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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781624168390 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Barbour Publishing, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 05/01/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 96 |
| Sales rank: | 576,239 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
FRANCES J. ROBERTS (1918–2009) is best known for her classic devotional Come Away My Beloved. She founded The King's Press in 1964, where she authored and published Come Away and eight other books, selling over 1.5 million copies in 30 years. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in 1938, Roberts served as Florida’s state director for Child Evangelism Fellowship, writing the popular “Wordless Book Song” during her tenure there. An accomplished musician with eighty-eight published hymns, Roberts also taught at a Spanish mission school and worked as a professional accompanist, performing at various churches.
Read an Excerpt
Dialogues With God
By Frances J. Roberts Barbour Publishing, Inc. Copyright © 1968 Frances J. Roberts
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59310-292-0
Chapter One Sit Thou Upon the Throne
Lord God of Hosts, Thou who dwellest between the cherubim, Thou who hast taken up Thine abode within my heart; give ear to my cry, yea, turn not away when I call upon Thee. O Holy Father, righteous in all Thy ways and just in all Thy dealings, forgive my sins and pardon mine iniquities and cleanse Thou my heart from secret faults.
For Thou art mindful of the needs of Thy children, and Thou art gracious and tenderhearted. Thou art ready to forgive. Thou dost move to make reconciliation before we call. Thou art watching for the return of the backslider ere he set foot on the road home.
Blessed be Thy Name! Marvelous is Thy compassion, and Thy thoughts toward me have been thoughts of pity and kindness. Praise shall be my meat and drink.
Sit Thou upon the throne of my heart and rule my affections; for to do Thy will is my supreme desire and in keeping Thy commandments my soul delights.
My Word Thy Strength
Make straight paths for thy feet lest in time of weakness ye be turned aside, lest in a place of decision ye be led in the wrong direction. But if ye walk circumspectly and in the light of My Word, ye shall know plainly, and if ye look to Me I will guide thee with Mine eye. Yea, I will watch over thee in love. I will bless thee with My bounty.
My presence shall go with thee, keeping thee in peace, and goodness and mercy shall follow thee. My song shalt thou hear in the night, and My Word shall be thy strength. I will deliver thee from the evil one and I will undergird thee with My faithfulness.
Thou shalt walk upon high places because of the Lord thy God, for in Him is might and power and He will perfect that which concerneth thee. Yea, He will keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalm of Praise
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His mercies and His ways past finding out. For He found me in a waste-howling wilderness; He led me by His hand; He brought me out; yea, He hath brought me into a large place. He set His love upon me and caused His face to shine upon me.
He showered upon me the dews of heaven and made my way as a path of light.
He made His angels ministers of mercy. He put His words in my mouth, and His speech has been upon me. Yea, He hath come as a flood.
With torrents of blessing He caused my heart to overflow. Surely, in the daytime
He hath been as an encompassing cloud, and in the nighttime
His Spirit hath illuminated the darkness as a fiery pillar. Yea, in Thy presence darkness fleeth away, faith is swallowed up in sight, and doubt is dispelled as hoarfrost before sunlight. Heaven is Thy throne, and earth is Thy footstool, yet hast Thou deigned to make Thine abode within tabernacles of clay!
This thought is too great for me, and how can my heart receive it?
That Thou art preparing heavenly mansions for my habitation, this my mind can understand.
But that Thou, the Almighty God who filleth and ordereth the vast universe of earth and of heaven, should stoop to fill my frail cup with Thy divine effulgence- this delights my soul, but my thoughts cannot grasp it.
Living Stones
Lo, I have set Eternity in thine heart. Yea, I have made thee to be a LIVING STONE.
For the Almighty delighteth not to dwell in temples made with hands. Lo, saith the Lord, I will build Me an house and fashion it with lively stones. Yea, I will build My Church and found it upon the Rock; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it, neither shall one stone be removed out of its place. For I will dwell in the midst of My people and I will be glorified in them.
