CHAPTER XII
Jennie looked at Dr. Leary and realized that he was a prominent person, a doctor who was distinguished for doing major heart surgeries. It seemed incredible that he was looking to her for help. She silently prayed that God would help her to be adequate for the need. She felt weak and insufficient but leaned heavily on God to give her the aid of the Holy Spirit and wisdom from above.
"I appreciate the confidence you have placed in me. I'm thankful that this experience is something real which enables one to live a consistent Christian life without sin in this present world. I will do my best by God's help to help you, Dr. Leary, but let us pray first, for without Him I can do nothing."
They bowed their heads and Jennie asked God's blessing upon their conversation which would follow. She prayed earnestly that God would help her to say just the right words, use just the right Scriptures, and that He would touch Dr. Leary's heart to understand and accept the way of holiness. "Thou hast said in Thy word, Lord, to 'Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.' So we beseech Thee to make, the way of holiness understandable to Dr. Leary so he may enter in. Amen."
After prayer Jennie began her explanation of sanctification. "This carnal nature is the nature we were born with. Our hearts were depraved because of the fall of Adam, our first father. We inherited this sin principle from him. The Bible calls this carnal nature or carnal mind an enemy of God. Here let's read it in Romans 8:7." She opened her Testament and read, " 'Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.' Since this nature is not subject to God, you will have a struggle to live right as long as it remains in the heart. You have confessed, Dr. Leary, that you become angry and say things you do not intend to say and must apologize. This anger is one of the traits of carnality and will have to be eradicated by God in order for you to be victorious along this line. God does not intend for you to be daily defeated, but it is His will that you live a victorious life to glorify Him. In I Thessalonians 4:3, we read, 'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' Therefore, if it is God's will, don't you believe, Dr. Leary, that He has power to do the work?"
"Yes, Mrs. Maddox. That makes sense."
Tears came into Jennie's eyes as she sensed the hunger in his heart. He sat on the edge of his chair drinking in every word she had to say. Wiping her eyes she continued, "Not only is it God's will, but He commands us to be holy or sanctified. Let us read it here in I Peter 1:15, 16. 'But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy: for I am holy.' Since God is a holy God, He wants a holy people to serve Him; otherwise, there is not real fellowship or communion between God and His people. He cannot fellowship sin for He hates sin. If God commands us to be holy, don't you believe He can purify our hearts and make us holy? Would He command something that was impossible?"
"No, Mrs. Maddox. If God commands something, then there's no doubt but that the work can be done."
"Do you know, Doctor, that one of Jesus' last commands while He was on earth was for His followers to be filled with the Spirit? Let us read it in Luke 24:29. 'And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.' Now, what was the promise of the Father?"
"I do not know, Mrs. Maddox."
"It was that He would send the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit to abide in the hearts of His followers. Of course, the Spirit will not abide in an unclean heart, so first God has to eradicate the sin principle which is the carnal nature, and then the Comforter will come in. This eradication of the sin principle. or cleansing of the heart, followed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit is called sanctification. Do you understand thus far, Doctor?"
"Yes, Mrs. Maddox, it is becoming clearer to me."
Again Jennie wiped her eyes. Dr. Leary reminded her of little Tommy when she read Bible stories to him. Jennie thought of the Scripture that says we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child to enter therein. Surely, he was as humble as a child.
"Let's go a step further. Not only is sanctification God's will and His command for our lives, but He promises to do the work in our hearts as soon as we meet the condition. In I Thessalonians 5:22, 24 we read, 'And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it.' "
"I think I understand, Mrs. Maddox. May I ask a question though?"
"Sure. "
"Does this experience make you perfect? Mr. Paxton used to call it the work of Christian Perfection."
"As far as God is concerned, yes. Your heart is perfected toward Him when you are sanctified. But, because we are still in a human body, we will make human errors. Though the heart is perfect, the head is not, so we are subject to mistakes even though we do not commit actual sin. The Holy Spirit in our hearts will keep us from committing sin. I John 3:6 says, 'Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.' In verses seven and eight of the same chapter we read: 'He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning.' "
"This life without sin appears to be unobtainable, but if the Bible declares it, then it has to be so," Dr. Leary reasoned. "Can you backslide once you obtain this experience of heart purity?"
"One is not as likely to go back on God after he has been sanctified wholly, as he would be in a state of regeneration alone, but it is possible through failure, neglect or disobedience. "
"How can you keep from losing this experience once you have obtained it?" the doctor further queried.
"As long as you walk in all the light God gives you, obey every check of the Spirit, read your Bible regularly, and pray and trust always, keeping your life committed and your will yielded to God, He will keep you and not let you fall. We must depend on His power and not our own human efforts. When we have done our best, God will do the rest."
"What do you mean by praying always? This is impossible."
"Literally, it is impossible for we cannot go around praying all the time. But since the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, we must keep our hearts lifted up to God as much as possible. As long as our minds are not engaged in other necessary things, we can have a prayerful attitude toward Him."
