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The Crisis Point of Faith
by David A. DePra
     Have you ever reached a point in your walk with Christ where
you knew God wanted you to surrender to Him -- but you were
given no assurance of exactly what was going to happen IF you
surrendered? Have you ever faced absolute darkness, yet knew
God wanted you to walk straight into it, trusting Him?
     This is a call for faith. It is a call to abandon myself to God.
By faith I must die to the right to have the final say so in my life.
By faith, I obey God -- internally and externally -- and am
willing to leave the results of my surrender to Him.
     Many Christian teachers of the past have expressed it well: A
walk by faith is a walk in absolute darkness, yet absolute
confidence. It is a walk in which I cannot see God, but believe
God sees me. It is a life of not knowing where I am going, but a
life of trust in the One who is leading. All the saints of the Bible
went through it. And if we wish to get far with Christ, we'll have to
go through it too.
 
Building Up to a Crisis
 
     Everyday we make choices before the Lord. We make them
over little things and over big things. We make choices to
believe and obey, or to not believe and therefore disobey. But as
important as these daily choices are, many of them are merely
preliminary. They are part of a "build up" to something else.
They are UNTO a point we might term a "crisis point" in the walk
of faith.
     A "crisis point" in the Christian walk occurs when God brings
me face to face with a fundamental choice of life. It is a point
where all of the clutter has been cleared away and the issue is
clear: I must choose either God, or choose myself. I must
choose to believe God, or fall back to something less.
     These "crisis points" are often quite terrifying and difficult. By
definition they have to be. When I face one of them, there is a
definite sense that I am going to lose control of my life if I
surrender to God. There is no assurance as to what God will
allow if I do surrender. Yet there is a divine conviction that I
MUST surrender. I must believe and obey. I know too much to
turn back.
 
Abraham
 
     One of the best examples of such a "crisis point" in the Bible is
given to us in the book of Hebrews:
 
By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a
place which he should after receive an inheritance, obeyed,
and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Heb. 11:8)
 
     Notice what God was asking Abraham to do: Abandon his
earthly inheritance. In those days and in that culture, what you
inherited from your father in the way of lands and property was
everything. And there is every reason to believe that Abraham
was extremely rich in the land of his father. Therefore, when God
called him OUT of that land, Abraham was cutting off every link
he had to an earthly inheritance. He was left with nothing in
which he could trust. He was walking into absolute darkness,
but doing it in absolute assurance of faith.
     We see this in the above scripture. Abraham "went out, not
knowing wither he went." In other words, God said to come out,
and Abraham obeyed by faith. But he came out not knowing
where he was going, or where he would end up. He left that to
God.
     Here again, we see the essence of the life of faith: I cannot
see where I am going, but I trust the One who is leading.
     Believing God cost Abraham every earthly thing he owned.
But his faith cost him even more than that. It actually cost him
control of his life. When he dwelt in Ur, he had citizenship rights.
He had wealth and influence. He had a guaranteed inheritance.
But in obeying God, Abraham was stripped of all of those things.
He no longer possessed any power to determine the outcome of
his life.
     This point is shown in the next verses of Hebrews:
 
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a
strange country, dwelling in tabernacles...for he looked
for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker
is God." (Heb. 11:9-10)
 
     Imagine yourself picking up and moving to a foreign country.
You have no right to work, to attend church, or to own property.
All of that, and more, is out of your hands. It is going to be
decided by another. Pretty scary. Yet that's what Abraham did
by faith.
     God calls us to such a "land." He bids us to come out, "not
knowing wither" we are going. He wants us to do what Abraham
did: Relinquish the right to determine the outcome of our lives.
Refuse to reserve for ourselves the right to have the final say. He
says, "I'm not going to tell you what is going to happen if you
abandon yourself to Me. But I am asking you to do it anyways."
     God wants us to abandon to Him in the overall sense. But He
also wants us to abandon to Him in the specific sense. Thus,
God will build us up to certain points of crisis where we will have
to clearly and knowingly choose along this line. Yet if we do
choose to believe God and abandon ourselves to Him, we will be
given NO assurances of what will happen to us. We will know
only to WHOM we are surrendering.
     If I've ever prayed "Thy will be done;" if I've ever asked God to
make me become His will, then here is my part in the equation: I
must unconditionally surrender myself to God for His will. Then
God will have His way with me -- even though I may not know
specifically what "that way" is. Whatever it is in my case,
however, will result in my "afterwards receiving an inheritance." It
will be one which eternally surpasses that which I could have
achieved by clinging onto this earthly citizenship.
 
