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For Those Seeking The Truth
& Dynamic Living Christ is Victor |
July/August 2011
Volume 24, Number 4
“God is at My Right Hand!”
“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” -Psalm 16:8
This is a wonderful Psalm that brings out the deepest feelings of a child of God. I felt God at my right hand during my college days. This was true even later on, all through my life, by His grace. “Always before you”—while in the midst of friends, while in the midst of enemies, while in your games, at meal times and while asleep.
“My reins (inward parts) instruct me in the night watches!” When you keep God’s word in your heart, it instructs you in your sleep. What your heart values and preserves will determine your character. What you preserve in your heart as the most precious ambition will direct your actions.
God spoke to Abraham in the night time and showed him the stars. God wants to instruct us in the night seasons—deepening your desire for Him. You must meditate on the word of God. When the thoughts of God and the word of God dominate your subconscious mind and envelope your whole being with desires for Him, your life will be a success. If God is your portion, you will conquer in your battles of life. Your inheritance is God Himself! The nature of the One who died on the Cross is the nature that will conquer the world. Men full of God’s thoughts and nature can never be shaken. They may be put in prison, burnt or killed, but they cannot be shaken.
“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.” David says that he drinks in God and His nature. God is your inheritance and He preserves your inheritance. David rises to great heights in these deep thoughts. “The lines are fallen for me in pleasant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage.” (v 6). The portion of the land which God had measured for Him was in the best place.
You will have victory in every place that you tread. God gave me such victories in my youth. I could present Him as the supreme One in every college I went to. Young people were attracted to Him. You must conquer like that. Your faith will be honoured. Be pure and holy in the sight of God.
God’s aims for you are very high. David could see God at his right hand counseling him and leading him to fullness of joy. Hence he says, “My flesh shall rest in hope.” The body is the enemy of the Spirit’s ambitions. Perfection comes through sacrifice, spiritual discipline and humbling oneself before the Cross.
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy: at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (v. 11). If in your youth, God is not at your right hand choosing for you the portion in life, your life can never be a success. God’s intention is to give you the best. His patience and long-suffering are wonderful. We spoil His purposes by our selfishness. It is wonderful how in spite of our selfishness and disobedience, He tries to make the best of what is left to Him. In His patience and longsuffering, He bears with us.
We spoil our life by not studying the word of God. “… Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” Sometimes people give themselves to God in their old age and God tries to make the best of that bit which is left. But God wants us in our youth. I often ask God to forgive me for having spoiled His plans by my disobedience. Though we are converted we often grieve Him and spoil His purposes. I wish I had obeyed Him more in my college days. One day certain friends got a telegram to say a niece of theirs died. People were praying for the comfort. God asked me to pray that she may live. I feared their ridicule and refused to pray that way. Actually she lived. The telegram was wrongly worded. I did not glorify God because I cared for my name. Grow to be perfect men of God. God calls you. At His right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
-N. Daniel
“The Judge
and the Burglar”
A large prosperous downtown church had three mission churches under its care that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission churches, which were located in the slums of the city, were some outstanding cases of conversions—thieves, burglars, and so on—but all knelt side by side at the Communion rail.
On one such occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England—it was the judge who had sent him to jail where he had served seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and became a Christian worker. Yet, as they knelt there, the judge and the former convict neither one seemed to be aware of the other.
After the service, the judge was walking home with the pastor and said to the pastor, “Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?” The pastor replied, “Yes, but I didn’t know that you noticed.”
The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace!” The pastor nodded in agreement. “Yes, what marvelous miracle of grace!” Then the judge said, “But to whom do you refer?” And the pastor said, “Why, to the conversion of that convict.” The judge said, “But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself.”
The pastor, surprised, replied: “You were thinking of yourself? I don’t understand.”
“Yes,” the judge replied, “it did not cost that burglar much to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Saviour he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help.
“But look
at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word
was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take Communion and so on. I went through
“Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on level with that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self deception, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict that I sent to prison.”
-Selected
“Billy
Sunday - A Diamond in the Rough”
One night a boy stood under a street lamp, swearing like a sailor. Dr. Homer Stuntz, who believed in the limitless possibilities of even bad boys when changed by God’s grace, approached the boy and began jollying with him. The friendly approach seemed to cause the boy to swear all the more. Not daunted by the boy’s profanity, and seeing beneath his rough exterior great potentialities, the gentleman invited him to become a member of his Sunday-school class. The boy promised to attend, but failed to do so. The faithful teacher did not become discouraged, but continued to invite him to his class.
