Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 52, 1907

Belden, F. E.

St. Helena, California

February 9, 1907

Previously unpublished. +^Note

F. E. Belden

My dear nephew Frank Belden:

Your case is still kept before me. You are passing through the most perilous period of your life history. For years Satan has exercised his power over you, but I am praying that the spell may be broken, and that you may now take your stand on the Lord’s side. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 1

At times I am in an agony of mind as I see that the enemy has been gaining control of you. In the name of Jesus your Saviour, I call upon you to break the spell of the enemy that is endangering your soul. You have lost the power of clear spiritual discernment, and your mind is changeable. Yet you do not perceive your peril. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 2

You are in danger of making moves that will result in your ruin. I do not want you to make shipwreck of faith. I desire to see you seeking the Lord while He may be found, and calling upon Him while He is near. You are not happy. Will you not, for the sake of Him who gave His life for you, surrender to the Lord? Will not you and your family renew your covenant with Him? Do not delay; for delay is dangerous. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 3

The Word of God is the means by which temptation may be resisted and overcome. You need now for your soul’s sake to make an entire change. You need to come to the place where you have no confidence in yourself. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 4

Because of your controversies with your brethren, a reproach has been brought upon the cause of God. A day of reckoning is coming when every act and motive will be brought into judgment. Then every man will be rewarded according as his work shall be. Are you prepared for the test? The word of God is clear and plain; read it, and, for Christ’s sake, practice its teachings. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 5

The invitation now comes to all, Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Why will men unite with evil agencies, to hurt the influence of the children of God? Let not your time and your talents be turned aside from the truth of God to do a work that God did not assign to you. Hurt not the heart of Christ in the person of His saints. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 6

Continue not to resist the warnings that God has given you. Break this awful spell that rests upon you. Humble yourself under the hand of God. Much time has been lost. Guided by the counsel of God, you might have accomplished a good work. But you have estranged yourself; you have followed your own erring judgment, and have thereby been led into many serious errors. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 7

Evil angels are binding their cords about you. The dread leader of the fallen host is determined to lead you to the point where you cannot turn. I entreat of you to disappoint the enemy, to break this spell of deception, and to become converted, heart, soul, and mind. When you will humble your heart, the Lord Jesus will come and take possession of His blood-bought heritage. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 8

“Thy words,” said David, “have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” [Psalm 119:11.] Satan is baffled when he finds the heart preoccupied with the truth of God. Will not you seek to reach the position where you can say, “Thou through Thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies”? [Verse 98.] It has been long since you were walking in the way of the Lord. You have often been represented to me as stout-hearted, refusing the Lord’s way. The dangers before you are great, and your heart has been set against God’s ways and God’s will. The truth will bear away the victory. Come into line, and redeem the past. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 9

February 10

Last night again I had a representation of your case. I awoke at twelve o’clock and could not sleep longer. My soul was greatly burdened as I prayed for you. Your condition was opened before me and your determination to have your own way. This determination should be overcome. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 10

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] Will you consider this? 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 11

Every soul is engaged in a warfare against fallen angels. We are oft in heaviness through manifold temptations. But the trial of our faith my be productive of great good, if we look to the Saviour by faith, that we may be found unto His praise and honor and glory at His appearing. Those who maintain a living connection with heavenly agencies will be protected. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 12

When, as an angel of light, Satan came to Christ in the wilderness, to tempt Him, the Saviour did not enter into a controversy of words with the enemy. Satan tempted Christ, when He was weary and worn and hungry. “If Thou be the Son of God,” he said, “command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not lie by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 13

“Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” [Matthew 4:3-6.] 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 14

In quoting this Scripture from the ninety-first Psalm, the wily tempter left out the words, “In all Thy ways.” [Verse 11.] Many today are tempted in a similar manner to believe that they may experience the blessing of God, and receive the promises, without complying with the necessary conditions. There is no promise of protection to one who needlessly places himself in danger. Christ is our perfect pattern. We can successfully overcome temptation, as He overcame temptation, by the Word of God. “Get thee hence, Satan,” He replied, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” [Matthew 4:7, 10.] They who trust in God, following His way, will continually be under the guardianship of holy angels; and they will receive strength for the performance of every duty that God requires of them. But they who follow their own way cannot claim the promises of God. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 15

“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. ... And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 16

“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 17

“And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 18

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah (Temptation), and Meribah (Strife), because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?” [Exodus 17:1-7.] 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 19

How natural it is for men to murmur when they encounter difficulties. But to those who manifest a calm confidence in the Lord, He will reveal Himself in such a manner as will glorify His name. Notwithstanding the many occasions when God had wrought wondrously in behalf of His people, when they were brought to a test, they murmured and complained. They might have said in peaceful assurance, The Lord has bidden us to go this way; He knows better than we, and we will trust in Him. But they did not act as those who really believed in the Lord God of Israel. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 20

So with many today when they are tested and tried. They receive with indifference many of the mercies of God and swell with their own self-importance. But when brought into difficulty, their trials seem large. They dishonor God by finding fault with their brethren, or with their circumstances. 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 21

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.) ... Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.” [Hebrews 3:7-9, 12-14.] 22LtMs, Lt 52, 1907, par. 22