, as I continued to reiterate the remark, he said quietly: “He is not merely your partner. He is everybody’s partner.”

His words made me pause. “Is God a partner of everyone?” I asked myself. And after a few moments of deep reflection on the matter, I came to the conclusion that He is not; for the Bible asks that question: “What concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? … Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” II Corinthians 6:15–17.

And, I continued to reflect, that not merely is God not everybody’s partner, but He may not be even my partner or associate under certain conditions. The Psalmist had sweet fellowship with God at one time, but he learned the sad lesson that this ineffable communion with God could be broken by sin. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18.

So, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15.

When David turned his heart toward sin, his partnership with God was temporarily voided. But in deep sorrow of heart he cried out to God: “Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11. “I acknowledged … my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:5.

Nor is obvious sin the only obstacle to a full partnership with God. Such a sacred relationship is predicated on His being the senior partner, which simply means that He must always be the manager. “I will instruct thee.” Psalm 32:8. In other words, a real partnership between man and God is never one that is maintained on a basis of equality. We are always the junior partners and He is the senior Partner, Manager, or Director; for “He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6.

So no longer do I gleefully proclaim that “God is my Partner.” Now I talk of Him only as my Manager. And even then I sometimes stop to pose the question to myself: “Is He really my manager?” Haven’t I unconsciously tried, on occasions too numerous to mention, to take the prerogative of management out of His wise hands and assume it myself? Have not I tried to make the decisions and then asked Him to accede to my wishes? Haven’t I many times tried to force the hand of Providence while testifying to the fact that God does answer prayer? Yes, on all these points I have been guilty of failing to abide by the rules of my partnership with God. And I have noticed that too many others are also guilty of this shortcoming. Let me illustrate:

One day a lady came to me with a big problem relating to her husband. She was praying for his conversion. And later, in a letter to me, she expressed herself as follows: “I have prayed that if God is going to save my husband at the camp-meeting this year, He will make it possible for me to be there. That way I will know that if I can go to camp-meeting, God will also bring my husband there, some way, and he will be converted.”

Without thinking too deeply, I replied that this would be wonderful. But then I began to give the matter deeper consideration. This good woman was doing just what I had so often done. She was telling God what her conditions were, without giving any thought to the possibility that maybe God had some plan of His own. For instance, it was quite possible that He wanted her to go to camp-meeting for the benefit she herself would receive. However, she made her own attendance a sign that God would at that same meeting convert her husband. So she was doomed to disappointment because she had superimposed her will on God’s.

This train of thought made me ponder further the whole concept of man’s asking Him to make the decisions. Sometimes I have given the Lord a sign which would mean one of two things. But what I overlooked on these occasions was that perhaps God had a third, entirely different choice. I was, in fact, trying to act as the manager instead of only the junior partner.

Again, I have, at times, prayed that God would spare me from persecution. That in itself may sound like a simple and reasonable request. But, if all our ways are to be serene and without trial, where will we possibly attain perfection of character? For the Scriptures declare, “tribulation worketh patience.” Romans 5:3. Thus, even in this seemingly harmless request I was unconsciously arrogating [claiming] to myself the powers of decision that by all rights belong to Him as my Manager.

Then again, I have too often attempted to lay down the conditions of my receiving God’s blessings rather than to let God do so. I have said: “Now, Lord, if next year this is your plan for me, then by tomorrow do this for me.” But Christ has made it abundantly clear that this is not the basis on which God deals with us humans. Said Jesus: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34. Jesus recognized this in teaching us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11.

Even to His own Son, Jesus, the Heavenly Father disclosed His plans on a day to day basis. And Christ was fully satisfied to let His Father be His manager and guide. “He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.” The Desire of Ages, 208. “But the one who depends upon his own wisdom and power is separating himself from God. Instead of working in unison with Christ, he is fulfilling the purpose of the enemy of God and man.” Ibid., 209.

If my Manager sees that I need the rod and staff, then most gladly will I suffer. When Jesus comes again, “they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14. “Many are called, but few are chosen,” said the Master. Matthew 22:14. This is because “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10.

I try to make the great and continual prayer of my soul now: “Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.” Steps to Christ, 72.

In the days of Job, Satan challenged God. He declared that if God permitted affliction to come to Job that the latter would change his testimony concerning God. Prior to this, Job had been a holy man, and he had witnessed for God on many, many occasions. But in any court the witness is liable to cross-examination to see if he will perchance change his testimony. Satan claims that all humanity is basically motivated by the same spirit of selfishness by which he is actuated. Therefore God permits Satan to afflict the children of God, at least temporarily, to prove whether his charge is true.

But even as severe as these trials may seem to us, the apostle Paul says they are but a “light affliction.” II Corinthians 4:17. He says that in comparison with the glories of eternal life, they are mere nothing.

