February 2015 – HARVEY Christian Publishers

Covetousness: The sin very few ever confess

Posted on February 24, 2015June 7, 2018 by

“In reading the Gospels recently, we were staggered by the words of Jesus regarding finance and faith, which took on new meaning in the light of the devastating effects of materialism on Christendom. We read and reread certain portions and as we did so, we were convinced that we should publish some- thing on this subject.”
This is the opening paragraph to the foreword of the book Covetousness, written and compiled by Lillian Harvey. The subject of the book is, of course, exactly what the title implies—covetousness. The following list of some of the chapter headings will doubtless whet your appetite to read further:

God Calls It Sin
Don’t Barter Your Treasure
The Soul-Destroying Grasp
The Scandal of Christianity
The Insanity of Greed
Don’t Barter Your Treasure
Wesley Denounced It
Chrysostom Denounced It
Converted Pockets
Covetousness is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

Covetousness: Scriptural Examples

Posted on February 24, 2015June 7, 2018 by

“Covetousness ruled the stony, ashen heart of Judas,” writes Samuel Logan Brengle, “and for thirty pieces of silver he betrayed the Master!
“Covetousness,” he continues, “possessed the selfish hearts of Ananias and Sapphira; they wanted the praise and honor of utmost sacrifice and generosity while secretly holding on to their gold. And God smote them dead!

“As we study the history and Biblical examples of this sin of covetousness, we see the deep meaning and truth of Paul’s words to Timothy, ‘They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil.’
“This sin led to ingratitude toward his uncle, and neighborly association with vile sinners in Lot; to envy and jealousy and sacrilege in Nadab and Abihu; to disobedience in Saul; to sacrilege and licentiousness in Eli’s sons; to adultery and murder in David; to brazen robbery in Ahab; to greed and lying in Gehazi; to the betrayal of the innocent Christ with an impudent kiss in Judas; to bold lying to the Holy Ghost in Ananias and Sapphira.
“Truly, from its poisonous root has sprung up the deadly upas tree of all evil, and upon it in manifold ways has been outpoured the wrath of God, showing His holy hatred and abhorrence of it.”
The above quotation was taken from the book, Covetousness, written and compiled by Lillian Harvey and published by Harvey Christian Publishers. It is also available in their online Christian Bookstore.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: Prayer brings God out of His secret place

Posted on February 10, 2015June 7, 2018 by

“The great battles,” says Samuel L. Brengle, “the battles that decide our destiny and the destiny of generations yet unborn, are not fought on public platforms, but in the lonely hours of the night and in moments of agony.”

God sets more value on prayer and communion than labor. The heavenly bridegroom is wooing a wife, not hiring a servant. Prayer brings God out of His secret place to work wonders in the earth . . . to pour Himself through the believer into a world of lost souls.
—A. W. Roffe.

A burning Niagara of words does not mean that God is either impressed or moved. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, one of the most profound of intercessors, had no language. “Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.” There are groanings that cannot be uttered. In the mountain-moving place of travailing prayer, linguists are not needed.—L. Ravenhill.

“Groanings which cannot be uttered” are often prayers which cannot be refused.
—C. H. Spurgeon.

Mental prayer is not unheard—“Hannah spake in her heart.” When the heart is so full of grief that it can only groan in prayer, yet God writes that down: “My groaning is not hid from Thee.”—Watson.

Though smooth be the heartless prayer,
No ear in Heaven will mind it,
And the finest phrase falls dead,
If there is no feeling behind it.

So it is not the speech which tells,
But the impulse which goes with the saying,
And it is not the words of the prayer,
But the yearning back of the praying.
—E. W. Wilcox.

The above quotations are taken from Kneeling We Triumph Volume One, compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey and published by Harvey Christian Publishers. This book and its companion, Kneeling We Triumph Volume Two, are available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: Getting used to God’s Presence

Posted on February 10, 2015June 7, 2018 by

We must remember that it was not by interceding for the world in Glory that Jesus saved it. He gave Himself. Our prayers for the evangelization of the world are but a bitter irony so long as we give only of our superfluity, and draw back before the sacrifice of ourselves.
—M. Francois Collard.

Last night I had a unique experience. I awoke intensely oppressed and as I lay under the dead weight of it, it dawned on me that it meant I was to pray, so I got to work to pray for the men who have just gone off to the fighting line, and in a marvelous way the oppression left and peace ineffable came, and the words emerged, “A house of prayer for all nations.” It is a good thing to stake your confidence on the ground of the perfected Redemption and pray from that basis.
—Oswald Chambers.

