Faith

Questions and Answers – Why don’t we see miracles of healing today?

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“We are told that, “God’s miracles do not always bear the outward semblance of miracles. Often they are brought about in a way which looks like the natural course of events. When we pray for the sick, we also work for them. We answer our own prayers by using the remedies within our reach. Water, wisely applied, is a most powerful remedy. As it is used intelligently, favorable results are seen. God has given us intelligence, and He desires us to make the most of His health-giving blessings. We ask that God will give bread to the hungry; we are then to act as His helping hand in relieving hunger. We are to use every blessing God has placed within our reach for the deliverance of those in danger.

“Natural means, used in accordance with God’s will, bring about supernatural results. We ask for a miracle, and the Lord directs the mind to some simple remedy. We ask to be kept from the pestilence that walketh in darkness, that is stalking with such power through the world; we are then to cooperate with God, observing the laws of health and life. Having done all that we possibly can, we are to keep asking in faith for health and strength. We are to eat that food which will preserve the health of the body.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 938, 939.

God is working a healing miracle in each of our lives every day. Many who are following God’s eight laws of health are experiencing His miracle healing and preservation. These laws include: nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest and trust in Divine power.

Faith is essential. While here on earth, Jesus taught that faith was an essential part of His healing. When the woman touched the hem of Christ’s garment and was healed from her disease, Jesus said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” Matthew 9:22.

Obedience is also necessary. “God will not work a miracle to keep those from sickness who have no care for themselves, but are continually violating the laws of health and make no efforts to prevent disease. When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health.” Medical Ministry, 13.

Natural laws are to be obeyed. We need to follow the natural laws and teach others how to do so also.

We also must remember: “Men under the influence of evil spirits will work miracles. They will make people sick by casting their spell upon them, and will then remove the spell, leading others to say that those who were sick have been miraculously healed. This Satan has done again and again.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 53.

We need to ask God to open our eyes that we may behold and appreciate what He is doing in our lives each and every day. Praise God from whom all blessings flow—they are never ending.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please write to Steps to Life or e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Pen of Inspiration – The Fight of Faith

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Every one who shall be found with the wedding garment on, will have come out of great tribulation. The mighty surges of temptation will beat upon all the followers of Christ; and unless they are riveted to the eternal Rock, they will be borne away. Do not think you can safely drift with the current; you must stem the tide, or you will surely become a helpless prey to Satan’s power. You are not safe in placing your feet on the ground of the enemy, but should direct your path in the way cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. Even in the path of holiness you will be tried; your faith, your love, your patience, your constancy, will be tested. By diligent searching of the Scriptures, by earnest prayer for divine help, prepare the soul to resist temptation. The Lord will hear the sincere prayer of the contrite soul, and will lift up a standard for you against the enemy.

Jesus left his home in heaven, and came to this dark world to reach to the very depths of human woe, that He might save those who are ready to perish. He laid aside his glory in the heavenly courts above, clothed his divinity with humanity, and for our sakes He became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. He came to the earth that was all seared and marred with sin; “and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” [Philippians 2:8]. He submitted to insult and mockery, that He might leave us a perfect example. When we are inclined to magnify our trials, to think we are having a hard time, we should look away from self to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” [Hebrews 12:2]. All this He endured that He might bring many sons and daughters to God, to present them before the universe as trophies of his victory.

Will man take hold of this divine power which has been placed within his reach, and with determination and perseverance resist Satan, as Christ has given example in his conflict with the foe in the wilderness of temptation? God cannot save man against his will from the power of Satan’s artifices. Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and to conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. Christ was a perfect overcomer; and we must be perfect, wanting nothing, without spot or blemish.

In order to be overcomers, we must heed the injunction of the apostle: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 2:5]. He is the Pattern that we, as his disciples, must follow. We cannot cherish selfishness in our hearts, and follow the example of Christ, who died to make an atonement for us. We cannot extol our own merits, and follow his example; for He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant. We cannot harbour pride, and follow Christ, since He humbled Himself until there was no lower place to which He could descend. Be astonished, O heavens, and be amazed, O earth, that sinful man should make such returns to his Lord in formality and pride, in efforts to lift up and glorify himself, when Christ came and humbled Himself in our behalf even to the death of the cross.

Christ came to teach us how to live. He has invited us to learn of Him to be meek and lowly of heart, that we may find rest unto our souls. We have no excuse for not imitating his life and working his works. Those who profess his name, and do not practice his precepts, are weighed in the balances of heaven, and found wanting. But those who reflect his image will have a place in the mansions which He has gone to prepare.

The redemption that Christ achieved for man was at infinite cost to Himself. The victory we gain over our own evil hearts and over the temptations of Satan will cost us strong effort, constant watchfulness, and persevering prayer; but, gaining the victory through the all-powerful name of Jesus, we become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. We must be victors on our own account. Then we shall not only reap the reward of eternal life, but shall increase our happiness on earth by the consciousness of duty performed, and by the greater respect and love that we shall win from those about us.

He who is a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a part of the cross of Christ, a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in his plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and to save the lost. The Christian is ever to realize that he is bought with a price, to stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel, to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life. He is to reveal Christ to the world. The self-denial, the self-sacrifice, the sympathy, the love that were manifested in the life of Christ are to reappear in the life of his followers. In order to do this, we must put on the whole armour of God; “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” [Ephesians 6:11, 12]. If we do not overcome, we lose the crown; and if we lose the crown, we lose everything. Eternal loss or eternal gain will be ours. If we gain the crown, we gain all things; we become heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

Christ is coming in a little while. He has been our brother in suffering; and if we overcome through his grace, we shall see Him as He is. We shall suffer here but a few days longer, and then enter into an eternity of happiness; for there is sweet rest in the kingdom of God. For those who fight the good fight of faith, there is reserved a crown of glory, a palm of victory, an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Let the determination of every soul be, “I must run the race; I must overcome.”

The Bible Echo, January 1, 1893.

The Widow and the Unjust Judge

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In the last verse of the Gospel of John, it says that in addition to what is written, there are many other things that Jesus did. In fact, he said that if they were all written down, the world itself could not contain the books that could be written.

There were many incidents in the life of Jesus that are recorded, but of the stories that He told and the miracles that He worked, there are seventy-five recorded. In Matthew 9 you can read how He went through all the cities and villages healing people. Ellen White says in the book The Desire of Ages that there were whole villages where you could go without finding one sick person, because Jesus had passed through town and healed every sick person in that town. (See The Desire of Ages, 241.)

I doubt that there is a single village or town of any size in the United States today where there is not a single sick person. The few miracles that are recorded were the ones that the Holy Spirit inspired to write down because of special significance.

In Luke 17, starting at verse 21, Jesus related to His disciples not only the truth about His second coming, but also conditions in the world in the last day just before He would return.

Note that when the Bible was written, there were no chapter and verse divisions, so this account continues into the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus said that in the last days it would be like it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot and gives a number of counsels. Luke 17:33 says, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

Luke 18:2–5 tells the story about a lady whose husband had died, leaving her in debt. Her adversaries had come and taken everything she had, and she was in a position where she did not know how she was going to get it back. It says, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while.” Verses 2–4. The judge persistently repulsed the woman. Again and again she was treated with contempt, and he continually said “No.”

Jesus described the judge as being unrighteous and unjust. The woman was in trouble and needed help, but he refused to help her. In this parable Jesus describes the situation that His children will go through in the last days. The woman did not give up; she persistently kept going back to the judge. Ellen White wrote, “It was Christ who gave the pleading widow courage and determination before the judge.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 175.

Many people at times have been short-circuited by the legal system. This was the widow’s experience. She kept going to the only place that she could go in this world to get help, and though she was continually refused and could not get the help she needed, she just kept asking. Finally, something happened. Luke 18:4 and 5 continue, “Afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” This judge was selfish, but to save his own reputation he gave in to her demand. He was afraid that if she came too many times, eventually there might be some publicity about this, and his partial one-sided judgment might become open to the public. To save his reputation, though he had no pity or compassion, he decided to avenge her to get rid of her.

This story is not only to demonstrate the kind of legal system that His children will have to deal with, especially in the last days, but also to draw a contrast between this earthly judge and the Judge that we have in heaven. Notice what Jesus said in verses 6–8:

“Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’ ”

This is one of the most striking stories in the Bible about the conditions in the world in the last days just before Jesus comes. Notice how it ends in the last part of verse 8: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” What is the implication of that statement? Jesus said in Luke 17 that it would be like the days of Noah, and it would be like the days of Lot, and now He says when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? Does this text sound like all the world is going to be converted before the Lord comes? No, it sounds like just the opposite. It sounds just like in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot.

Jesus describes our heavenly Father in exactly the opposite way as the unjust judge. The unjust judge would not do anything to help, but verses 7 and 8 of Luke 18 say, “Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him … I tell you that He will avenge them.” How? “Speedily.”

The widow, having lost her husband, was alone in the world with no one to help her. In the same way, because of the sin of our first parents, all on this planet have lost their connection with God, and we have no means to save our self except through Jesus Christ. Because of the infinite price that has been paid on the cross of Calvary, the elect of God are dear to His heart, and when we are in trouble and make an appeal to God, that appeal will be heard. And it will be answered.

