Reduction Transformer

A short time ago, I received quite a remarkable light. As natural people we are all, so to speak, “professors” in unbelief. In the Scriptures we read expressions like these: you of little faith, slow of heart to believe all that is written, and so on. Then I received this remarkable light, that it is just as though there is a little reduction transformer sitting in our hearts, a minimizing device that works automatically—without us knowing it and without us having the slightest hint of it.

The Scriptures are full of strong, glorious words and promises, and every one of them is true, just as they are written. We must not minimize them; we must not weaken them, although that is the normal tendency. It’s quite remarkable; you don’t even understand that it’s happening. In one way, it’s as though people are unable to read properly. You’d think they would be able to, and they can, when it concerns everything else. They are so proficient in reading that they could be “professors” in almost anything—except in believing. But without faith, nothing happens. Faith is the only thing that counts; it is the only thing that works. You can’t be a partaker of anything without faith, and faith is full assurance. Faith has nothing to do with trying to do something. When we say we are going to try, that is the same as unbelief, because that is the same as saying maybe it will succeed and maybe it won’t—and that is 100% unbelief.

Now we can look at a few verses. In Ephesians 4:1-2: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,” writes Paul, “beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” and here it comes, “with all lowliness (humility) and meekness.” That means with all humility and all meekness. Who has believed it? Who has read so that it really sinks in? When you are a little bit humble, you receive a little bit of grace; and when you are a little more humble, you receive a little more grace; and when you are very humble, you receive much grace; and when you are unusually humble, you receive an unusual amount of grace; and when you are clothed with humility—what then? What then? Surely you can see the answer now? All grace. And grace doesn’t only mean God’s unmerited favor. God’s unmerited favor is seen in the forgiveness of our sins, in the atonement. But grace also means help; it means salvation; it means light; it means power; it covers all that we need. It is evident that people do not believe this. And it is evident that people don’t actually stop and pay attention to what is written.

There are no exaggerations in the Scriptures, none. But there are minimizing and reduction devices in our hearts that we don’t have the slightest idea about. We don’t notice that they are there, and they work in all quietness so that we remain unaware of them. It’s just as though what we read or hear passes through a device, and in the process is changed to something else, to something weaker, something less. All humility and all meekness—means that you are rooted and grounded in humility and meekness, so that you simply can’t do anything but be humble and meek. If it’s like that, those who know us and live with us have to notice it. At that point it is powerful enough and unusual enough that it has to be noticed. This is what we are called to; this is God’s will. He loves us so much; He wants to give us so much; He wants to accomplish so much in us; He wants to recreate us. Then we will be humility itself; we will be meekness on two feet. And this takes place by faith. We believe that we are called to this life, that it is God’s will, that it is possible, and that it is our task to believe exactly what is written.

The important thing, we can say, is to get this automatic reduction and minimization device thrown overboard. Get hold of it and chuck it out of your heart. Then you can read things just as they are written, and believe them just as they are written. Then exactly what is written takes place, and things become just as they are described in the Word.

For many, many years I have observed and spoken about how people are seemingly possessed with the concept of “a little.” It’s just like they are possessed. Regardless of the subject, people interpret it as “little.” The majority say that they hope and believe, but there is neither hope nor faith in it. It’s just an expression. They hope that things will be a little better with them, very slowly, over the course of many years. That is the most common thing; that is the way most people are. But the fact is, it doesn’t happen like that. Nothing comes of it. That isn’t God’s Word; that isn’t what we are to believe; it isn’t written in the Bible like that, and consequently nothing comes of it. What happens is that you deceive yourself; you live in a dream world. You pray and pray and pray and pray for love, and pray for power, and pray for patience, and pray for all kinds of other things, but you never believe it, and therefore never receive it. Who wouldn’t like to be filled with love, for example? And you pray for it too, but you just don’t believe. You won’t be filled with more love. You will remain exactly the same—the same from meeting to meeting, from conference to conference, from day to day, from month to month, from year to year, from decade to decade. You remain—by and large—just the same. There can be very small changes, but nothing material. Things can even get worse with some people. Yes, that happens with many, and some even fall away. It’s a pity to fall away; but it isn’t so strange when the life that people live isn’t a particularly happy one. Then there isn’t so much to fall away from. No one who is very happy falls away. That’s a contradiction and doesn’t make sense. No one voluntarily leaves a state of great happiness, do they? No, of course not. They are in a sad state, that is why they fall away. And why are they in such a bad state? Because they don’t believe God’s Word. They pray, but don’t believe that they will receive it. But they don’t pray very much either; so even the little, they pray for, they don’t believe they will receive, and as a result they receive nothing.