If, therefore, my Manager sees that it is better for me to permit affliction to come upon me, then why should I ask for release? I would a thousand times over prefer to be refined by fiery trials if that be His will for me. It will be the means of melting away the dross in my life and preparing me for eternal partnership with Him in the new earth where “affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9.

And so, I would not pray merely for the temporal blessings. I would pray for character, consisting of all the wonderful attributes possessed by Jesus. If it takes suffering to accomplish this, then may I have the fellowship of His suffering. If it takes the enmity of the world, or even that of professed Christians, to bring it about; even then let me never take matters out of His hands.

Exuberantly, then, the true Christian can declare: “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” Psalm 73:24.

I Met God, by Glenn A. Coon, 133-140, Kingsport Press, Inc., Kingsport, Tennessee.

During his life, Glenn Coon was a mighty warrior for the faith of Jesus. He was a preacher and writer of many books encouraging a closer relationship with Jesus. He now sleeps in his dusty grave waiting the return of His Lord and best friend, Jesus.

Inspiration – My Son, Give Me Thy Heart

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The heart belongs to Jesus. He has paid an infinite price for the soul; and He intercedes before the Father as our Mediator, pleading not as a petitioner, but as a conqueror who would claim that which is His own. He is able to save to the uttermost, for He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). A young heart is a precious offering, the most valuable gift that can be presented to God. All that you are, all the ability you possess, comes from God a sacred trust, to be rendered back to Him again in a willing, holy offering. You cannot give to God anything that He has not first given you. Therefore when the heart is given to God, it is giving to Him a gift which He has purchased, and is His own.

There are many claimants to the time, the affections, and the strength, of youth. Satan claims the youth as his property, and a vast number render to him all the ability, all the talent, they possess. The world claims the heart; but that heart belongs to the One Who redeemed it. If given to the world, it will be filled with care, sorrow, and disappointed hopes; it will become impure and corrupted. It would be the worst kind of robbery to give to the world your heart’s affections and service, for they belong to God. You cannot with profit give your heart to pleasure-seeking. The enemy of righteousness has every kind of pleasure prepared for youth in all conditions of life; and they are not presented alone in crowded cities, but in every spot inhabited by human beings. Satan loves to secure the youth in his ranks as soldiers. The arch fiend well knows with what material he has to deal; and he has displayed his infernal wisdom in devising customs and pleasures for the youth which will separate their affections from Jesus Christ. The various amusements of society have been the ruin of thousands and tens of thousands who, had it not been for these attractions, would have been obedient children, respectful to their parents, upright, pure, and noble in their pursuits and in their character. In order to break away from the fascinations of pleasure, they will have to make a desperate effort. They will have to arise in all their strength, taking hold by faith of the Divine power in their efforts to be Christ’s only.

The lesson of the prodigal is given for the instruction of youth. In his life of pleasure and sinful indulgence, he expends his portion of the inheritance in riotous living. He is friendless, and in a strange country; clad in rags, hungry, longing even for the refuse fed to the swine. His last hope is to return, penitent and humbled, to his father’s house, where he is welcomed, forgiven, and taken back to a father’s heart (see Luke 15:11–32). Many youth are doing as he did, living a careless, pleasure-loving, spendthrift life, forsaking the fountain of living waters, the fountain of true pleasure, and hewing out to themselves broken cisterns, which can hold no water.

God’s invitation comes to each youth, “My son, give Me thine heart; I will keep it pure; I will satisfy its longings with true happiness.” God loves to make the youth happy, and that is why He would have them give their hearts into His keeping, that all the God-given faculties of the being may be kept in a vigorous, healthful condition. They are holding God’s gift of life. He makes the heart beat; He gives strength to every faculty. Pure enjoyment will not debase one of God’s gifts. We sin against our own bodies, and sin against God, when seeking pleasures which separate our affections from God. The youth are to consider that they are placed in the world on trial, to see whether they have characters that will fit them to live with angels.

When your associates urge you into paths of vice and folly, and all around you are tempting you to forget God, to destroy the capabilities God has intrusted to you, and to debase all that is noble in your nature, resist them. Remember that you are the Lord’s property, bought with a price, the suffering and agony of the Son of God. [Emphasis author’s.]

God says, “My son, give Me thy heart” (Proverbs 23:26). Will you refuse Him that which you cannot give with merit because it is His already—that which you cannot refuse without ruin to your own soul? He asks your heart; give it to Him, it is His own. He asks your intellect; give it to Him, it is His own, lent you in trust. He asks your money; it is His own, give it to Him. “Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a price” (I Corinthians 6:19, 20).

