(Secrets of Victory) 15. Words of Wisdom

If we keep the letter of the law but deny its spirit, we have a form of godliness without its power. A humble person is thankful to God and to man for the smallest things. If we are overcome by any sin, the root cause is pride somewhere or the other. If we are truly humble, it is impossible not to receive grace from God. A humble person can never be overcome by people, Satan or the flesh. If we humble ourselves, we will be protected by God's almighty hand. It is impossible for two people to become one, unless both are poor in spirit.

The poor in spirit are those who are conscious of their own need and who therefore judge themselves constantly. To have revelation is to see things, people and circumstances etc., from God's point of view. The beam in our eye is an unloving, judgemental attitude towards the brother who has a speck in his eye. The Law gives us commands, but gives us no ability to keep them. Grace calls us to a higher level, but gives us the power to reach it. Each day we have the opportunity either to do the will of God or to waste the day.

Obstacles in our way are not usually signals to retreat, but challenges to our faith. He who walks after the flesh makes demands on others, but he who walks after the Spirit bears with their weaknesses and serves them. He who is secure in the love of God will not judge or envy others or compete with them. All glory that is not glory to God is empty glory. If we live selfishly now, the memory of that life will cause us regret throughout eternity. God allows us to be in need and to receive help from others, to teach us our mutual dependence in the Body of Christ.

When we give a gift to another, we must do so without robbing him of his dignity as a human being. The real value of our life lies in what we have given and not in what we have received. What we receive by Divine revelation is our real wealth. The rest is mere knowledge and is as worthless as counterfeit currency. Faith can be based only on the word that we have heard from God. Man must live therefore by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. God has to bring us to a zero-point before He can lift us up and fulfil His purpose through us.

We are called, not to imitate Christ, but to follow Him and to partake of His nature. To fear God is to be faithful in our hidden life. No-one other than we ourselves can spoil God's perfect plan for our life. To be faithful in the use of money is a vastly higher thing than being just righteous in money matters. True spirituality consists in denying our own will and doing the will of God. To build on sand is to understand the doctrine and to be excited about it. To build on rock is to obey the Word of God.

To be spiritual, one must give up not only what is wrong but also what is unprofitable. To have spiritual gifts without Divine love is to be like an uninsulated electric wire, that brings death instead of light. Jesus was crucified - not because He lived a holy life, but because He exposed religious harlotry. Let us follow His example. No true prophet in the Bible ever came out of a Bible-school; only the false prophets did. All our human abilities and earthly qualifications have no value at all in the sight of God.

The highest archangel became the Devil through pride in his beauty, his wisdom and his position. We must always beware of such pride. The law is like an ointment that keeps our sores under control. Grace is like an antibiotic that kills the germs causing the sores. The unmistakable mark of faith is praise and thanksgiving to God. God gives us material things to be used - not to be loved or possessed. True Christianity lies midway between asceticism and materialism. We can be like Jesus only when He returns in glory, but we can walk as He walked even now.

Jesus grew in wisdom in his own home and in his place of work (carpentry-shop). We too can grow in wisdom in the same two places. When we accuse the brothers, we become co-workers with Satan; when we intercede for them, we become co-workers with Jesus. If we make ourselves a necessity to others, we hinder their walk with God. Everything that does not originate in love will perish one day. Our spiritual maturity is tested by our attitude towards those who do not see eye-to-eye with us.

To have a pure heart is to desire nothing and no-one but God. If Jesus could not serve His Father without the anointing of the Spirit, neither can we. A church without the gifts of the Spirit is like a paralysed man - he may have life, but he cannot serve others effectively. There are two persons for whom nothing is impossible - God and the person with faith. If we die to ourselves, we can "Rest in peace" at all times and in all situations.