How Not to Bow. Part [19] 07/22/2025 (Morning thought)

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man's carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.

The pressure to bow down is scheduled to increase, and the arm twisting will be ratcheted up as the day for Christ’s coming draws near. Let us therefore be firm and immoveable in our convictions of truth and duty trusting in God for everything we need to make it to the finish line.

 We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that would encourage us to ask God for help in times of need, for there is not a single person who has ever lived, who refused the pressure to bow down, on their own. That’s why Christ says emphatically that without me you can do nothing.

Isaiah 40: 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

How Not to Bow. Part [18] 07/22/2025 (Evening thought)

1st Corinthians 9:25 And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air:

[3] Be humble enough to ask God for strength, and grace to run the Christian race, for it is not for the swiftest, or the strongest, but for those who learn the critically important lesson, that it’s not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Holy Spirit. The Christian wins his battles on his knees, so if you are not in the habit of praying for strength to face the challenges and vicissitudes of life, it will just be a matter of time before the heat of the furnace will cause you to bow down, in some form or fashion.

Check out the following reading very carefully, for it echoes the statements made in Ephesians 6, where Paul declares that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. .. [Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] If one comes to lose sight of his entire dependence on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall. Man is contending with foes who are stronger than he.

It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power. It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow. The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power.

 1st Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!