“The Christian life consists of sitting
with Christ, walking by him and standing in him. We begin our spiritual life by resting in the
finished work of the Lord Jesus. That
rest is the source of our strength or a consistent and unfaltering walk in the
world. And at the end of a grueling
warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with him at last in
triumphant possession of the field.” – Watchman Nee, Sit, Walk, Stand, page 78
One of the first books I remember reading that impacted my life was a
very small and simple book titled Sit, Walk, Stand and was written by
Watchman Nee. You would do well to find
this book and ingest the great foundation truths that this man shared.
Watchman Nee lived during the 20th century in China. He wrote several books, was a Christian
leader and was persecuted and even put in prison for his faith. He spent the last 20 years of his life in
prison. This mans faith looked Communism
in the face while expounding on the truth’s God gave us in the Bible
Nee wrote that, “All true spiritual experience begins
from rest.” page 28
Psalm 37:7 NASB
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who
prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Resting is a
topic that few Christians understand because we live such busy lives. Add to our busy lives a lack of faith, and
you end up with people who are tired and who lack confidence.
Nee’s thought
was that until we can rest in and trust fully in God we will not enjoy the
Christian life and be at peace with God.
Resting in God brings success in life.
Resting in God means that God lives through us. That is pure foundation that the apostle Paul
spoke of in Galatians 2:20.
Of walking and
living in this world Nee wrote, “The
all-important rule is not to ‘try’ but to ‘trust,’ not to depend upon our own
strength but upon his… Too many of us
are caught acting as
Christians. The life of many Christians
today is largely a pretense. They live a
‘spiritual’ life, talk a ‘spiritual’ language, adopt ‘spiritual’ attitudes, but
they are doing the whole thing themselves.” pages 38-9
Colossians 2:6 NASB
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
Leadership guru John Maxwell said that if you think you are leading but
no body is following that you are just taking a long, lonely walk (oh coarse, I
paraphrased this). The Christian life is
meant to be lived as we connect to God and with others. We will go somewhere and somewhere on purpose
as we begin with trusting God and continue listening to God as we walk.
Walking is a big deal. Another
big idea in Christianity is that you are either moving forward or going
backwards. It is next to impossible to
stay in one place. That is where
Watchman Nee’s teaching on walking with God comes to life and gives us
confidence to live by faith.
He closed his little book encouraging believers like you and me to take
a stand for Christ. “Today
we do not fight for victory; we
fight from victory… When you fight to get the victory, then you have lost the battle at the
outset… Because victory is His,
therefore it is ours.”
pages 55-6
2 Thessalonians
2:15 NASB
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by
word of mouth or by letter from
us.
Victory really is ours. Victory
is not about our personal success or accumulating stuff. Real and sustained victory comes from our
connection with Christ.
For me victory comes when I get to share with others and lead them to
begin walking or continue walking with Christ on a daily basis. God desires that our lives count for
something. It is a fact that the further
we get from spending time with God that we begin to stand on our own, walk
alone and get very tired pretty quick.
God’s intention for us is to live life trusting Him and taking a stand
for what really matters. This book, Sit,
Walk, Stand, would be a great addition to your daily time with God and
reading His word. Faith grows as we stay
connected to God!
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