In Early Writings, page 269-270 we read —
“I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God. Their countenances were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle. Firmness and great earnestness was expressed in their countenances; large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads. Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God’s approbation, and again the same solemn, earnest, anxious look would settle upon them.
Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus from their view, that their eyes might be drawn to the darkness that surrounded them, and thus they be led to distrust God and murmur against Him. Their only safety was in keeping their eyes directed upward. Angels of God had charge over His people, and as the poisonous atmosphere of evil angels was pressed around these anxious ones, the heavenly angels were continually wafting their wings over them to scatter the thick darkness.
As the praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts and light up their countenances. Some, I saw, did not participate in this work of agonizing and pleading. They seemed indifferent and careless. They were not resisting the darkness around them, and it shut them in like a thick cloud.
The angels of God left these and went to the aid of the earnest, praying ones. I saw angels of God hasten to the assistance of all who were struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance. But His angels left those who made no effort to help themselves, and I lost sight of them.
I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people.
I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified.”
There is absolutely no doubt about it, those who take the battle field (spiritually) are to be engaged in a true struggle, a battle, at times “struggling with all their power to resist the evil angels and trying to help themselves by calling upon God with perseverance..”
Yet how few of us S.D.A engage in this battle! Let us look at a beautiful example of someone who went through the struggle and is pulling out ahead.
Sister M has been an Adventist for many years. We became friends several years ago and we even did a post about her circumstances here–
https://godsloveandlaw.com/2015/08/15/a-deadly-rumor/
But things have changed and we have great joy in updating the situation.
The Lord says that His people shall be gathered “one by one”.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.”(Isaiah 27:12)
And He further expressed more light in this hard and tough struggle to get His people to come aboard His last message of truth —
“There shall not come hither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.” Isa. 7:25, last part.
The vineyard’s being digged with the mattock signifies that the beginning of the work of reformation will progress slowly and that it will require hard labor, but that each “hill” or church locality being digged will become a place “for the sending forth of oxen.” In brief, at this particular time He will be sending missionaries into His neglected vineyard (church) instead of into the Gentile world.
Though the work, moreover is to have a small hard, mattock-like beginning it will gain speed and will emerge from the mattock stage into the ox-plow stage — the stage which will see all the believers of Present Truth (except the “lesser cattle”) unitedly go forth to dig or plow other “hills” until all the thorns and briers shall be uprooted throughout the land, the ground broken up, and the vineyard restored even beyond its original excellency.” (Tract 6, p.39)
Thus right now as workers we know very well, its TOUGH to be involved in this work. Not only are we pressed from “dark forces” but from our own! A double whammy at times!
But in our case, sister M did not give up despite being surrounded by evil forces to discourage her to quit studying, to ignore the Truth, she preserved until this week we heard from her and our joy was great.
No longer was she doubtful or wallowing. She confessed that she had “seen the light” which can only be the Spirit of Truth ” leading her (John 16:13).
To expound on her story a little more. She first learned of the Rod message by way of a DVD we handed about Daniel 2. She came over to our house and we watched it together. She was quite impressed, asking good solid questions like “Why are we not told of these truths in our SDA church?”
Then as our prior post showed the evil ones went on full mode attack, knocking her down (spiritually). So much so that she soon looked at me very suspiciously. But she continued to want to know the truth. To her credit she did not stop studying and wanting to know Truth.
Later we began to talk more and I mentioned that there was an older man, brother L, who was 86 and still believing the Lord’s Rod message, I put them in contact via phone. Over a period of weeks the two of them had several conversations and she began to slowly come out of her paranoia. She’d call and tell us that she was quite interested in knowing more. Well, as providence would have it soon her sister became ill in New York.
She mentioned to me that she was going to New York for a few weeks to help her sister out. I asked exactly where? The location was only about 1 hour from one of the headquarters of the SRod message — Mountain Dale , New York. I made arrangements to get one of the leaders there, brother J, to contact her when she arrived.
This was God moving in her life! The two hit it off and had numerous studies of the present truth message. Soon sister M was calling and telling me she was beginning to see the true light of the Lord’s Shepherd’s Rod (Micah 6:9 and 7:14).
Then after she moved back, sister M was no longer doubtful but quite interested in knowing more. The Lord’s Spirit of Truth guiding indeed!
“Do not sit down in Satan’s easy-chair of do-little, but arise, and aim at the elevated standard which it is your privilege to attain.” (Testimonies , vol.1. p.241)
You see brethren we all play a role in helping others to come into His light. Yours truly led off and then the baton was handed off to other brothers. Her struggle did not end with her “leaning on flesh” (listening to the time-worn standard SDA nay saying against the Lord’s Rod) a thing condemned by Scriptures (Jer. 17:5). Rather it evolved into her seeing the light! She stayed in the fight!
Our Lord said —
“And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations..” (Rev. 2:26)
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
August 20, 2018 at 3:30 pm |
Amen. Praise the lord.