From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Trust and Do; Do and Trust
December 11
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (Psalm 37:3)
Trust and do are words which go well together, in the order in which the Holy Spirit has placed them. We should have faith, and that faith should work. Trust in God sets us upon holy doing: we trust God for good, and then we do good. We do not sit still because we trust, but we arouse ourselves and expect the Lord to work through us and by us. It is not ours to worry and do evil but to trust and do good. We neither trust without doing nor do without trusting.
Adversaries would root us out if they could; but by trusting and doing we dwell in the land. We will not go into Egypt, but we will remain in Immanuel’s land-the providence of God, the Canaan of covenant love. We are not so easily to be got rid of as the Lord’s enemies suppose. They cannot thrust us Out nor stamp us out: where God has given us a name and a place, there we abide.
But what about the supply of our necessities? The Lord has put a “verily” into this promise. As sure as God is true, His people shall be fed. It is theirs to trust and to do, and it is the Lord’s to do according to their trust. If not fed by ravens, or fed by an Obadiah, or fed by a widow, yet they shall be fed somehow. Away, ye fears!
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: abide, actions, adversaries, almighty, arouse, attitude, away, believers, Caanan, Christ, Christians, Comforter, covenant love, do, doing, dwell, easily, Egypt, Elohim, enemies, evil, expect, Faith, fears, fed, feed, given, go, God, God's people, God's Son, good, Heavenly Father, holiness, holy, Holy Spirit, Immanuel, Immanuel's land, Jehovah, Jesus, land, Lord, Lord's enemies, name, necessities, neither, Obadiah, order, ourselves, out, place, placed, Promise, protection, protector, providence of God, Provider, provision, ravens, remain, rid of, root, Savior, sets, sit, stamp, still, supply, suppose, through, thrust, together, true, trust, upon, well, widow, words, work, worry, Yahweh, Yeshua
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
God Is Our Ally
December 10
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. (Exodus 23:22)
The Lord Christ in the midst of His people is to be acknowledged and obeyed. He is the vice-regent of God and speaks in the Father’s name, and it is ours implicitly and immediately to do as He commands. We shall lose the promise if we disregard the precept.
To full obedience how large the blessing! The Lord enters into a league with His people, offensive and defensive. He will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. God will go heart and soul with His people and enter in deepest sympathy into their position. What a protection this affords us! We need not concern ourselves about our adversaries when we are assured that they have become the adversaries of God. If Jehovah has taken up our quarrel, we may leave the foemen in His hands.
So far as our own interest is concerned we have no enemies; but for the cause of truth and righteousness we take up arms and go forth to conflict. In this sacred war we are allied with the eternal God, and if we carefully obey the law of our Lord Jesus, He is engaged to put forth all His power on our behalf. Wherefore we fear no man.
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, adversary, afford, allied, almighty, arms, assured, behalf, Bible, Bless, blessing, carefully, causse, Christ, Comgorter, commands, complicity, concern, concerned, conflict, curse, deepest, defensive, disregard, Elohim, enemies, enemy, engaged, enters, eternal, far, foeman, forth, full, God, God's name, God's people, God's Power, God's Son, God's Word, hands, heart, Heavenly Father, holiness, Holy Spirit, immediately, interests, Jehovah, Jesus, large, law, league, leave, Lord, lose, obedience, obey, offensive, ourselves, position, precept, Promise, protection, protector, Provider, provision, put, quarrel, righteousness, sacred, Savior, secret, soul, speah, sympathy, taken up, truth, war, wepons, Yahweh, Yeshua
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Our Field of Battle
June 17
For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
We have no enemies but the enemies of God. Our fights are not against men but against spiritual wickednesses. We war with the devil and the blasphemy and error and despair which he brings into the field of battle. We fight with all the armies of sin — impurity, drunkenness, oppression, infidelity, and ungodliness. With these we contend earnestly, but not with sword or spear; the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
Jehovah, our God, abhors everything which is evil, and, therefore, He goeth with us to fight for us in this crusade. He will save us, and He will give us grace to war a good warfare and win the victory. We may depend upon it that if we are on God’s side God is on our side. With such an august ally the conflict is never in the least degree doubtful. It is not that truth is mighty and must prevail but that might lies with the Father who is almighty, with Jesus who has all power in heaven and in earth, and with the Holy Spirit who worketh His will among men.