The Spirit of Wisdom
As the Holy Spirit giveth thee utterance, so shall ye speak. For ye shall not speak anything of thyself, but ye shall speak as it is given unto thee. And thou shalt know that it is from the hand of God that ye have received the message. For who has known His mind, and who has understood His thoughts? They are higher than the heavens are above the earth. Who can understand? Even as Jesus Himself said: There are some things that only the Father knoweth.
But He has given the Spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him, to the end that ye may come to know Him. Therefore He saith: Lean not unto thine own understanding, for the wisdom of the wise is but to perish, but the knowledge of God is of eternal proportion.
Therefore, come unto Me in humbleness of mind, and with meekness receive ye the ingrafted Word which is able to make thee wise unto thine eternal salvation.
By My Word is thy sanctification accomplished; for it is written: Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. This is both present and future-both in this present world and in that which is to come. And if thine eye be single and thy heart pure, thy whole being will be radiant with divine revelation.
So shall thine understanding be deepened and thy vision broadened.
The Inheritance of the Saints
O Lord, My God, I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but I long to see Thee. Yea, I desire to behold Thee DAILY in the light of fresh revelation, yea, by the illumination of the Spirit who dwelleth within. I need the daily inward strengthening of the new man in the power of Thy might, that I may be enabled to walk in obedience to Thy divine commands.
For if we WALK according to Thy divine revelation, we shall enjoy Thy fellowship and presence; but if the light that is in us becomes darkness by our disobedience, how great is our darkness! How helpless our plight!
For we know to do good-we are aware of our obligation-but we continually battle the tendencies of our human natures to do otherwise. For the flesh resisteth the progress of the Spirit (Romans 7:15-25). But as Paul, we make our confession: Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Make me to WILL to do Thy will, and show me plainly the path of Thy choosing. Let me walk in harmony with Thee-neither run ahead nor question. For I know Thee, that all Thy ways are righteousness, and all Thy paths are peace. Thy song is a song of joy. Thy steps are sure, and Thy way is a way of victory. Thou hast triumphed over all Thy foes. Thou shalt overthrow the thrones of the mighty, but Thou crownest the righteous with glory. Thy kingdom shall be forever and ever, an everlasting kingdom that shall never be cut off. This is the inheritance of the saints and the promise to them that serve Thee.
And we know that the present conflict shall be counted trivial in the light of the mighty triumph that is to come. For they shall stand before Thee-all the dead both small and great, to be judged by those things which are written in the books: But he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed already from death into life ( John 5:24). These who believe shall reign with Thee, yea, they shall judge both men and angels.
Small wonder the writer of the letter to the Hebrews called this "so great salvation"! For the more we ponder its magnitude, the more it passeth human comprehension, and to express it exhausteth the powers of speech.
Let me hearken to Thy words in John 15 and simply abide in Thee as the branch in the vine. Make this present moment one of victory in Thee, and let me live moment by moment, lost in Thy love.
We Look to Thee
O blessed Saviour, to Thee we pour out our praise- at Thy feet we fall to worship. Thy Name shall be upon our lips and Thy song in our mouths.
We look not upon things seen, but upon that which faith produces, for that which we see is perishing but that which is of faith is eternal.
We look to Thee for victories in the Spirit.
We look to Thee for grace to bear the yoke with willing hearts.
Yea, we look to Thee to be our fountain of rejoicing; for whatever betide, Thou changest not, nor canst Thou ever fail. Thy presence fills our cup with joy. Thy peace stills every storm.
In Thy Name is the balm of Gilead. Thy love knoweth no bounds. Let us be lost in Thy fulness.
One Ambition
O My child, There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God. -McAfee
Come. Come often. Come seeking. Come needing.
Wait not until ye may bring Me a gift. Come because ye love Me.
Come knowing that I have loved thee first, even while ye were yet in trespasses and sins. Come asking no questions. Come speaking no words.
Come because I love you.
Come because I desire thy fellowship more than thou canst know. Ye seek to serve Me and fret because of thy limited service.
No ... no ... no.
Can ye never learn the lesson I sought to teach Martha?
Can ye never be content to sit as Mary? Better thy feet were cut off than that they carry thee outside the circle of communion.
