Throne Life by Norman Grubb

"And the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea'" (Exodus 14:15,16). In effect, God was saying: "Why do you ask Me to do it? Do it yourself. Stretch out your rod and divide the sea." In other words, Moses had said to God, "You do it;" but God answered Moses, "No, you do it."

A glance through the Bible and many Christian biographies multiply instances of this by the thousands: Jeremiah, Gideon, Hudson Taylor, and the like. In the settlement of this controversy lies the key to all spiritual power and achievement throughout history.

Man starts on the Christian highway with much of the grave clothes of the Fall still upon him. Separation from God has been a stark reality to him; he knows the weakness of the flesh; visible lack and need are more concrete to him than invisible fullness and supply. He knows the reconciling grace of God through Christ, conveying to him the assurance of adoption into God's family; but his expressions and attitudes still contain the consciousness of separation. He uses the analogy of the members of one family, but with distinct and separated members: "I am weak. He is strong." "I have need. He has supply." "I am of the earth, earthy. He is the Lord from heaven."

But to those who have ears to hear and hearts set to follow comes a new word: "Say not, I am a child. Go in this your might." Say not I am weak, I am carnal, I am needy, I am earthy. Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead. Understand that the Lord is joined unto you, one spirit. Understand that you have the mind of Christ. Understand that the life of Christ is ever flowing in and through you, as the sap of the vine through the branches.

Do not keep asking for what you already have. Do not sing, "I need Thee, oh, I need Thee." Sing, "I have Thee, oh, I have Thee." Never waste breath by asking Him to be near you, Who is already within you, joined to you in such a union that you and He are described as "one spirit."

Do not cry for what you already have, but use it, use it. "Why do you cry... You stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it." Speak out the word of faith. Exercise the authority of God. Christ spoke such a word as this. He spoke it once to a fig tree: "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again" (Mark 11:14). Next day Peter noted that it had withered, and he commented, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away." Now note what Christ said, in effect: "You go and do the same. I spoke the word of authority with which I am equipped by the indwelling Father [see John 14:10ff]. Now you speak it also." His actual words were, "Have the faith of God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; ... he shall have whatsoever he says" (Mark 11:23).

"Have the faith of God" is the literal rendering, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, and this conveys the vital meaning more clearly than just "have faith in God," as in the Authorized Version text. For to "have faith in God" means to many just a reliance on the ability of God in His heaven and a leaving it to Him to do it. But to "have the faith of God" means to recognize an indwelling God (as Jesus did in the instance cited above), to realize that we have His mind, and that by the inspiration of His Spirit we speak forth with our human lips the word of believing faith, of authority, just as He did when He said, "'Let there be light': and there was light," or as the Lord Jesus did in the above incident. And we are told in Romans 4:17 that the faith of God is that "He calls those things which be not as though they were." We are to do the same.

Thus Christ said, "Say unto this mountain." "Say," not "pray." The word is most sig