“Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” Jas. 4:6. The Scriptures speak clearly here, as does history. We can read about Korah, Dathan and Abiram and the 250 leaders who rebelled against Moses, but who the Lord punished with death. Num. 16. And about Theudas, who claimed to be somebody, and the 400 or so men who joined him. And also about Judas of Galilee who rose up and drew away many people after him. Acts 5:36-37. In accordance with God’s eternal laws of life, all these men perished, and their followers were scattered and came to nothing. If we are to make progress, we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and under the laws that are in the body of Christ. We must also submit to those who God, throughout the ages, places in the church. If we oppose the shepherds and prophets that God raises up, sooner or later God will deal with us. It is one thing not to rebel, and it is another thing to merely accept things as being God’s will. But even this is far from being the best. What is perfect is to bless what God blesses. This is precisely where it is easy to come out of grace. There are fine laws here that everyone must submit to. Those who are humble will find their way in these things, but those who are proud will be led astray. These laws of life have never failed. God resists the proud, and therefore high-minded and self-righteous people have never been able to partake of any spiritual blessing without first coming to a radical and wholehearted repentance from their pride and their arrogance. It is just as impossible for a proud person, who is up in the heights, to receive grace from God, as it is to get water to flow uphill. Water has always flowed and will always flow downwards, both in the natural and in the spiritual sense. The living water, which brings people healing and life, flows out from the heavenly fountains, and runs down to the lowest point. In this river bed we find those who are humble, working their way down, where they also get fellowship with each other. There in the lowly place is where grace can be found, as well as help, comfort, and blessing. It is there that we meet our Savior and Master, Jesus Christ, who descended into the lower parts of the earth in order to show us the way. Those who are proud, high-minded and self-confident, trust in themselves, but those who are humble trust in the Lord. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer. 17:7-8. Let us follow our forerunner, Jesus, and be preserved with a constant longing and a deep desire to humble ourselves. Let us allow grace to teach us now, while we look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Tit. 2:11-13.Oddmund Risnes

By Sverre L. Riksfjord “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Tim. 6:12. Paul was well acquainted with the fight of faith. He continued in it as long as he lived, and he finished his race in this same spirit of faith. God had thoroughly convinced him of what he could achieve through the righteousness that came from the law. He never boasted about it again, nor did he ever use it again as the basis for his ministry. The righteousness of faith became the driving force in Paul’s life, and based on this, he worked and spoke. He saw himself as the chief of all sinners, and for this reason he was able to go beneath everyone and speak the word of faith to them. He describes what it had been like with some of the people he worked with: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:9-11. Through faith in Christ, Paul had received a new foundation to work from, and the spirit of faith he had received, by acknowledging his own incompetence according to the flesh, made him boundless in his faith in what God could do in a person. He experienced the transformative power of faith, from being a Pharisee who breathed murder and threats, to being so full of the love of Christ that he was compelled to go from place to place to preach this liberating and wonderful message of the cross. In this spirit of faith, he spoke and worked so fervently that on one occasion he was called a “babbler.” Acts 17:18. When the spirit of faith enters a person’s heart, it drives away hopelessness and doubt, and clears away old ideas and all self-righteousness. The most important battlefield in a person’s life is within their own heart. That is where the battle takes place, and that is where the person stands or falls. Faith is a gift, but cannot be kept without a battle. Therefore, the good fight of faith is the most important fight a person can be in, and it is of crucial importance what you allow to speak in your own heart. “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart: “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘“Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach).” Rom. 10:6-8. The righteousness of faith makes the word accessible, so that you receive a spirit within you that proclaims these words of faith. What the heart is filled with the mouth speaks, and it is natural for you to talk about what has helped you personally. The accuser also makes use of the word of God, but the righteousness of faith says: “It is written again.” You can never conquer the accuser in the righteousness that comes from the law, because the law says “you shall not covet.” On the other hand, the righteousness of faith conquers him, because then it is the blood of Christ and the death of Christ that are at work. Let us always be in this blessed spirit of faith. Then streams of living water will flow from within us, bringing hope to a dying world—and comfort and refreshment to those around us.