Citizenship
 
     The Bible speaks of being a citizen of heaven. But what does
this really mean?
     We find the answer by first understanding what it means to be
a citizen of this world. A citizen of this world has inherited all the
citizenship rights which Adam took upon himself when he
declared his independence from God. Thus, if I am a citizen of
this age, I have the right to possess my own life. I have the right
to decide; the right to bring my own will to pass. These rights are
inherent in the Adamic creation. They come with being born in
this "country;" this realm of the flesh.
     Being a citizen of heaven, however, means that I must do as
Abraham did: I come out of this world. I forsake, by faith, the
citizenship rights which I inherit through Adam.
     This entails a tremendous cost. Coming out of this world and
entering into citizenship of the kingdom of God occurs only
through one method: Death. I must lose my life in order to find
it. I forfeit it all into the hands of God. And I do all of this "not
"knowing whither I am going." I know only to WHOM I am
abandoning myself. I leave the outcome of my life, and the
means of that outcome, to HIM.
     That's the negative part of surrender -- negative, at least, to
the flesh. There is great loss. But then there's the infinitely
greater positive aspect: What I gain by becoming a citizen of the
kingdom of God. I gain all the riches of Jesus Christ. And I gain
the tremendous freedom of no longer having the right to decide
for myself!
     Do you see what this means? It means that the basic
characteristic of being a citizen of heaven is that I have NO
citizenship rights! All of my rights, and all of my will, is given into
the hands of God.
     As incredible as it may seem, God never made man as a
creature who could live independently of Him. He made man as
a creature who could function properly only if he was
surrendered to his Creator. Thus, becoming a citizen of the
kingdom of God is really a homecoming. It is a return to the
original intention and design God intended for man.
     Becoming a citizen of heaven, rather than earth, is a
one-time event. We are birthed into a new realm, with a new
citizenship, in Jesus Christ. But it takes a lifetime to learn how to
live as a citizen of the kingdom of God. We are all so used to
living as a citizen of this world, governing our own lives, and
allowing this and that to govern US, that we naturally try to carry
that pattern over into the kingdom of God. That's why God must
again and again bring us to these "crisis points." He is giving us
the opportunity to break free of these residual habits of the flesh,
and to begin living as the citizen of heaven that we are.
 
A Case in Point
 
     There are many episodes in the Bible which illustrate these
"crisis points" of faith which God brings us to face. One of the
best illustrations involves David. There were many events in the
life of David which show him to be a man after God's own heart
-- despite all of his mistakes and sins. One instance which
stands out is David's ordeal at Ziklag. David's experience at
Ziklag was a "crisis point" in his relationship with God, and of
extreme value as a lesson to us.
     David had become a refugee in his own land -- a refugee
from king Saul himself. Two other facts complicated David's life.
First, king Saul knew that his kingdom was to be taken from him.
Second, David knew that he was going to be the one to take it.
     This knowledge was a constant temptation to David. He had
to wait for God to remove Saul, instead of trying to take matters
into his own hands. In the meantime, David's life was in danger
every moment from his own king -- a king he knew he was
destined to replace.
     David finally had to flee Israel and seek refuge in the land of
the enemy. David joined himself to Achish, king of the
Phillistines. In reality, of course, David was only pretending to
join Achish. He convinced Achish he had forsaken Israel so that
he could dwell safely in this new land. He "verified" his loyalty to
Achish by raiding other enemy nations and sharing the booty
with him.
     The difficulties under which David and his men lived must
have been intense. He had been forced out of his own land by
Saul. Now he had to carve a nitche in the land of the enemy to
survive. A continual fear and present danger must have faced
David and his men continually on all sides. They were true
sojourners, but worse yet, fugitives who had to battle for every
meal.
     It was in this atmosphere of testing and desperate need that
Achish gave the city of Ziklag to David. The possession of such
a city of refuge must have been a present comfort to David. No,
it was not Israel, and David was still considered a criminal. But it
was at least something -- a place of hope. Ziklag represented
to David his "last resort." It was his only place of retreat away
from Saul and away from hopelessness. It was the only visible
evidence David possessed that God was protecting him.
 