It may not be answered in just the way that we think or expect. There are some experiences where it seems as if our prayers are not being heard or are not being answered, but it is for us to believe by faith. David also went through some similar trying experiences in his life. While being chased and hunted like a wild beast, he came to a point that he was perplexed as to what to do. Whom could he trust? Would somebody else betray him? He had lost confidence in everybody.

“He saw in every man a spy and a betrayer. In a great emergency David had looked up to God with a steady eye of faith, and had vanquished the Philistine giant. He believed in God, he went in His name. But as he had been hunted and persecuted, perplexity and distress had nearly hidden his heavenly Father from his sight.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 657. In this condition, David made some very serious mistakes. But, “Oh, what a God is ours, who deals gently with the erring and manifests His patience and tenderness in adversity, and when we are overwhelmed with some great sorrow!

“Every failure on the part of the children of God is due to their lack of faith. When shadows encompass the soul, when we want light and guidance, we must look up; there is light beyond the darkness.” Ibid.

“God works out His plans, though to human eyes they are veiled in mystery. Men cannot understand the ways of God; and, looking at appearances, they interpret the trials and tests and provings that God permits to come upon them as things that are against them, and that will only work their ruin.” Ibid., 672.

There are many people today who continually have this kind of perplexity. “David looked on appearances, and not at the promises of God. He doubted that he would ever come to the throne. Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.” Ibid. David had suffered through long trials, being hunted like a wild beast by the king of Israel for approximately ten years. This, no doubt, felt as if it was going to last forever.

When I first started working at Steps to Life, my family was living in north Texas about 380 miles from the ministry. Because of the long commute, I went home one to three times a month. I remember, after I had done that for over three years, that in my mind I would ask, “Well, Lord, how long am I going to keep doing this?” Now it didn’t happen forever. No trial that you have in this world is going to be forever, though at times it seems that way while you are going through it and you don’t know how you are ever going to get out of the situation. That is also the way it seemed to David, and that is the way it looked to this poor widow. Concerning David, “Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.” Ibid.

Remember, this is a story that applies to God’s people in the last days. The widow said to the unjust judge, “Avenge me of my adversary.” Who was her adversary? The word Satan comes from the Hebrew word, saw-tawn. It is an exact transliteration of the Hebrew word that is a name for the devil, which means, your adversary.

As the woman pleaded, God’s children plead and say, “Lord, avenge me of my adversary. I need help and I can’t help myself; I cannot get out of the situation that I am in, and I don’t know how long it is going to go on. Lord, please deliver me from this.”

The Bible says that God will avenge His own elect speedily.

In Zechariah 3, there is a story recorded where Satan stands up to oppose God’s children. He is their adversary and wants to destroy them. Satan does not simply work alone, but he has many agents. When God’s children pray, “Avenge me of my adversary,” their adversary is the devil and his agents. Those agents are the majority of human beings in this world, and they are working out some social conditions that will exist in the last days. James describes this, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded.” James 5:1–3. This could be translated rusted or cankered. In other words, it is not pure anymore; it has become destroyed.

It “will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” Verses 3, 4. Sabaoth is a Hebrew word that means hosts, the Lord of hosts, or the Lord of armies. “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just [the righteous person]; he does not resist you.” Verses 5, 6.

The situation described here did not exist in the world in 1750. It started in the United States of America with the slave trade. Abraham Lincoln had some interesting things to say about it. He saw the inequity in the workplace and queried if it was right for one man to work for 70 cents a day and for another man in the same company to be making 70 dollars a day.

This is the kind of world that we live in today, full of oppression and extortion so there are some classes in the world that are starving. I have met people in Africa with children, men who have told me that they cannot afford to eat more than one meal a day. In Isaiah 59:14 it says, “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” What do you do when, because of the legal system and because of the social system, some become wealthy and others cannot survive? Maybe you are on the short end of the stick and you are in a situation where you do not know how you are going to survive. What will you do?

In Psalm 50:15 it says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” If you and I are going to survive until the end of the world, we are going to have to learn how to pray. When we get into difficulty and there is no way out, we are going to have to learn how to call upon the Lord and to depend upon Him to solve our problem, rather than depending on human beings. The temptation is always to depend on human beings to solve our problem. When we are in difficulty, we think that we need a physician. Physicians, lawyers, or even insurance agents certainly have their place, but the kinds of troubles that God’s people are going to have to deal with in the very last days are not going to be solved by physicians or lawyers or insurance agents.

Those who endure to the end will live by faith. In Hebrews 11:33, 34 it says, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Ellen White comments on this text in Christ’s Object Lessons, 172. She says,

“The children of God are not left alone and defenseless. Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. Prayer has ‘subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire’—we shall know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith—‘turneth to flight the armies of the aliens’ (Hebrews 11:33, 34).”

Remember, when you pray you have an audience in the chamber of the One who is the most high God, who has absolute authority and power over the whole universe. Ellen White said, “We shall know what it means.” In other words, we do not know now; we do not know what it means, but we will know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith. There are some texts in the Bible we do not now understand. “By faith they quenched the violence of fire”? We do not know what it means, but she says, we will know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith.

In Christ’s Object Lessons, 173, it says, “If we surrender our lives to His service, we can never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision.” Have you surrendered your life to the Lord?

I do not know what situation you are experiencing. I meet a lot of people who describe to me situations that I can scarcely comprehend even after they describe them to me. I do not know what kind of trouble you are facing, but it is impossible that you could be in a situation where God has not made provision to help you.

As long as we are in this world, we are going to have problems on the outside. Jesus wants to come back and take His children out of the world to where there will not be any more trouble. We want to be delivered from the devil’s power. The widow said, “Avenge me of my adversary.” We want to be delivered from the devil’s power that is all around us and is causing so much trouble. But here is the problem. In Christ’s Object Lessons, 174, 175, it says,

“Christ desires nothing so much as to redeem His heritage from the dominion of Satan. But before we are delivered from Satan’s power without, we must be delivered from his power within.”

That is the reason why we are still here. It is not that Jesus does not want to come back and get us out of this place, but before He can deliver us from the devil’s power on the outside, we must first be delivered from the power within. He said, “When you cleanse the cup, first cleanse the inside, then you can clean the outside.” Remember what He said in Matthew 23:28, “That’s the trouble with you Pharisees. You look good on the outside, but inside you are full of all kinds of corruption. You are full of hypocricy and lawlessness.” (Literal translation.) He said to clean up first what’s on the inside; then get the outside clean. Man’s way is always to try to make himself/herself look good on the outside. Keep up the appearance! Whole industries in the world are devoted to glossing over any imperfection in order to make us look good on the outside. But Jesus wants us to look good on the inside. Where is your heart? What is going on in your heart? Are you delivered from Satan’s power within?

Maybe you are troubled because of the power of temptations on the inside, and like David, it just seems as if your patience, your faith, has just been exhausted and there is just nothing left. Some may have prayed for so long for something that they say, “Lord, I cannot keep going.” Keep holding on; there are invisible armies of light and power who attend the meek and lowly ones who believe and claim the promises of God. These angel visitants keep a record of every detail of your life. They know every trial that you are going through.

They are also measuring your character development. Are you getting free from the power of the devil inside? A sure record is kept of any injustice or cruelty that is done whether mental, spiritual, or physical. Paul said, in his letter to the Hebrews, “A little time is going to pass for yet a very little time and then the One who shall come will come and He will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37, literal translation. But James says, “The husbandman who waits for the precious fruit of the earth has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. You be patient and establish your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is drawing near.” James 5:7, 8, literal translation.

God is doing a mighty work in the world. He is getting people ready in the midst of all of their troubles. The Bible says that we must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). God is working out a plan in your life to prepare you for heaven. Jesus said, “He will avenge them speedily, though He bear long with them.” Luke 18:7, literal translation.

Because of God’s long forbearance, men have become bold in trampling upon His authority. And they say what the Psalmist said, “Well, does God really know? Does He know what I am doing?” But there is a line beyond which they cannot pass. This also applies to nations. The United States as a nation has gone through a number of crises in the last few years. These crises are increasing both in number and also speed. Nations, families and individuals are in trouble more today than in any time that I can remember. God has often permitted matters to reach a crisis so that His interference might be more marked. We are fast coming to a time when the defiance of God’s law is almost universal. In talking to religious people, they talk as if we have the authority to adjust it. It would be a fearful thing in the Day of Judgment to be asked why liberty was taken to adjust something in His law. That is a question that I do not ever want to be asked.

The time is coming when man will change and adjust the law of God. Ironically, the only part they want to change and adjust is the very heart of the law and the longest commandment in the law. Jesus said it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a part of a letter to fail (Matthew 5:18). Very soon God is going to say to His children, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20, 21.

The Lord is coming, and when He comes the widow who could not get justice is going to be avenged of her adversary, the devil. The widow represents God’s people, His church, His flock, His fold, who in this world have been destitute, afflicted, and tormented. But the day is coming, the Bible says, when God will be Judge Himself, and when that happens, the decisions of all the unjust judges in the world, whether in the church or the state, will be reversed.

