Dear Reader

I recently was having a battle to find God’s direction in some financial matter. It seemed to me that all that would come to my mind was incomplete direction, not showing me clearly everything that I needed to do—I seemed trapped in endless analysis of the problems of any step I might take in the matter. Then the Lord brought before me the scriptures that speak of cutting off one foot or plucking out one eye in an unusual way, conveying to me that I needed to move forward on what guidance I had and not waiting until everything was clear. As I received this direction, I was blessed in my heart and the Lord brought to my mind one of the songs that is in this issue: “Step by Step.” It came with such blessing that it seemed important to include it in this issue, with the prayer that others may find help from it as well. I will add that the Lord used the same inspiration to help us in another matter as well, the same day.

The thorough reader will find what may seem to be an oddity in this issue: two lengthy articles on almost identical subjects. We found a blessing in both articles, and trust God to apply to each reader’s heart what they need.

I want to share another lesson from the firing line. I was speaking with a young brother, who was reporting that he had just gotten a real blessing and help in a trial from a message he had just finished hearing. At this point, he began to describe the trial (presumably in order to give some background), but as he was describing the trial, the devil ambushed him in such a way that the trial came on him again with force; and when he finished relating it, he could no longer remember what it was that the Lord had given him!

Now spiritual warfare resembles physical warfare in this respect, that ground gained must not just be won, but also secured against counterattack. The devil often launches strong counterattacks just when we are “relaxing” after a victory. The Lord well understands this, and knows how to help us secure our victories and expand them as well. We can see this as we note the careful instructions the Lord often gave to those He helped. To one who would naturally have liked to have had the comfort of His physical closeness, He instructed to “go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.”* (Mark 5:19) To another, He said, “see thou say nothing to any man,”* (Mark 1:44) and then gave him specific instructions to follow. With some, He even put them into situations where they would encounter immediate trials and opposition—read in John 9 about the man born blind. By taking those trials right, the man gained still more light and understanding.

If I am having difficulty retaining a lesson or some victory the Lord has given me, it is my privilege to go to the Lord of battles for help and instruction. I cannot count the number of times that I’ve needed to ask the Lord for help, during the battles of the day, simply to remember what He showed me in my devotions; or how often I’ve faced severe “counterattacks” of the devil just when I’m “basking” in a victory. The Lord who never slumbers knows how to help us defend the ground we’ve gained, and even retake ground the enemy grabs back from us.

Pray for me, that I would trust and obey my Heavenly Commander and go on from victory to victory!

Love and prayers,
The Editor