Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 10
God Is Our Ally

But if thou shalt indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine  enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries - Exodus 23:22

The Lord Christ in the midst of His people is to be acknowledged and obeyed. He is the  vice-regent of God and speaks in the Father's name, and it is ours implicitly and immediately to  do as He commands. We shall lose the promise if we disregard the precept.

To full obedience how large the blessing! The Lord enters into a league with His people,  offensive and defensive. He will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. God will  go heart and soul with His people and enter in deepest sympathy into their position. What a  protection this affords us! We need not concern ourselves about our adversaries when we are  assured that they have become the adversaries of God. If Jehovah has taken up our quarrel, we  may leave the foemen in His hands.

So far as our own interest is concerned we have no enemies; but for the cause of truth and  righteousness we take up arms and go forth to conflict. In this sacred war we are allied with the  eternal God, and if we carefully obey the law of our Lord Jesus, He is engaged to put forth all  His power on our behalf. Wherefore we fear no man.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 9
The "All" Of Belief

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth - Mark 9:23

Our unbelief is the greatest hindrance in our way; in fact, there is no other real difficulty as to our  spiritual progress and prosperity. The Lord can do everything; but when He makes a rule that  according to our faith so shall it be unto us, our unbelief ties the hands of His omnipotence.

Yes, the confederacies of evil shall be scattered if we can but believe. Despised truth shall lift its  head if we will but have confidence in the God of truth. We can bear our load of trouble or pass  uninjured through the waves of distress if we can gird our loins with the girdle of peace, that  girdle which is buckled on by the hands of trust.

What can we not believe? Is everything possible except believing in God? Yet He is always true;  why do we not believe in Him? He is always faithful to His word; why can we not trust Him?  When we are in a right state of heart, faith costs no effort: it is then as natural for us to rely upon  God as for a child to trust his father.

The worst of it is that we can believe God about everything except the present pressing trial. This  is folly. Come, my soul, shake off such sinfulness, and trust thy God with the load, the labor, the  longing of this present. This done, all is done.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 8
Following Leads To Honor

If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where l am, there shall also My servant be: if any  man serve Me, him will My Father honor - John 12:26

The highest service is imitation. If I would be Christ's servant I must be His follower. To do as  Jesus did is the surest way of bringing honor to His name. Let me mind this every day.

If I imitate Jesus I shall have His company: if I am like Him I shall be with Him. In due time He  will take me up to dwell with Him above, if, meanwhile, I have striven to follow Him here below.  After His suffering our Lord came to His throne, and even so, after we have suffered a while  with Him here below, we also shall arrive in glory. The issue of our Lord's life shall be the issue  of ours: if we are with Him in His humiliation we shall be with Him in His glory. Come, my soul,  pluck up courage and put down thy feet in the blood-marked footprints which thy Lord has left  thee.

Let me not fail to note that the Father will honor those who follow His Son. If He sees me true to  Jesus, He will put marks of favor and honor upon me for His Son's sake. No honor can be like  this. Princes and emperors bestow the mere shadows of honor; the substance of glory comes from  the Father. Wherefore, my soul, cling thou to thy Lord Jesus more closely than ever.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 7
Gift Of Strength; Peace To Bless

The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace - Psalm  29:11

David had just heard the voice of the Lord in a thunderstorm and had seen His power in the  hurricane whose path he had described; and now, in the cool calm after the storm, that  overwhelming power by which heaven and earth are shaken is promised to be the strength of the  chosen. He who wings the unerring bolt will give to His redeemed the wings of eagles; He who  shakes the earth with His voice will terrify the enemies of His saints and give His children peace.  Why are we weak when we have divine strength to flee to? Why are we troubled when the  Lord's own peace is ours? Jesus, the mighty God, is our strength; let us put Him on and go forth  to our service. Jesus, our blessed Lord, is also our peace; let us repose in Him this day and end  our fears. What a blessing to have Him for our strength and peace both now and forever!