Whatever cross you have borne, whatever loss you have sustained, whatever persecution you have suffered, even if you have lost your life, Jesus is going to recompense you. In Hebrews 11, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, because he had respect unto the recompense of the reward (verse 25, 26). What is the recompense of the reward? Jesus said, in Matthew 19:29, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”

The story of the widow and the unjust judge is a story from which, when studied, we may find great comfort. Jesus said that God is going to avenge His own elect, speedily. He is going to deliver them and give them a reward for what they have suffered in this world.

Whatever trouble or trial you may be going through right now, I encourage you to cry out to the God of heaven. Remember, prayer moves the arm of omnipotence, and your prayer will not be lost. It may not be answered immediately the way you think, but your prayer will never be lost. It will always be answered.

Commit your life to the Lord, to His service. If you do, you can never be placed in a situation in this world for which God has not made provision. If you commit yourself to Him, He is going to save you. The question is not whether God will hear your prayers. The question is, “When you are in trouble, will you keep praying?”

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation, unless noted otherwise.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Testimony – Trudel’s Story

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The year was 1945 and the end of World War II was nearing. Like many others whose lives were war-torn and shattered, Gertrude (Trudel) Kowarsch dreamed of escaping with her family to Western Germany. She and her husband, Willie (testimony in LandMarks, January 2011), owned a 100-acre farm in Eastern Germany about 60 miles from the Polish border. Willie was serving as a medic in the German army and had been sent to the Russian front. Trudel was a Red Cross nurse.

One day an urgent letter came from Willie.

“The Russians have destroyed the railroad lines; the German army cannot get supplies, warm clothes or food. We are cold and hungry, and we are unable to hold back the Russians any longer. Prepare to flee with our four children to Western Germany. Willie”

Shortly before Trudel received Willie’s letter, their nine-month-old daughter, Heidi, was recovering from ear surgery at a hospital in a nearby city. Using the train to visit was dangerous, because airplanes were constantly bombing the crowded trains. Every time Trudel visited Heidi, she appeared to be hungry, so she started taking her food.

Trudel told the nurse in charge that she had decided to take her baby home but was advised that it would be another four or five days before Heidi would be released. Sharing her concerns with her family, Trudel, also a nurse, believed she could care for her baby better, so she and her sister devised a plan to sneak Heidi out of the hospital. After riding the train back into the city, Trudel slipped into Heidi’s room. She listened until the sound of the boots of the German Secret Police guard on duty faded away, and then with Heidi in her arms, ran out of the hospital door, and hid her in the baby carriage that was waiting with her sister in the bushes.

That night, the Russians bombed the hospital, leaving nothing. “Praise the Lord,” Trudel said. “I had my Heidi. God had impressed me to go at the right time.”

One February evening in the dead of winter, just a few weeks after Willie’s letter, a German Secret Police officer came to Trudel’s house asking why she was still there with her children. He informed her that the Russians were near and that she would need to leave by 6:00 a.m. the next morning or they would be overtaken.

It was 20 degrees below zero. Where could a woman go with four little children and a horse, and how could she feed them all on their way? She did not know what to do. But then she remembered that her pastor had offered that they would be welcome in his home in the event they had to flee.

Just then two horse-drawn wagons full of German soldiers arrived at Trudel’s home asking for shelter and food, so she asked them to take her and her children to Weisswasser to the home of the pastor.

It was in Weisswasser that the soldiers were to report to the army, so they were happy to help. Surely this was an answer to prayer!

The trip to Weisswasser was very traumatic for Trudel and her children. Everything imaginable was on the highway—people, bicycles, motorcycles, a few cars, horses, buggies, mules and oxen. The police would say, “Don’t stop—just go, go, go!” The wounded or dead were pushed out of the way into the ditch.

Along the way they saw a farmer who had stopped his buggy for his mother to go into the woods. He was ordered to go or be shot. As he drove away, his mother came out of the woods crying, “Wait, wait!”

All at once she fell back onto the snow and the police pushed her into the ditch.

Tears came to Trudel’s eyes. Her children saw all these things and said, “Mama, let’s go home; let’s go home. We want to go home.” But they could never return home.

Finally they reached their destination, but not without hardship. Trudel’s oldest daughter, Renate, was on the first wagon of soldiers and Trudel was on the second wagon with the other children. When the wagons stopped, Renate could not get off. Her legs were frozen, so they carried her into the house and rubbed her legs with snow. They rubbed and prayed and some life came back into her legs, but even today she still suffers problems with her legs.

There was still not enough food to eat, but they were with the pastor and his family, sharing a special time of fellowship with such sweet people. This was not to last. The police came and said that mothers with small children would have to leave. That evening Russian airplanes threw out pamphlets saying, “Tonight we bomb the bomb factory.” It was right across from where the pastor lived.

There was nowhere to go, and Trudel decided to stay in the pastor’s home. They lay on their beds ready for whatever would come. They heard the planes flying low, heavily loaded with their bombs. They kept coming and then going, around and over the house. Inside the house the occupants were kneeling and praying, but nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, the house shook with a big explosion breaking the windows—it was like an earthquake. Later they learned that the planes were misdirected and dropped their bombs in the woods outside the city. If the factory had been bombed, the whole city would have been gone. There was much praise to the Lord for His goodness.

The Russians were getting closer and closer, and again the police came with the warning to leave.

The marketplace was full of people waiting for trucks to take them away. As they enquired of the Lord the pastor had a better idea. He suggested that they wait on the side street. But there were even fewer trucks there than in the marketplace!

Acting on such a strong impression, they waited, and sure enough, it wasn’t long until a truck came that was big enough to fit the baby carriage in the back. An offer was made to take Trudel and her children wherever she wanted to go, but about ten miles before they reached the city, the driver said that that was as far as he could go. Trudel pled with the driver to take them to a warm place, but he said, “Sorry lady, just following orders. I’m not allowed to go into the city. You’ve got to get out now.”

Trudel wondered how she could walk the rest of the way to the city with four frozen and sleepy children who were all crying; they were so cold and tired and hungry.

Leaving the farm, Trudel had only been allowed to take 50 pounds with her, so she filled a handbag with food and put it in the baby carriage with Heidi. But now the empty handbag had been thrown into the ditch. The cries of the children tore at her heart. The food was gone and the journey they had undertaken seemed hopeless. Trudel sat down by the side of the road and cried, too. “Children, I can’t go on any longer. I’m tired, just like you are.”

All at once, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was her seven-year-old daughter, Renate. “Mommy,” she said, “Why don’t you pray to Jesus? He will help us.” Trudel thought about how they had always prayed together and how she had told them Bible stories. She looked up at her little girl and said, “Okay! You know how to pray.” It wasn’t five minutes after Renate prayed until another truck came by.

The driver enquired why she was out there with her children. Wearing her Red Cross emblem, she asked to go to the Red Cross building. On arriving there, they soon discovered that the bomb had destroyed the whole building. So the truck driver took them to a restaurant that had been made into just one huge room. It was full of people with everybody lying on the floor—children, parents, grandparents, everyone. There did not appear to be any more room for them, and as Trudel decided to leave, an elderly man waved at them. He had room on his blanket for them to lie down. He went and got milk for the children; then helped Trudel get them settled down to sleep.

“Where are you planning to go?” the man asked.

“To the city of Leizzig,” she replied.

“That place has already been bombed,” he told her. “There is nothing there.”

“But, I’ve already bought the tickets,” she exclaimed.

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted. Renate awoke with a high fever and vomiting. The man immediately started helping to clean her up, objecting when Trudel told him that that was her job.

“I’m doing fine,” he replied. “Are you still going somewhere with this sick child?”

“Yes, the train leaves tonight at 2:00 a.m.,” Trudel answered.

“Okay,” he said, “we’ll see about that. You just lie down and sleep and I’ll call you and wake you up in time.”

Trudel fell asleep, and when she woke up, it was already morning.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” she asked him.

“I knew you couldn’t take that sick child out to the train station in the middle of the night.”

“What should I do now?” Trudel sighed.

A few minutes later, Renate woke up, her fever was gone, and she seemed perfectly fine. The kind man bought breakfast for the children and offered to take them to the marketplace, so they gathered their few belongings and went with him. Heidi was still in bad shape from her ear surgery, so he talked to the man in charge of the trucks about getting them on sooner.

They didn’t have to wait long for a truck, and, as before, it was big enough to hold the baby carriage. As the truck pulled off, Trudel shouted, “Slow down, I want to thank that nice gentleman.” She looked out the window and there was no one in sight. “Quick, go around the corner,” she said. “He must have gone around the corner.” When Trudel realized there was nobody there, she felt sure that the nice man must have been an angel sent to help them.

The truck driver stopped at a restaurant, so Trudel could take care of the children. The sweetest old couple owned the restaurant and welcomed them as family and gave them a meal. Again, the Russian airplanes dropped pamphlets threatening to bomb the city. The owner told them they would have to leave.

Reluctantly leaving the elderly couple, Trudel and her children started walking down the road, pushing Heidi in the baby carriage. Soon a truck came along which picked them up. They had only gone about ten miles away from the restaurant when they saw the airplanes dropping bombs—it was like thunder and lightning, and the truck driver had a hard time steering his truck. More than a million people were killed that day. Praise the Lord; they were safe again!

