Passing It On

When Moses was sent by God back to Egypt, forty years after he had fled that country, he began his journey back with his Midianite wife, Zipporah, and his young son Gershom. On the way, they spent the night at an inn, and during the night, the Lord let Moses know that He was very angry that Moses had not circumcised Gershom. In fact, God was so angry that He was at the point of killing either Moses or the boy (the Bible is not specific about which one). Realizing that God was furious at the boys’ uncircumcision, Moses directed Zipporah to circumcise her son, and she did, but with great displeasure. When the operation was over, she took the boy’s circumcised flesh and angrily threw it at Moses’ feet, screaming at him with a cruel accusation.

This scene should never have taken place, and God knew it. He had done all that was necessary to make for peace and joy between Moses and his wife, but here they were, in bitterness and strife, at least on Zipporah’s part. But why? What led to this heartbreaking scene between Moses, his wife, and God, at an inn on the road to Egypt?

Circumcision: The Sign of the Old Covenant

God’s precious covenant with Abraham is often called the covenant of circumcision because circumcision of the male descendants of Abraham was the sign of that covenant. God told Abraham on the day that He made this covenant with him, "This is the covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger which is not of your seed. He that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money must needs be circumcised. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut of from his people; he has broken my covenant" (Gen. 17:10-14).

Immediately after this life-changing, holy visit from the Almighty, Abraham circumcised his son Ishmael, all his male slaves, and even himself, at the age of 99! A year later, when Isaac was born, Abraham had him circumcised on the eighth day, just as God had commanded. Later, when Sarah had died, Abraham married a woman named Keturah, who bore to him six more sons, whom Abraham also circumcised on the eighth day.

One of those six sons born in Abraham’s last years was named Midian, and when Midian and his five brothers came of age, Abraham sent them to the east, away from Isaac, with riches enough to begin building for themselves homes and new lives. It was from these descendants of Abraham that Zipporah the Midianite came, but she apparently knew nothing of circumcision. Obviously, Midian, or his immediate descendants, failed to pass on to their offspring the truth about circumcision. Somebody in the genealogical line between Abraham’s son Midian and Moses’ wife Zipporah did not consider circumcision to be important enough to command his children to continue in it. And in time, the sign of Abraham’s covenant with God became a strange thing to the family. So strange, in fact, that it enraged Zipporah that Moses would demand such a thing, even though Moses, knowing he had displeased God by not circumcising his son, was moved with great fear of God to do it.

If Moses did not understand the importance of circumcision before that night in the inn, he understood it well from that time on. If, before that day, he was slack concerning the commandments of God, he never was again. He learned during his forty years in the camp of Midian to lightly esteem God’s covenant, and the sign of it – circumcision – but at the inn on the way to Egypt, he learned to tremble at the thought of not passing that truth on to the next generation.

When God chose Abraham,. He said He did it because "I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him" (Gen. 18:19). In other words, Abraham was not like Midian and his sons after him; he upheld the standard God gave to him and was not slack in commanding his children to do the same.

Tongues: The Sign of the New Covenant

I have seen first-hand the results of parents in one generation failing to pass on to their offspring the truth God had given to them. I have brothers and sisters who were taught the same truth I was taught by our father, but whose children and grandchildren now are complete strangers to the light of God because their parents behaved like Midian instead of Abraham. For whatever reason (God is Judge, not I) they failed to command their children to walk according to the law of God revealed to them. If I were to speak the truth to those offspring, it would seem as foreign to them now as circumcision was to Zipporah, and it might make them equally as angry and sarcastic toward me. That has been my experience, and that is why I understand this story of Moses and Zipporah as well as I do. I have lived it.

Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul pointed us to speaking in tongues or "stammering lips" as the sign of the new covenant, just as circumcision was the sign of the old. The baptism of the holy Ghost is the new birth as certainly as Jesus is coming back for his faithful saints. But most of Abraham’s descendants have not passed that truth on to their children. Ishmael, and Midian and his five brothers, all failed to keep alive the flame of God’s light in the world by making a stand for it. Only Isaac, of all Abraham’s sons, had sufficient understanding of the supreme importance of standing for truth in this sinful world and of upholding the standard of God’s truth in his house. But God knew he would, and Jacob after him. That is why He chose Abraham in the first place. He had found a line of men who would cling to the truth as if it was their very life. And after Moses was chastened by God’s wrath on his way to Egypt, he felt the way those two patriarchs did. And when God gave him the Law fo Israel, he commanded Israel to love it with all their hearts for, he said, "It is your life!" (Dt. 32:47).

The truth you have from God does not have to survive your death among those who knew you; it can die, and it will die, with you if you never pass it on. My hope is that what God has given me, above everything else, is what I am remembered for when I am gone. And I know that if I do what is right in God’s sight, that will be the case.

Claiming or Revealing?

I was praying a few days ago and was asking God to give me faith to believe every single thing that in the Bible He claims to be. He did. But He did it in a very unusual way. He gently reproved me for my prayer. I will try to put into words what I knew in my spirit as soon as I made that petition to God.

When I asked, ‘Lord, help me believe in my heart everything you claim about yourself", this is what I heard in my heart: "God has never claimed anything. Men do that because men can lie. Nothing God says about Himself in the Bible is a claim. It is a revelation."

Then I understood. When God said, "I am holy", He was not claiming to be holy; He was revealing to us the fact that he is holy. When he said, ‘I am the Lord who heals you", He was not claiming that He heals people; He was revealing to us that He is a healer.

Men claim many things, but God has never claimed anything. Solomon and Peter both referred to men who "boast themselves of a false gift." But if God says He is anything, or that He will do something, it is a precious revelation, and He wants us to trust Him so that we can benefit by the revelation of His power and goodness.

The next time you hear a man claim something about himself, ask this question: Is he just claiming that for himself, or is he, like God, revealing to others what God has given to him? Either one of those two options is possible, so don’t be cynical. Just be wise. If his words are more than just an empty claim, or boast, you will find it out soon enough. But if he is doing the way God does by declaring for your benefit a good work of God in his life, that will be made obvious, too. God will make sure of that.

In An Acceptable Time

"You have given me the necks of my enemies that I might destroy them.
They cried, but there was none to save them, even to the Lord,
but He answered them not."
Psalms 18:40-41

In spite of what one might have heard to the contrary, God is not always willing to hear people’s cries and to forgive. There are some evils that men and women commit that are so ungodly, that so provoke the wrath of God, He will not forgive.


Of the many biblical examples, the arrogance of the people in Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day provide us with a most fearful example of provoking God too much. When God sent prophets to plead with the people to repent and escape the coming disaster, they mocked those humble servants of God, and, instead of repenting, sent out invitations for an end-of-the-world party. "Let us eat and drink," they said to each other, "for tomorrow we shall die!" To this, God furiously replied, "Surely, this iniquity shall not be purged from you until you die!" Every one of those witty, unbelieving people are suffering in hell today.


Then there was Esau, who lightly esteemed the holy, singular inheritance from his great-grandfather Abraham and traded it for a bowl of soup one day when he was hungry. We are told that later, when Esau "wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it diligently, with tears." It was too late to repent, too late to realize the value of the blessing of God that had been freely bestowed on him at birth. God would not forgive and restore to him that eternal "pearl of great price" which he had foolishly traded for a temporary earthly benefit.


God’s wrath may also be provoked by a long-standing refusal to heed His voice and repent. It is unwise to wait too long to obey the voice of God. In Proverbs, Solomon said, "He who, being often reproved, hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that, without remedy."


This is the truth that serves as the foundation for Isaiah’s earnest cry to Israel: "Seek the Lord while He may be found! Call upon Him while He is near!" This verse is meaningless if God can always be found, or if He is always near. If there will never be a time when God will not respond to man’s cries for help, then what was Isaiah’s point in that verse? Isaiah was telling his fellow Israelites that there was coming a day when God would not be found by them, no matter how much they wept and begged for Him to help them.


