We imagine, again incorrectly, that the success of Yahweh's work depends upon these things; and that without them nothing worthwhile would be accomplished. This is false reasoning. It is carnal, natural and human, and we all do it at times - including myself - but it is wrong nonetheless. For the truth is that spiritual progress does not depend upon the above mentioned assets. They are extremely useful to be sure, and humanly speaking we cannot imagine how the church would function without them; but again I repeat: they are not essential to spiritual progress.
They are useful tools in the toolbox of the Eternal and we can see Him using them every day in the workshop of salvation. But He is well able to finish His work without them. This is a difficult concept to grasp. And you will really need to force your mind to re-sort to its natural order of priorities and jettison your old misconceptions. But it must be done if the church is going to finish the work around the world.
QUESTION:
What then is the one essential factor for spiritual progress?
ANSWER:
The presence of Yahweh in one’s life.
| Daniel 2: | 10: “The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11: And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” |
| Matthew 1: | 23: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” |
Yeshua (Jesus/Emmanuel) is the Almighty God in human flesh, the LORD God incarnate; that is, Jehovah in human form! His presence is our best asset, the only possession that we really need if meaningful success is our aim; the one asset without which all others are worthless. Let us now examine the Presence of Yahweh in the lives of the great characters of the Bible.
| Abraham: | |
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| Genesis 21: | 22: “And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.”
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| Isaac: | |
| Genesis 26: | 3: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 24: And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 28: And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;” |
Notice how that blessings come with Yahweh’s (Jehovah’s) presence! Isaac's assets came as a result of Yahweh's presence. They were not the reason for his success; Yahweh’s presence was.
| Jacob: | |
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| Genesis 28: | 13: “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14: And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15: And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” |
| Verse: | 16: “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”
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| Genesis 31: | 5: “...but the God of my father hath been with me.”
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| Joseph: | |
| Genesis 39: | 21:“But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22: And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it”
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| Moses: | |
| Exodus 3: | 12: “And he said, Certainly I will be with thee...”
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| Joshua: | |
| Deuteronomy 31: | 8: “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
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| Joshua 6: | 27: “So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.”
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| Gideon: | |
| Judges 6: | 12: “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Note Gideon's reservations about this fact.
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| Samuel: | |
| 1 Samuel 3: | 19: “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.”
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| David: | |
| 1 Samuel 16: | 18: “Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.”
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| Paul: | |
| Acts 18: | 9: “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 10: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” |
| Matthew 1: | 23: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
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| Numbers 23: | 19: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 20: Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 21: He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.” |
| Revelation 3: | 20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
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| Matthew 28: | 18: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” |
| Romans 16: | 20: “...The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
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| 1 Corinthians 16: | 23: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
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| 2 Corinthians 13: | 11: “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
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| Philippians 4: | 23: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
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| 2 Thessalonians 3: | 18: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
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| 2 Timothy 4: | 22: “The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.”
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| Philemon | 25: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
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| Revelation 22: | 21: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” |
| Revelation 21: | 3: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” |