The truck driver knew of a Red Cross train, which would be traveling to the city of Cam in Bavaria, so he took them to the train station. Before even boarding the train, the siren blew, warning them of approaching Russian bombers, so they ran into the bunkers for protection, knowing that if a bomb did fall on the bunkers, they could not escape. Everyone was terrified, and many were crying and screaming. Finally Trudel begged them all to kneel down and pray.

Two planes came and went and nothing happened, so the siren blew again indicating that it was safe to leave the bunkers. Trudel then suggested that no one leave before thanking God for His protection and blinding the pilots’ eyes from seeing the train station in the broad daylight.

Trudel and her children waited to board the train. Some mothers went into the train looking for seats while their children waited outside and some children went inside looking for seats while their mothers stayed outside with the baby carriages. All of a sudden the train started to pull away. Mothers screamed for the train to stop. Children screamed in anguish for their mothers, but the train did not stop. Trudel immediately took a rope and tied her three children to Heidi’s baby carriage. She was not about to lose any of them.

When the next train arrived Trudel and the children were able to get seats. Not very many miles down the tracks, shooting suddenly broke out. Everybody was out of their seats, hiding and screaming. Trudel knelt down with her children, right there on the train, and prayed. The bullets made holes everywhere and feathers from the beds were flying.

One old man who thought it safer outside the train, though Trudel cried for him to stay inside believing that God could protect him, ran behind a big tree, but the airplane people saw him. They shot at him, and he jumped all around the tree attempting to avoid the bullets but he finally succumbed to a heart attack and died.

The passengers had to leave the train and go into the woods so the dead and wounded could be removed from the train and it could be cleaned. There, Trudel and her children met a little girl seven years old who was wounded; her mother had been killed in the train and her father had been killed in the war in Russia. She also became part of Trudel’s family. Doctors and nurses went from car to car listing the casualties and were amazed to find that nobody was injured in the carriage where Trudel was praying. On the rest of the train there were 42 dead and over 120 injured.

It had been almost four weeks since Trudel Kowarsch and her four children began their journey across Germany. Arriving in the next city, Trudel, her children, and the little orphaned girl were offered a place to stay with a farmer and his family. In return they helped the farmer’s wife in the house and also out in the fields.

One day while working outside, Russian planes swooped down on them but there was no time to run for the bushes. Instead, they got down and prayed. As they prayed, the planes opened fire into the bushes. If they had run there, they surely would have been killed.

It came time for Trudel and her children to leave the farm and go on to the city of Cam. The lovely farmers offered to keep the little girl whose parents had died.

Meanwhile, Trudel’s husband, Willie, had been wounded a second time and taken to France where he learned of his wife’s flight to Western Germany. When he recovered, he joined his family in Cam where they had finally reached safety.

Picking up their lives again they worked the next seven years in a farming community before migrating to the United States of America.

Trudel had finally realized her dream. All of her children were able to get an education: Renate, a home health nurse; Deiter, a home builder; Willford, a pastor; Heidi, a nurse; Heinz, a pastor and Esther a physical therapist. Trudel, too, went to school and trained for home nursing, which she still does.

Trudel has received many written letters of appreciation for her unselfish care for other people. They include a surgeon in Houston, Texas, where she worked at a hospital; a state representative in Georgia; and the brother of a patient in Chattanooga, Tenessee, who called her his sister’s “guardian angel.”

“We all go through life and meet many people,” he said, echoing the sentiments of many. “Few do we ever really remember. … But I think the most vivid and lucid recollection I have of Gertrude (Trudel) Kowarsch is her 100 percent patience and compassion for her fellowman.”

To God be the glory for the things He has done through this faithful child of His.

Submitted by Trudel’s daughter, Heidi (Kowarsch) McFarland. She can be contacted by email at: heidihoho@charter.net.

See also Willie’s Story (LandMarks, January 2011).

Would you like to share how the Lord has worked in your life? Because of space, not all submissions can be published, but we would love to hear from you. Please write or email us at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – Abraham

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October 9, 2011 – October 15, 2011

Key Text

“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” Isaiah 51:1, 2.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 4, 523, 524; Patriarchs and Prophets, 125–131.

Introduction

“Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking evidences of faith to be found in all the Bible.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 126.

1 A MAN WHOM GOD COULD TRUST

  • Describe Abraham’s background and what distinguished him. Genesis 11:26–32.

Note: “Although his [Abraham’s] own father was vacillating between the true and the false worship, and with his knowledge of the truth false theories and idolatrous practices were mingled, Abraham kept free from this infatuation. He was not ashamed of his faith, and made no effort to hide the fact that he made God his trust.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 4, 1897.

  • How was God eventually to describe the trust He placed in this patriarch? Genesis 18:17–19.

Note: “God designed that Abraham should be a channel of light and blessing, that he should have a gathering influence, and that God should have a people on the earth. Abraham was to be in the world, reflecting in his life the character of Jesus. When he received the divine call, Abraham was not a man of renown, neither a lawgiver, nor a conqueror. He was a simple herdsman, dwelling in tents, but employing a large number of workmen to carry on his humble employment. And the honor which he received was because of his faithfulness to God, his strict integrity and just dealing.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 4, 1897.

2 FATHER OF A PECULIAR NATION

  • What was the first major step of faith that Abraham was called to perform, and why? Genesis 12:1–7; II Corinthians 6:14–18.

Note: “God selected Abraham as His messenger, through whom to communicate light to the world. The word of God came to him, not with the presentation of flattering prospects in this life, of large salary, of great appreciation and worldly honor. … He forsook his country, his home, his relatives, and all pleasant associations connected with his early life, to become a pilgrim and a stranger. …

“Before God can use him, Abraham must be separated from his former associations, that he may not be controlled by human influence, or rely upon human aid. Now that he has become connected with God, this man must henceforth dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world.” Gospel Workers (1892), 23, 24.

  • What was Abraham seeking? Hebrews 11:8–10. How are we to follow his example?

Note: “With only the naked promise that his [Abraham’s] descendants should possess Canaan, without the least outward evidence, he followed on where God should lead, fully and sincerely complying with the conditions on his part, and confident that the Lord would faithfully perform His word. The patriarch went wherever God indicated his duty; he passed through wildernesses without terror; he went among idolatrous nations with the one thought, ‘God has spoken; I am obeying His voice; He will guide, He will protect me.’

“Just such faith and confidence as Abraham had, the messengers of God need today. But many whom the Lord could use will not move onward, hearing and obeying the one voice above all others. The connection with kindred and friends, the former habits and associations, too often have so great an influence upon God’s servants that He can give them but little instruction, can communicate to them but little knowledge of His purposes; and often after a time he sets them aside, and calls others in their place, whom He tests in the same manner. The Lord would do much more for His servants if they were wholly consecrated to Him, esteeming His service above the ties of kindred and all other earthly associations.” Gospel Workers (1892), 24.

3 A FAMILY’S FAITH TESTED

  • Why were the names of both Abram and Sarai changed? Genesis 17:1–8, 15, 16.
  • What reveals the tremendous spiritual growth of Sarah? Genesis 18:1, 10–14; 21:1, 2, 6, 7; Hebrews 11:11, 12.
  • What was the greatest test ever to befall Abraham? Genesis 22:1–3, 10–14.

Note: “Isaac had been a comfort, a sunbeam, a blessing to Abraham in his old age, and although this gift of God seemed so precious, so dear to him, he was now commanded to return it to the Giver.” The Signs of the Times, April 3, 1879.

  • Why was this test given to Abraham? John 8:56.

Note: “This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death.

“Abraham learned of God the greatest lesson ever given to mortal. His prayer that he might see Christ before he should die was answered. He saw Christ; he saw all that mortal can see, and live. By making an entire surrender, he was able to understand the vision of Christ, which had been given him. He was shown that in giving His only-begotten Son to save sinners from eternal ruin, God was making a greater and more wonderful sacrifice than ever man could make.” The Desire of Ages, 469.

“Abraham’s test was the most severe that could come to a human being. Had he failed under it, he would never have been registered as the father of the faithful. Had he deviated from God’s command, the world would have lost an inspiring example of unquestioning faith and obedience.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 6, 1901.

4 LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM’S TEST

  • What enabled Abraham to pass his greatest test victoriously? Hebrews 11:17.
  • Why should we be inspired by all that Abraham actually believed about the creative power of God? Hebrews 11:18, 19.

Note: “The lesson was given to shine down through the ages, that we may learn that there is nothing too precious to be given to God. It is when we look upon every gift as the Lord’s, to be used in His service, that we secure the heavenly benediction. Give back to God your intrusted possessions, and more will be intrusted to you. Keep your possessions to yourself, and you will receive no reward in this life, and will lose the reward of the life to come.

“God tries His people today to test their faith and obedience. There are many who have never made an unreserved surrender of themselves to God. They have not a right idea of the infinite sacrifice made by God to save a ruined world. If God should speak to them as He did to Abraham, they would not be sufficiently acquainted with His voice to know that He was calling upon them to make a sacrifice, in order to test the depth of their love and the sincerity of their faith.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 6, 1901.

