NEVER DISCOURAGED
I Kings 18:42
The one great barrier in the way, the one clog that Satan puts in the wheel, and the one dark cloud he throws upon the skies, is discouragement. He is well aware of the fact that a discouraged soul is easily defeated. Discouragement places us in the fog, covers the lighthouse, and puts us in troubled waters. Discouragement ices the faith, snows the prayer, and drives us out to sea by a frightful gale. A discouraged man is a weak man, too weak to stand the strain of a siege. To be discouraged is to be blocked about and hedged in by a force that is akin to Hell. Why should we be discouraged? Why should we grow faint-hearted? Why should we stand trembling, knees smiting one the other? Why not be bold? Why not be filled with electric currents of courage? Why not be master of the situation?
Discouragement comes largely through our lookers.
It was in the city of G____ we were conducting a meeting. We had run nine days and nights. It seemed the whole thing was encased in ice, and we were all in the frigid zone, There had hardly been a groan, not a sign of a shout, nor any sign of conviction, so far as one could see. There were only two sanctified people in the church -- a man and his wife, We had preached nine long days and nights on Hell. Things were hot, We had stuck to the guns. We had not failed to declare the whole Gospel. We had exhorted and begged the Christians to be much in prayer.
On Monday morning, as we came from the parsonage to the church, we met this sanctified man and his wife, and they were blue. They were actually discouraged. They were downhearted, They said, "Think of it! We have called you here, a Holiness evangelist, and now we have prayed and fasted, and you have preached, and the ninth day is upon us, and no break. It's awful. We just can't stand it." They said to us, "We can't come to church this morning." We said to them, "The darkest hour is just before dawn. Never be discouraged. Never give up; first, because it is not our work; second, we are not doing it from a selfish viewpoint; third, God knows best how and when to give a revival; fourth, He has promised that His Word should never return unto Him void, and we must look to Him, not to the environments. We must look to Him, not to the hardness of the people. We know that this is one among the most indifferent places in which we have ever preached. The people are so careless, so negligent, so filled with worldly pleasures and amusements, that seemingly they have no desire to give God a chance at their souls, but we must keep at it. We cannot afford to quit, and if we become discouraged we might just as well quit."
We had gone into the woods the evening before, and fallen upon our face and cried to God: "This is an awful battle. Our arms are too short. Thou must do the work. Thou knowest best. Thou
I Kings 18:42
The one great barrier in the way, the one clog that Satan puts in the wheel, and the one dark cloud he throws upon the skies, is discouragement. He is well aware of the fact that a discouraged soul is easily defeated. Discouragement places us in the fog, covers the lighthouse, and puts us in troubled waters. Discouragement ices the faith, snows the prayer, and drives us out to sea by a frightful gale. A discouraged man is a weak man, too weak to stand the strain of a siege. To be discouraged is to be blocked about and hedged in by a force that is akin to Hell. Why should we be discouraged? Why should we grow faint-hearted? Why should we stand trembling, knees smiting one the other? Why not be bold? Why not be filled with electric currents of courage? Why not be master of the situation?
Discouragement comes largely through our lookers.
It was in the city of G____ we were conducting a meeting. We had run nine days and nights. It seemed the whole thing was encased in ice, and we were all in the frigid zone, There had hardly been a groan, not a sign of a shout, nor any sign of conviction, so far as one could see. There were only two sanctified people in the church -- a man and his wife, We had preached nine long days and nights on Hell. Things were hot, We had stuck to the guns. We had not failed to declare the whole Gospel. We had exhorted and begged the Christians to be much in prayer.
On Monday morning, as we came from the parsonage to the church, we met this sanctified man and his wife, and they were blue. They were actually discouraged. They were downhearted, They said, "Think of it! We have called you here, a Holiness evangelist, and now we have prayed and fasted, and you have preached, and the ninth day is upon us, and no break. It's awful. We just can't stand it." They said to us, "We can't come to church this morning." We said to them, "The darkest hour is just before dawn. Never be discouraged. Never give up; first, because it is not our work; second, we are not doing it from a selfish viewpoint; third, God knows best how and when to give a revival; fourth, He has promised that His Word should never return unto Him void, and we must look to Him, not to the environments. We must look to Him, not to the hardness of the people. We know that this is one among the most indifferent places in which we have ever preached. The people are so careless, so negligent, so filled with worldly pleasures and amusements, that seemingly they have no desire to give God a chance at their souls, but we must keep at it. We cannot afford to quit, and if we become discouraged we might just as well quit."
We had gone into the woods the evening before, and fallen upon our face and cried to God: "This is an awful battle. Our arms are too short. Thou must do the work. Thou knowest best. Thou
understandest that we've done all we saw to be done. Seemingly the saints have prayed. Can this be Thy opportune time? Hear us for Calvary's sake."
