Scripture Reading: Heb. 11:1, 5-6; 3:7-8a, 12-13, 15a; 4:7

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 2　DAY 1　»

　　Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

　　2 Cor. 4:13 And having the same spirit of faith according to that which is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak.

　　Hebrews 11:1 speaks of the importance of faith. This is the only verse in the whole Bible that gives the definition of faith… The word substantiation means the capacity to make something real. For example, we have the shape of the lamps, the color of the walls, and the sound of the organ. How can these shapes, colors, and sounds become real to us?… Different objects have different shapes: some are cubic, while others are spherical, flat, triangular, or curved. One can only substantiate these shapes by the vision of the eyes or the touch of the hands. Therefore, it is one thing for objects to exist, and it is another thing for the existence of these things to be substantiated. There are millions of objects on the earth, but all of them are dependent upon a certain ability in order to be substantiated. The same is true with faith. (CWWN, vol. 24, “The Overcoming Life,” pp. 115-116)

　　All of God’s facts are real. However, these facts of God can only be substantiated by faith, because faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The Lord has died and shed His blood on the cross for all men. This is a fact. But some have the faith to substantiate this fact of the Lord’s death, and they receive the benefit from it. Some do not have the faith. The death of the Lord on the cross is still a fact, but they are unable to experience it.

　　We need faith to substantiate a spiritual fact just as we need eyes, ears, and hands to substantiate physical objects. In spiritual matters, we need faith to substantiate the reality of everything. The hand substantiates the shape of objects, and the ear perceives sound, but the hand cannot feel nor can the ear hear colors. Colors can only be substantiated by the eyes. This is also true with spiritual matters. For example, the Lord is the Head and we are the members. This union is a fact, and there is no possibility of any separation. In the same way, the Lord is the vine and we are the branches, and there is no possibility of separation. If we believe this, we will receive the benefit of this fact. Some people confess that the Lord is the vine and we are the branches. But they do not have the juice, the life. They cannot bear fruit because they do not have faith.

　　What is faith? It is not a mental understanding of a truth. It is the seeing of a fact and the substantiation of it… We have heard that the Lord Jesus is our life and living within us, and we may even agree with others that He is our life and living within us. Yet this alone cannot substantiate these facts… We should still substantiate Christ… It only takes a second, and the accomplished facts of Christ will be substantiated in us.

　　The problem today is that we have heard that the Lord Jesus is the Head, yet we still pray for Him to be our Head. Why would we not rather thank and praise Him, saying, “Lord, You are the Head”? If we would do this, the fact would be substantiated immediately. (CWWN, vol. 24, “The Overcoming Life,” pp. 117-120)

　　If we want to overcome, we have to lay hold of the Word God has given to us and use it as our handle. When we finish our prayer, or when we like what others pray, we say, “Amen”… We think that amen means “may such a thing be accomplished.” But Mr. Gordon said that the word amen does not mean a wish for something to be accomplished, but a declaration that it will surely be accomplished, and that there is no doubt about it… Today many believers do not understand God’s promise, His fact, and His Word. They beg desperately according to their feelings, but do not receive anything. What they lack is faith. (CWWN, vol. 9, p. 343)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Peter, msgs. 1-4; CWWN, vol. 24, “The Overcoming Life,” ch. 7

«　WEEK 2　DAY 2　»

　　Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

　　Luke 9:23 And He said to them all, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

　　God requires you only to believe that He is [Heb. 11:6]. The verb to be is actually the divine title of our Triune God. In Exodus 3 Moses asked God what His name was. God answered that His name is I Am Who I Am (vv. 13-14)… He is the only One. In the whole universe, nothing else is. Only One is. He is, because He is real. All other things created by Him are not real. This is why Solomon, the wise king, said that all things are vanity (Eccl. 1:2). You think you are, but you are vanity… The sun, the moon, the living creatures, the heavens, and the earth are all vanities. Only One is. This is, the verb to be, implies existing. He is the One who was existing, who is existing, and who is to be existing. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 276-277)

　　Jesus is the great I Am. He told us, “I am… the life” (John 14:6a). “I am the resurrection” (11:25). “I am the door” (10:7,9). “I am the good Shepherd” (v. 11). “I am the bread of life” (6:35). He is the real food… This food is Jesus, the great I Am. He is the breath (20:22), the living water (4:10, 14), and the tree of life (15:1; 14:6a; Rev. 2:7). He is God (John 1:1;… Rom. 9:5), the Father (Isa. 9:6; John 14:9-10), the Son (Mark 1:1; John 20:31), and the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45b). He is everything to us.

