Our faith is our testimony concerning God's character. If we are persuaded God is trustworthy we commit ourselves into His hands to do with us as He will. If God is not to be trusted, as Satan suggested to Eve, we may hold back part of our personality. Any area of our life we hold back from Christ will result in very great loss to us.

The priests bore the Ark of the Covenant before the people.

In time past there have been a few outstanding saints who have pressed forward into death to self and into the fullness of rest in God. Madame Guyon, Jessie Penn-Lewis, and A. B. Simpson are three names familiar to many dedicated believers in Christ.

Now it is time for all the Lord's people to press forward into a more complete union with Christ. Those who are leading and teaching the Church must themselves pass into the death to self-seeking God requires. Then God will cause His elect to follow. We who are preaching and teaching must follow Christ so the saints may follow us.

Most people will never give themselves wholly to Christ until someone sets an example for them.

Notice that Paul himself was a living illustration of the Word of God:

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (II Corinthians 4:2)

Religious talk can waste a great deal of time. The world is waiting to see people who are filled with the power and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they will believe in Christ.

And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) (Joshua 3:15)

Notice that the priests were required to step into a river that was overflowing its banks. It was harvest time, the time for Jordan to rise to flood level.

Harvesting signifies judgment, in the Scriptures. Judgment always begins with the household of God, with those who are closest to the Lord. The Church's greatest hour of suffering and resurrection glory will be in the last days as the Lord draws near to judge the world for its wickedness.

Before Christ judges the world He will judge those who are closest to Him. Notice this principle in the following passage:

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

The moment we decide to press forward into the fullness of Christ, Jordan comes to flood, so to speak. God gives us a hunger for more of Himself. We move forward in faith to gain Christ. Then we are shaken and those who are near us are shaken because the judgment of the Lord comes upon us.

We finally agree to serve God, and then He comes to "slay" us. This is what happened to Moses (Exodus 4:24).

Why is this?

The reason judgment comes on us every time we press forward in the Lord is that we are in a process of reconciliation to God, to His Person, His will, His ways, His holiness, His righteousness.

To be continued.