The Lord Jesus claims your service. He loves you. If you doubt His love, look to Calvary. The light reflected from the cross shows you the magnitude of that love which no tongue can tell. “He that keepeth My commandments, he it is that loveth Me” (John 14:21). We are to become acquainted by diligent study with the commandments of God; and then show that we are His obedient sons and daughters.

The mercies of God surround you every moment; and it would be profitable for you to consider how and whence your blessings come every day. Let the precious blessings of God awaken gratitude in you. You cannot number the blessings of God, the constant loving-kindness expressed to you, for they are as numerous as the refreshing drops of rain. Clouds of mercy are hanging over you, and ready to drop upon you. If you will appreciate the valuable gift of salvation, you will be sensible of daily refreshment, of the protection and love of Jesus; you will be guided in the way of peace.

Look upon the glorious things of God in nature, and let your heart go out in gratitude to the Giver. There is in nature’s book profitable study for the mind. Be not thankless and reckless. Open the eyes of your understanding; see the beautiful harmony in the laws of God in nature, and be awed, and reverence your Creator, the supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. See Him, by the eye of faith, bending over you in love, saying with compassion, “My son, my daughter, give Me thy heart.” Make the surrender to Jesus, and then with grateful hearts you can say, “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). Your faith in Jesus will give strength to every purpose, consistency to the character. All your happiness, peace, joy, and success in this life are dependent upon genuine, trusting faith in God. This faith will prompt true obedience to the commandments of God. Your knowledge and faith in God is the strongest restraint from every evil practice, and the motive to all good. Believe in Jesus as One Who pardons your sins, One Who wants you to be happy in the mansions He has gone to prepare for you. He wants you to live in His presence; to have eternal life and a crown of glory.

The Youth’s Instructor, January 5, 1887.

Keys to the Storehouse – Exercising the Faith Muscle

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In your attempt to be strong, are you exercising the right muscle? In the spiritual realm we are to exercise the courage of faith. As the muscles in our bodies need to be exercised, so our spiritual muscles are to be exercised, specifically our “ faith muscle ” and not our “doubt muscle.”

  1. When surrounded by an enemy army, numberless as the sands of the sea, Gideon’s army of 300 shouted, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon” (Judges 7:18, 20). The faith muscle was exercised.
  2. Joshua’s men shouted victory against walls absolutely impregnable (see Joshua 6). Again, the faith muscle was exercised.
  3. Paul and Silas, chained in the prison, sang faith at the midnight hour, and were immediately delivered (see Acts 16). The faith muscle was exercised.
  4. Spies were sent into the land of Canaan and ten came home talking doubt. They exercised the wrong muscle, the “doubt muscle” instead of the “faith muscle” and they perished. The two remaining spies that exercised their “faith muscle” received the fulfillment of God’s promise (see Numbers chapters 13, 14).

God works through and rewards those who exercise the “faith muscle.” Faith will never increase unless it is put to the test, so “exercise! exercise! exercise!”

“We dishonor God when we do not go forth from the dark cellar of doubts into the upper chamber of hope and faith. When the Light shineth in all its brightness,

  • let us take hold on Jesus Christ by the mighty hand of faith. [Exercise that faith muscle.]
  • No longer cultivate your doubts by expressing them and pouring them into other minds, and thus becoming an agent of Satan to sow the seeds of doubt. [Refuse to exercise that doubt muscle.]
  • Talk faith, live faith, cultivate love to God; evidence to the world all that Jesus is to you. Magnify His holy name. Tell of His goodness; talk of His mercy; and tell of His power.” Christ Triumphant, 127.
  • Exercise that “faith muscle”—sing faith and talk faith—let it swell!

“You have to talk faith, you have to live faith, you have to act faith, that you may have an increase of faith. Exercising that living faith, you will grow to strong men and women in Christ Jesus.” Faith and Works, 78.

Don’t use that doubt muscle. “The more you dwell upon discouragement, talking to others about your trials and enlarging upon them, to enlist the sympathy which you crave, the more discouragements and trials you will have. Why mourn over that which you cannot avoid?” In Heavenly Places, 247.

Those who talk faith and cultivate faith will have a strong faith muscle. Those who cherish and express doubts will have a strong doubt muscle. Which muscle group are you strengthening? Your actions and words will answer that question.

Look away from circumstances and look to God (II Corinthians 4:18). Daily exercise that faith muscle!

We are told: “He will teach them to exercise the courage of faith. He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.” The Signs of the Times, June 23, 1881.

Father: I am astounded at how You were able to work through the faith that was exercised by Gideon, Joshua, Paul, Silas and many more. My faith muscle is in need of a lot more exercise. Teach me to exercise the courage of faith by uniting my weakness to Your might. Inspire me to talk, live and act faith. I want my “doubt muscle” to shrink and my “faith muscle” to grow in leaps and bounds. Amen.

