Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

The Spirit of God began to show me my motives, my conceit, myefforts to project my personality — not that I claim by any meansto have arrived — but slowly, God was altering the balance.Little by little, I was losing confidence in my methods, my ways,my vision and what was generally the accepted way of doing“religious” things at that time. God was bringing me to the endof myself into a dependence upon His Holy Spirit. “Not by might,nor by power, but by my spirit,’ saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zech4:6) Those were days of soul-searching, heart-searching conviction,and they changed the whole vision of my life.Marj’s letterAs I recovered from the Lord’s correction, I spent most of thesummer with Jack Jolly near Fleetwood, still feeling like somebodywho had been in a physical accident. During this time, Isaw the girl, Marjorie Coates, once or twice. She would comeover by train on holiday and stop at the Wilson’s, twice bringingme food at the most opportune time imaginable, when I had nofood or money. She brought me sandwiches, pickled onions, andcake. I was starving, but because of my pride, I wasn’t going totell her that. I was beaten, with no food and no money, trying tomake my revelation work. Whether she saw more and knewmore than she said but feared hurting me, I didn’t know. She justpolitely left it.Then Marj wrote me a letter that made me furious. In the letter,she asked me, “Do you think God wants you to do what you aredoing? Abraham and Sarah, at the set time, had Isaac afterAbraham had previously fathered Ishmael, but God never recognizedIshmael. Are you on with some Ishmael project in yourlife? Do you need to see God in your circumstances and moveinto the Isaac revelation?”“Who the dickens does she think she is, preaching to me!” Istormed. I could have choked her, but it was a letter. “The veryidea! I, on with an Ishmael stunt? I, who pioneered. I, who lecturedto Assemblies of God students. I, who have been throughcollege and have been an ordained Wycliffe preacher! And thisgirl talks to me about Ishmael!” I thought I was much better thanshe was. I could have preached 100 sermons to her on the subject.For Marj to accuse me (which she didn’t, but this is how I48