Study your Bible believingly (1) - R.A. Torrey

Taken from How to succeed in the Christian life by Torrey, R. A.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
1Th 2:13

The Bible ought then to be studied as no other book is. It should be studied as the Word of God. This involves five things:

(I) A greater eagerness and more careful and candid study to find out just what it teaches than is bestowed upon all other books. It is important to know the mind of man. It is absolutely essential to know the mind of God. The place to discover the mind of God is the Bible. This is the book in which God reveals His mind.

(II) A prompt and unquestioning acceptance of, and submission to its teachings when definitely ascertained.

If this book is the Word of God, how foolish it is to submit its teachings to the criticism of our finite reasoning. A httle boy who discredits his wise father's statements simply because to his infant mind they appear unreasonable, is not a philosopher, but a fool. But the greatest of human thinkers is only an infant compared with the infinite God. And to discredit God's statements found in His Word because they appear unreasonable to our infantile minds is not to act the part of the philosopher, but the part of a fool. When we are once satisfied that the Bible is the Word of God, its clear teachings must be for us the end of all controversy and discussion.

(III) Absolute reliance upon all its promises in all their length and breadth and depth and height.

(Continúa)

An absolute surrender of our lives to God

Taken from How to succeed in the Christian life by Torrey, R. A.

...in order to receive the Holy Spirit, there must be an absolute surrender of our lives to God. You must go to Him and say, " Heavenly Father, here I am. Thou hast bought me with a price. I am Thy property. I renounce all claim to do my own will, all claim to govern my own life, all claim to have my own way. I give myself up unreservedly to Thee—all I am and all I have. Send me where Thou wilt, use me as Thou wilt, do with me what Thou wilt—I am Thine." If we hold anything back from God, no matter how small it may seem, that spoils it all. But if we surrender all to God, then God will give all that He has to us. There are some who shrink from this absolute surrender to God, but absolute surrender to God is simply absolute surrender to infinite love. Surrender to the Father, to the Father whose love is not only wiser than any earthly father's, but more tender than any earthly mother's.

It is well to go often alone and kneel down and look up to the Holy Spirit and put into His hands anew the entire control of your Hfe. Ask Him to take the control of your thoughts, the control of your imagination, the control of your affections, the control of your desires, the control of your ambitions, the control of your choices, the control of your purposes, the control of your words, the control of your actions, the control of everything, and just expect Him to do it. The whole secret of victory in the Christian life is letting the Holy Spirit who dwells within you, have undisputed right of way in the entire conduct of your hfe.

Jesus as our Lord and King.

Taken from How to succeed in the Christian life by Torrey, R. A.

To receive Jesus is to take Him as our Divine Master, as the One to whom we yield the absolute confidence of our intellects, the One whose word we beheve absolutely, the One whom we will believe though many of the wisest of men may question or deny the truth of His teachings ; and as our King to whom we gladly yield the absolute control of our lives, so that the question from this time on is never going to be, what would I like to do or what do others tell me to do, or what do others do, but the whole question is WHAT WOULD MY KlNG JESUS HAVE ME DO? A right beginning involves an unconditional surrender to the Lordship and Kingship of Jesus.

There is nothing more important in a right beginning of the Christian life than an unconditional surrender, both of the thoughts and the conduct to Jesus. Say from your heart and say it again and again, " All for Jesus." Many fail because they shrink back from this entire surrender. They wish to serve Jesus with half their heart, and part of themselves and part of their possessions. To hold back anything from Jesus means a wretched life of stumbling and failure.

The life of entire surrender is a joyous life all along the way. If you have never done it before, go alone with God today, get down on your knees and say, " All for Jesus," and mean it. Say it very earnestly ; say it from the bottom of your heart. Stay there until you realize what it means and what you are doing. It is a wondrous step forward when one really takes it. If you have taken it already, take it again, take it often. It always has fresh meaning and brings fresh blessedness. In this absolute surrender is found the key to the truth. Doubts rapidly disappear for one who surrenders all (John 7 : 17). In this absolute surrender is found the secret of power in prayer (i John 3: 22). In this absolute surrender is found the supreme condition of receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts 5 : 32).

Taking Christ as your Lord and King involves obedience to His will as far as you know it in each smallest detail of life.