“God has a right to every one of us, and it is not for anyone to question whether it is right, whether God should take this course or that course with us. Those who have perfect confidence in the Lord God of heaven will never question any of His dealings with His children. He has important experiences to give His children and He gives them this experience in His own way. Now Abraham verily believed and made the sacrifice to all intents and purposes in his heart. And that very faith was counted to him for righteousness. He thought and taught Isaac that God was able to raise him up from the dead and could see the end from the beginning. This is the very faith that we should have, every one of us, in the Lord God of heaven. We have the history of Abraham, and the ground the Lord brought him over, in order to give us strength and courage and faith. The Lord wants every one of us to believe that He is the very best friend we have. Abraham trusted God at every step and his faith was perfect.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 119, 120.

5 ABRAHAM—AND US

  • Whom does Heaven view as the true children of Abraham—and therefore the actual heirs of the Divine promises given to him? John 8:39; Galatians 3:8, 9, 14.

Note: “Heart union with Christ makes believers heirs of God, and laborers together with Him. At home, at church, and in the world, the believer is to show forth the praises of Him who has called him out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The Review and Herald, March 14, 1893.

  • What qualities are we to reflect from this father of the faithful? Isaiah 51:1, 2.

Note: “Abraham’s unselfish life made him indeed a ‘spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men’ [1 Corinthians 4:9]. And the Lord declared He would bless those who blessed Abraham, and that He would punish those who misused or injured him. Through Abraham’s experience in his religious life a correct knowledge of Jehovah has been communicated to thousands; and his light will shed its beams all along the path of those who practise [sic] the piety, the faith, the devotion, and the obedience of Abraham. …

“As Abraham and other holy men of old were a light in their generation, so must God’s people be a light in the world. The beams of heaven’s attractive loveliness are to shine forth from us, showing the only good and right way, and ever showing the superiority of God’s law above every human enactment.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 4, 1897.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What made Abraham different from his forebears?

2 In what aspects of my life do I need to follow Abraham’s example of separation?

3 Why does the greatest trial of one’s life often turn out to be the greatest blessing?

4 Why was Abraham so successful in his spiritual life?

5 How can the spiritual blessings we receive from heaven be more far-reaching as Abraham’s were?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Genuine Faith

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September 25, 2011 – October 1, 2011

Faith of Our Fathers

Key Text

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 8, 255–264; Patriarchs and Prophets, 44, 45, 112–116.

Introduction

“To depend upon what we can see is not faith. Faith depends upon God’s promises.” Sabbath-School Worker, July 1, 1895.

1 LIVING BY THE INVISIBLE

  • What simple definition does the Bible give for faith? Hebrews 11:1. How is faith in God to affect us in a practical way?

Note: “Faith is trusting God—believing that He loves us and knows best what is for our good. Thus, instead of our own, it leads us to choose His way.” Education, 253.

“All things are possible with God, and by faith we may lay hold on His power. But faith is not sight; faith is not feeling; faith is not reality. ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ [Hebrews 11:1]. To abide in faith is to put aside feeling and selfish desires, to walk humbly with the Lord, to appropriate His promises, and apply them to all occasions, believing that God will work out His own plans and purposes in your heart and life by the sanctification of your character; it is to rely entirely, to trust implicitly, upon the faithfulness of God.” Special Testimonies on Education, 115. (Emphasis author’s.)

  • Why can we be inspired by the faith of our forefathers? Hebrews 11:2.

Note: “Although the patriarchs and apostles were subject to human frailties, yet through faith they obtained a good report, fought their battles in the strength of the Lord, and conquered gloriously. Thus may we trust in the virtue of the atoning sacrifice and be overcomers in the name of Jesus.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 15.

2 MARVELS OF GOD’S CREATION

  • Describe the marvelous way by which our God both creates and sustains. Hebrews 11:3; Psalm 33:8, 9; Acts 17:28, first part.

Note: “God is perpetually at work in nature. She is His servant, directed as He pleases. Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a being who moves in all His works according to His will. It is not by an original power inherent in nature that year by year the earth yields its bounties and continues its march around the sun. The hand of infinite power is perpetually at work guiding this planet. It is God’s power momentarily exercised that keeps it in position in its rotation.

“The God of heaven is constantly at work. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears and every flower blooms. Every drop of rain or flake of snow, every spire of grass, every leaf and flower and shrub, testifies of God. These little things so common around us teach the lesson that nothing is beneath the notice of the infinite God, nothing is too small for His attention.

“The mechanism of the human body cannot be fully understood; it presents mysteries that baffle the most intelligent. It is not as the result of a mechanism, which, once set in motion, continues its work, that the pulse beats and breath follows breath. In God we live and move and have our being. Every breath, every throb of the heart, is a continual evidence of the power of an ever-present God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 259, 260.

  • How can God’s creative power change our lives? Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26, 27.

Note: “One of the most earnest prayers recorded in the Word of God is that of David when he pleaded, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’ [Psalm 51:10]. God’s response to such a prayer is, A new heart will I give you. This is a work that no finite man can do. Men and women are to begin at the beginning, seeking God most earnestly for a true Christian experience. They are to feel the creative power of the Holy Spirit. They are to receive the new heart, that is kept soft and tender by the grace of heaven.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1165.

3 SEEK IN ORDER TO FIND

  • What is needed in order to please God, and how only can we be truly blessed in seeking Him? Hebrews 11:6.

Note: “Should you become alarmed for your own souls, should you seek God diligently, He will be found of you; but He will accept no halfhearted repentance. If you will forsake your sins, He is ever ready to forgive. Will you just now surrender to Him? Will you look to Calvary and inquire: ‘Did Jesus make this sacrifice for me? Did He endure humiliation, shame, and reproach, and suffer the cruel death of the cross because He desired to save me from the sufferings of guilt and the horror of despair, and make me unspeakably happy in His kingdom?’ Look upon Him whom your sins have pierced, and resolve: ‘The Lord shall have the service of my life. I will no longer unite with His enemies; I will no longer lend my influence to the rebels against His government. All I have and am is too little to devote to Him who so loved me that He gave His life for me—His whole divine self for one so sinful and erring.’ Separate from the world, be wholly on the Lord’s side, press the battle to the gates, and you will win glorious victories.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 438, 439.

  • Describe the way we are to seek God. Psalm 119:2, 145; 1 Chronicles 16:10–13.

Note: “Let the soul be drawn out and upward, that God may grant us a breath of His heavenly atmosphere. Let the spirit groan after God, and mingle faith with fervent desire. We should encourage gratitude and praise, and always be found warring against every unholy impulse, crushing out of the soul every unclean lust. This is the warfare that must be accomplished. We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected trial our thoughts may turn to God as naturally as the flower turns to the sun. The sunflower keeps its face sunward. If it is turned from the light, it will twist itself on the stem, until it lifts up its petals to the bright beams of the sun. So let everyone who has given his heart to God, turn to the Sun of Righteousness, and eagerly look up to receive the bright beams of the glory that shine in the face of Jesus.” The Signs of the Times, December 16, 1889.

4 INTO A NEW REALM OF LIFE

  • How does the faithful person stand in contrast to the proud one? Habakkuk 2:4.

Note: “When the sinner, in view of all his transgressions, exercises faith in God, and believes that he is pardoned because Christ has died as his sacrifice, he will be filled with gratitude to God, and will have tender sympathy toward those who, like himself, have sinned and are in need of pardon. Pride will find no place in his heart. Such faith as this will be a death-blow to a revengeful spirit. How is it possible for one who finds forgiveness, and who is daily dependent upon the grace of Christ, to turn away in coldness from those who have been overtaken in a fault and to display to the sinner an unforgiving spirit? Every one who has real faith in God will crush pride under his feet. A view of the goodness and the mercy of God will lead to repentance, and will create a desire to possess the same spirit. He who receives the Spirit of God will have clear discernment to see the good there is in the characters of others, and will love those who need the tender, pitying sympathy of forgiveness. The repenting sinner sees in Christ a sin-pardoning Saviour, and contemplates with hope and confidence the pardon written over against his sin. He wants the same work to be done for his associates; for true faith brings the soul into sympathy with God.” The Review and Herald, May 7, 1895.

  • How is faith closely linked together with God’s law, a turning away from sin, and deliverance from it? Romans 14:23, last part; 1 John 3:4–6.

Note: “There must be a revival of the strait testimony. The path to heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed if it cause us to offend. Are we willing to renounce our own wisdom and to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child? Are we willing to part with self-righteousness? Are we willing to give up our chosen worldly associates? Are we willing to sacrifice the approbation of men? The prize of eternal life is of infinite value. Will we put forth efforts and make sacrifices proportionate to the worth of the object to be attained?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 222.

5 A STREAM THAT NEVER RUNS DRY

  • How does the Lord explain the far-reaching extent to which our faith can be exercised? Mark 11:22–24; Luke 17:5, 6.

Note: “Faith takes God at His word, with or without feeling.” The Signs of the Times, May 15, 1884.

“If men will endure the necessary discipline, without complaining or fainting by the way, God will teach them hour by hour, and day by day. He longs to reveal His grace. If His people will remove the obstructions, He will pour forth the waters of salvation in abundant streams through the human channels.” The Desire of Ages, 251.

