Growth Born To Endure

[netchaplain]

That which we most dread—weakness and failure—are the very means by which our Father turns us from self-reliance to full dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

“Walking in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, He leads up our hearts to where we are in the Lord Jesus. The new man finds delight in Him, and nowhere else. The Spirit is the living link between us and the Son in glory. He causes us to gaze upon Him, and we become changed into the same image, from glory to glory. This is true Christianity—the heart drawn off things here and lovingly occupied with the One who is our Christian life.â€

“As the believer grows, and his path becomes more involved, he is taught more about the Holy Spirit’s ministry, for he needs this doctrine increasingly for his comfort and rest in trial. His faith is not so strong and unwavering as he imagined; the ardor of his love soon vanishes; the power of sin, which at first he fancied was utterly broken, makes itself felt again, prayer becomes languid and joy seems to have taken flight.

“In other words, the Father leads him into the valley, and lest he should make an idol of his faith, and a well-spring of a cistern, he is taught something of himself. Who does not know of this second stage of the Christian life, at first so painful, so humiliating, and filling the soul with perplexity? It is thus that we learn that the Spirit who has renewed our spirit must also sustain our new life; that we depend entirely on divine grace and strength, not merely to bring us to the Lord Jesus, but to keep us abiding in Him where He is.â€

Who does not know of this second stage of the Christian life, at first so painful, so humiliating, and filling the soul with perplexity? It is thus that we learn that the Spirit who has renewed our spirit must also sustain our new life; that we depend entirely on divine grace and strength, not merely to bring us to the Lord Jesus, but to keep us abiding in Him where He is.â€

-A M

 

[ejected]

I get the hour of confusion and pain. My hour lasted 27years. The sad part is the way we do 'church' is more of a hindrance than a help. But the desperate hours should drive a person to seek Him and search for His truth even harder. One piece at a time does He reveal. I don't worry about the years. It was all part of the plan. But it has been A very hard row to hoe. Indeed.

 

[netchaplain]

I get the hour of confusion and pain. My hour lasted 27years. The sad part is the way we do 'church' is more of a hindrance than a help. But the desperate hours should drive a person to seek Him and search for His truth even harder. One piece at a time does He reveal. I don't worry about the years. It was all part of the plan. But it has been A very hard row to hoe. Indeed.

Hi Withheld - I believe the tide for Scriptural understanding has been low for about halve a century, but within the last decade or so I've been noticing more believers, those who've been abiding well, beginning to be brought back to the increase of Biblical learning, which is where all Christians get the majority of their encouragement because it's where the spiritual growth is the greatest and most maintained--by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:13).

Thanks for the reply and God's blessings to your Family!