Ye consider the usefulness of thy life. Thou shouldst have but one ambition- to love Me and to be near Me. Let Me take care of all the rest.
Let Me arrange the pattern of thy life.
Let Me direct thy service, and it shall be not a service of dead works and self-effort, but an overflow of divine love.
This is My Father's work. I do not require and have not requested thy work. Nay, but ye become a hindrance when ye set about to work for Me thus.
Set thy heart to be near Me. Live close to My heart.
Look upon My face. I will satisfy thee completely. I will keep thee from anxiety. I will heal all thy diseases.
I will cause My face to shine upon thee, and thou shalt be glad.
This Is the Glory Life
Behold, I say unto thee, This is the way, walk ye in it, neither turn to the right hand nor to the left.
For I shall make the path for thy feet a plain path, and light shall be there, and there shall be the shining of My glory.
It shall not be the glory of man. It shall be the glory of God.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord (Isaiah 55:8).
Therefore, lean upon Me for wisdom, yea, lean wholly upon Me, for thou knowest not the direction of thyself, but it shall be revealed unto thee by My Spirit, saith the Lord.
Day by day and step by step, thou shalt walk by faith, not by thine own cunningly devised plans.
I desire to do a new thing. How canst thou discover it?
If thou couldst, thou wouldst spoil the thrill of it, as a child finding his gift before the time.
Question Me not, nor ask Me why, neither put confidence in the wisdom of thine own thoughts.
Thou grievest My Spirit. Thou hinderest My plans for thee. Thou delayest My purpose. Thou art causing suffering to thyself and others.
What human wisdom could have anticipated Calvary?
Indeed, who could have anticipated the details of Bethlehem?
This is the meaning of My command that thou shouldst delight in MY ways. This is the glory life.
This is the new, fresh, vibrant, thrilling wonder of God living within man. All thou doest otherwise, thou controllest thyself; but learn in this to be fully controlled by My Spirit.
I will never fail thee nor lead thee astray.
I will accomplish that which I purpose.
Forgive My Questions
O Blessed Jesus, this is not the way of the flesh but the way of the Spirit.
Remove every hindering thing.
I ask Thee not to answer my questions but to forgive them. I ask Thee not so much for strength as for a pure heart.
For when I acknowledge my weakness, then I experience Thy strength, but when I would walk in my own wisdom, I am not only weak, but sinful through disobedience. It is written, "To obey is better than sacrifice."
O God, give me strength to obey!
Seek the Fresh Anointing
Open thine heart to Me and I will pour in fragrant oil.
Lift to Me thy cup and I will fill it to overflowing with the waters of life.
Bring to Me all thy need and I will supply abundantly out of My fulness.
I am not a man that I should be limited, but I long to give and to give again and again.
This is not a matter of My granting to thee one great supply to be stored and used little by little as needed, but I give to you a fresh outpouring as each need arises- yea, and BEFORE the need arises that ye may be prepared in advance and that in each emergency ye may have no lack.
I give to thee in order that ye may serve Me as a channel of blessing to others.
I know those who shall come, and I know the specific need of each individual case, and thus I give you exactly what will be suitable for each one.
So be diligent to come, for why should I send anyone unto thee if ye are not prepared?
And if ye be prepared, I will not fail to send to thee the very ones for whom I have made the provision.
Ye need not seek them out. How, verily, canst thou know?
But I Myself shall send whom I choose and thou shalt marvel.
Thus shall ye surely know that this is My work- yea, the work of God the Father. This is not "serving Jesus" in the popular approach to so-called "Christian work."
This is the doing of the will of God. As it is written, He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 John 2:17). Service to Me by the will of the flesh is temporal, but the doing of the will of God is eternal.
And this is the will of God, that ye be about the Father's business- that ye work the works of Him that hath called thee and now sends thee, even as did Jesus when He walked among men.
Leave all else to Me.
Seek the fresh anointing and I will do the rest.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Dialogues With God by Frances J. Roberts Copyright © 1968 by Frances J. Roberts. Excerpted by permission.
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