“There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. All who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to His service will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in mind and heart. Through the grace given us we may achieve victories that because of our own erroneous and preconceived opinions, our defects of character, our smallness of faith, have seemed impossible.

“To everyone who offers himself to the Lord for service, withholding nothing, is given power for the attainment of measureless results. For these God will do great things. He will work upon the minds of men so that, even in this world, there shall be seen in their lives a fulfillment of the promise of the future state.” The Ministry of Healing, 159, 160.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What is faith?

2 How do doubts, which often can arise in conjunction with the theory of evolution, hinder one’s spiritual potential?

3 What are some key elements needed in order to search out God successfully?

4 In what ways should my life come more into harmony with genuine faith?

5 What are the secrets to victorious Christian life at its fullest?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Leadership by Faith

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November 19, 2011 – November 25, 2011

Key Text

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of … David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets.” Hebrews 11:32.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 569–574, 592–602; Testimonies, vol. 4, 176–185.

Introduction

“It is hardly possible for men to offer a greater insult to God than to despise and reject the instrumentalities that He has appointed to lead them.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 355.

1 A BELOVED PROPHET AND JUDGE

  • What is written of Samuel even before he was conceived in his mother’s womb, and how did he respond to God’s call as a child? I Samuel 1:20; 2:18; 3:10.

Note: “Though Samuel’s youth was passed at the tabernacle devoted to the worship of God, he was not free from evil influences or sinful example. The sons of Eli feared not God, nor honored their father; but Samuel did not seek their company nor follow their evil ways. It was his constant endeavor to become what God would have him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 573.

  • What are some ways in which Samuel was a blessing to Israel? I Samuel 7:8–13.

Note: “Samuel, by the Lord’s direction, established the schools of the prophets. These schools were intended to serve as a barrier against the wide-spreading corruption, to provide for the mental and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote the prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counselors. To this end, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious.” Education, 46.

2 THE NEW MONARCHY

  • What request of the Israelites grieved Samuel, and why? I Samuel 8:4–7, 18–22.
  • What did Samuel declare to the people about their new king, and how did the Lord demonstrate His support for the words of His servant? I Samuel 12:13–25.
  • What reveals the depth of Samuel’s love for God’s heritage? I Samuel 15:10, 11.
  • What had been the key to Saul’s remaining in power? I Samuel 15:17. Why was his reign called to a halt? I Samuel 15:18–23, 28; Psalm 75:5–7.

Note: “If Saul had shown a regard for the requirements of God in this time of trial, God could have worked His will through him. His failure now proved him unfit to be the vicegerent of God to His people. He would mislead Israel. His will, rather than the will of God, would be the controlling power. If Saul had been faithful, his kingdom would have been established forever; but since he had failed, the purpose of God must be accomplished by another. The government of Israel must be committed to one who would rule the people according to the will of Heaven.

“We do not know what great interests may be at stake in the proving of God. There is no safety except in strict obedience to the word of God. All His promises are made upon condition of faith and obedience, and a failure to comply with His commands cuts off the fulfillment to us of the rich provisions of the Scriptures. We should not follow impulse, nor rely on the judgment of men; we should look to the revealed will of God and walk according to His definite commandment, no matter what circumstances may surround us. God will take care of the results; by faithfulness to His word we may in time of trial prove before men and angels that the Lord can trust us in difficult places to carry out His will, honor His name, and bless His people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 621, 622.

  • What was Samuel soon to understand about God’s abundant mercy toward the erring nation longing for a king? I Samuel 16:1, 6, 7, 10–13.

3 LEADING IN THE FEAR OF GOD

  • How did Samuel describe the only type of king that God could endorse and bless? I Samuel 13:13, 14.

Note: “Saul had been after the heart of Israel, but David is a man after God’s own heart.” The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1888.

  • What are some of the various ways in which Hebrews 11:33, 34 can apply to the faith of David? I Samuel 17:34, 35; 19:8, 10, 18; Psalm 144:1.

Note: “On one occasion, as the evening shadows gathered, and he [David] laid aside his harp, he saw a dark form moving stealthily upon his flock. It was a bear, fierce with hunger, that sprang upon the sheep of his care; but David did not flee for his life. He felt that it was the very hour when his charges needed his protection. He lifted his heart to God in prayer for wisdom and help, that he might do his duty in this time of peril. With his strong arm he laid the bear in death at his feet. At another time he discovered a lion with a bleeding lamb between his jaws. Without hesitation the youthful shepherd engaged in a desperate encounter. His arm, nerved by the living God, forced the beast to release its bleeding victim, and as it turned, mad with disappointment, upon David, he buried his hand in its mane and killed the fierce invader. His experience in these matters proved the heart of David, and developed in him courage, and fortitude, and faith. God was teaching David lessons of trust. As Moses was trained for his work, so the Lord was fitting the son of Jesse to become the leader and guide of his chosen people. In his watchcare for his flocks, he was gaining an appreciation of the care that the great Shepherd has for the sheep of His pasture.” The Signs of the Times, August 3, 1888.

  • What was David eventually to instruct the heir to his throne about true leadership? I Kings 2:1–4.

4 DAVID’S ATTITUDE

  • Many are familiar with the serious sins and mistakes of David. Why then can he still be considered such an example of faith and leadership? Psalms 32:1–7; 51:1–4, 9–11.

Note: “It was when David was pure, and walking in the counsel of God, that God called him a man after His own heart. When David departed from God, and stained his virtuous character by his crimes, he was no longer a man after God’s own heart. God did not in the least degree justify him in his sins, but sent Nathan his prophet, with dreadful denunciations to David because he had transgressed the commandment of the Lord. God shows his displeasure at David’s having a plurality of wives by visiting him with judgments, and permitting evils to rise up against him from his own house. The terrible calamity God permitted to come upon David, who for his integrity was once called a man after God’s own heart, is evidence to after generations that God would not justify any one in transgressing his commandments, but that He will surely punish the guilty, however righteous, and favored of God they might once have been while they followed the Lord in purity of heart. When the righteous turn from their righteousness and do evil, their past righteousness will not save them from the wrath of a just and holy God.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 87.

  • What can we learn from how David responded when reproved? II Samuel 12:7–13. How did he view sin’s consequences? II Samuel 15:30, 32, first part; Proverbs 6:23.

Note: “Never was David dearer to the heart of Infinite Love than when, conscience-smitten, he fled for his life from his enemies, who had been stirred to rebellion by his own son. The Lord says, ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ Revelation 3:19. Christ lifts up the contrite heart and refines the mourning soul until it becomes His abode.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 11.

  • What reveals David’s humble acceptance of God’s will, even at times when his hopes may have been disappointed? I Chronicles 28:2, 3.

5 THE FAITH OF THE PROPHETS

  • What comes to mind when considering the trials of God’s prophets? James 5:10.
  • How does Hebrews 11:33 apply to Daniel under King Darius? Daniel 6:20–22.

Note: “Daniel would allow no earthly power to come in between him and his God, even with the prospect of death in the den of lions. Although God did not prevent Daniel from being cast into a den of lions, an angel went in with him and closed their mouths, so that no harm befell him.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 527.

  • How does Hebrews 11:36 apply to Jeremiah under King Zedekiah? Jeremiah 38:6.

Note: “Jeremiah could not be deterred from speaking the words that God had given him to speak; and his testimony so enraged the king and princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit.” The Acts of the Apostles, 575.

  • How does Hebrews 11:37 apply to Isaiah under King Manasseh? II Kings 21:16

Note: “Isaiah, who was permitted by the Lord to see wonderful things, was sawn asunder, because he faithfully reproved the sins of the Jewish nation.” The Signs of the Times, February 17, 1898.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 Why was Samuel so beloved?

2 Why was God loathe to give Israel a king, and why does He have no monarchy now?

3 What made David a better king than Saul?

4 Why can each one of us be encouraged by the way God dealt with David?

5 In following the steps of holy men of old, why will my life never be glamorous?

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Instruments of God’s Deliverance

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November 12, 2011 – November 18, 2011

Key Text

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae.” Hebrews 11:32.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 543–568; Gospel Workers (1892), 297–299, 309–319.

Introduction

“By the repeated manifestations of His power in behalf of Israel, God would lead them to have faith in Him—with confidence to seek His help in every emergency. He is just as willing to work with the efforts of His people now and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 554.

1 ADDRESSING AN EMERGENCY

  • Describe one predicament in which the Israelites found themselves during the time of the judges. Judges 6:1–6.
  • How did the Lord in His great mercy plan to remedy their situation? Judges 6:11–16.
  • What was the first step Gideon took at the peril of his life? Judges 6:22–32.

Note: “The deliverance of Israel was to be preceded by a solemn protest against the worship of Baal. Gideon must declare war upon idolatry before going out to battle with the enemies of his people.

“The divine direction was faithfully carried out. Knowing that he would be opposed if it were attempted openly, Gideon performed the work in secret; with the aid of his servants, accomplishing the whole in one night. Great was the rage of the men of Ophrah when they came next morning to pay their devotions to Baal. They would have taken Gideon’s life had not Joash—who had been told of the Angel’s visit—stood in defense of his son.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 547.