Unwearied may I this pursue,
Dauntless to the high prize aspire,
Hourly within my soul renew
This holy flame, this heavenly fire,
And day and night be all my care
To guard the sacred treasure there.
—Paul Gerhardt.

Scientists often spend years, sometimes a whole lifetime, in making important scientific discovery. Then how can we expect to discover spiritual beauties by spending only five minutes every day in quiet and prayer? Some people become tired at the end of ten minutes or half an hour of prayer. What would they do when they have to spend Eternity in the presence of God? We must begin the habit here and become used to being with God.—Sadhu Sundar Singh.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: The Beauty of Delayed Answers

Posted on February 3, 2015June 7, 2018 by

In the book, Kneeling We Triumph Volume One compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, there is a reading entitled “The beauty of delayed answers.” In this reading, the authors have included a moving prayer uttered by the blind poet and hymn-writer, George Matheson and author of that well-known hymn, “O love that will not let me go”:
“My Father, help me to learn that I am heir to possessions which exceed my present holding! They exceed my present power to hold—they are waiting for my summer. Do I ever thank Thee for the blessings which Thou postponest? I am afraid not. I am like the prodigal: I want to get all at once the portion that falleth to me; and, where it is not given, I deem it is refused. Teach me, O Lord, the beauty of Thy delayed answers.”

In the moment of its crying
Came no answer to my heart,
But, long-deferred, it came with blessing
In a quiet place apart.
Seldom in the midst of toiling
Do we reap our recompense.
It may come when hands are folded
In a sunset hour long hence.
Not in thunderous crash of earthquake,
Not in whirlwind or in fire,
Not in voice of sounding trumpet
Does God speak our deep desire.
But with strife and fretting over—
Waiting—all serene and still,
We may hear the whispered message
Teaching us His perfect will.
When we school our hearts to patience
God reveals His better way.
Proving oft that His tomorrow
Is far better than today.
—Kathryn Blackburn Peck.

The above quotations are taken from Kneeling We Triumph Volume One, published by Harvey Christian Publishers and available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: Bitterness hinders prayer

Posted on February 3, 2015June 7, 2018 by

In the book Kneeling We Triumph Volume One, compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, there is a reading entitled “Bitterness hinders prayer.” I think most of us are aware of this fact as it is reiterated in Scripture as A. B. Simpson points out:
“Job had to pray for his very enemies before God could turn his captivity, and had to banish from his heart every particle of bitter feeling towards the men who had tormented him through months of sickness, with their ignorance, misconstruction, and offensive interference. And when he did, God turned his captivity and restored him to more than his former blessings (Job. 42:10).

“One reason why the disciples could not claim the casting out of the demon from the suffering child was that they had disputed by the way which should be the greatest. The spirit of cherished animosity, lurking prejudice, sullen vindictiveness, or cold disdain, will as effectually obstruct our intercourse and intimacy with Heaven as a speck upon the crystalline lens of the eye will obstruct our vision, or the crossing of wires of the electric machinery will leave us in darkness.
“There are a great many crossed wires in the Church of Christ and the consequence is dark hearts and mournful cries: “Hath God forgotten to be gracious?” (Psalm 77:9). “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” (Psalm 80:4). Just this long, brother—“If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matt. 5:23, 24).”

I heard a knock I knew. I said,
“Lord Jesus, do come in. Come in.”
He said, “The door is locked.”
It was. . . . I turned the key.
I heard Him touch the handle
and a crack of light appeared.
“Come in, Lord Jesus. Please come in.”
“Something is against the door,” He said,
“It will not move!”
I looked. I saw a dark, crude bundle
I had not known was there—an ugly bundle,
hateful to the touch.
I glanced inside and saw the rancid unforgiveness
of a wrong.
I pushed it back, flung wide the door, and light
poured in as
Jesus stepped inside my house and greeted me.
—Jane Emerson.

The above quotations are taken from Kneeling We Triumph, Volume One, which is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available on their Online Christian Bookstore.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: Hold God’s s Character True

Posted on February 3, 2015June 7, 2018 by

We, as Christians, often hold a distorted conception of faith which is far from the Biblical original. In Kneeling We Triumph Volume One, Edwin and Lillian Harvey have brought many aspects of prayer to our attention. One of these is the necessity of a total faith in God and in His promises to us which is a prerequisite to effectual prayer. The following quotations, taken from the writings or sermons of God’s saints, emphasize this truth:

“To aim aright at the liberty of the children of God requires a continual acting of faith—of a naked faith in a naked promise or declaration. By a naked faith in a naked promise I do not mean a bare assent that God is faithful, and that such a promise in the Book of God may be fulfilled in me, but rather a bold, hearty, steady, venturing of my soul, body, and spirit upon the truth of the promise with an appropriating ACT!”
—John Fletcher.