We knew perfectly well that God was going to give the revival; we could hear the cows lowing; we could see the mulberry tops shaking. We went on to the church that Monday morning, had several songs and earnest prayers, arose in the pulpit and took our text, raised our hand and started to say something, When, all at once there was a mighty going, there was a mighty rushing wind that filled the house. One could feel that the Triune God had moved in much of Heaven's artillery; angels seemed to be standing thick in the church; the Shekinah was there.
A stout woman who was sitting in the "Amen Corner," jumped to her feet and said, "Sister Jenkins and I do not speak. I want you to pray for me." About that time there was a crash, and this woman was stretched out on the floor, knocked down under the power of God. A merchant who was a rival to another merchant -- they were not on good terms, there was a coolness -- arose in the audience, and said, "Mr. Jacobs, if you'll meet me half way we'll bury the hatchet, handle and all." They started, but behold! they were knocked down in the aisle; they did not get to each other. A schoolteacher got up to say something, but fell sprawling. There were thirteen prostrations, and thirty-three running up and down the aisle shouting, and sixteen or seventeen souls swept into the kingdom -- when all at once this man and his wife heard the going, and came running into the church. How they did look! They came to us and said, "The walls are falling." We said, "Yes, indeed, God always answers by fire those who stand still and see the salvation of God, and never watch the waves climb the skies and lash the stars, but keep at it, cling on, and pray clear through."
On Sunday night in this revival, twenty rushed to the altar at the first call, twenty came at the second call, and all of the forty were gloriously saved.
This prophet of God knew that for him to let God have His way through him, he must cover up his lookers. How many get discouraged, grow faint-hearted, become dismayed, befogged, do not feel good and well nigh give up, where, if we were to go by faith, sing and work by faith, we would be on the victory side.
A precious woman at Bonnie Camp, who had some kind of spinal spells, had become discouraged. She sent for us, and we took five or six other saints. She had become unconscious when we got to her room. Her head was drawn back, and she was rigid. The husband was wringing his hands and crying; he thought his wife was near the chilly waters of the Jordan. To look at her, one could have had no faith for her healing; to look at her, one would never have believed for her healing; to look at her, one would have been discouraged; to look at her, one would have failed and have defeated God and a great victory and her enjoying the blessing of healing. We simply bowed by the chairs in the room, and first one and then another prayed. The gurgling sound was so loud that we thrust our fingers into our ears as far as we could, and went down in the valley of earnest, heart agony. The battle raged, but the saints stuck to the guns; the enemy was entrenched and putting up a stubborn resistance, but we kept at it.
The Spirit slipped to the writer, saying, "Take her by the hand and command her, in the name of Jesus Christ, to arise and walk." Had we looked, we would never have obeyed this blessed voice we would have defeated God's purpose, and this one, maybe, would have died. We said, "Lord Jesus, if this is Thy voice, speak once again, and this Thy servant obeyeth Thee." As quickly as said, the blessed voice commanded us again to take her by the hand, and bid her arise and walk. Stepping to the bedside, we took her by the hand, saying, "Sister, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we command thee to arise and walk." Like seventeen hundred bolts of electricity had struck her body, she jumped clear out over the footboard of the bed, and ran into the yard, shouting and praising God. Jump? well, I should say she did! Shout? yes, indeed! It was seeable; it was knowable; it was real. The great Physician had come; she had touched, and was made every whit whole.
We knew perfectly well that God was going to give the revival; we could hear the cows lowing; we could see the mulberry tops shaking. We went on to the church that Monday morning, had several songs and earnest prayers, arose in the pulpit and took our text, raised our hand and started to say something, When, all at once there was a mighty going, there was a mighty rushing wind that filled the house. One could feel that the Triune God had moved in much of Heaven's artillery; angels seemed to be standing thick in the church; the Shekinah was there.
A stout woman who was sitting in the "Amen Corner," jumped to her feet and said, "Sister Jenkins and I do not speak. I want you to pray for me." About that time there was a crash, and this woman was stretched out on the floor, knocked down under the power of God. A merchant who was a rival to another merchant -- they were not on good terms, there was a coolness -- arose in the audience, and said, "Mr. Jacobs, if you'll meet me half way we'll bury the hatchet, handle and all." They started, but behold! they were knocked down in the aisle; they did not get to each other. A schoolteacher got up to say something, but fell sprawling. There were thirteen prostrations, and thirty-three running up and down the aisle shouting, and sixteen or seventeen souls swept into the kingdom -- when all at once this man and his wife heard the going, and came running into the church. How they did look! They came to us and said, "The walls are falling." We said, "Yes, indeed, God always answers by fire those who stand still and see the salvation of God, and never watch the waves climb the skies and lash the stars, but keep at it, cling on, and pray clear through."
