Power to Walk in the Truth

Power to Walk in the Truth

In these days there is much talk about power, yet power does not consist of speaking about it; it is manifested when a soul follows God’s light without asking people for permission. You don’t need power to drift along with the stream; power, as well as life, is revealed when you go against the stream. Going against the norm is Jesus’ way. The person who goes against the norm increases in his spiritual powers. The opinion of the masses and the usual understanding exert a paralyzing influence over many souls, carrying them along in their wake. Many people bear a secret light in the depth of their soul concerning how a matter should and ought to be, but they do not have the strength to let the light shine, for letting it shine means war. However, it is better to stand alone in the battle on the side of the truth than to put the light under a basket and be a slave of men. A soul goes against the norm in God’s power. Going against all the might of the flesh with its thousands of variations reveals God’s strength in the depths of the heart.

Stand firm in the truth! You must not yield, you must neither retreat nor negotiate; stand still! The nails of the cross are strong. They are a sign of victory; they do not negotiate with a conquered enemy; they never strike a bargain and never give in. They are merciless toward all flesh. “Firmly to the cross” is the law of the nails that never changes, not even when the flesh cries out, “Spare me!” Entreaties from the flesh to be treated more gently are not heeded.

A soul that is filled with God’s power walks on the strait way into the depths of salvation from all self-life, with the flesh together with its passions and desires being firmly and securely nailed to the cross. If the truth yields, it is no longer truth. The truth is the firm rock on which all folly suffers shipwreck. When a soul sets his foot on this rock, the rock becomes part of him, so that he himself becomes as firm as the truth itself.

Have a look at your own life—has the truth ever yielded when you begged, “Is it absolutely necessary to forsake this here; can I not get away with it more easily there?” No, for the truth always bars my way. The soul haggles for a discount, for greater gentleness toward the flesh. Finally the soul gives up. Tired of opposition, he casts himself into the arms of the truth. Those arms, Jesus’ arms, are a balsam; they give him liberty. Then the soul is thankful that the truth stood firm as the eternal Rock which is never moved.

Once you have acknowledged a truth, stand firm in this truth even though your friends and acquaintances do not agree with it. Be just as immovable in the truth toward others as the truth was toward you. Thus you will gain its rock-like nature. This is power! Power is not only that you feel like someone who is about to burst with feelings. Power is that you meet all the vagaries of life in the truth without yielding. Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . . .” Acts 1:8. This Spirit is to guide us into all truth. John 16:13. What a faithful Savior He is! He sent the Spirit who reveals the truth to us, and in this same Spirit He sent power to walk in the truths that the Spirit gradually reveals to us.

In Isaiah 50:5 we read, “The Lord God has opened my ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.” When the Lord opened the prophet’s ear, he heard such truths that he trembled at the thought of the opposition he would encounter. Yet he was victorious and said, “I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.” We must learn not to be rebellious whether it is a matter of the truth conquering us or whether it is a question of continuing in the truth that has become our possession. We must not yield in spite of opposition. Never! Never!! Jesus never yielded. But then it will happen to us as it happened to Him. “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” V. 6. This is truly the way of the cross! All flesh onto the cross! It will writhe in pain in order to be set free, but the nails hold! Then the outer way through life becomes Jesus’ way of the cross. However, in verse 7 we discover that “The Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”

This is truly a radical way. We set our face as that hard stone against all flesh and against all the power of Satan, for the Lord is with us! The truth is an exhilarating way with God’s pleasure in the depths of our heart, with joy over all righteousness, with invincible courage in the battle against all the designs of Satan. Cowardice is banished from this way. It is better to die in the battle for the liberating gospel of the truth than to sleep among fools! An open eye and ear for the truth and a suffering heart are better than a life in ignorance! Do not fall prey to cowardice and discouragement—they are Satan’s hands that are embracing you. The truth brings defeat to your flesh but victory to your spirit. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev. 2:10.