Finally the boy
began to attend the class. He was bullheaded, irreverent, and the “worst
boy in the class.” He constantly asked questions which nobody could
answer. Somehow the faithful and patient teacher saw behind the tricky
questions great intelligence. Time passed. Then, one day, Dr. Stuntz said, “My boy, how
would you like to go to college?” “The best in the world,” replied
the boy with a twinkle in his eye. He became a student at
Who was that boy in whom a Sunday-school teacher saw great possibilities and made an investment the dividends of which can never be fully computed this side of the judgment seat of Christ? It was none other than Billy Sunday, the world-famed evangelist, whose faithful preaching and soul-winning ministry brought many to Christ.
Of that faithful Sunday-school teacher, Billy Sunday said after fame came to him, “You are the one who started me in the right direction.”
-Selected
Reality Check!
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at
my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:8
“Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out!”
“Hear
this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of
Selfishness and sin have grown to such a pitch in the
heart of men that righteousness and a correct distinction between right and
wrong is greatly disliked and hated by most people. But the God of the Bible,
the Living God is just and true and is the God of judgment. Thus in His sight
and before His holy Word, actions and thoughts, motives and secret ambitions,
men of high degree and men of low estate are all weighed, searched,
categorized, seen and judged for what they are.
Talking in practical terms, when a father or a mother
dies leaving some property or money, the natural inclination of the sons is for
each to get the best portion possible. The financial stress in the large family
of one or the inadequate salary of another of the brothers,
does not always carry weight or gain in the sympathy of the other brothers or
sisters. “That is his own fault. He should have
studied harder when Daddy gave him the opportunity and he would have landed in
a better job,” they say. Hard words with no sympathy at all for their own
brother!
Now the Living God says, “Can’t you be
just and fair? Can’t you give him the finer part of the land which will
yield him a little more harvest? Should you be filled with so much ill will
when it comes to property or money?” But men hate judgment.
With all our boasted education and culture, I have
found men in many parts of the world to be so biased, prejudiced, insular with
national and parochial obsessions and it is hardly possible for them to be
objective and fair-minded. Whether it is a property division in a family or
politics at an international level, it is just the same. Self interest and
selfishness and a total lack of objectivity cloud all judgment.
Nowadays, promoting justice and upholding the just
cause impartially, seems no longer to be the objective of law courts in many
parts of the world. Governments so pressurize judges to promote their pet
interests and social programs, that an individual today is denied his rights.
The hardworking man has every reason to feel victimized and the just man to
feel hated and not wanted. All this tilts the balance strongly against
fair-mindedness, truth and justice.
The Living God is by no means coerced or frightened by
all the unjust, immoral ways of men. Everyone of us
will have to give an account of all the deeds done in this body before Him. Unrighteousness
can never be painted white in His sight. Lies and untruthfulness will never be
winked at before the High Tribunal of God. They will only damn your soul and
condemn you to hell fire.
Most people do not know that judgment is inherent in
righteousness. That is, there is always alongside of it, judgment. It is as
simple as this: when the day dawns everything that needs to be hidden away or
everything that dare not be seen is put under covers. The light of day is too
much for the robber to rob in, for the murderer to murder, or the gang of
terrorists to sit in open deliberation of their next move. They run away before
the day breaks. They know that their own actions are wrong and therefore cannot
stand the light of day. So light and judgment go together.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness.
When He comes into your life sin must run away. Every wicked motive and every
deceitful desire, every unclean impulse, every homosexual deed or sexual
perversion must be put away. It is impossible to harbor sin in your heart
anymore.
More and more people act on the belief that
unrighteousness, lies, bribes and wickedness pay. For a short season, in His
great long-suffering the Living God gives you a long rope. But it is impossible
that a family or a group of people will prosper long who practice wickedness,
propagate lies and act without principle. They are doomed to fall and disaster
is bound to overtake them.
Many people ignore the simple principle that they will
reap what they sow. You cannot sow wild oats and reap
a bumper harvest of the finest wheat.
Loving the people, praying for the people and lifting
heavy burdens off the people is the role of a priest. But should a priest or a
preacher be given to much eating or spendthrift ways,
he will soon be looking for more and more money. In fact what has a preacher to
do with money? The more money you have, the more worries you have. How can any
preacher function merely because he is paid? A priest and a prophet are the
representatives of God. Money or cash is not the medium through which they
operate or establish their work. It is by prayer and the power that you have
with God that your credentials are established.