It is clear that everything we need can be found here in the Bible. Here are verses that unconverted people need, and here are verses that new converts need, and here are verses that more mature believers need. All of it is true. But this automatic reduction device creates a dire situation, doesn’t it? We don’t notice it ourselves. We don’t have the slightest idea that we are taking the Word and minimizing it, weakening it. Yet that is exactly what one does when one is in this state, and the majority are.

Now we can read in Philippians 1:9. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.” Not just a little bit. “May abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” What do you do with the word “all”? You hope that you will receive a little bit more discernment as time goes by. I think you have to confess that this is the way it has been for the vast majority of you, and probably still is. It’s so amazing. We are talking about otherwise very capable, gifted people, who could study and become a “professor” in most any discipline, but when it comes to the Bible, it’s just as though it’s something completely different. It is here that this reducing and minimizing occurs. You simply don’ read what is written; you don’t see what is written, and therefore it is impossible to believe what is written. Of course, you can’t believe what is written when you can’t see what is written. That’s completely impossible. You don’t understand what is written, and the reason is that this device is at work. It’s just as though God doesn’t mean what He says in His Word. He says one thing and means another.

“Abound more and more.” Not just a little—what a pathetic concept, just a little. We do have use for the word “little,” but when it’s applicable people usually gladly neglect it. God’s Word teaches us that we are to have only a little of the earthly things—the word “little” is quite suitable in this context. Here this device has the reverse effect—“much” of the earthly. Wretched device! Hate it like the plague; get hold of it and throw it out. Everything is backwards. Lots of the earthly things, more of the earthly things. It’s so practical; it’s so pretty; it’s all so nice; and the others have it, so I must have it too. Lots of the earthly things and a little bit of love, a little bit of patience, and so on. I hope that most everyone here is dissatisfied with himself now, and even ashamed of himself. For such people there is a promise. Those who are ashamed have a promise of their own: God will help them. But think to carry on like that—lots of the earthly things, but pathetically little of the divine.

We can read in the same chapter, verse 20. “As it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be put to shame in anything” (Norwegian). Everything is going to succeed. “Not be put to shame in anything” (not one single area), “but that with full courage (boldness) now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Always with “full courage (boldness).”

Many of the brothers and sisters have so little boldness when they come to the front to give their testimony. They stand here so timidly and speak so quietly, that you can’t even hear what they are saying. They haven’t got even a little boldness. And here we read about all boldness. Boldness is a virtue, a wonderful virtue. Boldness has a great reward, it is written. Instead, the fear of man abounds. People are positively terrified by the sound of their own voice, and that’s why they stand there so timidly and speak so quietly. You are exhorted to speak louder, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it. “Loud and clear,” we say. Not a chance. They don’t believe it; they don’t believe in “all boldness.” They don’t have boldness at all. Instead they are timid, and that is a great vice. Meekness is a tremendous virtue, and we read about all meekness. But timidity is unbelief, 100% unbelief. You don’t believe in God, and you don’t believe God’s Word. If this is the situation, you don’t believe in “all boldness.” On the contrary, you don’t even believe in a little boldness. This represents a crying lack of boldness.

Let’s read 1 Timothy 2:2. “For kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.” The majority of people are rather restless. “Live a quiet and peaceable life,” it says. That is a two-fold quietness: “a quiet and peaceable life.” And here it comes, my dear friends: “in all godly fear” (Norwegian). But the reduction device effectively tones this down to a little more godly fear—gradually. You can go around thinking you are really something, and yet you aren’t even able to read what is written. You aren’t such a “big shot” after all.

What is godliness? It’s defined in the Bible. It is to depart from evil. That means that immediately upon reading or hearing any backbiting, I depart from it, without hesitation. That is godly fear. In all godly fear. You depart from all evil as you encounter it. That brings an end to it; it stops. It’s written that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The work of the devil—that is to sin, to transgress the Word. And if we cease doing that, there is an end to sinning—a complete stop.

I have turned to a few verses (there are multitudes of them). Here in 2 Timothy 3:17: “That the man of God may be complete, equipped for . . .” (that means capable of) “every good work”—capable and proficient. Experts, we can say, in every good work, every kind of good work, every single kind, and he is to be “equipped,” or capable. That wretched device, that wretched device! It is stupid and harmful to have a television, but this reduction device is much worse. One weakens and rejects God’s Word. In this way one rejects salvation through unbelief, and doesn’t even understand that it is unbelief, because this device, in all quietness, reduces and weakens God’s Word. I think we could call understanding this matter “the secret of life”—the secret of growth and progress.