　　We are today, but eventually, we will not be tomorrow. So in the whole universe we are nothing. If a husband realized that only God is and he is not, then he would not love his wife by himself and in himself… If you realized that in the whole universe only God is, would you buy anything you want? You would realize, “I am not. I am nothing. I don’t go shopping, but He is, so He goes.” The brothers need to ask themselves, “Is it me or Christ who is the husband to my wife?” If a sister has a husband who does not take Christ as the One who is, she will be miserable. But if her husband is Christ, she has the only Husband, the unique Husband. Only Christ is the Husband. No husbands are real husbands… Do you come forward to God? If you say yes, then you have to believe that God is, implying that you are nothing.

　　The person marrying a couple could say to them, “Are you the dear bride, and are you the dear bridegroom?” The bridegroom should say, “No. I am not. But Christ is.” The bride should say, “… I am so ugly and poor. I am not pretty. Christ is the beautiful One. I am not the bride, but He is.” This is a believer. When you say what Paul said, “It’s no longer I, but Christ,” you believe that God is. To believe that God is, is so deep. It implies that you realize that you are not, but He is. You are not means that you do not exist. This is what the Bible means when it says to deny yourself. When a sister is about to be married, she… should not feel that she is the most beautiful and wonderful one. If she does, her marriage will be finished. That is not a believer’s marriage. A believer who is about to be married should say, “Lord, I am going to marry this man. Lord, You know I am nothing. I cannot be the proper wife. I am nothing, Lord.”… This is the blessing of denying yourself in everything.

　　To deny yourself equals to believe that God is, and to believe that God is equals to deny yourself. This is because you believe that only He is. In the whole universe He is, and all of us are nothing… Only He should be everything. Only He should exist. So Paul says, “I have been crucified. It is no longer I, but Christ.” (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 277-279)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” ch. 7; CWWN, vol. 42, ch. 48

«　WEEK 2　DAY 3　»

　　Col. 2:10 And you have been made full in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority.

　　1 Pet. 5:8-9 Be sober; watch. Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking someone to devour. Him withstand, being firm in your faith…

　　Here is a beautiful painting. How do you know that it is beautiful? You know it because you have seen it. How do you know about all the riches in Christ? You know because you have seen them. Colossians says that we are made full in Christ… We know because we have seen Him… The Lord has given us all the fullness and given us grace upon grace. Do we have them yet? It is not a question of whether we have them in our head but whether or not we have such a faith in our heart. (CWWN, vol. 24, “The Overcoming Life,” p. 118)

　　God’s Word shows us clearly that the way to withstand Satan is by faith [1 Pet. 5:8-9]… What should our faith rest on? How should we exercise our faith to withstand him? First, we must believe that the Lord was manifested for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The Son of God has come to the earth; He was manifested. When He was on earth, He destroyed the work of the devil wherever He went. Often Satan’s work was not obvious; he hid behind natural phenomena. However, the Lord rebuked him every time. It is clear that He was rebuking Satan when He rebuked Peter’s speaking (Matt. 16:22-23), when He rebuked the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:39), and when He rebuked the winds and the waves… Wherever the Lord went, the power of the devil was shattered. This is why He said, “But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28). In other words, wherever the Lord went, Satan was cast out, and the kingdom of God was manifested. Satan could not remain where the Lord was.

　　We should also believe that in manifesting Himself on the earth, the Lord not only destroyed the works of the devil, but also gave authority to His disciples to cast out demons in His name… (cf. Luke 10:19). He gave His name to the church so that His church might continue His work on earth after His ascension. The Lord used His authority on earth to cast out demons. He also gave this authority to the church. No matter how great Satan’s power is, the Lord’s authority is able to overcome him. We must believe that God has given this authority to the church. The church can cast out demons and withstand the devil in the name of the Lord Jesus.

　　Second, we must believe that through death the Lord Jesus has destroyed him who has the might of death, the devil (Heb. 2:14). Third, we must believe that the Lord’s resurrection has put Satan to shame. Satan no longer has any way to attack us. To withstand Satan, every child of God must declare with a strong faith, “Thank God, I have resurrected! Satan,… what you can do goes only so far as death. But the life that I have today… has been tested by you already… You are powerless! This life has transcended over you! Satan, get away from me!”