The "Crisis Point" for David
 
     David's troubles went from bad to worse when he discovered
that Achish was expecting him to go to war with him against
Israel. How could David get out of this one? Fortunately,
Achish's men did not trust David. They convinced Achish to
forbid David to fight with them. This must have been a
tremendous relief for David. He could never have fought against
his own people. But it must have made him wonder: Once this
fighting was over would Achish also distrust him? And what of
Ziklag? Would Achish take it away from him?
     That question would quickly prove to be moot. David left
Achish, relieved that he would not have to face the issue of
fighting against his own people. He arrived at Ziklag only three
days later. But upon arriving, he and his men discovered that the
Amalekites had invaded the city, completely destroyed it, and
carried off their wives, children, and possessions. David had
nothing left of his life -- not his family; not even his only place
of refuge. And to make matters worse even his loyal men spoke
of stoning him -- blaming him for what had happened.
     Ziklag marks the absolute low point of David's trial. He had
already lost his home and his nation; his reputation and his
inheritance. He had become a fugitive. But now he had lost his
wives and his children, and the loyalty and friendship of his own
men. And to top it all off, David had now lost the one visible
piece of evidence that God was with him: Ziklag. That too was
destroyed.
A Test of Faith
 
     David was a man of prayer. The Psalms show that. He had
been praying for help all during his time of refuge and trial. He
prayed when he fled Saul. He prayed and thanked God when
Achish gave him Ziklag. David believed and staked his life on the
fact that God would be faithful to him. But now THIS. How could
such a thing happen to one who had trusted God? Where was
God?
     David's experience at Ziklag was one that broke new ground
in his walk with God. There had likely always been SOME
evidence God was with him. The evidence, however, was now
gone. David was being called to a walk without evidence -- a
walk where the only evidence of things not seen is faith itself.
(see Heb. 11:1)
     It is not too hard to imagine some of the questions which must
have run through David's mind in the aftershock of the Ziklag
disaster: Was all of David's faith and belief that God was with him
a fallacy? Maybe David just convinced himself God was with
him. Maybe all of the other times David thought God delivered
him were just false impressions. How could God possibly hear
all of David's prayers for deliverance, only to answer them by
allowing something worse to happen? These questions, and
more, usually come to us when we discover our Ziklag is
destroyed. We pray for deliverance and God seems to give us a
worsened trial. We pray to possess something and God takes it
away. Or to be free of something, and God binds us tighter with
it. Are things supposed to get worse through prayer rather than
better?
     Faith is an element of our Christian walk which must be
tested. It is of no consequence otherwise. And in order for faith
to be tested, there must come contradiction -- contradiction
between what we believe -- that God is unconditionally faithful
-- and what our natural perceptions and reactions tell us --
that God's faithfulness is conditional. Faith must have something
against which to stand; something to overcome; something to
resist. The destruction of a Ziklag is such a test of faith.
     God is never after our circumstances. He is after US.
Whether our circumstances get better or worse has to do with
how God is using them as vehicles to get us. He wants us to
take the plunge into the darkness of surrender. He wants us to
take the leap of faith. If we do, our circumstances may not
change -- at least not for a while. But WE will change. And
afterall, that's what God is after.
 