Current Events – The Pope is Coming … Get Social

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The Holy Father will be joining us in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in 2015!

“Go to God for yourselves; pray for divine enlightenment, that you may know that you do know what is truth, that when the wonderful miracle-working power shall be displayed, and the enemy shall come as an angel of light, you may distinguish between the genuine work of God and the imitative work or the powers of darkness. …

“A world is to be warned, and when the third angel’s message goes forth with a loud cry, minds will be fully prepared to make decisions for or against the truth. The great change is to be made by Satan and his evil angels, united with evil men who will fix their destiny by making void the law of God in the face of convincing evidence from His Word that it is unchangeable and eternal.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 389, 390.

The first Pope of the Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio hails from Argentina. The 76-year-old Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires is a prominent figure throughout the continent, yet remains a simple pastor who is deeply loved by his diocese, throughout which he has traveled extensively on the underground and by bus during the 15 years of his episcopal ministry.

So read the headlines of the World Meeting of Families 2015 Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia schedule closes the 6-day Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to the United States of America. He is planning on conducting a mass at the cathedral church (the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul) and meeting with bishops at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

It is ironic that as the head of the Catholic Church, the pope also plans to speak at Independence Hall about religious freedom and immigration. This is the same man who, on the Vatican Radio told the Italian president that the orderly development of “a civil, pluralistic society requires” that the “authentic spirit of religion” not be “confined” to “personal conscience …”

Previously, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, Pope Pius IX wrote, “The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience, are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a State.”

“Top Vatican adviser Jeffrey Sachs says that when Pope Francis visits the United States in September, he will directly challenge the ‘American idea’ of God-given rights embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” – Reported by Cliff Kincaid, Western Journalism, May 19, 2015.

The concerns of the founders of the Constitution of the United States of America to protect the citizens by preventing big church to have a say in the governing of the people is still relevant today. This country, the protector of religious freedom is under a blatant attack.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. … He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. … Here is wisdom, Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” Revelation 13:11–18.

Children’s Story – Esther’s Victory

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Dear!” and Esther sighed wearily as she bent over the tiresome figures on her slate. The long afternoon sun shot slanting in at the window of the little red school-house, where thirty restless children were thumbing the leaves of their well-worn books. The last class in spelling was on the floor, and Esther had not finished her problem. It wasn’t such a very hard example, but Esther was a little girl, and didn’t like arithmetic. Yet she kept at it; for there was to be a prize given at the end of the term to the one who had the most perfect lessons. The prize was a copy of Robinson Crusoe, handsomely bound in blue and gold, and full of pictures. Books were scarce in Esther’s home, and she wanted this one so much.

But now the spelling class was dismissed, and all the scholars were putting away their books for the night. Esther looked ruefully at the long columns of figures on her slate and the answer that, try as hard as she pleased, she couldn’t prove to be right, and something very much like tears shone in a pair of great hazel eyes as she straightened up her desk.

After the supper dishes were washed that evening, Esther sat down again to the puzzling example. The arithmetic class came the first thing in the morning, and she must get her answer ready tonight. But it was as bad as ever, and she couldn’t get it right. By and by mamma called her to go to bed, and the problem had to rest.

There was no time in the morning, for in this busy household, everyone had their appointed tasks, which they were expected to do. So Esther took her broom and went to sweep and straighten up brother Jack’s room. When she was whisking her duster around the books on the corner shelf, a little one on the end fell off to the floor.

Esther stooped to pick it up, and paused. What chance had placed that book in her way? She did not know Jack had such a book. It was arithmetic just like hers, and beside each problem was plainly written in black ink the correct answer.

Esther turned over the leaves till she came to the place where her lesson was. Her answer was nearly the same; there was only one figure in the tens that was wrong. What hurt would it do if she should copy the answer and hand it in for hers? She was sure she had worked long enough on it to have it right, and nobody would know. It was but the work of an instant, and the book was put back in its place.

With a smiling face, Esther went to school, and when the arithmetic class recited, was marked perfect in her lesson; but her conscience was not quite at ease. Everything said that day seemed to have something in it about honesty. The reading lesson was about an honest boy that would not tell a lie to save himself from punishment; and Miss Lewis said she hoped they would all strive to be strictly honest in their lessons, for that would be better than any prize they might win.

Esther knew she had not done right and that she ought to tell Miss Lewis about it; but she put it off that day and on the morrow, the warning voice of conscience grew more faint, till it ceased to trouble Esther. “It will not matter much,” she said, “if I don’t do it again.”

At length the last day came. There was to be speaking and singing at the school-house, and the children’s parents and friends were to be present, and the prizes presented. The little room had been gaily decked for the occasion with wreaths and flowers, and through the open door and windows came sweet scents of lilacs and clover and blossoming orchard trees.