Soldiers of Christ, gird on your armor. Strike home in the name of the God of holiness, and by faith grasp His salvation. Let not this day pass without striking a blow for Jesus and holiness.
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, battle, blasphemy, Christ, despair, Devil, Elohim, enemies, error, fight, foes, God, Heaavenly Father, help, Holy Spirit, Jehovah, Jesus, Lord, Promise, salvation, Satan, save, Savior, sin, spiritual warfare, victory, war, warfare, wickedness, Yahweh
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Wait for the Finals
May 11
Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. (Genesis 49:19)
Some of us have been like the tribe of Gad. Our adversaries for a while were too many for us; they came upon us like a troop. Yes, and for the moment they overcame us; and they exulted greatly because of their temporary victory. Thus they only proved the first part of the family heritage to be really ours, for Christ’s people, like Dan, shall have a troop overcoming them. This being overcome is very painful, and we should have despaired if we had not by faith believed the second line of our father’s benediction, “He shall overcome at the last.” “All’s well that ends well,” said the world’s poet; and he spoke the truth. A war is to be judged, not by first success or defeats, but by that which happens “at the last.” The Lord will give to truth and righteousness victory “at the last”; and, as Mr. Bunyan says, that means forever, for nothing can come after the last.
What we need is patient perseverance in well-doing, calm confidence in our glorious Captain. Christ, our Lord Jesus, would teach us His holy art of setting the face like a flint to go through with work or suffering till we can say, “It is finished.” Hallelujah. Victory! Victory! We believe the promise. “He shall overcome at the last.”
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, attacks, Captain, confidence, Defeat, Elohim, enemies, Faith, Gad, God, Jehovah, Jesus, last, Last Days, Lord, overcome, perseverance, Promise, Savior, tribe, troop, victory, Yaahweh
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Dauntless Faith
March 29
I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. (Acts 18:10)
So long as the Lord had work for Paul to do in Corinth, the fury of the mob was restrained. The Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed; but they could neither stop the preaching of the gospel nor the conversion of the hearers. God has power over the most violent minds. He makes the wrath of man to praise Him when it breaks forth, but He still more displays His goodness when He restrains it; and He can restrain it. “By the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone, till thy people pass over, I Lord.”
Do not, therefore, feel any fear of man when you know that you are doing your duty. Go straight on, as Jesus would have done, and those who oppose shall be as a bruised reed and as smoking flax. Many a time men have had cause to fear because they were themselves afraid; but a dauntless faith in God brushes fear aside like the cobwebs in a giant’s path. No man can harm us unless the Lord permits. He who makes the devil himself to flee at a word can certainly control the devil’s agents. Maybe they are already more afraid of you than you are of them. Therefore, go forward, and where you looked to meet with foes you will find friends.
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, advocates, afraid, attacks, battles, blaspheme, Christ, Corinth, courage, danger, enemies, Fear, friends, fury, God, Heavenly Father, help, Holy Spirit, hope, Hurt, Jehovah, Jesus, Lord, mob, Paul, preaching, Promise, protection, Satan, strength, victory, Yahweh
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Lead the Way
March 28
The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13)
If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. Though this be a promise of the law, yet it stands good to the people of God; for Jesus has removed the curse, but He has established the blessing.
It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shalt not crave toleration for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord Jesus made His people priests? Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?
Have you, dear friend, taken up your true position for Jesus? Too many are silent because diffident, if not cowardly. Should we allow the name of the Lord Jesus to be kept in the background? Should our religion drag along as a tail? Should it not rather lead the way and be the ruling force with ourselves and others?
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, believers, blessings, Christ, church, courage, cowardice, Faith, first, followers, God, head, Jehovah, Jesus, last, law, Lord, obedience, people of God, Promise, religion, stand, tail, World, Yahweh
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
God Is Our Ally
December 10
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. (Exodus 23:22)
The Lord Christ in the midst of His people is to be acknowledged and obeyed. He is the vice-regent of God and speaks in the Father’s name, and it is ours implicitly and immediately to do as He commands. We shall lose the promise if we disregard the precept.
