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If a Christian wants to grow in life, two things are essential: He must confess his sins thoroughly to the Lord and deal with his sins. A third thing that is equally important is consecration; he must consecrate himself absolutely to the Lord. As a basic requirement, every Christian should consecrate himself to the Lord. After a person is saved, if he desires to grow in life, he must confess and deal with his sins. The confession of sins focuses on what is on the inside, and dealing with sins focuses on what is on the outside. To confess sins is to tell God the condition of one’s heart and to confess to God all the sins that one feels inwardly. To deal with sins is something related to outward behavior; it involves thoroughly dealing with everything in one’s living, surroundings, and home that is not pleasing to God. This is a dealing that is not only before God but also before men. The inward confession of sins plus the outward dealing with sins—the two combined together—are a complete experience.
However, after a person is saved, if he merely confesses his sins before God and deals with his sins before men but does not consecrate himself to God, he has not yet started to walk on the path of life. We have to know that after a person’s salvation, the first step always includes confession of sins, dealing with sins, and consecration to the Lord. In our experience these three things may be in a different sequence. Some may confess their sins first and then consecrate themselves to the Lord; some may consecrate themselves to the Lord first and then deal with their sins. The order does not matter. After a person is saved, the first step always includes these three things: a thorough confession of his sins before God, a careful dealing with his sins before men, and the consecration of himself to the Lord. These three things combined together are a complete experience.
This can be likened to our breakfast. A complete Chinese breakfast is composed of bread, porridge, and some small dishes of food. It does not matter whether we eat the porridge, the bread, or the small dishes of food first. In the same way, after a person’s salvation, his first experience should include confession of sins to God from within, a thorough dealing with sins before men, and an absolute consecration to the Lord. All these three things are equally necessary, but their sequence is not that important. It does not matter whether or not others encourage you to do these three things, because all those who are saved and desire to take the Lord’s way cannot avoid them. Anyone who has not experienced these few matters has never taken a step before the Lord. Even if some have experienced only the first matter, only the second matter, or both matters, if they have not experienced the third matter, they still have not yet taken a complete step before the Lord.
We have to ask the Lord to show us where we really are. Regardless of whether we have a definite heart to take the Lord’s way or we have just a little determination, we must realize that there is no short cut in the spiritual path. When we leave the house, we have to first pass through the front door before we get to the gate. In the same way, there are certain sections in the Lord’s way, and we cannot skip any step. We may listen to messages and read the Bible, but if we do not have a heart to take the Lord’s way, messages will not help us, and reading the Bible will not be beneficial to us. Messages should render much help to people, and reading the Bible should supply them with life, but if we merely understand the Lord’s way and do not have a heart, then nothing will be profitable to us. We should not be those who merely understand the Lord’s way; we should be those who also have a heart. Not only so, we should not merely have a heart, we also should begin to walk on the way. If so, every single message we hear will be profitable to us, and every verse of the Bible that we read will be a supply to us. I hope that every one of us would be one who has a heart and walks on the way.
Thus, we can see that in addition to confessing and dealing with our sins, consecrating ourselves to the Lord is of great importance. There are two crucial points in the entire Bible. First, God requires man to believe in Him, and second, God requires man to love Him. None of the leaders of the world require man to believe in them or to love them. Neither Mohammed nor Confucius ever asked anyone to believe in him or to love him. Only Jesus Christ wants man to believe in Him and to love Him.
Since man’s fall, God’s demand on man has been first, faith and second, love. Do you know what it means to be saved? To be saved is to turn to God, that is, to believe in God and to have a relationship with God. When a person does not have God, he is alienated from God; regardless of whether this alienation is great or small, he is alienated and severed from God. How are we united to God and joined to God? This happens through faith. The more we believe, the more we are joined to God; the more we believe, the more we are united with God and the stronger our contact with God is. Many people say that there is no God, because they use the wrong organ to try to contact God. For instance, if we use our ears to try to hear colors, we surely will not be able to hear anything; if we use our eyes to see smell, we surely will not be able to see anything. The more we believe in God, the more we realize His existence; and the more we believe in Him, the more we sense His presence. The relationship that man has with God is one of faith.