The Turn of the Trial
 
     As David stood gazing in disbelief at the ruins of Ziklag he
could not have known that in less than a week Saul would be
dead and that the kingdom would be as good as his own.
Presently, all was lost. David was at a "crisis point."
Notice something here. David still had an army. He could
have gone ahead and sought to win back his family and
possessions. He could have taken matters into his own hands.
     But no. Instead, "David encouraged himself in the Lord." In other
words, He abandoned himself to God. He surrendered the entire
situation, and his rights to redemption, into the hands of the
Living God.
     David had no way of knowing what God would do. Afterall,
God had already allowed great tragedy in his life. He had
allowed his family to be taken captive. Perhaps surrendering to
God would only insure that David would never see them again. It
would have been easy, and naturally understandable, had David
allowed his fears and inclinations to govern him. He could have
set his face towards rescuing his loved ones through his own
efforts.
     But no. David sought God. And in his seeking, he found
"encouragement." And he found it BEFORE he knew the
outcome of this ordeal. How? Because David knew a great
Truth: If a person abandons to God, nothing can get through to
them unless it gets through God first. And in that there is great
encouragement, even if what God allows is apparent tragedy or
distress.
     I need to see this and wrap myself in it: If I trust God and
abandon myself to Him -- and the emphasis is on "if" here --
then there is NOTHING which can get into my life unless it FIRST
gets throughs God. Nothing. In a nutshell, that means if I
abandon my will to God, He guarantees that He shall bring HIS
will to pass in my life. Not sometimes, but everytime.
 
Deliverance
 
     Things moved quickly from the point of David's surrender.
David inquired of the Lord as to what to do. He did not demand
the return of his wives and possessions despite all the pressure
from his men. He was fully yielded to God on this matter. He
would pursue or not pursue. It was up to God. Of course God
said to pursue. They chanced upon an Egyptian slave of one of
the Amalekites who had raided Ziklag. Not only did this slave
provide them with food, but he also led them to their stolen
possessions.
     Isn't that remarkable? A servant of one of the very men who
had caused David's trial was now serving David. The lesson
could not be more clear. If we trust God against all that seeks to
contradict Him, He'll make that which served our adversary begin
to serve us. He'll use the things which caused us such pain as
instruments which will actually feed and strengthen us.
     Now David and his men were ready to take back what had
been lost. Indeed, of all who had been taken in the terrible raid,
not one person who had been taken from Ziklag had been
harmed. God had seen to it. In but a short time David and his
men were going back to Israel, families in tact. David was to be
king.
 
Life From Death
 
     Herein we see the fundamental principle of Christianity
illustrated: The principle of life through death. It is only through
death that we find life. Or, as Jesus said, it is only by losing our
lives that we shall find them.
     In the 15th chapter of I Corinthians, Paul asks a question
which infers this great Truth:
But some man will say, "How are the dead raised up? And
with what body do they come?" Thou fool. That which you
sow is not quickened, except it die. And that which you
sow , you sow not that body that shall be, but bare grain,
it may be of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives
it a body as it has pleased Him, and to every seed his own
body. (I Cor. 15:35-38)
 
     Paul is here illustrating the principle of abandonment. He tells
us that it is a foolish question to ask what will become of the seed
we sow -- or abandon -- to God. We cannot know what will
be the fruit of our surrender; of our death. No. God cannot tell
us. Yet GOD will give it the body -- or form -- that pleases
HIM.
     God is telling us to cast forth our lives as a sower would sow a
seed. We are to cast them from ourselves and let them go down
into a death. As we do our sowing or casting, we cannot know
what will be the consequences of our surrender. We leave that to
God. HE will give what we have surrendered a "body." He will
take our lives and resurrect them in a form which pleases Him.
That is what God is bringing us to do in the many points of
crisis in our Christian walk. He wants us to sow, not our money,
nor our possessions, but OURSELVES. He wants us to cast forth
our right to govern ourselves in this age.
     On the Cross, Jesus said it best. He said, "Into Your hands I
commit my spirit." Jesus had no power to resurrect Himself from
the death to which He was surrendering. But then, Jesus wasn't
really surrendering to death. He wasn't really surrendering to His
circumstances. He was surrendering to God. He utterly and
unconditionally abandoned Himself to God. And God raised Him
up to newness of life.
     If I believe God and surrender to Him despite the darkness, I
may not know what the specific outcome will be in my
circumstances. But I can trust that it is sufficient that God knows.
And I can be sure that through my surrender I will acquire an
ETERNAL inheritance in Jesus Christ as a citizen of the kingdom
of God. 

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