With that will come a new intense longing to do the Master's will; to
_please Him_. As the days come and go this will come to be the
master-passion of this new life. It will drive one with a new purpose
and zest to studying the one book which tells His will. That book
becomes literally the book of books to the Spirit-dominated man.
With that will come a new desire to talk with this new Master, who talks
to you in His word, and is ever at your side sympathetically listening.
His book reveals Himself. And better acquaintance with Him will draw you
oftener aside for a quiet talk. The _pleasure_ of praying will grow by
leaps and bounds. Nothing so inspires to prayer as reverent listening to
His voice. Frequent use of the ears will result in more frequent use of
the voice in prayer and praise. And more: Prayer will come to be a part
of service. Intercession will become the life mission.
But I must be frank enough to tell you of another result, which is as
sure to come as these--_there will be conflict_. You will be tempted
more than ever. Temptations will come with the subtlety of a snake; with
the rush of a storm; with the unexpected swiftness of a lightning flash.
You see the act of surrender to Jesus is a notice of fight to another.
You have changed masters, and the discarded master does not let go
easily. He is a trained, toughened fighter. You will think that you
never had so many temptations, so strong, so subtle, so trying, so
unexpected. But listen--_there will be victory_! Truth goes in pairs.
You will be tempted. The devil will attend to that. That is one truth.
Its companion truth is this: you will be victorious over temptation as
the new Master has sway. Your new Master will attend to that. Great and
cunning and strong is the tempter. Do not underrate him. But greater is
He that is in you. You cannot overrate Him. He got the victory at every
turn during those thirty-three years, and will get it for you as many
years and turns as shall make out the span of your life. Your one
business will be to let Him have full control.
Still another result, of the surprising sort, will be a new feeling
about _sin_. There will be an increased and increasing _sensitiveness_
to sin. It will seem so hateful whether coarse or cultured. You will
shrink from contact with it. There will also be a growing sense of the
_sinfulness_ of that old heart of yours, even while you may be having
constant victory over temptation. Then, too, there will grow up a
yearning, oh! such a heart-yearning as cannot be told in words, _to be
pure_, really pure in heart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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