That same God who rides upon the storm in days of tempest will also rule the hurricane of our  tribulation and send us, before long, days of peace. We shall have strength for storms and songs  for fair weather. Let us begin to sing at once unto God, our strength and our peace. Away, dark  thoughts! Up, faith and hope!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 6
"Through," Not Engulfed

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not  overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the  flame kindle upon thee - Isaiah 43:2

Bridge there is none: we must go through the waters and feel the rush of the rivers. The presence  of God in the flood is better than a ferryboat. Tried we must be, but triumphant we shall be; for  Jehovah Himself, who is mightier than many waters, shall be with us. Whenever else He may be  away from His people, the LORD will surely be with them in difficulties and dangers. The  sorrows of life may rise to an extraordinary height, but the Lord is equal to every occasion.

The enemies of God can put in our way dangers of their own making, namely, persecutions and  cruel mockings, which are like a burning, fiery furnace. What then? We shall walk through the  fires. God being with us, we shall not be burned; nay, not even the smell of fire shall remain upon  us.

Oh, the wonderful security of the heaven-born and heaven-bound pilgrim! Floods cannot drown  him, nor fires burn him. Thy presence, O Lord, is the protection of Thy saints from the varied  perils of the road. Be-hold, in faith I commit myself unto Thee, and my spirit enters into rest.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 5
High Places Of Defense

He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given  him; his waters shall be sure - Isaiah 33:16

The man to whom God has given grace to be of blameless life dwells in perfect security.

He dwells on high, above the world, Out of gunshot of the enemy, and near to heaven. He has  high aims and motives, and he finds high comforts and company. He rejoices in the mountains of  eternal love, wherein he has his abode.

He is defended by munitions of stupendous rock. The firmest things in the universe are the  promises and purposes of the unchanging God, and these are the safeguard of the obedient  believer.

He is provided for by this great promise: "Bread shall be given him." As the enemy cannot climb  the fort, nor break down the rampart, so the fortress cannot be captured by siege and famine. The  Lord, who rained manna in the wilderness, will keep His people in good store even when they  are surrounded by those who would starve them.

But what if water should fail? That cannot be. "His waters shall be sure." There is a never-failing  well within the impregnable fortress. The LORD sees that nothing is wanting. None can touch the  citizen of the true Zion. However fierce the enemy, the Lord will preserve His chosen.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Check Book of the Bank of Faith

December 4
Covered And Protected

He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His Truth shall be  thy shield and buckler - Psalm 91:4

A condescending simile indeed! Just as a hen protects her brood and allows them to nestle under  her wings, so will the Lord defend His people and permit them to hide away in Him. Have we  not seen the little chicks peeping out from under the mother's feathers? Have we not heard their  little cry of contented joy? In this way let us shelter ourselves in our God and feel overflowing  peace in knowing that He is guarding us.

While the Lord covers us, we trust. It would be strange if we did not. How can we distrust when  Jehovah Himself becomes house and home, refuge and rest to us?

This done, we go out to war in His name and enjoy the same guardian care. We need shield and  buckler, and when we implicitly trust God, even as the chick trusts the hen, we find His truth  arming us from head to foot. The Lord cannot lie; He must be faithful to His people; His promise  must stand. This sure truth is all the shield we need. Behind it we defy the fiery darts of the  enemy. Come, my soul, hide under those great wings, lose thyself among those soft feathers! How  happy thou art!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 3
Peace Whatever Exposure

I will make them a Covenant Of Peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods - Ezekiel 34:25

It is the height of grace that Jehovah should be in covenant with man, a I feeble, sinful, and dying creature. Yet the Lord has solemnly entered into a faithful compact with us, and from that covenant He will never turn aside. In virtue of this covenant we are safe. As lions and wolves are driven off by shepherds, so shall all noxious influences be chased away. The Lord will give us rest from disturbers and destroyers; the evil beasts shall cease out of the land. O Lord, make this Thy promise good even now!