　　We must not be afraid of Satan. If we are afraid of Satan, he will laugh at us. He will say, “What a fool there is on earth. How can this one be so foolish?” Anyone who is afraid of Satan is foolish, because he has forgotten his position in Christ. We have no reason to fear him. We have transcended over his power. We can stand before him and say, “You cannot touch me! No matter how strong and resourceful you are, you are still one step behind!” On the day of the Lord’s resurrection, He led the enemy captive and openly shamed him. Today we are standing on the ground of resurrection, and we triumph through the cross! (CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” pp. 734-737, 739-740)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” ch. 43; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The God-man Living,” chs. 10, 16

«　WEEK 2　DAY 4　»

　　Eph. 1:20-22 Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.

　　Fourth, [in order to withstand Satan], we must believe that the ascension of the Lord has put Him far above the power of Satan [Eph. 1:20-22]… The Lord Jesus is already seated in the heavenlies and is far above all the power of Satan. Ephesians 2:6 says, “And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” This is our position, the position of a Christian. The Lord Jesus is resurrected; He is seated in the heavenlies far above all the power of Satan. We are raised up together with Christ and are seated together with Him in the heavenlies, far above all the power of Satan. (CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” p. 740)

　　Ephesians 2 shows us that we are seated together with the Lord in the heavenlies. Chapter 6 shows us that we need to stand firm [vv. 11, 13]… To sit means to rest. It means that the Lord has overcome and that we can now rest in His victory… To stand means that spiritual warfare is not a matter of assault but of defense… Because the Lord has overcome completely, we have no need to attack again. The victory of the cross is complete, and there is no further need to attack. Here we see two attitudes: One is to sit, and the other is to stand. To sit is to rest in the Lord’s victory, while to stand is to withstand Satan and to stop him from taking away our victory.

　　Christian warfare is a matter of warding off defeat; it is not a matter of fighting for victory. We have already overcome. We fight from the position of victory, and we fight to maintain our victory… We fight from victory; victory is something that is in our hands. The warfare spoken of in Ephesians is the warfare of the overcomers. We do not become overcomers through fighting. We need to distinguish between these two things.

　　How does Satan tempt us? He causes us to forget our own position and our victory. He blinds our eyes to our own victory. If we give in to his tactics, we will feel that victory is far away and beyond our reach. We must remember that the victory of the Lord is complete… Once we believe, we overcome. Satan is defeated, and we have overcome in Christ. Satan wants to steal away the victory which we have gained. His work is to taunt us to secretly find out if we still have the faith. If we do not know that victory is already ours, we will fail. But if we know our victory, his work will fail.

　　Therefore, we counter the work of Satan with the work of the Lord Jesus. We withstand Satan through the Lord’s manifestation, death, resurrection, and ascension. We are standing today upon the accomplished work of the Lord. We do not need to try to overcome in any way when Satan attacks us. Once we have the slightest thought of trying to overcome, we have failed, because our position is wrong. How great is the difference between a person who tries to overcome and one who withstands by knowing that he has already overcome. To withstand the devil means that we withstand him by the victory of Christ.

　　This matter indeed needs revelation. We need to see the manifestation of the Lord. We need to see His death, resurrection, and ascension. We need to know all these things. As Christians, we must learn to withstand the devil… May God be gracious to us so that we may all have such a faith. May we have faith toward the four things the Lord has accomplished for us, and may we exercise strong faith to withstand Satan and reject his work upon us. (CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” pp. 740-742)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 43, ch. 74; CWWN, vol. 27, “The Normal Christian Faith,” chs. 13-14

«　WEEK 2　DAY 5　»

　　Rom. 5:2 Through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God.

　　2 Tim. 3:15 …From a babe you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

　　The faith that justifies us and cuts off the flesh with its natural energy and effort also gives us access into God’s grace. If we remain in the flesh with its natural effort, we will neither know nor enjoy the grace of God, but if we live by faith, we will enter into the full enjoyment of God’s grace.

　　Faith first gives us access into grace, then a solid standing in grace. Grace is the Triune God Himself, processed that we may enter into Him and enjoy Him… Grace is the realm in which we stand… When we sense that we have moved from the realm of grace into another sphere, we should pray, “Lord, forgive me. Bring me back to the realm of grace.” We return to the realm of grace by the same way through which we entered it originally… through justification by faith. God’s justification brought us into this grace in which we stand. Whenever we act wrongly and sense that we are out of grace, we must pray: “O Lord, forgive me. Cleanse me with Your precious blood.” When we do this, we will be brought back to grace instantly. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3036-3037)

　　There is no doubt that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ [Eph. 1:3]. But where are these blessings? Brothers and sisters, the main question hinges on faith; we have to believe that God’s Word is true. (CWWN, vol. 24, “The Overcoming Life,” p. 118)