On Sunday night in this revival, twenty rushed to the altar at the first call, twenty came at the second call, and all of the forty were gloriously saved.
This prophet of God knew that for him to let God have His way through him, he must cover up his lookers. How many get discouraged, grow faint-hearted, become dismayed, befogged, do not feel good and well nigh give up, where, if we were to go by faith, sing and work by faith, we would be on the victory side.
A precious woman at Bonnie Camp, who had some kind of spinal spells, had become discouraged. She sent for us, and we took five or six other saints. She had become unconscious when we got to her room. Her head was drawn back, and she was rigid. The husband was wringing his hands and crying; he thought his wife was near the chilly waters of the Jordan. To look at her, one could have had no faith for her healing; to look at her, one would never have believed for her healing; to look at her, one would have been discouraged; to look at her, one would have failed and have defeated God and a great victory and her enjoying the blessing of healing. We simply bowed by the chairs in the room, and first one and then another prayed. The gurgling sound was so loud that we thrust our fingers into our ears as far as we could, and went down in the valley of earnest, heart agony. The battle raged, but the saints stuck to the guns; the enemy was entrenched and putting up a stubborn resistance, but we kept at it.
The Spirit slipped to the writer, saying, "Take her by the hand and command her, in the name of Jesus Christ, to arise and walk." Had we looked, we would never have obeyed this blessed voice we would have defeated God's purpose, and this one, maybe, would have died. We said, "Lord Jesus, if this is Thy voice, speak once again, and this Thy servant obeyeth Thee." As quickly as said, the blessed voice commanded us again to take her by the hand, and bid her arise and walk. Stepping to the bedside, we took her by the hand, saying, "Sister, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we command thee to arise and walk." Like seventeen hundred bolts of electricity had struck her body, she jumped clear out over the footboard of the bed, and ran into the yard, shouting and praising God. Jump? well, I should say she did! Shout? yes, indeed! It was seeable; it was knowable; it was real. The great Physician had come; she had touched, and was made every whit whole.
It is the enemy's business, and he is ever on the alert, to carry out this purpose to
discourage Cod's precious children. He knows that discouragement is one of the greatest channels through which he can defeat them, and drive them from the field of victory. The more we study this agent, this enemy, this channel, the better we understand how so many good, honest souls are put out of business; you can listen to their sighs and sobs and look into their face, and read that they are under the baneful influence of this treacherous enemy. He has put a veil oyer their vision, thrown clouds upon their future, and made them believe that there were fearful things for them not far away on the morrow.
This prophet of God had too much light, lived too close to God, his prayer life was too sacred, his hold upon the promise of God was too firm, to let this bloodhound of perdition tear him from his base. This prophet got his eyes on God, who was able to bring strength out of weakness, light out of darkness, wisdom out of ignorance, and a great rain upon the parched earth. This prophet walked on earth, but lived in the skies; he was God's big sunflower; he was fortressed in the riven side of Jesus Christ. This prophet was fully acquainted with the prayer life, and enjoyed it to its fullest extent, and, my reader, if you would only get your eyes on Him who put the sea to sleep, the lightnings and thunders in prison, and saved His apostles from a watery grave, quieted the storm and brought the little bark safely into the harbor, your soul would be fed, your mind at ease, your nerves relaxed, and you would be a walking signboard, ever pointing to what blessed, sweet, real communion will do.
Discouragement takes the blood out of the heart, robs the body of circulation, chills the soul, freezes the river of life, and gives unto us cold hash -- when God has a land flowing with milk and honey, burdened with Eshcol grapes, old corn and wine, yea, enough and to spare to make every heart fat, run every cup over, and settle us upon the solid Rock, Christ Jesus. He can establish our feet, making us more than conquerors; and after the giant has fallen, and the smoke of battle has cleared away, we will wake up to the fact that we have only used one stone, and have four more loads in our sling. More than conquerors? Yes, with three hundred God whipped the Midianites and cleared the field of the enemy. One can put a thousand to flight, and two chase ten thousand.
We must ever look to Jesus Christ, and never forget and let our eyes fall on environments not even one time. The God that answered Elijah is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the unchangeable God accessible to all humanity. The God that answered Elijah by fire on Mount Carmel is your God today, He loves you, and longs to free you, satisfy you, fill and thrill you with His sweet presence.
Discouragement is to the soul what arsenic is to the body; it destroys, it deadens the sensibilities, puts us on the disadvantage ground, and places us at a guilty distance from God. Why be discouraged? Why let the devil get your eyes on the drought? on the dust? on burnt vegetation? Paul says to look unto Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of your faith. If we look heavenward, we see heavenly things, hence, will be encouraged: but to look earthward means discouragement and defeat. Let us look to Jesus, and He will carry us through.
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