"I understand, Mrs. Maddox. Thank you so very much for your time and patience with me. I might add that because of the life you have lived, I was made to hunger after God. I have watched you under pressure and ridicule; but always, you have manifested a kind, patient and humble spirit toward all. I recognized that you possessed the genuine while the majority of the church goers have a counterfeit religion." He shook hands, first, with Dave and then with Jennie. "Keep praying for me," he requested. "I desperately long for this deeper life you have been telling me about."
"Doctor, don't hurry. Tonight could well be the turning point of your life."
"I'm in no hurry at all, Mrs. Maddox, but I do not want to tire Dave or you."
"I'm fine, Doc," Dave blurted out. ''I'm trying to let some of my wife's preaching soak into me."
"I don't want to leave the impression, Dr. Leary, that anger is the only trait of carnality in one's heart. There are others such as pride, envy, selfishness, jealousy, malice, covetousness, and many more. These things are what cause one to act up under pressure and show wrong attitudes."
"My, with all that in my heart," exclaimed the doctor, "no wonder it has been hard to stay calm under pressure. I did not realize what was hidden in my heart, but as you named the carnal traits, I recognized how full of pride I am and how jealous I am. Also, I'm full of selfishness. Does God actually intend for me to be rid of these things?"
Jennie felt that God was revealing Dr. Leary's heart to him. She had never dealt with such an hon
est-hearted person before. Who would have thought that this great heart specialist was so hungry for truth and light? But God is no respecter of persons. He deals with all classes of people alike.
"Yes, Doctor," she answered, "God can rid you of these evil tendencies. Remember how I told you that God commands us to be holy? Well, since He commands it, we cannot accept it or reject it as we will, but as God gives us light, we must obey. If we refuse to walk in the light, we will lose ground with God."
"This is a wonderful doctrine, Mrs. Maddox. It could solve the world's problems if people would accept it. Why don't you who have this experience propagate it everywhere?"
"The world, as a whole, does not accept this doctrine, Doctor. They enjoy the pleasures of sin too much to let God possess them completely. Yet, they have a false hope of making it to heaven in the end. But the Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:12, 'There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.' Sad to say, the multitudes are on their way to hell, yet think they are going to heaven. According to the Word, 'Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it, but broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat.' "
''I'm certainly thankful God allowed a few faithful ones to come across my path to enlighten me," Dr. Leary said.
"God is just that faithful to others if they will only heed. Is there anything else you would like to ask, Doctor?"
"Yes, I would like to know how to obtain this experience of holiness or sanctification."
"Forgive me, Doctor. It seems I have left out the most important thing of all. Of course, you want to know what you are to do in order to be sanctified. First, you confess your need to God, how you have failed Him because of carnality in your heart. Tell Him of your desire to be cleansed of these impurities, confessing each carnal trait as God reveals them to you. Yield yourself wholly to Him, giving up your own desires, wishes and future ambitions. Be willing to be used of Him any time, any place, to go where He wants you to go or stay and work here in the hospital if so be His divine will. Just be submissive to His will whatever it may be. When you have confessed all and have surrendered undeservedly to Him, thus meeting all His conditions, then your faith will take hold and God will come and purge out the roots of sin and fill your heart with His divine presence. Remember that we read to you from God's Word, 'Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it'?"
"Thank you again, Mrs. Maddox." He took a step toward the door, then hesitated.
"Doctor, would you like to pray now?" Jennie ventured. "If you want this experience badly enough, you can have it right now."
"I have never been any more hungry for all God has for me than I am at this minute, Mrs. Maddox."
"Then let us pray." Looking at Dave she asked, "How about it, Dave? Won't you let God have His way in your heart?"
"Yes, Jennie, I'll pray, too."
What a blessed time of prayer as Dr. Leary bared his heart to God. In a short time he exclaimed, "Wonderful! Wonderful! He has come into my heart. It's glorious! Thank the Lord. I'm so happy." The heavenly radiance that lit up his face caused Jennie to weep for joy.
"Yes, Doctor, He has come. I feel it. Praise His wonderful Name!" Looking at Dave, she asked, "How about it. Dave? Shall we pray some more? You are not clear as Dr. Leary is, are you?"
"No, Jennie, I'm not sure, not like the doctor."
Once again prayer went up to the throne in behalf of Dave; but for some reason known only to Dave and God, he failed to get the victory.
"Don't give up, Dave," Dr. Leary said in parting. "I will be praying for you. In fact, I won't stop praying until I hear you have found this experience."
"Thanks, Doc, and good luck." As the door closed behind him, Dave said to Jennie, "Another sheaf gathered for the Master."
"Give God all the glory," she answered humbly.
After Dave's discharge from the hospital, he was unable to return to work for quite some time, but he and Jennie found happiness in being together with Joan.
"It's like when we were first married, Dave. I'm so thankful for all God has done for us."
