A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite writers. The way he writes and turns a phrase is captivating to me. He also was a man who was years ahead of his time in his writing. He spoke to issues that are as relevant today as they were 70 years ago. Tozer was best known for writing short essays that had tremendous spiritual "punch". I have a book which is a compilation of those essays and I can read them almost like a daily devotional.

The article this morning was on complacent Christianity. He declared it to be the "scandal" of the church (probably still is). Tozer reminded his readers that the weight of all of Scripture is against such things. The Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit is constantly exhorting us "to go on", "to press ahead", and "to not look back". He recommended 5 things to those who desired to begin to make progress again in their walk with God. I thought them to be so simple and relevant that they bear putting them before our eyes again.

1. Strive to get beyond mere pensive longing (wishful thinking). Set your face like a flint and begin to put your life in order. Every man is as holy as he really wants to be. But the "want" must be all-compelling. Tie up the loose ends of your life. Begin to tithe; institute family prayer; pay up your debts as far as possible and make some frank arrangement with every creditor you cannot pay immediately; make restitution as far as you can; set aside time to pray and search the Scriptures; surrender wholly to the will of God. You will be surprised and delighted with the results.

2. Put away every un-Christian habit from you. If other Christians practice it without compunction, God may be calling you to come nearer to Him than these other Christians care to come. Remember the words, "Others may, you cannot". Do not condemn or criticize, but seek a better way. God will honor you.

3. Get Christ himself in the focus of your heart and keep Him there continually. Only in Christ will you find complete fulfillment. In Him you may be united to the Godhead in conscious, vital awareness. Remember that all of God is accessible to you through Christ. Cultivate His knowledge above everything else on earth.

4. Throw your heart open to the Holy Spirit and invite Him to fill you. He will do it. Let no one interpret the Scriptures for you in such a way as to rule out the Father's gift of the Holy Spirit. Every man is as full of the Spirit as he wants to be. Make your heart a vacuum and the Spirit will rush to fill it. Nowhere in the Scriptures nor in Christian biography was anyone filled with the Spirit who did not know that they had been, and nowhere was anyone filled who did not know when. And no one was filled gradually.

5. Be hard on yourself and easy on others. Carry your own cross but never lay one on the back of another. Begin to practice the Presence of God. Cultivate the fellowship of the Triune God by prayer, humility, obedience and self-abnegation.

Not a bad list. In fact, it is probably a great starting place for those desiring to get back on target with God to implement in their life. I encourage you to do exactly that. If you are on target, then stay the course. If you find yourself off target, then it is a great moment to get back where you know you need to be. These are powerful days of the moving of God's Spirit...don't find yourself coasting when God is causing His people to conquer!

Planting a Cross
Pastor Baird