What if you have a million in the bank? Is that going
to make your prayer more effectual? On the contrary, you are likely to plummet
into a life of materialism and worldliness. The priests who teach for hire are
a curse to any people. The purse is the last thing which should figure in the
thinking of a true Christian preacher. These are hard days, no doubt. But the
Lord who takes care of the sparrow will not forget you. From my boyhood days I
have seen my parents walk and preach without any regard to money, and after
operating fifty years myself in this manner, I know that this is the only way
by which a Christian worker who wants to be true to God can operate.
Alas! What a day of decline and disaster we are living
in today, when “priests teach for hire and the prophets prophesy for
money!” Dear reader, you can start spiritual revolution around you by
returning the bribes that you have taken, and by cleansing your conscience in
obedience to God’s Word. The Lord Jesus Christ will endue you with His
peace, righteousness and power, and the workers of unrighteousness around you
will tremble and fear.
When the Spirit of God works in you, you have a very
clear and strong sense of what is right and wrong. Instead of hating the Spirit
of judgment, we welcome and embrace it, for without it we would stumble and
fall.
-Joshua
Daniel
“She Dared to Trust God”
A little
white-haired old lady was traveling alone on a great ocean liner. Her daughter
and family had moved from
One day as the little lady strolled on the deck, the officer said to his wealthy friend, “See that old lady? She is probably the only person on this boat who is perfectly happy.”
“How interesting,” rejoined the other, “I should like to meet her.”
The two were
introduced, whereupon the millionaire inquired where the lady was going.
“To
“And what
part of
“I’m sorry. I don’t know the name of the town, for I have lost my daughter Mary’s letter and I have written to no one to meet me, since I could travel as fast as the post. But my heavenly Father will see to it that I find the place all right.”
The captain and his friend looked at each other in astonishment. Finally one of them spoke, “But the United States is an immense place, and to find any one house without knowing either state or town is an impossibility.”
“Oh, but
it is a pretty house with two big nut trees in front, so I am sure it will not
be so difficult,” insisted the old lady. “Anyhow,” she added
sweetly, “my Father above knows all about it, and though the
On the day
following, the boat docked at
As the two found the way through the city crowds, the officer asked the lady if she would wait on the corner for a moment while he went to buy a newspaper. She consented.
But the next instant a policeman turned and supposing she wished to cross, took her arm saying, “Here now, this is just the time to get you over.”
Before protest could be made, the poor soul found herself swallowed up in the crowd on the other side. Here she was borne along for some distance till, reaching an open space by a garage, she stepped aside to pray for help, which was sorely needed.
Suddenly her attention was drawn to a group of men close by, and as one of them turned and looked at her, she gave a startled but joyous cry, “John! Oh, John! Is it really you?”
“Mother!” came the astonished reply as the gentleman came quickly toward her. “How on earth did you get here?”
“Why, I just came over on the boat, but I lost Mary’s letter and forgot the address, so God had to find you for me.”
“But,
Mother,” he went on in amazement, “we live a long way from
“Oh, that doesn’t matter to God,” she replied, smiling. “And now take me back to the ship so I can show the captain how my heavenly Father has looked out for me.”
The two found the captain berating his officer for leaving the old lady alone and unprotected. “She is lost and it is entirely your fault,” he was saying.
“Oh, no, I
am right here,” cried the subject of conversation; “And I want to
introduce you to my good son-in-law whom God sent all the way to
Also, I want you to see for yourself that it is not at all a foolish thing to trust God really and truly.”
-Selected
“Don’t Give Up”
Thomas Edison, probably the greatest inventor in history, only had three months of formal schooling. Yet his 1,093 inventions transformed the world, including motion pictures, mimeograph machines, the phonograph, and the electric light.
His secret? He defined genius as “one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” and he proved his definition by working for days at a time, obsessed with his projects, stopping only for short catnaps.
Failure never
discouraged him. When about 10,000 experiments with a storage battery failed to
produce results, a friend tried to console him. “Why, I have not
failed’
We need to have the right attitude towards failures in Christian life, as failures can become stepping stones for success. Don’t give up!
-Selected
This
newsletter is produced six times per year by the Laymen’s Evangelical
Fellowship International. It is printed and distributed in the
This Fellowship is an inter-denominational missionary and
prayer group working for revival in churches and amongst students in several
countries. We invite every layperson to become God’s ally in changing his
or her corner of the world. We train people in evangelistic work and to be
self-supporting missionaries.
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14200 Sungai Bakap, Seberang
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