"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

"For Thou, O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." -Psalm 66:10 [KJV] The Lord's dealings with His people in the wilderness are very much to this purpose and to this end—to prove them, and to know what is in their hearts. Has the Lord implanted life in your soul? Has He touched your conscience with His finger? Has He begun a work of grace upon your heart? If so, in your travels through this wilderness there will be things from time to time to prove the reality of this work upon your soul.  You will have temptations; now, when temptation comes, it will prove whether you have the fear of God in your soul to stand against the temptation, or whether you fall under the temptation; or, if you fall under the temptation, whether you are ever recovered out of it. And if you are a living soul, the Lord will keep bringing circumstance upon circumstance, event upon event, one thing after another; and all these things, as they come upon you, shal

" He wist not that the L ORD was departed from him." -Judges 16:20 [KJV] What do I read? Sampson’s name enrolled in the list of the ancient heroes of faith? Hebrews 11:32. What! he who loved a harlot, and was so blinded by his lust, as to bring on himself the most dreadful evils, even unto death? Yes. Grace reigned then. It reigns still, through the righteousness of Christ unto sinners. What! That they should continue in sin, because grace abounds? God forbid! See the most awful evils it brought upon this man of God. Behold in him how sin blinds the eyes, hardens the heart, and stupefies the conscience. Think of this, and tremble at the first approach of sin and lust.  (1st.) Sampson’s lust to a vile, unchaste woman, had so blinded his reason, that he put his life into her hands three times. Yet he could not see that she had no regard for him, but only wanted to destroy him. Here was a judgment upon his sinful passions. The Philistines put out his eyes.  (2d.)

Did Jesus Die Well?   Part 1 by D.G. Miles McKee The more majestic Jesus appears to us, the more confidence we will have in Him in both life and death. Never was Christ more majestic than when He conquered death at Calvary. It was there, at the cross, He did away with sin, destroyed demonic authorities and brought about the ‘death of death’ itself.  As William Romaine observed, “Death stung himself to death when he stung Christ.” To grasp the awesome nature of the cross we must remember that Jesus and death were unrelated.  Jesus had life in Himself; He was not merely the giver of life but was life itself! (John 14:6). Death was for sinners, but Christ was sinless There was, consequently, no reason for Him to die! He had neither broken the Law nor disobeyed the Father thus death had no claim over Him. No power on earth could kill Him. He was not exaggerating when, speaking of His life, He said, No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it