Smith Wigglesworth

I am excited to see that Smith Wigglesworth is the featured preacher for this month. I haven't had a chance to read the newsletter yet, but look forward to it as I am currently reading Peter J. Madden's book "The Wigglesworth Standard". A friend of mine in Tennessee introduced me to this book, and I found it and purchased it this past weekend.Have any of you read any books on or by Smith Wigglesworth? If you have, has anything written inspired you? Here are some things from "The Wigglesworth Standard" that spoke to me that I would like to share with you."Wigglesworth said that expectation comes from the truths of God being fixed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Expectation is not a feeling or emotion that can be pumped up by positive thinking, but a direct result of the coupling of the study of God's Word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit...How do we build expectation in our lives? 'Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17). Thank Him for each revelation. Meditate on it. Apply it specifically to you and your life. Commit yourself to do it and live by it. Don't rush ahead in pursuit of intellectual knowledge, but allow the Holy Spirit to build faith and expectation in you 'precept upon precept, line upon line' (Isaiah 28:13).""As we hunger and thirst for God, we come into deepening levels of relationship with Him. Then He starts to unfold His plan for our lives and the work He has for us to do. The gifts and abilities that believers have do not ultimately qualify them to be men or women of God, but rather their desires toward God do so."There are so many more quotes like that I could share. But I just want to focus on the hungering and thirsting after God for a moment. It's so cool because not too long before I bought this book, spending more one-on-one, quality time with God was a personal prayer of mine. And oh how God has answered that prayer; that continual prayer and desire of my heart. The coolest thing to me is that it wasn't my idea to hunger and thirst after God. He put that desire on my heart, which caused me to seek Him, and then He met the need that He made me aware of. Is it not cool how God works? That He is continually reaching down to us because no man is righteous, no not one? That has me in awe. And all I want to do is respond to Him when I hear Him callin'.

Miss YolandaThere is a collection of readings from Smith Wigglesworth’s, “'Ever Increasing Faith’. The reading my be hard to follow but just about all the topics he speaks of in the book are in the “Articles” section. The book is great and a wonderful exhortation to glorify God and obtain his promises.James

Saw the other topic that was started today Wigglesworth Quote. Interesting... that's about all I have to say at this point concerning the reactions from the featured quote. It is interesting that... as human beings, sometimes we are greatly offended when it is said of us that we are less than perfect. I think it's human nature to find some hope that there's goodness in us. All I know is that humans fail, God doesn't. To be honest about that and allow God to do that work in me to make me blameless, sanctified, holy... that's encouraging to me.Woops... guess I should've posted the above paragraph in the other topic. Actually, I came here to post some more inspiring quotes from "The Wigglesworth Standard". Please note, any inspiration I gather from these books on Wigglesworth's life is only due to the work God did, not focusing on the man himself and following him. I don't want to follow a man... I'm inspired to give my life fully and completely to God to see what He might want to do in my life."A flame of fire* is an inward burning with love and compassion, zeal and fervor, prayer and praise, righteous anger against the devil and all his works, and a holy desire to see the kingdom of God established and growing. On fire but never consumed, burning but never burned out, this inward flame is fueled by relationship with God and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If the fire in our hearts is fueled by Him, how can it burn out? If we are fueled by anything else, it will, though."* Hebrews 1:7

I like Wigglesworth alot. I also like Lester Summrall who spend much time with him in the later part of his life. When Mr. Summrall first went to his house to meet with him he had a newspaper under his arm. Wigglesworth said "If you want to come into my house you can't bring those lies in with you." WOW How many of us are that worried about keeping our houses clean and holy? I've heard stories that he would wake up pray for 30 minutes, read 30 mins, pray 30 mins, untill lunch eat a sandwich and read, pray, and then go out and see many saved. I've heard stories that when he would speak he would spend lots of time in prayer. Lets say he spoke at 7 he would go to prayer at 3 and would not talk to anyone untill after the service. He said that when he came to speak he was going to speak from heaven. Now I don't have sources on all of these stories but it wouldnt surprize me. He was a man of great faith. I've read several of his books. I havent ready any that he has acctully written himself (did he write any?). All of what I have read has been compiled from sermons he preached.

His ministers are to be "flame[s] of fire"!... A flame of fire"! A perpetual fire, a constant fire, a holy inward flame - that is exactly what God's Son was in the world manifesting for us all.- from a message by Smith Wigglesworth"A flame of fire" is an inward burning with love and compassion, zeal and fervor, prayer and praise, righteous anger against the devil and all his works, and a holy desire to see the kingdom of God established and growing. On fire but never consumed, burning but never burned out, this inward flame is fueled by relationship with God and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If the fire in our hearts is fueled by Him, how can it burn out? If we are fueled by anything else, it will, though.- comment by Peter J. MaddenThe Wigglesworth Standard

In honor of the National Day of Prayer"We are a back number if we have to pray for power, if we have to wait until we feel a sense of His presence. The baptism in the Holy Spirit should empower you for any emergency."- from a message by Smith Wigglesworth"Discipline causes us to build the house during the calm, to build our prayer lives in good times, and not just pray for power during crisis periods. Then we don't have to struggle to try to build it during the storms."- comment by Peter J. Madden

Obedience and YieldednessThe place of yieldedness is just where God wants us. People are saying, "I want... I want... I would like to know." ...And I see nothing, absolutely nothing in the way except unyieldedness to the plan of God.- from a message by Smith WigglesworthTransformation comes through constantly obeying and constantly yielding. This is the only way. You can go to church all your life; you can spend all your time learning, studying, praying, and singing; but still you will be captive to your past input unless you make the decision to yield and obey every time God shows you something.Scripture says, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22). If you spend your whole life sacrificing without obeying, sadly, you will never find victory, never find God's plan for you. ...Through obedience we really demonstrate our love.- comment by Peter J. Madden"If you spend your whole life sacrificing without obeying, sadly, you will never find victory, never find God's plan for you.Sadly, this describes a good many years of my Christian walk. I was so focused on what personal sacrifice I had to go through to please the Lord, not realizing that willful, joyful obedience is what He wanted, not my sacrifice. Obeying the Lord is now my delight, not my dissatisfaction. Thank God for His patience, and His loving discipline!