When the exercises were over, Miss Lewis rose to give the prizes. “There are two scholars,” she said, “who stand so nearly equal in their studies that it has been a difficult matter to decide which one to award with the prize. They are Jennie Feverel and Esther Hallern. However, as Esther has had one more perfect mark than Jennie, she may come forward and receive the prize.”

With beating heart and triumphant face, Esther felt the coveted book in her hands, and heard Miss Lewis’s kind words as she handed it to her. But as she turned to go to her seat, she saw over in the corner, her dear friend Jennie, sobbing as if her heart would break over the disappointment.

With a sudden twinge of conscience, Esther remembered how unfairly the prize had been won and paused half way down the isle.

“What is the matter, Esther,” said Miss Lewis kindly, as she saw her stand there, her face flushing and paling by turns, as every moment her action looked meaner.

“O Miss Lewis,” said Esther, her voice growing so husky she could hardly speak above a whisper, and her eyes filling with tears of shame, “The prize is no more mine than Jennie’s. I copied one lesson out of Jack’s arithmetic; and the book belongs to her because she didn’t cheat,” and with a new sense of honor, Esther laid the beautiful book on Jennie’s desk.

Miss Lewis said a few words in reply, though what they were Esther could not have told, for her shame and disappointment crowded out everything else. Then school was dismissed.

Esther took her books and hurried home alone, not waiting even for her mother to come with her, and flung herself down in the grass under a pear tree, where the soft wind sent down showers of petals over a very miserable little girl. Here her mamma found her. Then there followed a quiet talk that Esther will never forget. Jennie kindly came over most every afternoon with her book, and by the last of vacation they had finished the story together.

When Esther gathered up her books, on the morning school began again, she was very much delighted to find a new history book and a slate laid beside them—presents from her mamma for her generosity and truthfulness about the prize.

  1. E. L.

The Youth Instructor, April 28, 1886

Helplessness, Hopelessness … and Hope

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“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23 NJKV

“We have no hope but in Jesus. He alone can reach us with His hand to lift us up out of the depths of discouragement and hopelessness and place our feet upon the Rock. Although the human soul may cling to Jesus with all the desperate sense of his great need, Jesus will cling to the souls bought by His own blood with a firmer grasp than the sinner clings to Him.

“I [Ellen White] read this over and over again, for it is so full of assurance: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need’ (Hebrews 4:14–16). … What a Saviour we have–a risen Saviour, One who can save all who come unto Him!” That I May Know Him, 80.

“Through the goodness and mercy of Christ the sinner is to be restored to the divine favor. God in Christ is daily beseeching men to be reconciled to God. With outstretched arms He is ready to receive and welcome not only the sinner but the prodigal. His dying love, manifested on Calvary, is the sinner’s assurance of acceptance, peace, and love. Teach these things in the simplest form, that the sin-darkened soul may see the light shining from the cross of Calvary.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 178, 179.

What beautiful thoughts and truths are revealed in these words of inspiration! Dear friend, are you ever in need? Does your heart, does your soul ever cry out in despair? Do you feel and know your desperate condition as a sinner? Truly there are temporal or earthly needs, but our spiritual need is even greater, even deeper, and even more hopeless when left on our own. Listen to the way God describes the reality of our condition as revealed to Isaiah, the prophet: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6. Does this leave room for the thought that there is any goodness in us? If our righteousness is as a filthy rag, what does that say for the rest of us? We need Jesus. We are helpless in and of ourselves. “We have no hope but in Jesus.”

I want to establish this fact beyond the shadow of a doubt not only theoretically, but as a deep, heart wrenching reality. Until we know the depth of our need, we will never receive the help we need. Too often we think ourselves relatively good. I’m OK, you’re OK kind of mentality. But that is not reality in God’s eyes. We are absolutely helpless to be good. As a leopard cannot change its spots, so we cannot change the spots of sin in our lives. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. “It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. ‘Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.’ ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be’ (Job 14:4; Romans 8:7).” Steps to Christ, 18.

We know from Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. Therefore, we are doomed if left to ourselves and we must recognize our need before we can get the help we so desperately need. Jesus repeatedly, during His ministry on earth, illustrated the basic fact that in order to get help you must feel a need.

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” ’ ” Revelation 3:14–19.

Through John, Jesus sends a message to His church in Laodicea, the last of the churches mentioned in Revelation 2, revealing to them their true state, that of believing they are rich and increased with goods, when in reality they are described by God as being “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” He warns them that if they continue in this state He will vomit them out of His mouth. There is no hope for this people if they do not see their true condition. They will be vomited out of the mouth of God. The Laodiceans must feel their need before they can receive help.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable to a group of people who had a pretty good opinion of themselves. “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ ” Luke 18:9–14.