2 THE HUMBLE ENCOURAGED

  • What shows the deep humility of Gideon as God’s servant, and how will we likewise be blessed by reflecting such an attitude? Judges 6:17–23, 36–40; Proverbs 15:33.

Note: “The Lord can work most effectually through those who are most sensible of their own insufficiency, and who will rely upon Him as their leader and source of strength. He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, and wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.

“If they would cherish true humility, the Lord could do much more for His people; but there are few who can be trusted with any large measure of responsibility or success without becoming self-confident and forgetful of their dependence upon God. This is why, in choosing the instruments for His work, the Lord passes by those whom the world honors as great, talented, and brilliant. They are too often proud and self-sufficient. They feel competent to act without counsel from God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 553, 554.

“When we realize what is involved in our service to Christ, we are driven to the throne of grace to ask the Lord for the very things we need. He whose eyes are anointed with spiritual discernment feels that it means something to be a worker together with God. He will realize that it is perilous to trust in self; for self-confidence is vain. It is only when we accept solemn responsibility, relying upon God and distrusting self, that we can become efficient workers in His cause. To be clothed with humility does not mean that we are to be dwarfs in intellect, deficient in our aspirations, and cowardly in our lives, shunning all burdens for fear we shall not carry them successfully. In the strength of Christ we are to take up our responsibilities, bearing them for His sake, and ever going to Him for rest.” The Signs of the Times, August 15, 1892.

  • What added encouragement did God give to boost Gideon’s faith? Judges 7:9–15.

Note: “The apparently powerless condition of that little company of Israelites, compared with the vast host of the enemy, was fitly represented by the cake of barley bread. But as that loaf overthrew the tent upon which it fell, so would the handful of Israelites destroy their numerous and powerful enemies.” The Signs of the Times, July 14, 1881.

3 AMAZING METHODS

  • What are we to learn from the way Gideon was to select his army? Judges 7:1–8.

Note: “There is a lesson to be learned from Gideon’s army. It was not because of their great numbers that they prevailed, but because they were willing to follow the special directions of God by living faith. Those that were soon to press on to the battle, and who would scoop up the water and drink as they went, were the ones whom God accepted to engage in this enterprise; but those who prepared to have a good time, and bowed down leisurely and drank, were sent back to their homes.

“The Lord God of Israel looks upon us individually, and He sees whether we are in earnest in this matter. He sees whether we carry the burden of souls upon our hearts. He sees whether or not we touch these living interests with the tip ends of our fingers. If we have the interest that Knox had when he pleaded before God for Scotland, we shall have success. He cried, ‘Give me Scotland, Lord, or I die.’ And when we take hold of the work and wrestle with God, saying, ‘I must have souls; I will never give up the struggle,’ we will find that God will look upon our efforts with favor. He sees that if He gives you souls as the result of your ministry, it will not make you proud or lifted up. You will not be in a position where you will feel for an instant that someone else will get the credit for these souls; but you will feel so grateful to God that they are saved, that His praise will be in your hearts and on your lips day and night. It is such men that God will make mighty instruments to do His work.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 45.

  • What was the main way that God miraculously gave this victory? Judges 7:16–22.

Note: “The light of three hundred lamps, piercing the midnight darkness, and that mighty shout from three hundred voices, suddenly aroused the sleeping army. Believing themselves at the mercy of an overwhelming force, the Midianites were panic-stricken. A terrible scene of confusion ensued. In their fright they fled in all directions, and mistaking their own companions for enemies they slew one another.” The Signs of the Times, July 14, 1881.

4 THE EXPERIENCE OF BARAK

  • Describe another time when Israel was in trouble. Judges 4:1–3. What was to be the solution? Judges 4:4–9.

Note: “Barak knew the scattered, disheartened, and unarmed condition of the Hebrews, and the strength and skill of their enemies. Although he had been designated by the Lord Himself as the one chosen to deliver Israel, and had received the assurance that God would go with him and subdue their enemies, yet he was timid and distrustful. He accepted the message from Deborah as the word of God, but he had little confidence in Israel, and feared that they would not obey his call. He refused to engage in such a doubtful undertaking unless Deborah would accompany him, and thus support his efforts by her influence and counsel. Deborah consented, but assured him that because of his lack of faith, the victory gained should not bring honor to him; for Sisera would be betrayed into the hands of a woman.” The Signs of the Times, June 16, 1881.

  • How was Deborah’s prophecy of victory gained, and why? Judges 4:10–22; 5:1, 2.

Note: “The Israelites were but poorly prepared for an encounter, and looked with terror upon the vast armies spread out in the plain beneath them, equipped with all the implements of warfare, and provided with the dreaded chariots of iron. These were so constructed as to be terribly destructive. Large, scythe-like knives were fastened to the axles, so that the chariots, being driven through the ranks of the enemy, would cut them down like wheat before the sickle.

“The Israelites had established themselves in a strong position in the mountains, to await a favorable opportunity for an attack. Encouraged by Deborah’s assurance that the very day had come for signal victory, Barak led his army down into the open plain, and boldly made a charge upon the enemy. The God of battle fought for Israel, and neither skill in warfare, nor superiority of numbers and equipment, could withstand them. The hosts of Sisera were panicstricken; in their terror they sought only how they might escape. Vast numbers were slain, and the strength of the invading army was utterly destroyed. The Israelites acted with courage and promptness; but God alone could have discomfited the enemy, and the victory could be ascribed to Him alone.” The Signs of the Times, June 16, 1881.

5 SAMSON AND JEPHTHAH

  • Though Samson’s life shows little sign that he ever appreciated God’s calling, what evidence shows that he finally repented? Judges 16:21–31.

Note: “In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 566.

  • Describe the chronic problem of Israel, and how God felt about it. Judges 10:6–16. What should we realize when tempted by the same problem today? I John 3:13.
  • What was Jephthah’s background, and what was he called to do? Judges 11:1–11. What reveals his sense of reverence and trust in God? Judges 11:14, 27–32.
  • How did Jephthah show his integrity and deep understanding of the solemnity of speaking before God? Judges 11:33–40; Psalm 15:1, 4, last part; Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How does the life of Gideon demonstrate the link between humility and victory?

2 In what aspects of life can the lessons from Gideon’s military strategy apply today?

3 What action is needed in order for us to become more successful soul winners?

4 Why did God choose to deliver Israel at the hand of a woman in the time of Barak?

5 In what ways do the experiences of Samson and Jephthah offer us hope?

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Moses

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October 30, 2011 – November 5, 2011

Faith of Our Fathers

Key Text

“I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses.” Micah 6:4.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 469–480; Testimonies, vol. 1, 290–302; vol. 4, 20–27.

Introduction

“Moses was selected to be the shepherd of God’s own people, and it was through his firm faith and abiding trust in the Lord that so many blessings reached the children of Israel.” Special Testimonies on Education, 117.

1 THE CHILDHOOD OF MOSES

  • Through God’s providence, Joseph was able to supply the Hebrews with a goodly heritage in the land of Goshen. But what happened after his death? Acts 7:15–19.

Note: “They [the descendants of Jacob] had kept themselves a distinct race, having nothing in common with the Egyptians in customs or religion; and their increasing numbers now excited the fears of the king and his people. …

“The king and his counselors had hoped to subdue the Israelites with hard labor, and thus decrease their numbers and crush out their independent spirit. Failing to accomplish their purpose, they proceeded to more cruel measures. Orders were issued … to destroy the Hebrew male children. … The whole nation was called upon to hunt out and slaughter his helpless victims.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 242.

  • By a miracle of God, Jochebed was able to keep her infant son, Moses, throughout his early childhood before he would have to be given over, to be reared by the daughter of Pharaoh. How did she utilize this precious time? Hebrews 11:23; Proverbs 6:22.

Note: “She [Jochebed] endeavored to imbue his [Moses’] mind with the fear of God and the love of truth and justice, and earnestly prayed that he might be preserved from every corrupting influence.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 243, 244.

2 PREPARATION FOR A LIFEWORK

  • How did Moses develop in Egypt? Acts 7:21, 22. With all the splendor of the world’s greatest nation at his future command, what did he decide? Hebrews 11:24–27.
  • How and why was God to train Moses, and what were the results? Acts 7:23–35.

Note: “In the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as a keeper of sheep. Apparently cut off forever from his life’s mission, he was receiving the discipline essential for its fulfillment. Wisdom to govern an ignorant and undisciplined multitude must be gained through self-mastery. In the care of the sheep and the tender lambs he must obtain the experience that would make him a faithful, long-suffering shepherd to Israel. That he might become a representative of God, he must learn of Him.

“The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt, the affection of his foster mother, his own position as the grandson of the king, the luxury and vice that allured in ten thousand forms, the refinement, the subtlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, had made an impression on his mind and character. In the stern simplicity of the wilderness all this disappeared.

“Amidst the solemn majesty of the mountain solitudes Moses was alone with God. Everywhere the Creator’s name was written. Moses seemed to stand in His presence and to be overshadowed by His power. Here his self-sufficiency was swept away. In the presence of the Infinite One he realized how weak, how inefficient, how short-sighted, is man. …

“To Moses faith was no guesswork; it was a reality. He believed that God ruled his life in particular; and in all its details he acknowledged Him. For strength to withstand every temptation, he trusted in Him.