　　The meaning of claiming is to acknowledge daily all that the Lord has accomplished for us, that is, to acknowledge that all these accomplishments are effective in us. Then, when temptation comes, we will live out these accomplishments as if we have already attained to the position (the fact) that the Lord has placed us in. If we do this, our experience will follow. The experience of the believers’ spiritual life is fully based on the facts that God has accomplished for them. The facts are the basis, the experience is the accomplishment, and faith is the process. In other words, the facts are the cause, faith is the way, and experience is the result… Before there can be any lofty spiritual life in the believers, there first must be the perfect work of the Lord Jesus as its wellspring… Sanctification, victory, death, and so forth do not come from self-effort. They come from: (1) acknowledging our sanctification, victory, and death to the self in the Lord Jesus Christ, and (2) practicing it by believing that one is joined to the Lord Jesus in life and that one will be as sanctified, victorious, and dead to the self as the Lord Jesus is. The Lord Jesus has already encountered every experience that we have and will have. To claim by faith is to reckon as ours all that the Lord Jesus has and to apply through an attitude and a conduct of faith all that we have counted as grace.

　　When we believe in God’s facts shown in the Bible and when we claim these facts, the Holy Spirit will apply to us all the graces that God has accomplished for us in Christ, making them real to us in our lives. In this way, they become our personal experiences. An acknowledging and claiming faith opens the door for the Holy Spirit to work and to apply in our lives all that the Lord Jesus has accomplished so that we will have the practical experience. The work of the Holy Spirit is based upon the facts of God. The Holy Spirit does not accomplish any fact for us; He only makes the things that have been accomplished real and living in our lives. God has accomplished all the facts in Christ. What we must do is acknowledge and claim these facts, trusting in the Holy Spirit to apply in our lives what God has accomplished so that we will have the spiritual experiences. (CWWN, vol. 1, pp. 64-65)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 1, chs. 4-5; CWWN, vol. 46, ch. 180

«　WEEK 2　DAY 6　»

　　Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

　　Heb. 3:12-13 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief in falling away from the living God. But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

　　As Christians, we need to live by faith and walk by faith, not by appearance (2 Cor. 5:7). We are believers, not those who walk by sight… A believer is one who does not trust in things that can be seen, but he takes certain unseen things, confesses them, and realizes them by faith. To be one who walks according to feelings is even worse than being one who walks by sight… Feelings are not trustworthy. You may feel that you are wonderful, but your condition may be pitiful. Do not believe in your feelings—believe in the facts. It is a fact that we all have been brought into God. The processed Triune God is the very element with which we have been constituted… When God says a certain thing, you should also speak that thing simply because the Bible tells you so. The Bible reveals that God has been processed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. Now in resurrection, He is the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit as the constituting element. The Bible says this, and we must believe it. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 87-88)

　　The facts are recorded in the New Testament. This testament is a will, something stronger and better than a covenant. A covenant is an agreement similar to a contract. But a testament, a will, refers to something already accomplished… The New Testament is a will. This will says that the processed God is now in us, that He is our portion, and that He is the element with which we have been constituted… We need to believe this fact, just as we believe that we are children of God. Sometimes the devil says, “Look at yourself. Are you a son of God? How can you say you are a son of God when you lost your temper this morning?”… We should say, “Satan, even though I have lost my temper many times, I am still a son of God. Losing my temper does not change the fact that I am a son of God. Satan, with my declaration of this fact, I chase you away.” (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 88)

　　The first point of the up-to-date way to practice the Lord’s present move is to be filled… with the Spirit, who is the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God. We need to be filled with such a Spirit inwardly and outwardly, essentially and economically, for life and for work.

　　Forget about yesterday’s enjoyment of Christ. You need a fresh enjoyment. You need something up to date. The Lord was there in Elden hall, but He is not there now. He is here presently moving in His recovery, and He is in you. Wherever you are, He is in you, and He is in you right now. Do you believe that He is repeating all the things He did in the past? He is not repeating anything. He is always going on and on and on. The Lord is working. He is moving.

　　Are you a person of yesterday? All of us should be people of today. Every day is a today. With some people every day is tomorrow, and with others every day is yesterday… Do not look ahead to the future, and do not look back to the past. We are people of today. Do not talk about your old experiences in the past. Talk about your experience today… Every day is a today. We do not have yesterday. We had yesterday, but we do not have it now. We will never have tomorrow. All the time we have is today. Every day is a today. When we enter into the New Jerusalem, we will have today since every day in eternity is today. The only day we have is today. Be filled inwardly today. Be filled outwardly today. Be filled today. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Move,” pp. 484-485)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 10