BELIEVING JUST NOW?

There is only one little point of time at which any one can receive salvation, and that is the point now. We are justified only by a present faith that God does now, for Jesus' sake, forgive us all our past sins of every sort. In like manner, we are sanctified only when we believe now that Jesus does cleanse us from all indwelling and heart sin. The territory on which saving faith must firmly stand is indeed a narrow neck of land 'twixt two unbounded seas of past and future; yet it is as deep and sure as it is narrow. If you want to get free from inbred sin and enter into deep soul rest, you must utterly drop the entire past out of your hands, and let it fall just as it is into the hand of God. Then you must utterly commit the entire future, just as it may be, into the hand of God. You have nothing left but the space of a moment — now. On that little narrow now you must fix the foot of faith and claim Jesus just now, just as you are, as your full salvation.

Are you sure that you have given up every thing to the will of God? Faith is very easy when perfect submission has taken everything out of its way. Believing is the last thing to be done. Do not struggle for faith, do not try to believe. You have tried a hundred times and never succeeded. Faith comes in the very absence of effort.

Believing is that thing you do when you quit doing everything else, and you can never believe until you actually quit doing all else. So that, if you have submitted your all to God, what else can you do? Why not calmly, firmly settle your soul down on the rock of God's promise that the blood of Jesus actually cleanseth you from all sin? You say, "How can I say that, how dare I believe that, when I feel the presence of sin in my heart? It looks like a gross absurdity and contradiction for me to believe that Jesus cleanseth now, when, at the same time, I now feel the root of evil in me." Yes, it seems like an absurdity, but the seeming is only a witchery of Satan. Open your eyes and look at this now cleansing a little closer. How long will you have that root of sin in you? Just as long as you doubt. How long will you have unbelief? Until the very moment you believe. Doubt is the seed of all sin, and nothing can re move your doubt but your faith; and do you not see that your unbelief — the seed of all sin — must, in the nature of things, remain in you on and on up to the very instant that you quit doubting and believe that Jesus cleanseth? At the very moment you fully trust, at that moment doubt and sin are removed. The very fact that you doubt is the very reason why you ought to believe right now, and thereby get rid of doubt.

The very fact that you now have sin in your heart is the very reason why you ought, right now, just as you are, just where you are, to reckon yourself dead to sin, and claim Jesus to cleanse you now from sin. You say, " Oh! It is all so dark I do not see a step before me, my mind is so confused and my heart is in a sea of commotion. " Well, I have been in that position. The clear light will never come till you believe; your heart can never sink into a sweet tranquillity till you believe. God pushes us into a narrow place. Sooner or later we must every one make the alternative either to believe or be damned. Suppose you keep refusing to believe that Jesus cleanseth you, will it do you any good? You have tried nearly everything except faith; now quit all else and believe. Why not do it now? In spite of your feelings and all things, just be lieve God now, and leave results to Him. After you have read, and prayed, and wept, and struggled, and done a thousand good works, at last you will be absolutely compelled to quit all your own works and settle down on the naked word of God, and by simple trust assert that He cleanseth. God can not make you holy so long as you keep attempting to do it yourself. He is only waiting for you to quit the task in order that He may do it. Why not let Him do it now?