Strengthening Faith Through Trials and Communion with Christ

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When faith first commences in the soul, it is like a grain of mustard seed of which the savior said it was the least of all seeds, but as God the Holy Spirit is pleased to be do it with the sacred moisture of his grace, it germinates and grows and begins to spread until at last it becomes a great tree. [00:06:45]

Little faith is quite as sure of heaven as great faith when Jesus Christ counts up his jewels at the last day, he will take to himself the little pearls as well as the great ones. If a diamond be never so small, yet it is precious because it is a diamond. So will faith be it never so little if it be true faith. [00:11:04]

Faith is a feeding grace. It does not ask you to give it the things that are seen but it does ask you to give it the promise of the things that are not seen which are eternal. Thou tellest me thou hast little faith, I ask thee whether thou art given to the meditation of God's word. [00:23:13]

He who deals largely with the promises will under grace very soon find that there is great room for believing them. Get a promise beloved every day and take it with you wherever you go. Mark it, learn it, and inwardly digest it. Don't do as some men do who think it a Christian duty to read a chapter every morning. [00:23:36]

Prove the promises, and in that way you will get your faith strengthened. When you are at any time placed in distress, take a promise and see whether it is true. Suppose you are very near lacking bread, take this promise, thy bread shall be given thee thy water shall be sure. [00:25:34]

It is astonishing how young believers will get their faith refreshed by talking with old and advanced Christians. Perhaps you are in great doubt and distress, you run off to an old brother and you say oh my dear friend, I am afraid I am not a child of God at all I am in such deep distress. [00:30:30]

We don't grow strong in faith on sunshiny days. It is only in strong weather that a man gets faith. Faith is not an attainment that droppeth like the gentle dew from heaven. It generally comes in the whirlwind in the storm. Look at the old oaks, how is it that they have become so deeply rooted in the earth. [00:34:10]

Great faith must have great trials. Mr. Great Heart would never have been Mr. Great Heart if he had not once been Mr. Great Trouble. Valiant for Truth would never have put to flight those foes and had been so valiant if the foes had not first attacked him. So with us, we must expect great troubles before we shall attain too much faith. [00:35:18]

Do you want your faith to be strong? Use it. You lazy liability Christians that go up to your churches and chapels and take your seats and hear our sermons and talk about getting good but never think about doing good ye that are letting hell fill beneath you and yet are too idle to stretch out your hands to pluck brands from the eternal burning. [00:36:28]

The best way to get your faith strengthened is to have communion with Christ. If you commune with Christ you cannot be unbelieving. When his left hand is under my head and his right hand up embrace me I cannot doubt. When my beloved sits at his table and he brings me into his banqueting house and his banner over me is love. [00:39:31]

When you cannot see him, then you doubt him, but if you live in fellowship with him, you are like the you lamb of Nathan's parable for you lie in his bosom and eat from his table and drink from his cup. You must believe when your beloved speaks unto you and says, rise up my love my fair one and come away. [00:40:38]

I repeat the weakest in the world by diligent cultivation may attain to it, only seek the refreshing influence of the divine spirit and walk in Christ's commandments and live near to him, and he that our dwarfs like Zacchaeus shall become as giants, the hiss up on the wall shall start up into the dignity of the cedar in Lebanon. [00:46:52]

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