Only one of the men left the temple justified in the sight of God. It was not the one who felt no need. Rather it was the man who knew his wretched condition before God. Not one of us is “good” enough to stand before a righteous and holy God in our own goodness. The Bible describes all our righteousness as being filthy rags.

Jesus Himself also said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Again we see that it is those that feel their need that will be filled. Countless Bible stories illustrate that it is only the one who knows his need that will receive help.

We have seen clearly through Inspiration that we have no hope in and of ourselves. We are totally helpless to change our wicked and evil natures; we must have Divine help. So the question might be asked, as it is stated in Steps to Christ, 23, “How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous?”

What is the very first thing that needs to happen in this process of the sinner being made righteous? Continuing in Steps to Christ, 23: “How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the Day of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, ‘What shall we do?’ The first word of Peter’s answer was, ‘Repent’ (Acts 2:37, 38). At another time, shortly after, he said, ‘Repent … and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out’ (Acts 3:19).”

The first step is to repent, but what does it mean to repent? The Encarta Dictionary defines “repent” like this: “To recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it.” So in order to repent you need a conviction that you have done something wrong, and that you are sorry for.

We are going to learn just how depraved we are in our dreadful condition and ruin, and how good and merciful and loving our God really is. John 16:8 says that we have become so lost that we are not able to recognize our evilness and cannot even gain a conviction of sin on our own. “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin.” If we already have a conviction, why would we be told that when the Holy Spirit comes He would convict the world? It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that a conviction of sin is experienced.

Once convicted of sin we are sorry about it and have true repentance. “Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.

“There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense.” Steps to Christ, 23.

To repent because of the impending consequences is not true repentance or true reform. True repentance means that “the sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven.” Ibid., 24.

We see an example of true repentance in David after his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. “His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate [lesson the intensity or severity; attempt to make an offense seem less serious by giving excuses] his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness—to be restored to harmony and communion with God.” Ibid., 24, 25.

Listen to David’s plea to God. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. … For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. … Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. … Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness (Psalm 51:1–14 KJV).” Ibid., 25.

Here we see true, deep, sincere repentance; not a repentance of making excuses, or of blaming someone else, or a desire to escape the punishment for his sin. But rather we see a sincere, heart-cry for restoration with His God. This is the meaning of true repentance.

Again though, as we study, we find how truly helpless we are of ourselves. “A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, Who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.” Ibid., 25.

Again we read that this repentance can come only from Christ. “It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he said, ‘Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins’ (Acts 5:31).” Ibid., 26. [Emphasis added.]

Jesus Himself also said, “ ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me’ (John 12:32). Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. … And as Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, ‘What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?’ ” Ibid., 26, 27. [Emphasis added.]

The answer is quite simply and profoundly, yes. What love, what devotion, what longing for righteousness this should engender in our hearts for the sacrifice that made possible our rescue from the doom of death required by our sin.

“One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner’s acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ.” Ibid., 29.

So, the first step in this process of coming to Christ is conviction and repentance. If our conviction and repentance are sincere, what will follow is confession. Once we are convicted of wrongdoing and experience sorrow, there is an action that we need to take in order to be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 states this very clearly. It says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The most important word in this text is just a little two letter word “if.” All the rest of the text hinges on that one word. And that word implies that we have a choice. We can choose to confess—or not. In order to gain forgiveness and cleansing we must confess. We will not be forgiven or cleansed unless we do confess. It seems that confession then is a very important step. So let’s see what God says about confession. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 KJV.

Steps to Christ 37, 38 gives us a very beautiful explanation of confession. “The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.

“The apostle says, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed’ (James 5:16). Confess your sins to God, Who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The case is brought before the only true Mediator, our great High Priest, Who ‘was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,’ and Who is ‘touched with the feeling of our infirmities,’ and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity (Hebrews 4:15).

“Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance which is not to be repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly sought for the forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of truth. Explicit instruction is given concerning this matter. [Now what does this confession of sin involve?] Confession of sin, whether public or private, should be heartfelt [you must truly mean it] and freely expressed [it can’t be dragged out of you, forced, or coerced]. It is not to be urged from the sinner. It is not to be made in a flippant and careless way, or forced from those who have no realizing sense of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is the outpouring of the inmost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pity. The psalmist says, ‘The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit’ (Psalm 34:18).”

In order for our confession to be heard by God it must be 1) heartfelt, 2) freely expressed, 3) not made in a flippant or careless way, 4) not forced, 5) with a realization of the abhorrent character of sin, 6) be the outpouring of the inmost soul. This is true repentance as we saw with David.

