“AT PRESENT you have begun the simple overcoming that children of God should have from the beginning of their life in God.” Mrs. R. sent these startling words to a successful minister of wide experience and years of service. Many souls had been brought to God through his earnest efforts. Many sick had been healed, even miracles had been performed, as a result of his prayers and faith in God. Furthermore, he had a “reputation of loveliness” and power as a preacher.
For all of these “works,” He whose eyes are as a flame of fire searched the heart of this servant of God and saw that his heart was not perfect towards God. There were places in his life and ministry where he still wanted to have his way instead of God’s way, places where he “did not like to be governed so closely” by the Spirit of God, places where he “did not perfectly obey” the Lord. Then, he sometimes had dumps and allowed shadows and depressions to rule in his life. To the extent which he permitted these works of the flesh to govern him, to that extent the flesh and the enemy were reigning in him instead of the Spirit of God with the fruit of love, joy, and peace. As a result, his greatest usefulness was curtailed, and those who were working with him were also hindered.
Awakened to his condition by the word of the Lord, he had now begun to seek God for deliverance and to overcome those things in his nature which were displeasing to the Lord. Earnestly Mrs. R. interceded in his behalf. Patiently she taught him line upon line. Slowly the light dawned and victory was manifest. Faithfully the Lord had her warn him that although he had a measure of victory he could not repeat his mistakes “and then suppose the devil will just run and be afraid” the moment he decided to do the will of God.
“It isn’t like that in the spiritual life,” Mrs. R. went on to explain. “You have to stand steadfast and be patient and show the devil that as you fooled and yielded, so now you don’t fool, and don’t yield, and are in earnest. And if you do slip somewhere, you are not going to let him run you, but will get right back again, sweetly and fearlessly, into God’s will. . . . Satan can always overcome the man that is afraid he will be beaten and sits down in the flesh of fear.”
Mrs. R. continued to explain how the enemy gains advantage over a careless Christian who persists in disobeying the commands of the Lord. By committing mistakes and repeatedly “yielding to the flesh and the devil . . . the flesh and the devil have become the overcomers.”
Then “you wake up. You say you won’t do this anymore. You aim to overcome, and to your great astonishment the enemy doesn’t pay much attention to your good intention; and if you slip, it tries, just as hard as can be, not to go away, or return if gone away. It seems unfair to you, and you get peeved. . . . ‘It is hardly worth trying, is it?’ Yet, Satan, when he tried to conquer you, was no baby. The devil kept at his job, and ought not he to have the privilege of keeping his place?
Just turn around and retrace your spiritual steps, and for every step of disobedience take a step of faith or a step of obedience; for every step of nervous struggle and fret— that you have to do right—step in faith and confidence that you belong to Me [Jesus], and I [Jesus] am seeing you through.
“When you give in to the devil—and you do at times—you let him steal your steps.
“And yet if you keep stepping, keep on in faith, keep on hoping and praising and doing as best you know, not the things that please you, but the things that please God, what will happen? —Why, Satan will be as badly overcome as you have been. Satan will be conquered. Satan will be the one to get fearful and useless and sit down and guess it’s a bad job. The fact is, the devil. . . would then get to the abyss.
“The principle in the spiritual life is, every time you say, ‘No,’ to the devil, and deny your flesh, and say always, ‘Yes,’ to Jesus, you are overcoming flesh, and, of course, overcoming Satan. To live a steadfastly obedient, careful life with Jesus, and do these things that please Him, wins the life of Christ and crucifies flesh.
“Reverse the order, keep indulging the flesh; keep doing these things that don’t please Jesus; keep exercising your own will, etc., and, if you know the mind of the Lord, just fail to do it, why, of course, you miss your life in Christ; you get more in the flesh; and if you go at it extremely in the points you are weakest, and do the most wrong, there Satan tries you.
“...And if you would walk back to the faith path instead of the fear and grumble path, would be humble, [the Lord] could get you back past the dangers of these overcomers, i.e., the enemies which had gained the mastery because of disobedience and carelessness.
“Well, for every unovercoming mistake . . . will [you] really have to take a similar step of overcoming and denial of self to break down that flesh. .
“Well, that would be fair, wouldn’t it?
“Yet, you see, Jesus always goes past justice into mercy.
“The heart’s purpose counts for so much with Him, and even on the devil it counts much too, for he looks at the wavering makeup, and he knows when a man puts down his foot of faith and settles the question that he will not go that way, etc., and Satan gives in when the man won’t.”
And so this minister persevered in the fight until God made him victor over his flesh and those things in his nature which had defeated him.
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Martha Wing Robinson (1874 - 1936)
Martha held meetings which touched people to return to the work of the service of God. The Robinsons opened a "Faith Home" where people would come for teaching and prayer. Like George Muller they depended on God to provide what was needed for expenses. Thousands came through her home and healings were a regular occurrence. Her husband died in April of 1916, but Martha continued in her ministry. She had a very sharp gift of discernment and regularly told people the secrets of their hearts. She often had directive prophetic words for those under her care. Many young people came to the home for training and went into the mission fields and evangelistic endeavours.Martha Wing Robinson died June 26, 1936. Shortly before she died she stated her life's message "Nothing matters but Christ Jesus." Her whole life was spent in the service of God and for the Glory of His Son Jesus. She had seen many healed, saved, delivered, empowered and sent out. She was truly a mother in Israel. In 1962 Gordon P. Gardiner wrote a book about her life called "Radiant Glory" because that is how she lived her life.