“Our limitless trust in God seems to satisfy Him as nothing else can do, because it corresponds with His eternal faithfulness, it honors His veracity, and is a constant silent worship of all His perfections. God forever honors those who believe Him. He has organized us on a pattern of trust, and not to trust ourselves in God is to derange the very plan of our creation. Faith in God is at once the sweetest necessity, the sublimest duty, and the greatest privilege of a creature toward his Creator.”
—G. D. Watson.

“The first requirement of prayer is to believe.
Believe that God is and that “he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.”
Believe that God is alive and therefore has power—not only for
Peter’s deliverance, but for ours.
Believe that God is love and that He cares for His own.
Believe that God is power and therefore no power can stand
against Him.
Believe that God is truth and therefore cannot lie.
Believe that God is king and that He will never abdicate His
throne or fail in His promise.”
—Leonard Ravenhill.

Kneeling We Triumph Volumes One and Two are published by Harvey Christian Publishers and are available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: A sigh of a true Christian is prayer!

Posted on February 3, 2015June 7, 2018 by

We sometimes limit prayer to words we mouth to God through our lips. “The prayers of upright Christians are without ceasing,” Martin Luther tells us, “though they pray not always with their mouth, yet their hearts do pray continually; for the sigh of a true Christian is prayer.”

O instruct us how to pray!
Pour out the supplicating grace,
And stir us up to seek Thy face.
We cannot think a gracious thought,
We cannot feel a good desire,
Till Thou, Who calledst a world from nought,
The power into our hearts inspire.
The promised Intercessor give,
And let us now Thyself receive.
—Charles Wesley.
“The great battles,” says Samuel L. Brengle, “the battles that decide our destiny and the destiny of generations yet unborn, are not fought on public platforms, but in the lonely hours of the night and in moments of agony.”

Ministers who are orthodox, devoted, and busy, need to lay aside many “things” and rekindle the holy glow within their own souls. Do not be so busy running a program that you have no time to wait upon Christ.
—Oliver G. Wilson.

Kneeling We Triumph Volume One: Be Still and Know…..

Posted on February 3, 2015June 7, 2018 by

“The world is enough to busy us, not to fill us,” says Thomas Watson. If this is true, then why are we Christians often so busy and so empty? Why do we prefer the hubbub of activity to silence? Or to put it more forcibly: why are we so fearful of silence? Are we afraid of God’s voice which we can sometimes only hear when other voices are hushed? Or are we unwilling to confront our own thoughts which take control when we are quiet? Or do we wish to drown out our accusing conscience which takes advantage of the quiet? Whatever the reasons, over-busyness often prevents us communing with the Almighty, and is therefore an enemy to the healing power that silent meditation and prayer inevitably works in our hectic lives.

In Kneeling We Triumph, Volume One by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, there are several readings on this subject. Oliver G. Wilson, editor of Wesleyan Methodist for many years, relates an interesting experience in his own life:
“For some time, things had not been going satisfactorily according to my poor limited vision. World situations were distressing and far beyond any solution that I had to offer. Business was not going as in my judgment it should go. I felt keenly that I had been taken advantage of, and spent much of the night turning restlessly in bed. Tensions, frustrations, impossible situations, disagreement among trusted friends, all plagued me. At the close of the second day, when night had settled and nature was putting itself to bed, there came from memory this portion of the Psalm learned long years ago, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’
“It came with such force, with emphasis upon each word such as no man could give it; my heart melted. A song, seasoned with happy tears, was sung within my soul: ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Very much of our trouble and anxiety arises from our useless chatter, from our ceaseless activity, from our reliance upon our own wisdom. We have a guilty feeling if religion is not doing something. We want progress, but back of progress must be peace. One does not need a brass band to appreciate God. His mercy, His grace, His presence, when realized, overwhelm us.”

Be still sometimes—so still that God may speak,
And make His voice heard in thy waiting heart.
Sometimes the hush of His calm presence seek;
From all the world’s confusion come apart,
And silence even praise, and breathe no prayer,
But only wait for Him to meet thee there.
Be still sometimes! Be still enough to hear
The faintest whisper of His voice, and feel
The touch of His dear hand, when He draws near,
Himself unto thy spirit to reveal.
God will His deepest truths to thee make known,
Only when thou art silent and alone.
—Edith Hickman Divall.
The above quotations are taken from Kneeling We Triumph Volume One, compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey and published by Harvey Christian Publishers. This book and its companion, Kneeling We Triumph Volume Two, are available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

Month: February 2015