To full obedience how large the blessing! The Lord enters into a league with His people, offensive and defensive. He will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. God will go heart and soul with His people and enter in deepest sympathy into their position. What a protection this affords us! We need not concern ourselves about our adversaries when we are assured that they have become the adversaries of God. If Jehovah has taken up our quarrel, we may leave the foemen in His hands.
So far as our own interest is concerned we have no enemies; but for the cause of truth and righteousness we take up arms and go forth to conflict. In this sacred war we are allied with the eternal God, and if we carefully obey the law of our Lord Jesus, He is engaged to put forth all His power on our behalf. Wherefore we fear no man.
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, attacks, Christ, commandments, commands, enemies, foes, God, heart, Heavenly Father, help, hope, Jehovah, Jesus, Lord, obedience, Promise, protection, soul, vice-regent, Yahweh
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Who Has the Majority?
August 17
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. (2 Kings 6:16)
Horses and chariots and a great host shut up the prophet in Dothan. His young servant was alarmed. How could they escape from such a body of armed men? But the prophet had eyes which his servant had not, and he could see a greater host with far superior weapons guarding him from all harm. Horses of fire are mightier than horses of flesh, and chariots of fire are far preferable to chariots of iron.
Even so is it at this hour. The adversaries of truth are many, influential, learned, and crafty; and truth fares ill at their hands; and yet the man of God has no cause for trepidation. Agencies, seen and unseen, of the most potent kind, are on the side of righteousness. God has armies in ambush which will reveal themselves in the hour of need. The forces which are on the side of the good and the true far outweigh the powers of evil. Therefore, let us keep our spirits up, and walk with the gait of men who possess a cheering secret, which has lifted them above all fear. We are on the winning side. The battle may be sharp, but we know how it will end. Faith, having God with her, is in a clear majority: “They that be with us are more than they that be with them.”
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, angels, armed, chariots, courage, evil men, Fear, fight, God, hope, horses, Hosts, Jesus, Lord, prophet, trust, truth, victory, weapons
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Wait for the Finals
May 11
Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. (Genesis 49:19)
Some of us have been like the tribe of Gad. Our adversaries for a while were too many for us; they came upon us like a troop. Yes, and for the moment they overcame us; and they exulted greatly because of their temporary victory. Thus they only proved the first part of the family heritage to be really ours, for Christ’s people, like Dan, shall have a troop overcoming them. This being overcome is very painful, and we should have despaired if we had not by faith believed the second line of our father’s benediction, “He shall overcome at the last.” “All’s well that ends well,” said the world’s poet; and he spoke the truth. A war is to be judged, not by first success or defeats, but by that which happens “at the last.” The Lord will give to truth and righteousness victory “at the last”; and, as Mr. Bunyan says, that means forever, for nothing can come after the last.
What we need is patient perseverance in well-doing, calm confidence in our glorious Captain. Christ, our Lord Jesus, would teach us His holy art of setting the face like a flint to go through with work or suffering till we can say, “It is finished.” Hallelujah. Victory! Victory! We believe the promise. “He shall overcome at the last.”
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, battle, God, hope, Jesus, Lord, overcome, patience, perseverance, troop, victory, win
From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Lead the Way
March 28
The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13)
If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. Though this be a promise of the law, yet it stands good to the people of God; for Jesus has removed the curse, but He has established the blessing.
It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shalt not crave toleration for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord Jesus made His people priests? Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?
Have you, dear friend, taken up your true position for Jesus? Too many are silent because diffident, if not cowardly. Should we allow the name of the Lord Jesus to be kept in the background? Should our religion drag along as a tail? Should it not rather lead the way and be the ruling force with ourselves and others?
From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags: adversaries, blessing, bravery, cowardness, disinterest, evil, firmness, God, good, head, Jesus, law, Lord, oppression, people, Promise, religion, reward, soceital standards, standing up, tail