Joseph said to his brothers: “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Gen. 45:8. Joseph was able to testify to what God had appointed him to do. He became a great man in Egypt, but he knew that it was God who had given him these various tasks. How did God deal with Joseph before he was appointed to all this greatness? Who would have gone through such harsh trials: with envious brothers, being thrown into a pit, sold in Egypt, enslaved in Potiphar’s house and wrongfully imprisoned? Just think about it, in everything that happened, Joseph remained close to God who watched him closely and who saw his love and godly fear! In this fear of God, Joseph learned to persevere in his trials. After this time of testing, God was able to appoint Joseph to the work God had intended for him, and he became a great blessing to many! When Joseph was exalted in this way, it was also a test of whether he would remain true to God in his exaltation. History tells us that Joseph remained faithful to God and was able to keep his love and fear of God, so he was able to forgive his brothers and help them in their need. What a humble and faithful man Joseph was, in dishonor and tribulations, and in exaltation and power. He became a blessing for the entire nation. Today there is also a need for servants who can be used in the church, those who serve God with a completely pure heart! And these also need to be tested: “Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money . . . But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.” 1 Tim. 3:8-10. God puts us to the test, to show whether we will serve Him and love Him when His hand is upon us, or whether we want to please people. There may be times of chastisement, times of tribulation, but God is watching closely. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Jas. 1:12. Those who pass their test can be used by God in His work and become a blessing to many. If you feel God’s hand upon you, draw near to God and God will draw near to you. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and you will experience how God will exalt you. No matter what your feelings say, live in faith and allow the fire to work within you, so all that wants to seek its own is destroyed. Such a time of breaking down is necessary if you want God to be able to use you in His work, according to His own counsel. And then—in the midst of all the work—a servant remains near to God. His love and sincere godly fear have the effect that he is poor in spirit, and God is able to speak to him. He longs for salvation. He gives glory to God, and God responds with grace for growth both in his personal life and in his ministry. Paul earnestly exhorts us to be fervent in spirit and to serve the Lord alone. Rom. 12:11. May God give us grace for this so that we never become rich and satisfied or get a clouded eye, but rather continue to see clearly, humble ourselves and reach forward to salvation and sanctification.Stefan Hofmeister

“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45. In other words, a good person brings good things from the good treasure that is stored in their heart. This must mean that I need to store up a good treasure. If I want to be able to serve and do good toward the ones I have been placed together with, then in the situations of life I need to lay hold of good treasure. This takes place by giving up my self-will and overcoming my own desires when I am tempted. This allows God to create this good treasure, which we can then draw from to bless the people around us. What your heart is full of is what flows out of your mouth. It is often in stressful situations in life that the opinions and thoughts I have in secret come out, if I have been harboring resentment, envy, demands and evil suspicion, etc. These things will often come out in such situations because this is what is in my storehouse. Think instead to have a hidden life with Christ in God, and not with your own desires and tendencies! Then our future will be as it is written in Col. 3:3-4. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Think to have such a glorious life and such a thought life, where everything within me that does not align with the word of God and the voice of the Spirit is condemned, so that I add to the good treasure of my heart every day. Then, as time goes by, I can have a greater and greater storehouse from which I can encourage, strengthen and bless, especially all the young people and children who are growing up today.John Østermark Larsen

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” Jas. 4:13-16. Most people are so occupied with their own ideas and plans for their future that God’s will is the furthest thing from their mind. This is arrogant boasting. It takes humility to acknowledge that despite my best efforts, all the outcomes in my life are totally dependent on God and His will. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert . . .’” Jer. 17:5-6. When I put my trust in my own abilities, skills and talents, then my heart departs from the Lord, from the Creator who gave me those abilities. Such a person thinks he can manage things on his own and is all too willing to take the credit and boast of his success as long as things go well. But when things go better for someone else, he quickly becomes envious and bitter. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, . . . nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer. 17:7-8. The trials and tribulations of life come upon all people, regardless of who or what they believe in. But the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord has no need to fear. In the heat of the day and in the year of drought, he grows and flourishes and thrives. While others become anxious and discouraged under the pressure of their earthly circumstances, his roots go deeper into God. His dependency on God is strengthened, and the virtues of Christ continue to come forth, blessing and nourishing those around him. He knows that all things work together for his best, because he loves God and is called according to His purpose. Humans desire to control their own destiny, and they seek to establish a sense of stability in their education, their careers, their finances, their health, their relationships, etc. They strive to set themselves up for a secure future here on earth, but they don’t reckon with a living God, and they don’t consider that life is just a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead of finding peace and happiness, they are consumed by the cares of this life. Even people who experience good health and material success worry that it might be taken away from them one day. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it . . . It is vain for you to rise up early . . . for so He gives His beloved sleep.” Ps. 127:1-2. I want to acknowledge my own weakness, be preserved in low thoughts about myself and put all my confidence in God and His almighty power. 1 Pet. 5:6-7.Sverre Risa