When God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai, tablets of stone with commandments were given to him that he might teach the people. The Children of Israel saw the glory of God as a devouring fire on top of the mountain. Moses was in the midst of the cloud for forty days receiving new direction for the people of God. When the word of the Lord came to Jonah to go to Nineveh, he preached a simple message, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." The people believed God and proclaimed a fast: "Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way . . . ." For forty days, they repented and God saved the city. In the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness. Once there, He was tempted to satisfy His hunger in his own power. He was tempted to establish His kingdom by forsaking His heavenly Father. He was tempted to achieve His own end by manipulating God. For forty days He successfully conquered those temptations and came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. Jesus had been crucified, buried, and raised again to life. After His passion, He showed himself alive to his disciples. He gave commandments to His followers. He spoke of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Putting the final emphasis upon His earthly journey, He gathered together His followers. Forty days after His death and resurrection, He was taken up to dwell at the right hand of his Father. Forty days seems to be a set time for the process of trying the character or abilities of a person or of a people in a certain role or task. It was a time where a series of events occurred intended to establish the quality, performance or reliability of those being tested. It was a time where the participant was molded into what he was to become. Forty Days to Inner Spiritual Strength: Meditations in the Grace of God has been developed to assist you in becoming what you were intended to be. It must be stated from the beginning that the process of being molded into the image of Jesus Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit. Specifically, the Spirit is the means by which the revelation of Jesus Christ occurs in your life. It is the interplay of the Word of God and the Spirit of God that develops spiritual strength in those who hunger for God. Forty Days to Inner Spiritual Strength can provide an opportunity for you to be molded by the Holy Spirit. The knowledge of the Word of God comes not from man's effort to study the ways of God, but rather by allowing himself to be put into a position whereby the Holy Spirit can reveal them to him. Man, in responding to the mercy of God, is humbled by the realization that he has no understanding and capability to pull himself up to the heights of the revelation of God. Mysteriously, man must go down in sackcloth and ashes dying to his perceived ingenuity. This humility (which is also produced by the grace of God) allows God the freedom in man's mind to reveal the knowledge of Himself and His ways. Spiritual integrity comes only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. It is this interplay of the Word of God and the Spirit of God that is fundamental to the process of Christian learning. It is important to emphasize that the level of the knowledge of Jesus (the manifested Word of God) that will make the believer wise unto the ways of God (2 Tim. 3:15) is a revelation by the Spirit of God. It is not a product of man's study. The key to spiritual integrity is experiencing the interplay of the Spirit of God and the Word of God. If the believer will meditate, carefully speak silently to himself in his mind, pondering, reflecting with deep devotion the words of Jesus, the Spirit of God will reveal, "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him . . . ." Forty Day to Inner Spiritual Strength can become a reality in your life by the grace of God. Meditate in the living Word of God.
About the Author: Dr. James Stone is the President of Christian Ministries, Inc., a consultant for personal, family, and church growth. He has written over twenty books with some of his latest titles being "The Quest for Life," "Conquered By Jesus," "Connections of Life," "Mysteries of Baptism," and "Set the Spirit Free." All five books are volumes in the "Journey to Jesus" series, a revelation of the grace of God. He, also, holds four post-graduate degrees: MEd, MRel, MDiv, and DMin (Doctor of Ministry, Fuller Theological Seminary). He has spent over 50 years in the Christian learning process as Pastor, Bible college instructor, seminary professor, and the founder of Christian Ministries. For the last 25 years he has traveled extensively sharing the life-changing principles of grace, which is Jesus living in and through the believer. With thirty-six years in Christian academics as student and teacher, Dr. Stone has spent most of his life in the study of Christianity. However, he states that what is contained in his latest writings did not come out of text books or academic study. The life-changing principles of grace were, in his words, "birthed in his heart" as he encountered Jesus in everyday living. Amazingly, in the past few years the Lord moved him from the world of academia and leadership roles primarily to a network of home meetings in the United States and Canada. He discovered Jesus is the answer to life's problems in a very personal way. As he shared the writings of the Scriptures with others, the revelation of Jesus Christ became more and more clearly to him. Jesus came into focus not as the object of his worship, his devotion, or his piety but rather as the heart-beat and breath of life itself. Dr. Stone has come to realize that Jesus Christ is the inherent fiber of all existence: "for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." A Personal Note from James In all of my articles, audio tapes, videos, and books, I share the simple truth that Jesus is breaking through to me at the moment. In that sharing, I pray that in some way God can break through to those who hear the same truth. It has become very simple for me. Every man must hear Jesus and be taught by Jesus if he wants to learn of Jesus. The revelation of Jesus Christ comes 100% from Jesus revealing Himself to you. All I can do is share what Jesus is revealing in my life. As I share, my heart's desire and prayer for you is that you, too, can hear Jesus in what is being shared.