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"Ncither ridicule nor caricarure -
neithcr dread of enemies nor deser–
cion of friends - could shake his
indomirable faith in his abiliry ro lead
rhe nation chrough rhe greacest
srruggle in irs hisrory.
"Napoleon, Bismarck, and all
orher grear achievers had colossal
fairh in rhemselves. Ir doubled,
rrcbled, or even quadrupled rhe ordi–
nary power of rhese men.... Wich–
our rhis sublime faich, chis confidence
in her mission, how could rhe simple
counrry maiden, Jeannc d'Are, have
led and controlled rhe French army?
This divine self-confidence multiplied
her power a rhousandfold, until even
rhe king obeyed her, and she led his
stalwarr rroops as if rhey were chil–
dren."
I
suppose nor one in many rhou–
sands would sec anyrhing bur inspira–
rion and right principie in such
cxpressions as "his indomirable fairh
in his ability ... " or "had colossal
faith in tbemselves," or "This divine
self·confidence." And rhat is only a
sean. The remainder of che chaprer is
filled wirh rhe rewards of self-confi–
dence - confidencc in SELF.
That is nor ro say rhar self-confi–
dence does nor increase resulrs. Thar
is che kind of confidence I was
absorbing in rhose days. Ir did in–
spire. Ir did prod
drive.'
Ir did injecr
perseverance. le did increase results.
Bur larer in life, 1 learned of a far
berrer, more resulrful confidence.
I have menrioned a number of
times rhar in rbe aurumn of 1926 I
was challenged on rhc rheory of evo–
lucion. I was more or lcss familiar
wirh rhe doctrine, bur had never
indulged in an in-deprh research inro
rhe quesrion of origins. This chal-
PLAIN TRUTH August 1972
lcnge drove me ro rhar in-deprh
rcsearch.
So
I
delved rhoroughly inro che
works of Darwin and his sponsors,
Haeckd and Huxlcy, rhe works of
Lyell before thcm, and Chamberlin
and Vogr afrer rhem. This led ro a
srudy of che orher claim for origins.
1
bcgan ro quesrion rhe existence of
God.
l
had been brought up ro
bclieve
in
God. Bur now
I
realized
rhat
I
had grown up assuming God's
exisrence - simply raking ir for
granced - bur
l
had never seen
PROOF.
So
I
enrered inro a scudy of Gen–
csis and rhe whole Bible,
ro
examine
its claims for special creation and che
exisrence of an aJI-powerful Creacor.
Ir became frankly evident rhat che
dominanr motive impelling many
evolutionísts
ro
accept rhe cheory was,
in acrual facr, rheir reluccance - or
refusal -
ro
believe in a God who
bears auchority over rhem. Human
narure resents aurhoriry, chough ir
!oves ro wicld ir.
1
found no proof for che evolu–
tionary cheory, chough
1
found mueh
ro disprove it. And
I
found rhat
which, ro me, was irrefutable scien–
tific proof of che exisrence of rhe
living God. But rhcn
l
began ro ask
myself why had
I
experienced a sort
of sense of shame - or embarrass–
menr - in believing in God) How
many experience thar:> Now, having
found irrefutable PROOF, ir seemed
silly rhat one should feel any embar–
rassmen r in ae know ledgi ng a
GREATER PO\'\IER - a greater MINO -
who designed and broughr imo exis–
rence rhe human mind -
MY
mind!
Should I not, rarher, be grateful?
To my surprise. on looking inren–
sively inro ir, I found che Bible a
/j¡Jing
NOIV
book. Ir is for TODA
Y.
A
rhird of it is prophecy, and 90% of
that percains ro chis 20th cencury and
bcyond.
Racional srudy of che Biblc
revealed a dirccr rclacionship berween
man and God. Man,
it
is biblically
rcvealed, was formcd and shaped in
rhe likeness of Gon - nor of ani-
mals. He was put here on earrh co
have a definire relarionship ro and
wirh his Maker.
[ began tO learn of
a
dynamic,
active NEW kind of confidence, infi–
nircly superior ro SELF-confidence.
le
is someching God GIVES!
Ir is che confidence rhac is FAITII.
The God of che Biblc chercin
PROMISES many rhings and benefits
we humans ought ro be receiving.
Among rhem is guidance. besrowal of
POWER - many rhings rhe living
God will do for us.
1 began
ro
learn rhat rhere is some–
ching very practica! in all chis. 1 began
ro learn chat, if
1
submirred my life ro
God's guidance,
l
was rapping a
source of POWEK millions of times
grearer than any rcsources wirhin.
Oh,
I
was well aware that in most
humans lie dormanr abilicies, powcrs
and resources - latent talents that
oughr ro be aroused, broughr out and
developed.
1
have mcnrioned, in my
aucobiography, che case of a former
colleague and publisher with whom
1
was connecced for severa] years -
Clifford De Puy. His farher died sud–
dcnly, leaving a qualiry magazine in
che banking field,
The Northwestern
Banker.
surprisingly heavily in debe.
Young Clifford, at thac rime about
28,
inexperienced, rook off his coac,
rolled up his sleeves, and began puc–
cing rhose undcveloped latenr abili–
ries ro work. His father's bank backed
him, and in a few years he paid off rhe
indcbredness and became a successful
publisher.
Bur rhere is a GREATER source of
power. There are multiplied
greater
rcsources.
So
WHY
NOT TAP
BOTH?
Why not ignire rhar spark wichin,
drive oneself on ro develop his
oun1
abiliries. and, ar rhe samc time,
replace SELF-confidcnce with a living
FAITH in che direccion, inspiration,
wisdom, and resources of dynamic
supernatural
POIVER
frorn above?
1decidcd, in rhc spring of 1927, ro
do jusc chat! And worldwide enter–
prises affecring che lives of a hundrcd
and fifry million people on all conri-
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