Paul in one of his last letters wrote instructing us to rejoice, yes, he tells us again, rejoice. Paul declares that he is being ‘poured out as a drink offering’ (Philippians 2: 17). Then he explains something profound and powerful:

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or I am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press forward…”

Philippians 3: 8, 9a, 10-14a

The impact Paul has made can’t be fully appreciated nor can the price that he paid. In our lives, we can ensure seasons that never seem to end that stretch us that we feel we can’t take anymore. We begin to question if we are making any impact as all seems but a loss. How many times do we want to quit?

Smith Wigglesworth explained:

“I press toward the mark. It is a disgrace to God for a person just to keep pace. We must press on;’

We long to press forward but it seems like a mountain stands in our way and despite all our efforts we seem to be making no progress. How do we press forward?

Smith said:

“It is a new birth, just as we allow natural things to cease; then He comes in, in all His fulness. But you say, can we be in and out. Yes, if he comes in, the old man goes out; we can become out and out. Now I believe this morning’s plan is for all, but we must get into the real spirit of it. Beloved, do not stumble if you cannot move mountains; oh no, there may be some molehills need moving first. ‘Greater is He that is in you, than he this is in you.”

Paul was now stuck in house arrest awaiting judgment, knowing his race was run and his time almost finished. Here all have abandoned him and all seemed lost. He has poured out his all and endured more than most can imagine, and now he looks, and from the natural, it looks like he has failed. Yet he could not imagine what the Lord would do and still does through Paul.

Smith added:

“God has no need of a man who is hot today and cold tomorrow; He needs men who are hot today and hotter tomorrow and still hotter the next day- that is the man who is going to touch the glory. The Lord never changes, He is just the same; if you change it does not mean to say God has changed. I am amazed all the while at what God is doing- it is from glory to glory.’

The enemy knows that if we keep pressing closer, we will prove dangerous to him. Oh, to draw closer every day and be found hotter and hotter. But there must be less of me and an understanding that we must recognize the need to stop walking by the natural and walk by the Spirit.

Smith added:

“Now, it is no good unless we have a foundation; but, glory to God, our foundation is the most powerful and unmovable foundation- it is the very Word of God. When we are born again we are born of a substance- the Word of God- no corruption in it, the incorruptible Word of God. I believe when a man is born again he gets knowledge how to sow the Word of God in such a way that will bring another into the same knowledge. Everyone who is born again can sow”

We need the living logos and rhema Word. Oh, we need to abide in the depths of His Word, and we need that vivid now Word. Oh, those times when in the Secret Place the Holy Spirit comes and reveals the painting in the heart of the Father through the Word. The Holy Spirit reveals vibrantly, clearly, and authoritatively. We need His Word daily to speak and we need ears to hear it. For faith comes from hearing the Word. The precious Word was heard and received. The Word lifts us from the natural as it reveals who our God is, who we are in Him, and our inheritance through Him. His Word imparts to us life and His Word makes us partakers of the divine nature. His Word makes us free from the natural and brings us into the supernatural.

Smith said:

‘We must build ourselves up in the most holy faith; do not stop running in the race- it is an awful thing for a person to run and then stop, and someone else get the prize.”

Paul said:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you obtain it.”

1 Corinthians 9: 24

We have a race to run, and we must run in to win the prize. It is not how we start, but how we continue to run. Our eyes must be on the prize, with no looking back and no distractions. The enemy wants us to quit. He wants us to be weary but if we will come into His Presence we will receive a time of refreshing where we know once again in Him we can do it.

Smith said:

“Now, beloved, we must pass more than anything we have passed before. I really mean all I say. I am not speaking from the abundance of my mind, but my heart. The abundance of the mind makes swelled heads, but we want swelled hearts. I want to make you all drunk with new wine. We can have this treasure in earthen vessels.”

In our frailty, He can demonstrate His mighty power. If we will allow Him to change us, then He can change the world. Oh, we want the world to change first, and think if the world changes, then and only then we can change. But He wants to change us first so that in the worst of situations, He can demonstrate His mighty power. Oh, if He can through His Word get us to see who He is, who we are in Him, and our inheritance because of Him He can achieve the impossible.

“Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Hebrews 11: 3

We are to look past what we see with the natural eye and see the eternal things of the Spirit. Paul could have said, ‘But the Romans! But my chains! But this! But that!” We might say, “But my husband! But my wife! But this or that! The problem is we are looking at the wrong things and not Him. We are looking at the natural and in the natural, we don’t have the strength or ability to overcome. But in our weakness, His strength is perfected if we look to His Word and keep running. If we look to the natural, we quit, but if we look to Him, we see He always has more and more.

Smith said:

“So you see, all things were made by Him. Oh, beloved, He will act if you will let Him have a chance.”

We must keep sowing and not lose heart knowing He is working and he is able. What if Paul just quit because the natural circumstances were in his opinion too great where would we be today? Oh, the riches we would have missed. But that was Paul you say.

“…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the. Sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection…”

Hebrews 11: 33-35