The fact that you have really and truly forsaken everything of your own necessarily leads to your immediate acceptance as an apprentice in Jesus Christ’s school, and this fact, in turn, results in you learning from Him and becoming like Him. In the same way, when the truth is that you have not forsaken everything of your own, this fact will reveal that you are not becoming like Jesus, even if you have been converted ever so long. Therefore in both cases the one fact results in another fact. A living hope of achieving an exceedingly abundant glory in and through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:10-12) leads to or establishes the fact that we advance with great boldness. Just as truly as the first case is a fact, a reality, so it is just as true that you do not advance with great boldness in the second case!!! If you lack great boldness, you lack hope and faith! Everything in God’s Word goes according to unalterable laws! There are no exceptions. On the one hand, it is impossible to have such living faith and such living hope without advancing with great boldness; on the other hand, it is impossible to advance with great boldness and become like Jesus without possessing this living hope and this living faith that the goal will be reached. Faith is full assurance and conviction; it is definitely not something loose and imaginary. It is something firm and unshakable. In Joshua Chapter 1 it is written, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life . . . .” And: “For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And: “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Vs. 5, 9, and 8. This was said to Joshua. It is obvious and easily understood that not every converted person can receive such words. This would be presumptuous, and consequently these words would not be fulfilled! These are hugely glorious and great promises that must necessarily correspond to weighty conditions that must be fulfilled! It is always facts that matter, in perfect contrast to chatter and boasting, imaginations and fantasies, acting, hypocrisy, and self-deception. To those who have Joshua’s attitude, who are faithful as he was and who desire to be obedient to all God’s laws and not depart from them in the least, neither to the left nor to the right, to such people something like this can rightly be said in these days, just as it was then! The one fact is a prerequisite for the other fact to become a confirmed fact. Glory to God in the highest!!! The same thing is clearly and powerfully evident in Psalm 18! Read from verse 20 and to the end of the chapter. What a living hope and a living faith! What confidence in God and in His exceeding power! The courage that David had! “For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” V. 30. David could say this, and all those who are like him, can rightly say this—those who have such a mind and such a life, and such a tremendous, fervent love for all God’s laws and commandments, commands, and precepts. Read all of Psalm 119. Also carefully read what it says in Psalm 18 from verse 20 and to the end of the chapter!!! For example, “For all His judgments were before me . . . I was blameless before Him.” Vs. 22 and 23. All of us are free to conduct ourselves in the same way and achieve exactly the same result. One more time: When the first occurrence is fact, then its consequence will also become fact. There is no way around it! This has been true for everyone throughout all ages. Alas, alas, only the very few have received this revelation crystal clear in their inner man. Nevertheless, more and more of them are now being filled with a living, effective spirit of faith! In the writings of the new covenant we have extremely strong words concerning this matter, as is only reasonable to expect. For example, Philippians 1:27-28. First, the fact in verse 27. Then the resulting fact in verse 28. If the first fact is in order, then the second fact will also be necessarily in order. It is like this because our heavenly Father, our great God, has decided that it shall be like that, and that’s that! This gives rise to a tremendous boldness of faith that is invincible, and irresistible to all the upright. Hallelujah! And what shall we say about 1 John 4:6 and 7? What a phenomenal firmness and boldness, based on simple faith without the least amount of doubt. We are of God, born of Him, loving all men with the love of God and the love of Christ. This has become a fact, an absolute truth and established fact that is visible and noticeable, and which cannot be contradicted. Therefore we know with certainty that everyone who thus knows God hears us. They cannot but hear us for this especially good reason that God’s kingdom is obviously not divided! Therefore also “he who is not of God does not hear us,” which means that they do not receive our words but on the contrary, condemn them and even judge our words and us. Poor people! Further in the same verse it is written, just as radically: “By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” In other words, there is nothing in between. Both parts are absolute, established facts. It is like this whether you believe it or not. Everyone will be judged according to these words. Everyone who loves God, and thereby all others, proving it by keeping His commandments and by teaching others to keep them is so highly appreciated by God—He is so indescribably enthusiastic for them—that it pleases Him to give them the kingdom! Luke 12:32. There is much written about the fact that this is and remains only a small minority, and it is indicated in this scripture with these words: “Little flock.” It will remain a little flock, full of simple, child-like faith and faithfulness! It is very significant that the Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of truth. It is therefore the intention that absolutely everything must first be true and genuine in the innermost parts and then to the utmost in all areas! It pays for everyone to consider this thoroughly, and constantly.Elias Aslaksen