Second, the relationship that man has with God is characterized by love. It is wonderful that after man believes in Him, what He requires of man is love. Every saved one, everyone who believes in God, has the feeling within him that the Lord is lovely. If we ask someone who worships Buddha whether Buddha is lovely or not, he will say that he has never thought about this. If we ask someone who believes in the Lord, regardless of how much love he has, he at least has some feeling that he loves the Lord; he at least has some heart to do something for the Lord. Hence, as long as a person is saved, without anyone teaching him, he spontaneously has a feeling within him that the Lord is lovely and that he wants to love the Lord.
Although some saved ones may not feel very strongly that the Lord is lovely or that they want to love God, within them they still have a little love for the Lord. One time I went to visit a brother who loved playing cards. I asked him, “Which do you think is more lovely—the Lord or the cards?” He said, “Outwardly I feel that the cards are more lovely, but inwardly I still feel that the Lord is more lovely.” In fact, he knew that it was a good thing for him to love the Lord, yet he still enjoyed playing cards. These two things were competing for this person—the Lord was competing from within, and the cards were competing from without. One day, however, the cards will lose, and the Lord will gain the victory. Sooner or later the power inside of him will overcome the power that is outside of him. A person who hates sins does not do so because he is afraid of sins. Christians hate sins because the Lord is lovely, and they have the Lord’s love within them.
Every saved one inwardly feels that the Lord is lovely. It is not a matter of “knowing,” because knowing is just a matter of our mind; rather, it is a matter of “feeling.” Feeling is a matter of an inner sense. A saved one not only knows that the Lord is lovely, but he also feels that the Lord is lovely. A Christian may commit a great sin. While committing the sin, he may, on the one hand, enjoy the pleasures of sin while, on the other hand, still feel that the Lord is lovely. Hence, a Christian is almost always a paradox. Nearly every Christian is different on the inside than he is on the outside and experiences contradictions between what he is within and what he is without. It is rare to find a Christian whose inner being is in harmony with his outer being. What is it to have one’s inner being in harmony with one’s outer being? This is to love the Lord without and within. The majority of Christians love themselves outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love to dress up outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love their wife outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Some love their children outwardly, but inwardly they still love the Lord. Every Christian more or less loves the Lord. On the one hand, we do like lustful things, fashion, and clothing, but on the other hand, we feel that the Lord is truly lovely.
Although there may be a difference in degree, every Christian does feel that the Lord is lovely. This is the motivation of a Christian’s consecration. After we are saved, the Lord draws our heart to Himself over and over again in many ways and through different kinds of environments and methods so that we would tell Him, “O Lord, not only do You love me but You are truly lovely. I fully consecrate myself to You.” All Christians have to take this initial step, and no one can escape from this. Anyone who has never given himself to the Lord has no way to take the Lord’s way.
After someone is saved, if he wants to have a rich experience of the Lord, the first step he needs to take is consecration. If a person does not give himself to the Lord after his salvation, he will have no way to take the Lord’s way. For our prayers to be answered, faith is of vital importance; however, those who have never given themselves to the Lord cannot have much faith. Only those who truly consecrate themselves to the Lord have adequate faith. After we have absolutely consecrated ourselves to the Lord, faith comes. Faith comes from consecration. Moreover, if a person desires to belong to the Lord completely, he must fully consecrate himself to the Lord. No one can be holy without consecrating himself to the Lord. A person will have no way to overcome if he has not consecrated himself to the Lord. Furthermore, one can see hardly any light unless he consecrates himself to the Lord. How well we walk before God altogether hinges on our consecration. Man’s heart always turns to the world, but only when man turns to God will God shine on him with His light.