“True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” Ibid., 38. In addition here we find that true confession, 1) is of a specific character, 2) acknowledges particular sins, 3) may need to be kept only between you and God, 4) if the sin wronged or caused suffering to another, it should be confessed to that individual, 5) if the sin was public, it should be publicly confessed, 6) is definite, 7) to the point.

“Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that we have to do on our part is plainly set before us: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow’ (Isaiah 1:16, 17). ‘If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die’ (Ezekiel 33:15). Paul says, speaking of the work of repentance: ‘Ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter’ (II Corinthians 7:11).

“When sin has deadened the moral perceptions, the wrongdoer does not discern the defects of his character nor realize the enormity of the evil he has committed; and unless he yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit he remains in partial blindness to his sin. His confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of his guilt he adds an apology in excuse of his course, declaring that if it had not been for certain circumstances he would not have done this or that for which he is reproved. …

“The examples in God’s word of genuine repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of confession in which there is no excuse for sin or attempt at self-justification. Paul did not seek to shield himself; he paints his sin in its darkest hue, not attempting to lessen his guilt. He says, ‘Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities’ (Acts 26:10, 11). He does not hesitate to declare that ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief’ (I Timothy 1:15).

“The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God. And it is written, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (I John 1:9).” Ibid., 39–41.

Why are these things, conviction, repentance and confession so very important, and what do they have to do with the kingdom of glory? The kingdom of glory is the kingdom established by God, governed by His perfect law (Psalm 19:7). In this kingdom there is no sin. Sin cannot exist in God’s presence. Since sin has entered this world, in His mercy and love God provided a means for our restoration. It is called the plan of salvation.

The covenant that God made with His son Jesus “before the foundations of the earth” was simply “an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371. These steps, conviction, repentance and confession are the beginnings of our part in this great plan for our restoration. “It is man’s part to respond to His great love, by appropriating the great salvation the blessing of the Lord has made it possible for man to obtain.” Lift Him Up, 232.

These truths should awaken in us the most ardent, the most tender, the most devoted love for the One Who loved us so much that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

Lessons from the Heart

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“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.”

Jeremiah 17:10

Inspired writings have much to say about the heart of man. A study of the heart in both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy will yield a deeper understanding of the natural heart, the behaviors that the natural heart provokes, and how to overcome the temptations to which the natural heart is inclined to yield. The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of the vast amount of information that Inspired writings provide concerning the natural heart to stimulate in seekers of truth a desire to study for themselves the workings of the heart and to know how God changes the natural cold stony heart into a heart of flesh that throbs with the love of Christ.

Two of the most common Scriptures that quickly come to mind when considering what the Bible says about the heart are Genesis 6:5, 6 and Jeremiah 17:9.

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” Genesis 6:5, 6. (Emphasis added.)

Ponder how these two verses reveal the sharp contrast between the natural heart of man and the wise and omniscient heart of our Lord.

The second Scripture that commonly comes to mind is Jeremiah 17:9.

“The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?”

Fortunately, Scripture not only shows us the evil and deceitfulness of the natural heart, but it also gives us precious texts that promise us a way out of this condition. One of the most powerful is in Ezekiel 36:26, 27. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Who, claiming this promise, can be disheartened?

Inspiration gives us a fairly succinct assessment of the natural heart in The Acts of the Apostles, page 273: “The refining influence of the grace of God changes the natural disposition of man. Heaven would not be desirable to the carnal-minded; their natural, unsanctified hearts would feel no attraction toward that pure and holy place, and if it were possible for them to enter, they would find there nothing congenial. The propensities that control the natural heart must be subdued by the grace of Christ before fallen man is fitted to enter heaven and enjoy the society of the pure, holy angels. When man dies to sin and is quickened to new life in Christ, divine love fills his heart; his understanding is sanctified; he drinks from an inexhaustible fountain of joy and knowledge, and the light of an eternal day shines upon his path, for with him continually is the Light of life.”

Not only do Inspired writings give us hope for a new heart, they also provide examples of—and therefore warnings against—the actions of a deceitful heart.

In the book of Esther, we are given an example of the deceitfulness of the natural heart. It is a familiar story and one that the Jews even to this day take particular delight in reviewing each year during Purim. The climax of the story is in chapter 6.

“That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

“Then the king said, ‘What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?’

“And the king’s servants who attended him said, ‘Nothing has been done for him.’

“So the king said, ‘Who is in the court?’

“Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. The king’s servants said to him, ‘Haman is there, standing in the court.’

“And the king said, ‘Let him come in.’

“So Haman came in, and the king asked him, ‘What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?’ Now Haman thought in his heart, ‘Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?’

“And Haman answered the king, ‘For the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!” ’

“Then the king said to Haman, ‘Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken’ (Esther 6:1–10).”

Haman had convinced himself that he was worthy of royal honor, only to discover that he had been self-deceived.