“The great work assigned him he desired to make in the highest degree successful, and he placed his whole dependence upon divine power. He felt his need of help, asked for it, by faith grasped it, and in the assurance of sustaining strength went forward.

“Such was the experience that Moses gained by his forty years of training in the desert. To impart such an experience, Infinite Wisdom counted not the period too long or the price too great.” Education, 62–64.

3 MIRACLES AT THE EXODUS

  • How was Moses able to establish before the people the authority entrusted to him by God, and how did Satan counterfeit it? Exodus 7:8–12; 8:16–18. What must we understand about the parallel to this phenomenon in the last days?

Note: “I [Ellen White] was pointed back to the time of Moses and saw the signs and wonders which God wrought through him before Pharaoh, most of which were imitated by the magicians of Egypt; and that just before the final deliverance of the saints, God would work powerfully for His people, and these modern magicians would be permitted to imitate the work of God.

“That time will soon come, and we shall have to keep hold of the strong arm of Jehovah; for all these great signs and mighty wonders of the devil are designed to deceive God’s people and overthrow them. Our minds must be stayed upon God, and we must not fear the fear of the wicked, that is, fear what they fear, and reverence what they reverence, but be bold and valiant for the truth. Could our eyes be opened, we should see forms of evil angels around us, trying to invent some new way to annoy and destroy us. And we should also see angels of God guarding us from their power; for God’s watchful eye is ever over Israel for good, and He will protect and save His people, if they put their trust in Him. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” Early Writings, 59, 60.

  • What miracles further accompanied the exodus, and how did the Lord endorse the leadership of Moses at this amazing time? Acts 7:36, 37; Psalms 103:6, 7; 105:26–42.

Note: “The Lord brought up His people from their long servitude in a signal manner, giving the Egyptians an opportunity to exhibit the feeble wisdom of their mighty men, and array the power of their gods in opposition to the God of heaven. The Lord showed them by His servant Moses that the Maker of the heavens and the earth is the living and all-powerful God, above all gods. That His strength was mightier than the strongest—that Omnipotence could bring forth his people with a high hand and with an outstretched arm. The signs and miracles performed in the presence of Pharaoh were not given for his benefit alone, but for the advantage of God’s people.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 204, 205.

4 LESSONS FOR TODAY

  • Why should we deeply appreciate some of the important illustrations cherished by the faithful ones participating in the exodus? I Corinthians 10:1–4; Hebrews 11:28.

Note: “Here [the Passover sprinkling of blood] was a work required of the children of Israel, which they must perform on their part, to prove them and to show their faith by their works in the great deliverance God had been bringing about for them. In order to escape the great judgment of God which he was to bring upon the Egyptians, the token of blood must be seen upon their houses. And they were required to separate themselves and their children from the Egyptians, and gather them into their own houses, for if any of the Israelites were found in the houses of the Egyptians, they would fall by the hand of the destroying angel. …

“The Passover pointed backward to the deliverance of the children of Israel, and was also typical, pointing forward to Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for the redemption of fallen man.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 223–225.

  • How can the miracle at the Red Sea apply to us? Hebrews 11:29; Exodus 14:10–16.

Note: “There are times when the Christian life seems beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before, and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly above all discouragements: ‘Go forward.’ We should obey this command, let the result be what it may, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness and though we feel the cold waves about our feet.

“The Hebrews were weary and terrified; yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, if they had refused to move nearer to the Red Sea, God would never have opened the path for them. In marching down to the very water, they showed that they had faith in the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that it was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel performed His part, and divided the waters to make a path for their feet.

“The clouds that gather about our way will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. … It is only through faith that we can reach heaven.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 26, 27.

5 DELIVERANCE TO THE FAITHFUL OBEDIENT

  • What should we learn from the real purpose for which God so graciously led and protected His heritage through that wilderness journey? Psalm 105:43–45.

Note: “There is great similarity between our history and that of the children of Israel. God led His people from Egypt into the wilderness, where they could keep His law and obey His voice. The Egyptians, who had no regard for the Lord, were encamped close by them; yet what was to the Israelites a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them, was to the hosts of Pharaoh a wall of clouds, making blacker the darkness of night.

“So, at this time, there is a people whom God has made the depositaries of His law. To those who obey them, the commandments of God are as a pillar of fire, lighting and leading the way to eternal salvation. But unto those who disregard them, they are as the clouds of night.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 27.

  • How is our experience to reflect the experience of Moses? Micah 6:3, 4; Revelation 15:2, 3.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 In guiding the young, what can I learn from the focus of Jochebed, Moses’ mother?

2 How might God be leading me to learn what Moses did during his period of solitude in the desert?

3 How can I cultivate the discernment to distinguish between true and false miracles?

4 In what areas of my life may God be saying right now, “Go forward by faith”?

5 Why do the 144,000 sing the song of Moses and the Lamb?

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Faith in Practice

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December 25, 2011 – December 31, 2011

Key Text

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18.

Study Help: Christ’s Object Lessons, 307–313.

Introduction

“When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

1 God’s Plan for Man

  • What evidence is there that God’s plan for man has never changed? Matthew 5:48.

Note: “The Lord requires perfection from His redeemed family. He expects from us the perfection which Christ revealed in His humanity. Fathers and mothers especially need to understand the best methods of training children that they may co-operate with God.” Child Guidance, 477.

  • How can perfection be possible in an imperfect world? The battleground for the most deadly conflict ever fought on this planet is the human mind. What is the only one effective weapon? Philippians 2:5.

Note: “We are to enter the school of Christ, to learn from Him meekness and lowliness. Redemption is that process by which the soul is trained for heaven. This training means a knowledge of Christ. It means emancipation from ideas, habits, and practices that have been gained in the school of the prince of darkness. The soul must be delivered from all that is opposed to loyalty to God.” The Desire of Ages, 330.

2 A Most Precious Gift

  • God made man a free moral agent with the ability to choose. How was this demonstrated in the Garden of Eden? Genesis 2:16, 17.

Note: “The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. They lived in perfect conformity to the will of God. All the strength of their affections was given to their heavenly Father. A beautiful soft light, the light of God, enshrouded the holy pair. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual garments of heavenly innocence. Had they remained true to God it would ever have continued to enshroud them. But when sin entered, they severed their connection with God, and the light that had encircled them departed. Naked and ashamed, they tried to supply the place of the heavenly garments by sewing together fig leaves for a covering.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 310, 311.

“This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will.” Steps to Christ, 47.

“You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions.” Messages to Young People, 153.

3 Obstacles to Enjoying Freedom

  • What obstacle do we face in achieving that perfection of character? I Peter 5:8.

Note: “While Satan is constantly seeking to blind their minds to the fact, let Christians never forget that they ‘wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places.’ Ephesians 6:12.” The Great Controversy, 510.

  • What two powers are seeking complete control of the mind to the exclusion of the other? Zechariah 3:1.

Note: “The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church. He has so concealed himself from view that many can hardly believe that he exists, much less can they be convinced of his amazing activity and power. They have to a great extent forgotten his past record; and when he makes another advance move, they will not recognize him as their enemy, that old serpent, but they will consider him a friend, one who is doing a good work. Boasting of their independence they will, under his specious, bewitching influence, obey the worst impulses of the human heart and yet believe that God is leading them. Could their eyes be opened to distinguish their captain, they would see that they are not serving God, but the enemy of all righteousness. They would see that their boasted independence is one of the heaviest fetters Satan can rivet on unbalanced minds.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 294.

4 Death Brings Life

  • How did Paul describe his battle with sin and the remedy for a sanctified life? Galatians 2:20.

Note: “When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. … The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome.” The Desire of Ages, 324.

  • Those who are finally rejected refuse to surrender their whole hearts and affections. Why will not all who claim to be Christians be saved? Matthew 7:22, 23.

Note: “Saddest of all words that ever fell on mortal ear are those words of doom, ‘I know you not’ [Matthew 25:12]. The fellowship of the Spirit, which you have slighted, could alone make you one with the joyous throng at the marriage feast. In that scene you cannot participate. Its light would fall on blinded eyes, its melody upon deaf ears. Its love and joy could awake no chord of gladness in the world-benumbed heart. You are shut out from heaven by your own unfitness for its companionship.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 413.

5 The Wedding Garment

  • Will all who call on the Lord be saved? Matthew 7:21–23.

Note: “This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us. ‘All our righteousness are as filthy rags.’ Isaiah 64:6. Everything that we of ourselves can do is defiled by sin.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

  • When the king entered the feast, why was one man evicted? Matthew 22:11–14.

Note: “The guests at the marriage feast were inspected by the king. Only those were accepted who had obeyed his requirements and put on the wedding garment. So it is with the guests at the gospel feast. All must pass the scrutiny of the great King, and only those are received who have put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

“Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What process will bring man back to the same condition as he was in the beginning?

2 Above all other gifts offered to man, what was given with the most risk, yet the most valuable?

3 What is the source of the power behind all contentions and daily obstacles?

4 What does all nature reveal must happen for us to have life?

5 Why will not all who call themselves Christian be saved?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.