Suppose there is a light behind me. If I do not turn around, I will not receive its shining because light shines in a particular direction. When a man’s heart is turned to things other than God, it is impossible for God to shine on him. Some pray that God would shine on them, but still they do not receive any light. Some may even wonder why others always receive light, but they never receive any light. This is solely because they are turned away from God. Whenever they turn around, God’s light will have a way to shine on them. “Whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16). If a Christian does not have light within him, this shows that inwardly he is still somewhat turned away from God. Since he is turned away from God, he needs to turn around. What is consecration? Consecration is to turn our whole being around. When our heart is in the world, we spontaneously are facing the world; hence, we need to turn. Whenever our heart is facing the Lord within, immediately our inner being will be enlightened, and we will know what is the will of God and what is not the will of God.
Moreover, for a Christian to be spiritual, he also must consecrate himself to the Lord. We may use an illustration: A cup can be placed outside for half a day while the rain is very heavy, but the cup is not filled with even half a drop of water. Why not? The reason the cup is not filled up is because it is upside down. Although the rain is pouring down, the cup does not have one drop of water. All the children of God should be filled with the Holy Spirit, and it should be easy for them to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. However, some people always ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit yet never receive it. What is the reason for this? If we turn the cup right side up, it will be filled with water right away. If we are not willing to turn our heart to face toward God but instead are always facing “downward,” facing toward the world, then it is impossible for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is absolutely impossible for a person whose heart is totally toward the world to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to receive the grace of God. However, as soon as he turns his heart toward God, he will immediately be filled with the Holy Spirit. All the experienced ones can testify of this. Furthermore, a person also must be consecrated if he wants to fellowship with God and have His presence all the time. Anyone who is not consecrated cannot have fellowship with God; neither can he have the presence of God. We can use an electric lamp as an illustration. If an electric lamp has a broken wire, the electricity is cut off. In this case, having one broken wire is the same as having two broken wires. Therefore, for us to enjoy the fellowship and the presence of God, we must be consecrated people.
To love God and to believe in God are equally important. We must believe in Him and love Him; then His grace, His blessing, and His presence will come upon us. For the grace of God, the blessing of God, and the presence of God to come upon us, we have to love Him. Of course, those who do not believe in God would not love God; for one to love, he first has to believe. If we love Him, we will turn to Him. We always hear people say that we have to wait for God; in fact, this is not correct. It is not we who wait for God, but it is God who waits for us. God is waiting for us to turn to Him so that He can answer our prayers and give us power. It is not we who wait for God, but it is God who is waiting for us. As we have illustrated before, the rain outside may be heavy, but if the cup is facing downward, how can we expect the rainwater to enter into the cup? If a person is not willing to turn to God, how can the grace of God come upon such a one? God is always waiting for us to turn from the earth to the heavens. Thus, it is not man who waits for God’s grace, but it is God who is waiting for man to receive Him as grace day by day.
Here is the problem: It is not that easy for man’s heart to turn to God. Only those who have been touched by the Lord’s love can easily receive the grace of God. Those who do not have faith will easily obtain faith after they have consecrated themselves to the Lord. Those who do not have holiness will easily obtain holiness after consecration. Those who do not have light will easily obtain light after consecration. Those who do not have the presence of God will have the presence of God after consecration. Those who do not have power will have power in their daily lives after consecration. Everything depends upon whether or not we have our heart turned to the Lord. If our heart is turned to the Lord, then the Lord Himself, the grace of the Lord, spiritual light, and spiritual riches will all be poured into us. But if our heart is not turned to the Lord, even if the Lord grants us grace, there is no way for grace to enter into us, just as the rainwater cannot enter into the cup.
What is consecration? Consecration is to turn to God. Formerly, we wanted something apart from God, but now we are encouraged by the Lord’s love from within, we turn to God, and we want only God Himself. Whoever turns to God in this way easily touches God and receives God’s grace. If we are willing to give ourselves to God like this, when we pray, our prayer will become very special; when we read the Bible, the Bible will become full of light to us; when we preach the gospel, our gospel preaching will become very powerful. A Christian should thoroughly consecrate himself to the Lord at least once, if not several times. Then, if after a period of time he feels that his past consecration was not thorough enough, he should consecrate himself thoroughly a second time. After some more time he may even feel that his second consecration was not thorough enough. Then he should consecrate himself to the Lord once again. Even after a further period of time he may consecrate himself absolutely to the Lord once again. The more he consecrates to the Lord like this, the more he will touch the Lord and the more he will be gained by the Lord. A person like this will walk on the Lord’s way and grow in life every day.