"Me, too, Dear. I was so sick and tired of the life I was living and so terribly lonely for you and Joan, but it seemed as if I couldn't break loose. I kept plunging deeper and deeper in sin and, Jennie, you can't imagine how miserable I was."
"I have an idea, Dave. I don't want to be a pest, but God was so gracious in taking you back. You should never quit seeking until He sanctifies you wholly."
"I'm studying into it, Jen, I don't understand much about it."
"Dave, dear, you don't have to understand so much about it. You know the carnal nature is in your heart, don't you?"
"Yes, Jen, I know it's there. No doubt about that."
"Then don't trifle with it, Dave. The Bible tells us 'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' If you know you need heart purity and if you know it is God's will you have it, what else do you need to know?"
"Nothing, I suppose. Hey, when are we going to eat, Mrs. Maddox? I'm hungry as a wolf."
Jennie knew that this meant the conversation was ended. She grew more and more concerned. "Oh, God," she prayed day after day, "don't let him lose ground. Somehow help him to feel his need and come to Thee for heart cleansing."
Weeks passed and as Jennie looked out the window, she noticed a light frost on the ground. "Two more months until Christmas," she thought, "I trust it will be different this year. Dave has always hated the Christmas season on account of the tragedy with Carol, but maybe now he will allow God to help him face it like a man." Hearing little footsteps behind her, she turned from the window.
"My, how my baby is growing," she thought. "Just think she will soon be three years old. I must go to town and buy her that little doll she saw in the window at McNeal's."
"Good morning, Joan," she greeted her.
"Hi, Mommy. Joan's hungry."
Jennie laughed. "Joan's always hungry, I think." She picked her up and headed for the kitchen.
For Joan's birthday, Jennie took delight in baking her a cake beautifully decorated with candles placed on it.
"See the cake, Daddy. Pretty cake." Joan clapped her hands and laughed with delight.
"Yes, my darling, it is pretty. Mommy's a good cake baker, isn't she?"
"See the dolly," Joan hugged it to her heart.
"The dolly's pretty, too, Joan. Come here and climb on Daddy's knee and tell me how much you love me."
"I love you this much, Daddy." She stretched open her arms wide to measure her love. "I love Mommy, I love Joan. I love Jesus."
Jennie and Dave smiled at each other. What a little beauty! Little black ringlets hung to her shoulders, and when she smiled, a dimple showed in each cheek.
"What would we do without her, Jennie?" Dave hugged her close.
"I'm so thankful God has brightened our home with such a ray of sunshine," she replied. "It's remarkable how she learns. I hear her singing the little choruses they teach her at Sunday school and she doesn't miss a word. She can recite numerous verses from the Bible, too." Her face took on a serious expression. "We must be careful that we don't get proud of her accomplishments. We should be humbly thankful to God that we have such a treasure. And to think, dear, in a few months we will have another treasure. Maybe you will get that boy you wanted this time."
"Aw, Jennie, it really doesn't matter. Joan's such a darling that another girl would suit me fine. Say, Mrs. Maddox, have I told you lately how much I love and appreciate you?"
"I love you, too, Dave," she smiled at him. "Let's pray before we cut Jennie's cake and thank God for all He has done for us."
She was thinking of how things had been at this time last year. She and Joan had spent that birthday alone.
As she prayed, God's love engulfed her and she wept aloud. His loving arms seemed to enfold her. It was an unusual experience and it reminded he
r of another such experience she had had in the past which God had used to prepare her for a severe test. Could it be ... ? She pushed the thought from her mind and reached into a drawer and took out a knife to cut the cake. Soon Joan was yawning and Jennie bathed her and tucked her in bed with a goodnight kiss.
Jennie did not go to sleep immediately. A dread that she could not explain, took possession of her. She kept praying and finally from exhaustion dropped off to sleep.
"Mom--my!" Jennie heard Joan scream at about two o'clock in the morning. She rushed to her bedside.
"My head, Mommy. Joan's head hurts."
"Mommy's right here, darling. We will pray to Jesus to touch you if it is His will."
"It hurts bad, Mommy."
Jennie lifted her out of the bed and held her close. Her heart pounded wildly as she spoke soothing words of comfort to her precious baby.
"I've been praying that at any cost Dave would mind God," she meditated. "Can it be ... ? I just can't think of it."
She held Joan on her lap the remainder of the night. She thought it best not to awaken Dave until morning as he could not do anything to relieve Joan anyway. Jennie tried to pray, "Thy will be done," but she found it was harder than she had thought as the little darling was pressed close to her heart.
"I love you, Jesus, above everything in this world," she began to pray. "Yes, better than this precious baby." She began to feel more freedom in prayer. "Thou knowest what is best for our lives. Help me to be able to say, 'Thy will be done' and mean it from the depths of my heart." Tears were falling like rain but a peace came over her soul as she put her darling Joan into the hands of God and whispered, "Thy precious will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen."