Virginia Brandt Berg (1898-1968)
Greetings and welcome again to Meditation Moments. We have been talking to you about the ladder of faith by which if you'll earnestly climb you can reach the great and mighty things God's Word tells us about in Jer.33:3. And last week we dealt with the firm foundation upon which the ladder of faith must rest and that's the Word of God. For God's Word says, "Heaven and Earth will pass away but My Word shall never pass away." And so the ladder of faith must rest on such a firm foundation. It's useless to start up a ladder unless you are going to take God's at His Word and have your ladder that you climb up to the great and mighty things when firmly planted on that word.
It really takes effort and wisdom to climb the ladder of faith and get real answers to prayer. Many people are satisfied with a very mediocre common existence although the Lord has said, "I have come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly." They're not satisfied to climb up to that cause it does take such an effort sometimes and takes a clean heart and it takes perseverance. The first round in our ladder is a definite cleansing of the heart. If you come to God for the fulfillment of His promises you must have a clean heart. He can't pour His blessing into an unclean vessel for His Word says, "If our hearts condemn us not then we have boldness to come to the throne of mercy and receive help in a time of need." It's impossible to have boldness if there's condemnation upon the heart. His (?) robs the heart of that confidence. God sees the things that are hidden behind the door of the heart. He can't bless (?) sin in the heart. So quick, so anxious God is to forgive the repentant heart that he says, "The broken and contrite heart He'll not despise," but there's one thing God can't do. That is, He cannot forgive sins which are not repentant and the story is told of two men who were attending a Communion service and the one saw is companion on his knees at the altar for taking of the sacrament and he whispered to him, "Sam, what fall you all down on your knees in taking the sacrament when I saw you last night stealing a pig?" To his surprise his friend replied, "You all don't think I'm gonna let a little thing like a pig keep me out of the Kingdom, does you?" He went right on praying and taking the sacrament and that's about the attitude of many a heart that God'll overlook a few things here and there and just hide them, if they're hidden out of sight I mean, leave them buried in the past and God'll forget them like a debt which is forever forgiven because of lapse of time but sin's only forgiven when confessed and repented of. All that God asks is obedience to 1Jn.1:9, "If we confess our sins He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Sin has to be brought out into the light in sweet humility confess to the Lord and know how quickly He forgives and cleanses the moment He sees genuine repentance. Oh, that's the way to start climbing your ladder of faith because prayer is hindered when there's condemnation upon your heart. That awful pressure that's in your soul when you go to pray and you feel God doesn't hear me and God doesn't answer my prayers like other people. I'm not as good as other people. I'm so unworthy. And those condemnations will definitely hinder your faith and take away your boldness in prayer. Therefore by definite act of confession and offense you clear away all such hindrance and rid yourself once and for all of such condemnation. To the one who has by a definite act of faith put his past with every sin beneath the blood of Calvary there is no condemnation. It's true then God will try to put condemnation of your heart but if you obey this Scripture, one we just read, 1Jn.1:9 you can't do so. God's Word says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." That's the reason a clean heart is so necessary so that you can come boldly to the throne of mercy. A heart that's truly right with God cannot easily be accused by the Devil.
Martha Snell-Nickelson writes, "I feared and then straightway post haste Satan flew before the presence of the most High God and made a railing accusation there. He said, 'This soul, this thing of clay and sod has sinned. 'Tis true that he has maimed Thy name but I demand his death for Thou hast said, The soul that sinneth it shall die. Shall not Thy sentence be fulfilled and justice dead. Send now this (?) sinner to his doom. What other thing can righteous ruler do?' And thus he did accuse me day and night in every word he spoke, oh God, was true. Then quickly one rose up from God's right hand before whom glory angels veil their eyes. He spoke, "Each jot and tittle of the law must be fulfilled, the guilty sinner die. But wait, suppose his guilt for all transferred to me and that I paid his penalty. Behold, My hands, My side My feet. One day I was made sin for him and died that he might be presented faultless at Thy throne and Satan flew away only well he knew that he could not prevail against such love. For every dear Word my dear Lord spoke was true.
Oh my friend, there's room at the cross for you. God's Word makes it so plain. He'll turn from sin they that have sinned. The Savior still waits to open the gates and welcome a sinner before it's too late. There's room at the cross for you. Though millions have come there's still room for one. Yes, there's room at the cross for you. God will answer prayer for you. He's still on the throne, prayer changes things.