Feb 24, 2014 Notes from Norman ELISHA By Norman P. Grubb Here again, in history, we are given a picture of how God presses a man into a situation in which he hasnt got what it takes. “Alien”...were people of the Spirit. There is in us an inner constraint or intensity to do what were called to do and have what it takes to do it. Isnt it so in every life where God has brought us through by whatever means into the inner understanding of this exchanged life, as Hudson Taylor called it, when we know its not we but He? But theres always a background of disturbance, not only of what we havent got, but what we must have. The writer of Hebrews was speaking of this when he said, Labor earnestly to enter into this rest. Isnt that interesting, labor to enter rest. It means to enter into a fixed grade of faith where we become at one with something. There is an application to our appropriation and continuance in the appropriation until we have consciously arrived at where we are seeking to arrive. Because faith is the evidence of things not seen. Its not just, “I’ve got it.” Here is the evidence that the thing is mine. It is a substance. Faith is more than saying, I believe something. Faith is the faith of God which says, Here it is.” Johns statement on faith is, He that believeth on God hath the witness in himself, - the evidence. So it isnt merely in saying, Im believing, its saying, Yes, thats it. As we move into that grade and become settled we have this acceptability to operate on that level of faith which is the substance. We can do it more spontaneously. In Elijahs case he brought fire. Sometime after the incident on Mt. Carmel, he was able to bring fire twice over on those who were in disfavor with God. He knew how to bring the manifestation of God which was in that day to kindle him. So there is this quality of intensity in Elisha. He wasnt stopping until he had what he recognized he needed to have. He had been going through a period of apparent conviction that he hadnt got what he needed to have, the emptiness of the self, the helplessness of the self. Then he went on to this stage where the only person who has God is Elijah. He didnt have a written Bible or any other means so the only container of the thing which he must have was the man whom he was to succeed. He had came into this same settled inner condition that he must have that thing in Elijah which was the spirit of God. As usual, our critics or our challengers are our spurs and so these different schools of prophets spurred Elisha on by saying, You know, Gods going to take Elijah from you today. His answer showed he was settled. He said, Yes, I know it. Hold your peace. Keep quiet. Thats good.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 17:48:20 +0000
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