Let’s read Titus 3:1-2. “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.” Every kind of good work, in every area, in every possible area. “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show all meekness to all men.” “To show,” means that it can be seen, and we are to show it so that everyone can see it. Meek and quiet. Women have a special exhortation to clothe themselves with a meek and quiet spirit. Quiet means quiet and meekness means quietness. That’s to be quiet two times over. And, oh, how quiet it will be then. That’s quite a contrast to a chatterbox—and this quietness is to be shown to all men! That means at home, in the church, at work, everywhere. Don’t judge and express yourself using your human reasoning. Be quiet and at rest. With all meekness—completely quiet. You can see that in practice the majority don’t even believe in a little bit of meekness. They are not the slightest bit meek. And with extremely few exceptions, the women are the very worst. Their mouths go like a drummer’s drumsticks on a drum roll. Not at the meetings, of course. They aren’t allowed to do that. But in daily life when women are together, there is hardly a moment of silence. They actually thrive on chattering. They think it’s sad if things are quiet. How can one introduce all meekness in the midst of all that noise? By believing God’s Word. You can wish for it as much as you like, but that won’t change a thing. You aren’t saved by wishing. No, but by believing, only by believing, and not by anything else. And that means not to believe anything other than what is written, but to believe exactly what is written. Show all meekness to all men, always in every situation you meet—quiet at home and away from home, quiet in the car, quiet on the train, quiet everywhere. Show all meekness to all men.

I took a train over here on this trip, and there was a whole group of confessing Christians sitting together in the same car that I was in. They made an incessant hubbub of the worst sort. It created an awful scene, especially since all of them wore the uniform of their denomination. It went on without a break; they weren’t quiet for a moment. It went on for hours and hours, nothing but racket, only nonsense and foolishness and ungodly laughter. That’s how it was with them, but how scandalous when there are similar things among us! The sisters have an extra scripture, an extra charge to clothe themselves with a meek and quiet spirit—show all meekness to all men. That means everywhere, non-stop, and then to say a good and profitable word in all quietness, now and then. This is an amazing light, I can’t call it anything else. I got this light one night not so long ago.

I have only turned to a few places in God’s Word. It’s also written, for example, about all patience, and all longsuffering—all. In other words, patience without end, without limitations, regardless of how long you have to wait. You remain just as quiet and meek the whole time. This was to be shown to all men. That isn’t a sad thing; it isn’t sad to be meek and quiet. It’s almost like having heaven on earth. It isn’t sad to love God’s Word and believe in God’s Word and keep God’s Word and live God’s Word. That is the most pleasant thing there is. That’s to have heaven on earth. I wish the best for each and every one of you! It happens only one way—only by reading correctly, and then believing it exactly as it is written, and then seeking it with all of your might. Pray for it, and then believe that you will receive what you have prayed for, because then you will receive it, but not otherwise. I hope the best for each one of you.

Run the race by competing to believe all of God’s Word. Then it will be true in us, so that everyone will see it and hear it and notice it. Show all meekness to all men. You don’t lose anything by doing that. It’s only gain, only an advantage. Then you are a radiant example for others to follow, and it will be a great benefit and profit for them if they are receptive. But you can’t force salvation on people. A person has to be receptive; they have to have a desire for this themselves. One place it’s written that Paul prayed that the believers might be filled with all desire for what is good. In other words, in all areas, with every desire. Anyone can come to this, and then this true proverb will be fulfilled: “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” That is a tremendous truth, absolutely all-encompassing. This applies to everything, both earthly and heavenly. If you don’t want something, if you don’t have a great longing, not much will come of it. If you really want and long for something, that will bring results whether it is in the earthly or the spiritual realm. You can’t become a millionaire here in this world if you are lazy and just can’t be bothered. This encompasses absolutely everything. There are no exceptions. “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

I hope that considerable light has dawned here. We have the scriptures: “All things are possible for God,” “all things are possible for the one who believes,” and “be it unto you according to your faith.” Everything is a personal matter between the individual and God. My task is to believe in God and in His Word, then it will be fulfilled in me. No one else can hinder this; no one else can disturb it. Everything is dependent on a direct connection between each individual and God. I wish the very best for each and every one of you! Join the race to be believing! Amen.