The Lord's people are to enjoy security in places of the greatest exposure: wilderness and woods are to be as pastures and folds to the flock of Christ. If the Lord does not change the place for the better, He will make us the better in the place. The wilderness is not a place to dwell in, but the LORD can make it so; in the woods one feels hound to watch rather than to sleep, and yet the Lord giveth His beloved sleep even there. Nothing without or within should cause any fear to the child of God. By faith the wilderness can become the suburbs of heaven and the woods the vestibule of glory.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 2
Our Holiest Example

I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved - Psalm 16:8

This is the way to live. With God always before us, we shall have the noblest companionship, the holiest example, the sweetest consolation, and the mightiest influence. This must be a resolute act of the mind. "I have set," and it must be maintained as a set and settled thing. Always to have an eye to the Lord's eye and an ear for the Lord's voice--this is the right state for the godly man. His God is near him, filling the horizon of his vision, leading the way of his life, and furnishing the theme of his meditation. What vanities we should avoid, what sins we should overcome, what virtues we should exhibit, what joys we should experience if we did indeed set the Lord always before us! Why not?

This is the way to be safe. The Lord being ever in our minds, we come to feel safety and certainty because of His being so near. He is at our right hand to guide and aid us; and hence we are not moved by fear, nor force, nor fraud, nor fickleness. When God stands at a man's right hand, that man is himself sure to stand. Come on, then, ye foemen of the truth! Rush against me like a furious tempest, if ye will. God upholds me. God abides with me. Whom shall I fear?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 1
True Walking Posture

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely - Proverbs 10:9

His walk may be slow, but it is sure. He that hasteth to be rich shall not be innocent nor sure; but steady perseverance in integrity, if it does not bring riches, will certainly bring peace. In doing that which is just and right, we are like one walking upon a rock, for we have confidence that every step we take is upon solid and safe ground. On the other hand, the utmost success through questionable transactions must always be hollow and treacherous, and the man who has gained it must always be afraid that a day of reckoning will come, and then his gains will condemn him.

Let us stick to truth and righteousness. By God's grace let us imitate our Lord and Master, in whose mouth no deceit was ever found. Let us not be afraid of being poor, nor of being treated with contempt. Never, on any account whatever, let us do that which our conscience cannot justify. If we lose inward peace, we lose more than a fortune can buy. If we keep in the Lord's own way and never sin against our conscience, our way is sure against all comers. Who is he that can harm us if we be followers of that which is good? We may be thought fools by fools if we are firm in our integrity; but in the place where judgment is infallible we shall be approved.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 30
God Is In The Front Line

The Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed - Deuteronomy 31:8

In the presence of a great work or a great warfare, here is a text which should help us to buckle on our harness. If Jehovah Himself goes before us, it must be safe to follow. Who can obstruct our progress if the Lord Himself is in the van? Come, brother soldiers, let us make a prompt advance! Why do we hesitate to pass on to victory?

Nor is the Lord before us only; He is with us. Above, beneath, around, within is the omnipotent, omnipresent One. In all time, even to eternity, He will be with us even as He has been. How this should nerve our arm! Dash at it boldly, ye soldiers of the cross, for the Lord of hosts is with us!

Being before us and with us, He will never withdraw His help. He cannot fail in Himself, and He will not fail toward us. He will continue to help us according to our need, even to the end. As He cannot fail us, so He will not forsake us. He will always be both able and willing to grant us strength and succor till fighting days are gone.

Let us not fear nor be dismayed; for the Lord of hosts will go down to the battle with us, will bear the brunt of the fight, and give us the victory.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 29
Know How To Wait

He that believeth shall not make haste - Isaiah 28:16

He shall make haste to keep the Lord's commandments; but he shall not make haste in any impatient or improper sense.

He shall not haste to run away, for he shall not be overcome with the fear which causes panic. When others are flying hither and thither as if their wits had failed them, the believer shall be quiet, calm, and deliberate, and so shall be able to act wisely in the hour of trial.

He shall not haste in his expectations, craving his good things at once and on the spot, but he will wait God's time. Some are in a desperate hurry to have the bird in the hand, for they regard the Lord's promise as a bird in the bush, not likely to be theirs. Believers know how to wait. .

He shall not haste by plunging into wrong or questionable action. Unbelief must be doing something, and thus it works its own undoing; but faith makes no more haste than good speed, and thus it is not forced to go back sorrowfully by the way which it followed heedlessly.

