p. 626 | Moody on Faith by Dwight L. Moody

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 22, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 40.

Moody on Faith.

By Dwight L. Moody

I HAVE never in my life seen a man or woman disappointed who was full of faith; that is, if they have any ground for their faith. Faith must have a warrant to go to God and pray for our neighbors and friends. Now, unbelief is a great enemy to the church of God, and if any of you doubt the promises of God, and lack faith, you may be sure that you will not receive a blessing. You can't do any work when there is a lack of faith. Unbelief is sweeping over the land to-day, and you want faith to sway and destroy it. We read in Holy Writ that Christ, in one particular place, could not do great and mighty works in consequence of their unbelief.

God's people are the only ones who can hinder God's work. Skeptics can't do it, although they may think so. Now, if we want to have a reward when we reach our heavenly home, we should have faith in our work here, for "without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. 11:6. We want God not only to revive us now, but we must have faith that the outlying masses may be reached. I remember in New England, where I was born, I used, when a boy, to go into the woods, and, with certain kind of glass, set the bushes on fire. Now, faith is the glass that draws the fire out of Heaven. Some people have the idea that faith is getting old in the present day; but, thank God, the faith that moved the arm of Elijah, can move the world to-day. We want faith that God can do mighty things in our midst. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, we find what faith is, and the worthy fruits of it in the fathers of old. Now notice what was accomplished through faith. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are shown in this one chapter to have "all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off," they "embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." It seems to me, no child of God can read these words without recognizing faith. Many of you have children who have gone astray, and been led captive by strong drink and the lusts of the flesh. A mighty enemy has taken away your sons, and broken the circle of your little homestead; have faith, my friends, in their speedy return. Perhaps you have grown a little discouraged; but, thank God, the drunkard can be reached, and the harlot can be reinstated in the home, by faith and prayer. God's power to save is equally as effective to-day as it was of old. Abraham lived far away on the other side of the cross of Christ, and yet he had faith, and obeyed the call of God, going out of his own land, "not knowing whither he went." We are far better privileged than that patriarch of old, for in this our day we live in the full blaze of Calvary; and when we look back to the cross of the Saviour, and see his bleeding side, we cannot but be struck with our want of faith in his finished work.

Do you remember the centurion? He sent word for Christ to come to his house, and when the Lord was about to journey thither, he sent a message to the Saviour not to take the trouble, but just speak the word, and the child should live. In the morning of the creation He had said, "Let there be light!" and there was light. And, surely, He who could make the world in six days could raise the dead to life. That centurion of old had faith in His divine power, and Christ marveled at it. Dear friends, let us have faith to-day that our great God is able to do great and mighty things. Now Caleb and Joshua were both more than all the camp of unbelievers and the ten spies put together. Moses sent out spies to spy the land, as God had told him to go and take possession of it. These spies came back with what we might term a "majority report." They said, "We are not able to do it;" and you can see these miserable objects in the gathering shadows of evening, with thousands around them, telling forth their unbelief. They could not take the land they beheld, for they saw tall and great giants ready to swallow them up. But listen to the story of Caleb and Joshua, as they declare that they are well able to take the land. They knew that their God, who had delivered them from Pharaoh and taken them through the Red Sea, could now help them to take the land. The people all listened to the spies, who had said it was a land flowing with milk and honey, but they did not go into it because of their miserable unbelief. Caleb and Joshua, however, said, "We are able," and so they went over and took possession of the land, as God had directed them.

It is a disappointing fact that ten out of every twelve of the Christians of the land are looking at the walls of Jericho, and the giants, and all the while predicting a defeat. They say, "If we did not have so many public houses, we should do something. They are our bitterest enemies." Oh, may this miserable unbelief be swept away to-day! Our God still lives, and we can take the land if we choose to do so.

I tell you, dear friends, if we have faith we shall get a blessing. It may be some godly man, who has never been able to attend these meetings, or some bedridden mother, who will cause the fire to come down from Heaven, by their continual faith and prayer. I am sure, if we have faith in our work here, our work will be memorable in the annals of many who are now steeped in sin and wickedness.

Courage always follows faith. You will notice that when we get faith in God, we have courage for our work. If we are full of faith, we will be sure to be full of courage. Perhaps you have to go against a great many of your lukewarm friends, and those who have grown cold. They perhaps object to these meetings, and say, "They don't believe in revival services." You will hear people say, "I don't think this is the best way; for I had a mission twenty years ago, and it was quite unlike this one. I don't believe in it." Well, dear friends, the Holy Spirit will mark out his own way and his own channel. Let us take courage against these criticisms and go forward. You know the prophet Obed had a son named Azariah, through whose prophecy Asa, the king, "took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim." Now, like Asa, we must be prepared to go against our best and dearest friends, but we must be prepared to take courage.—Christian Herald.