Christ gave another example of the potential actions of a deceitful heart when He was invited to a meal at a Pharisee’s home one Sabbath and He saw how, as the guests arrived, each sought the best place to sit. He gave divine instruction to those who were invited. The story is in Luke 14:8–11.

“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Christ was reminding the Pharisees of the words that the Holy Spirit had moved upon Solomon to write in Proverbs 25:6, 7.

“Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,

And do not stand in the place of the great;

For it is better that he say to you,

‘Come up here,’

Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,

Whom your eyes have seen.”

It is likely that Solomon had seen just this kind of behavior in his own court when he had invited guests to dine with him.

In addition to the example we read in Esther about Haman, there are other examples in Scripture of people “thinking” in their hearts. In common language today, we would say, “saying to himself” or “thinking to himself.”

One example is given in Genesis 24:45, when Abraham’s oldest servant went to Laban to find a wife for Isaac.

“But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ ”

But perhaps the most familiar example of one thinking to himself is in Nehemiah 2:1-5, when Nehemiah stood despondently before King Artaxerxes.

“And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’

“So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?’

“Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ ” (Emphasis added.)

Sister White refers to praying under these kinds of circumstances as darting a prayer to heaven. Probably each of us has more than one memory of having darted a prayer to heaven in times of trial. It is a wonderful comfort to know that we have an all-knowing, omnipresent God who hears and answers sincere prayers offered from a sincere heart.

Scripture also alludes to the heart as the condition of the human mind. Look for an example in Exodus 23:9: “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

The principle that God is impressing upon Moses here is that we should be compassionate toward and understanding of others. Remember the trials and tribulations you have experienced and have compassion on others when they are in similar situations.

Another bit of light about the condition of a man’s heart is provided in 1 Samuel when the Lord had instructed Samuel to examine Jesse’s offspring to select a king to replace Saul, after Saul had proven himself unworthy of the office. When Samuel saw Eliab, whom he thought surely to be the Lord’s anointed, the Lord responded, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7.

What a lesson this incident provides for us. How often do we judge from outward appearance, only to realize when the fruit reveals the true condition of the heart that our initial assessment was incorrect.

The obvious question that arises from our study of the actions of the natural heart is, How can we overcome the natural tendencies and have that heart promised us in Ezekiel 36? Consider the request of Solomon:

“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’

“And Solomon said: ‘You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?’ ” I Kings 3:5–9.

James may have been reflecting on this story when he wrote in his epistle, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5.

Perhaps the most wonderful encouragement we are given, though, came from the lips of Christ Himself, on the night of His betrayal: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27.

Can we not conclude from this brief overview that through prayer, such as Nehemiah’s or Solomon’s, and by exercising faith, as Christ commanded to His disciples, that we can have that heart of flesh and persevere against the fiery darts of the enemy of souls under all circumstances? Such is my prayer daily. May it be yours as well.

NJKV unless otherwise noted.

John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps to Life team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Editorial – Why do Seventh-day Adventists Exist?

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Daniel 2 ends with all governments and kingdoms of this world destroyed and the setting up of the kingdom of God that will last forever and never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44, 45). Daniel 7 ends with the dominion of the little horn being destroyed and the kingdom and dominion being given to the people, the saints of the Most High, and all dominions serving and obeying the Most High forever (Daniel 7:27). Revelation 1:7 predicts, “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

This coming of the Lord back to our world to save His children and to judge the world in righteousness is mentioned again in Revelation 6:15–17, in Revelation 7:14–17, and again under the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15–19, where it is proclaimed that the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

It is mentioned again immediately after the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14:14–20. This is also the main subject of Revelation 19. The result of this appearing is described in the latter part of Revelation 19 and in Revelation 20–22.

Clearly we see that the return of Christ is one of the major themes of Bible prophecy. We could go to prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments that speak about it because, “The doctrine of the second advent is the very keynote of the Sacred Scriptures.” The Great Controversy, 299.

But the question that should concern us all is, Will I be ready for His appearing? The Old Testament prophet says, “… the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Joel 2:11, last part.

To prepare the world for this most awesome event when our present world shall pass away, the Lord has given us several gifts.

First of all He has given us the Bible, which prophesies this coming event and tells us how to prepare for it.

Second, He has given us special specific messages that will prepare us for that event—the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14:6–12, especially for those living in the time of the end—the time of judgment when punishment will be metered out. This message reveals that the people who are ready for the Lord’s appearing will be commandment keepers with the same faith, doctrines and teachings that Jesus had and taught.

And third, the Lord promised that since the last generation would be living in the most deceptive time of world history (Matthew 24:24), He would send to His people an Elijah prophet—the gift of prophecy to guide them safely home (see Malachi 4:5, 6).