How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer's pace, which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 28
Doing What God Can Bless

The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto - Deuteronomy 28:8

If we obey the Lord our God He will bless that which He gives us. Riches are no curse when blessed of the Lord. When men have more than they require for their immediate need and begin to lay up in storehouses, the dry rot of covetousness or the blight of hard-heartedness is apt to follow the accumulation; but with God's blessing it is not so. Prudence arranges the saving, liberality directs the spending, gratitude maintains consecration, and praise sweetens enjoyment. It is a great mercy to have God's blessing in one's iron safe and on one's banking account.

What a favor is made ours by the last clause! "The Lord shall bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand unto." We would not put our hand to anything upon which we dare not ask God's blessing, neither would we go about it without prayer and faith. But what a privilege to be able to look for the Lord's help in every enterprise! Some talk of a lucky man: the blessing of the Lord is better than luck. The patronage of the great is nothing to the favor of God. Self-reliance is all very well; but the Lord's blessing is infinitely more than all the fruit of talent, genius, or tact.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 27
Rest In All Thy Goings

And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest - Exodus 33:14

Precious promise! LORD, enable me to appropriate it as all my own.

We must go at certain times from our abode, for here we have no continuing city. It often happens that when we feel most at home in a place, we are suddenly called away from it. Here is the antidote for this ill. The Lord Himself will keep us company. His presence, which includes His favor, His fellowship, His care, and His power, shall be ever with us in every one of our marchings. This means far more than it says; for, in fact, it means all things. If we have God present with us, we have possession of heaven and earth. Go with me, Lord, and then command me where Thou wilt!

But we hope to find a place of rest. The text promises it. We are to have rest of God's own giving, making, and preserving. His presence will cause us to rest even when we are on the march, yea, even in the midst of battle. Rest! Thrice blessed word. Can it ever be enjoyed by mortals? Yes, there is the promise, and by faith we plead it. Rest comes from the Comforter, from the Prince of Peace, and from the glorious Father who rested on the seventh day from all His works. To be with God is to rest in the most emphatic sense.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 26
Heavenly Alchemy

Your sorrow shall be turned into joy - John 16:20

Their particular sorrow was the death and absence of their Lord, and it was turned into joy when He rose from the dead and showed Himself in their midst. All the sorrows of saints shall be thus transmuted, even the worst of them, which look as if they must forever remain fountains of bitterness.

Then the more sorrow, the more joy. If we have loads of sorrow, then the Lord's power will turn them into tons of joy. Then the bitterer the trouble the sweeter the pleasure: the swinging of the pendulum far to the left will cause it to go all the farther to the right. The remembrance of the grief shall heighten the flavor of the delight: we shall set the one in contrast with the other, and the brilliance of the diamond shall be the more clearly seen because of the black foil behind it.

Come, my heart, cheer up! In a little while I shall be as glad as I am now gloomy. Jesus tells me that by a heavenly alchemy my sorrow shall be turned into joy. I do not see how it is to be, but I believe it, and I begin to sing by way of anticipation. This depression of spirit is not for long; I shall soon be up among the happy ones who praise the Lord day and night, and there I shall sing of the mercy which delivered me out of great afflictions.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 25
Mountains Turned To Plains

Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it - Zechariah 4:7

At this hour a mountain of difficulty, distress, or necessity may be in our way, and natural reason sees no path over it, or through it, or round it. Let faith come in, and straightway the mountain disappears and becomes a plain. But faith must first hear the word of the Lord--"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." This grand truth is a prime necessity for meeting the insurmountable trials of life.

