October 2024
Fabulous Fridays are when we gather for President’s Chapel in the Barn. The Davis College Worship Team leads us all in praise, and we dig into the Word, eagerly expecting what God will do in our hearts. A principle taught recently was this: We must walk by faith, having complete trust in God to do his work, his way, according to His Word and his will, through our surrendered lives. What does this mean in terms of practical experience? It means that I will fail, and when I fail, it is not because I am doing the wrong thing or that I am not necessarily in the will of God –it is that I am doing the right thing the wrong way! God creates circumstances to impede our efforts to teach us that His way alone must become our way entirely (Matt 26:39).
The imposition of the impossible exposes the Self-dominant life and the need to surrender it through death on the altar of my sacrificed will, desires, and rights. When this occurs, the Spirit of God assumes control and establishes claims of Jesus upon our lives, his rights and privileges purchased through redemption (1 Cor 6:19-20; Gal 2:20). The kingdom’s purpose of extending the gospel to the end of the earth becomes our priority, and the ethical demands of Christlikeness upon our behavior become evident (Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:22-23).
But it takes God to intersect our path to conquer the Self. He did this, for example, with the nation of Israel on the banks of Jordan in preparation for their conquest of Canaan (Jos 3:1-17). The waters of the flooded Jordan posed an impossible barrier to the people. The nation was in God’s will, going the right way, but God needed to show his hand and overcome the impossible in a mighty display of power. This was only the beginning.
Israel experienced God’s presence and power when he parted the Jordan’s flooded banks. Conquering Jericho, the next “impossible” task, would require greater faith. Imagine expecting Jericho’s impregnable fortress to fall by marching and blowing ram horns! The lesson to the nation? Trust me. Trust me implicitly. The Self must die in deference to the presence and power of God. Yes! He must increase. I must decrease (John 3:30).
The students and I are on a journey. To grow into the John 3:30 life.
I’m pleased to report that we are growing! Since transitioning to the new campus, we have experienced new enrollment records this semester. Our student’s study all over the world through Davis Online Learning, in our adult and high school teaching sites, and on the main campus in Pottersville, NY.
Would you consider a donation of any size? This email contains a link to a convenient online giving platform. All funds go to student scholarships—100%. Thank you for prayerfully considering what you can do to ensure our students can complete their training and enter the global harvest.
Doug
