Tag: Deny

The First “Prospect” – Yourself!

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Vance Havnerby Vance Havner

If my people…shall humble themselves… 2 Chronicles 7:14

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23

The churches of Macedonia…first gave their own selves to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 8:1, 5

Dr. Torrey’s first rule for revival was, “Let a few members of any church get thoroughly right with God themselves.” Then they might go after others, but not until then. In their zeal for new members too many churches urge old members into visiting and canvassing “prospects,” when first they need to get right with God themselves. We have no business going out to win others until we have faced our own condition first. Such activity may keep us from first giving ourselves to God. We may become occupied with others and thus dodge our own need. When Christians are right with God they will win others. Our revivals are stressing an “ingathering” of others, when God wants us to humble ourselves, deny ourselves, give ourselves.

A drive for “prospects” before we do that is no revival at all.

by Vance Havner

 

Exaltation of the Humble

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A.W. Tozerby A.W. Tozer

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

From Adam we inherit the instinct to meet our enemies head on, to try to win by direct assault, and it is only after many shocking failures that we learn that victories are not so won in the realm of the spiritual. The carnal approach usually does little more than to alienate the enemy still further from us and, worse than all, it puts us in a position where God cannot help us. The enemy never quite knows how to deal with a humble man; he is so used to dealing with proud, stubborn people that a meek man upsets his timetable. And furthermore, the man of true humility has God fighting on his side — who can win against God?

Strange as it may seem, we often win over our enemies only after we have first been soundly defeated by the Lord Himself. God often conquers our enemies by conquering us. He defeated Esau by defeating Jacob the night before on the bank of the Jabbok. The conquest of Esau took place in his brother Jacob. It is often so. When God foresees that we must meet a deadly opponent, he assures our victory by bringing us down in humbleness at His own feet. After that, everything is easy. We have put ourselves in a position where God can fight for us, and in a situation like that, the outcome is decided from eternity.

by A.W. Tozer