I see that I can do nothing and that all reliance on man is vanity. "Not by might." I see that no visible means can be relied on, but the force is in the invisible Spirit. God alone must work, and men and means must be nothing accounted of. If it be so that the Almighty God takes up the concerns of His people, then great mountains are nothing. He can remove worlds as boys toss balls about or drive them with their foot. This power He can lend to me. If the Lord bids me move an Alp I can do it through His name. It may be a great mountain, but even before my feebleness it shall become a plain; for the Lord hath said it. What can I be afraid of with God on my side?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 24
Pardon And Forgiveness

He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever - Psalm 103:9

He will chide sometimes, or He would not be a wise Father for such poor, erring children as we are. His chiding is very painful to those who are true, because they feel how sadly they deserve it and how wrong it is on their part to grieve Him. We know what this chiding means, and we bow before the Lord, mourning that we should cause Him to be angry with us.

But what a comfort we find in these lines! "Not always" will He chide. If we repent and turn to Him with hearts broken for sin and broken from sin, He will smile upon us at once. It is no pleasure to Him to turn a frowning face toward those whom He loves with all His heart: it is His joy that our joy should be full.

Come, let us seek His face. There is no reason for despair, nor even for despondency. Let us love a chiding God, and before long we shall sing, "Thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me." Be gone, ye dark forebodings, ye ravens of the soul! Come in, ye humble hopes and grateful memories, ye doves of the heart! He who pardoned us long ago as a judge will again forgive us as a father, and we shall rejoice in His sweet, unchanging love.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 23
Acquiring Perseverance

The Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little - Deuteronomy 7:22

We are not to expect to win victories for the Lord Jesus by a single blow. Evil principles and practices die hard. In some places it takes years of labor to drive out even one of the many vices which defile the inhabitants. We must carry on the war with all our might, even when favored with little manifest success.

Our business in this world is to conquer it for Jesus. We are not to make compromises but to exterminate evils. We are not to seek popularity but to wage unceasing war with iniquity. Infidelity, popery, drink, impurity, oppression, worldliness, error; these are all to be "put out."

The Lord our God can alone accomplish this. He works by His faithful servants, and blessed be His name. He promises that He will so work. "Jehovah thy God will put out those nations before thee." This He will do by degrees that we may learn perseverance, may increase in faith, may earnestly watch, and may avoid carnal security. Let us thank God for a little success and pray for more. Let us never sheathe the sword till the whole land is won for Jesus.

Courage, my heart! Go on little by little, for many littles will make a great whole.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 22
No Condemnation

In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve - Jeremiah 50:20

A glorious word indeed! What a perfect pardon is here promised to the sinful nations of Israel and Judah! Sin is to be so removed that it shall not be found, so blotted out that there shall be none. Glory be unto the God of pardons!

Satan seeks out sins wherewith to accuse us, our enemies seek them that they may lay them to our charge, and our own conscience seeks them even with a morbid eagerness. But when the Lord applies the precious blood of Jesus, we fear no form of search, for "there shall be none"; "they shall not be found." The Lord hath caused the sins of His people to cease to be: He hath finished transgression and made an end of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. This makes us dance for joy.

The reason for the obliteration of sin lies in the fact that Jehovah Himself pardons His chosen ones. His word of grace is not only royal but divine. He speaks absolution, and we are absolved. He applies the atonement, and from that hour His people are beyond all fear of condemnation. Blessed be the name of the sin-annihilating God!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

November 21
The Outward, Upward Look

Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else - Isaiah 45:22

This is a promise of promises. It lies at the foundation of our spiritual I life. Salvation comes through a look at Him who is "a just God and a Saviour." How simple is the direction! "Look unto me." How reasonable is the requirement! Surely the creature should look to the Creator. We have looked elsewhere long enough; it is time that we look alone to Him who invites our expectation and promises to give us His salvation.

Only a look! Will we not look at once? We are to bring nothing in ourselves but to look outward and upward to our Lord on His throne, whither He has gone up from the cross. A look requires no preparation, no violent effort: it needs neither wit nor wisdom, wealth nor strength. All that we need is in the Lord our God, and if we look to Him for everything, that everything shall be ours, and we shall be saved.

Come, far-off ones, look hither! Ye ends of the earth, turn your eyes this way! As from the furthest regions men may see the sun and enjoy his light, so you who lie in death's borders at the very gates of hell may by a look receive the light of God, the life of heaven, the salvation of the LordJesus Christ, who is God and therefore able to save.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon