Why a Christian’s Testimony is Often Powerless

Taken from “The Travelers Guide”, 1900

With God there are no conditions for salvation—“whosoever will;” but there are many conditions for power in service. One of these conditions is that we must not only lay aside every “sin”, but every “weight”—be pure, cleansed vessels, or God cannot use us.

To illustrate this, Dr. Pentecost tells a story of an engineer in America who, after being discharged for bad conduct, set out to think how he could do some damage to the Railway Company without endangering the lives of any passengers.

At last, remembering that no locomotive can work for long if the water in the boiler had soap in it, he decided to get up on to one of the water tanks from which the passenger trains got their supply of water, and slip in one or more bars of soap. This would soon dissolve and impregnate the water. Having found his opportunity and done this, his object was fully accomplished. The express train, passing that night, was soon brought to a stand still, for, after filling its boiler with water, it could get up but little steam…but lots of bubbles!

Are you powerless in His service because the adversary has slipped in something that altogether prevents the Master from using you? Find the bar of soap, and keep it out. Only a small thing wrong in our inner life, and He cannot use it.