Difficulties Concerning Consecration

CHAPTER 5 

Hannah Whitall Smith begins the second section of her book confronting difficulties that can cause us to stumble in the Christian walk. The difficulty introduced in chapter five made me think of a recent phenomenon I have experienced. 

I haven’t been diagnosed as a hypochondriac, however, throughout this pandemic, I have wondered if I would be if I saw a specialist. My wife has told me on more than one occasion that I’m certifiable. So, I wouldn’t be surprised. 

This past month I’ve had friends reach out to tell me they had tested positive for COVID. Prior to them telling me I felt fine. But within an hour or two after their phone call or text message, I began to feel symptomatic. I’ve been tested four times in the past month, each time I have tested negative. It is interesting, as soon as I get the negative result I feel 100% better. Isn’t it strange how a suggestion or a doubt can create a feeling that has no basis in reality? 

Mrs. Smith explains how doubt can create symptoms that present themselves as a weakened or a sick Christian life. She also prescribes the proper point of view and the cure for such attacks. She presented three stimuli that can affect one’s view of their position in Christ—feelings, fact, and faith. The reader is led to think through which came first (feelings, fact, or faith), and then second and which brings up the caboose of the F Train (btw, the F Train is the subway route that connects Queens to Brooklyn in New York City). Once you know where to get on the train, you are ensured to reach the desired destination. 

Enough with the train analogies. The point of Mrs. Smith is, once you know which should come first, you will be equipped to avoid the difficulty of doubt and on your way to the joyful life every follower of Christ is meant to experience. 

If you haven’t read chapter five yet, I encourage you to take some of your free time and spend it thinking through the topic she presents. And then call a Christian friend and talk through the following questions.

Have a blessed week! 

THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS FOR INTERACTION 

• Hannah Whithall Smith shares these three RESPONSES (Feelings, Fact, and Faith) to our decision to follow Christ. Which response did she say should come first, second and last? Why? 

"Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. And the Lord has today declared you to be His people, His personal possession, just as He promised you, and that you are to keep all His commandments; and that He will put you high above all the nations which He has made, for glory, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.” Deuteronomy 26:17–19 

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. If anyone sees his brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying that he should ask about that. 1st John 5:14–16 

• From the above passages, what is our role, and what does God do? 

        1.                                                         1. 

        2.                                                         2. 

        3.                                                         3. 

        4.                                                         4. 

        5.                                                         5. 

        6.                                                         6. 

• In what personal life situations do the above lists help you understand and advance in a sanctified life?

How To Enter In

CHAPTER 4

Chapter four concludes Part I of “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life." It mostly reviews what we’ve already touched on in the first three chapters, which Nick summed up in our staff conversation last week: "Let Go and Let God." In other words, surrender completely and trust God for the results. I appreciated the way Hannah Whitall Smith went deeper to explain this two-step process by focusing on two words 1) Consecration, and 2) Faith. 

Consecrate 

This term means to make holy or to dedicate to a higher purpose. I really like the way that Smith helped the reader understand what this term means in more practical terms by using the illustration of a doctor on rounds. If consecration is the pathway to experience the deeper life with God hidden in Christ—a life characterized by peace and joy—then this is something we all should pursue. But like the patient who wants to experience healing under the care of a world-renowned physician, we must follow all the physician’s prescriptions if we expect him to take our case. Isn’t it true that the American Church (most likely this is a global sickness) has become very adept at picking and choosing the commandments of Christ which are most palatable or comfortable? We love to give and receive a good sermon on grace, love, and peace. But when was the last time we received—with the same good feelings—a clear and detailed message on sexual morality, submission to authority, or giving as a godly discipline? Smith’s point is we must fully abandon or surrender ourselves to the full counsel of God if we want the full and amazing experience of the happy life she is describing. 

Faith 

There is no need for the author to define “faith,” as it is a simple enough concept to understand. The emphasis she makes here is not on our understanding faith but on our difficulty in applying faith post-conversion. We all know what it means to place our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. There is nothing that we can do, in and of ourselves, to erase the consequence of our sin—the Father must do that, and He did in Jesus. It is by faith that we enter His kingdom. And yet, when it comes to the deeper life experience post-salvation, we forget or have a hard time carrying the same application forward. Somehow, we have it fixed in our minds that we can do something to better deserve or accomplish the peace and joy we so desire in this life. 

If you haven’t read this chapter, you need to before getting into part two (Difficulties). The chapter's review is the impetus of the Christian’s Secret of happy living.

THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS FOR INTERACTION

• Whithall Smith mentions within the opening sentences of the chapter, "this blessed life must not be looked upon in any sense as an attainment, but as an obtainment." How does this statement help explain the common encouragement to "let go and let God"? 
  
  
• In the phrase Mrs. Smith shares—"Jesus saves me now"—which word do you struggle with the most? 
  
  
• We are confident in a doctor's help toward healing because of her education, the Hippocratic Oath, and even the amount of money we're paying them. What are the reason(s) that our faith in the Father's healing should be more resolute than that in the doctor's ability? 
  
  
• What personally holds you back from surrendering all effort and control to God so that you can freely receive the peace and joy a life lived in and for Him offers? 

This chapter was an invitation to "Enter In" by following through with the author's two-step encouragement: 1) CONSECRATE yourself and 2) Step into it in FAITH (a.k.a. Let Go and Let God). Consider spending time with the Father in prayer, crying out for His help in whatever area has come to mind in the above questions.