After we have consecrated ourselves to the Lord, we have to follow the Lord’s feeling absolutely. After we have consecrated ourselves to the Lord, our inner being is enlightened. As a result, we will know what pleases the Lord, and we will follow our inner feeling. Romans 12:1 says that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. If we present ourselves to God in this way, the result will be that we know the well pleasing and perfect will of God. God will let us know what is pleasing to Him, and He will also let us know what is not pleasing to Him. When He does this, we have to obey every single feeling within us absolutely. If a Christian merely listens to doctrines and exhortations without practicing to follow the Lord’s inner leading and without walking on the Lord’s way, his listening does not mean anything. The most precious thing about a Christian is that after he has consecrated himself to the Lord, he is able to sense what is pleasing to the Lord, what is not pleasing to Him, and is able to live according to that feeling. This is the most valuable thing in the Christian experience.
There was once a sister who was very fashionable. One day she gave herself to the Lord and said, “O Lord, from now on, I consecrate myself to You. I do not want anything apart from You; whether I can live this way or not, I do not care. I just give myself to You.” Two or three days after she prayed, she wore a very fashionable dress to the meeting. No one had ever told her that she should not wear that dress, and she had never read in the Bible that she should not wear such a dress. Nevertheless, after her consecration she felt inwardly that she should not wear it after taking it out of her closet. She did not understand, so she stood there awhile analyzing whether or not it was sinful to wear such a dress. After taking it out of the closet, however, the uncomfortable feeling remained within her. After she put the dress on, she felt even more uncomfortable. Then she reasoned with herself that in the past when she attended the Lord’s Day meeting, the preacher never told her that she was not allowed to wear that dress. Eventually, she left the house wearing the dress.
After she left the house, she had the feeling that she should go back into the house, but she still did not understand why. While she was walking, her inner being was arguing with her, “You could wear this dress in the past but not today. Other people can wear this dress but not you.” She really did not have the peace within. When she arrived at the entrance of the meeting hall, the urging within her to go home made her very uncomfortable. She had no way to deal with this pressing feeling, so at the very moment when she was crossing the threshold of the meeting hall, she withdrew and went back home. When she went home, she was totally released because her inner being was in harmony with her outer man. After she came back to the meeting hall in another dress, the meeting that day was enjoyable to her in an unprecedented way. That day she learned the lesson that man can truly live before God and in fellowship with Him.
How far a person will walk on the Lord’s way depends entirely on how much he lives before God. Once our heart turns to God, we will immediately have God’s feeling and know what is of God and what is not of God. This kind of experience is only given to those who are walking on God’s way. This kind of living is not according to the natural human life but according to the life within.
There is a sister who once went to buy some fabric. In the fabric shop she saw a piece of wool fabric. She wanted to buy it, but her inner being told her not to buy it but instead to send the money to a certain place to help with the Lord’s work there. After she considered for a while, she bought the fabric. After she went home, she felt very unpeaceful for three days. After three days she told a brother about this matter. She told him, “I bought a piece of fabric, but in the end I actually bought a sin.” That brother just happened to be in need of some fabric, so he asked her to resell it to him. Then this sister followed her inner feeling and offered the money that she received from selling the fabric to the Lord’s work.
We have to obey the inner feeling. Otherwise, sooner or later we have to confess this sin of disobedience, just like that sister did. This shows us that one who walks on God’s way, must, at a minimum, take care of a few matters: to thoroughly confess all his sins before God, to clearly deal with all his sins before the world, and to entirely consecrate himself to the Lord. By doing this, he will have the Lord’s presence within, and he will be able to have fellowship with the Lord and to have the Lord’s feeling. Once he has the Lord’s feeling, he should obey every feeling that he receives from the Lord. The more he obeys these feelings, the more sensitive his inner being will become. May the Lord have mercy on us. May He save each one of us from being one who merely listens to doctrines and cause us to be those who walk on His way with a turned heart.