There is a time, appointed by the Father, when we are to call on Him, and there is also a time when it is too late to call on Him, when calling on God is useless because He will not hear us. Did you notice that in the verse quoted at the beginning, those who had become enemies of Jesus called on God for help when trouble came, but they received none? "They cried, but there was none to save them, even to the Lord, but He answered them not."


May God give us wisdom to ask in a time when the answer is being offered, to seek while He may be found, and to knock before the door to God’s mercy is forever closed. If God calls, please do not hesitate to answer. To have Him speak to you is a very great blessing, and a very great opportunity for life and peace which you do not want to miss.

The Hatred Is Still There

"Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who by your right hand saves
those who put their trust in you from those who rise up against them."
Psalm 17:7

God is keeping us so safe and full in this culture that we often forget what a terrible, vicious warfare is being waged against our spirits every moment. National and international news organizations spend untold millions and risk the lives of their reporters to bring to the nations pictures and stories of earth’s military conflicts, but the real battle, the battle for souls, is ignored by them altogether.

Multiplied thousands of wonderful brothers and sisters from centuries past were cruelly butchered because they loved what we love, and yet, what an easy life we have! They saw the truth that we now see, and they loved it more than they loved their own lives. They were good, humble men and women, and boys and girls, but they were abused, plundered, tortured, and executed because they knew what God has shown us and were faithful. But God is keeping us, at this time in history, from that kind of persecution.

Why is it different for us? I don’t know that I can answer that question fully. We know that God has not changed. And the Devil has not changed. The world has become prouder and more sophisticated, but at heart, it has not changed either. Perhaps things are different for us now because Christianity does not hold political power in its grasp as it has in centuries past. Christians played the major role in the cruel abuse of many thousands if not millions of God’s humble saints in the past millennium and a half, and that fierce hatred of God’s truth can still be felt wherever the spirit of Christianity is present. But God is keeping us from suffering what that spirit would like to do to us who know and love the truth.

Daniel prophesied that a very cunning enemy of righteousness would come who would destroy many of God’s people with peace. And I remember that in Jesus’ parable of the four kinds of soil, some believers who had overcame hot persecution by men were later themselves overcome by "the deceitfulness of riches, the cares of this life, and the desire for other things". In other words, pleasant things proved more effective in destroying some souls than difficult times did. In consideration of this, maybe our trial of living in this land of peace and plenty is a hotter trial of faith than that endured by previous generations who were abused and slain for the sake of Christ Jesus. Maybe the ease of life and the constant abundance of all things in our culture makes humility before God more difficult for believers than when they are persecuted.

Pray not to be deceived. If you love Jesus, this world still hates you, even at this seemingly easy time. God is saving you from the world’s vicious hatred because it is still there. God is keeping many from doing to us what they would truly love to do. The same hatred is there, though in a subdued form, that was there in years past, when godly men and women were being burned alive for nothing more than loving the truth of God more than life.

The Thing That Convinced the Jews

"For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God."
Acts 10:46

Dear Bro. John,

Not so long ago, I was getting ready for work, and, as I was crossing the kitchen floor, I started hearing this preaching, not with my ears but in my heart. These are some of the things that I was hearing – and understanding, thank God!

The Jews would have considered it heresy for the Gentiles to claim to belong to Jehovah. None of the Gentiles were God’s chosen people, and everyone among the Jews knew it. Jesus himself said that they were dogs and said that they were not fit to be fed the children’s bread (Mt. 15). No Gentile’s claim to be accepted of the Lord would have carried any weight.

When God did turn to the Gentiles, it was going to take something straight out of Heaven to convince the Jews, God’s own people, that such a thing had happened, that the "impossible" had happened!

So, God filled the Jews up with His New Covenant first, the power and glory of the holy Ghost. He gave it to them first so that they would know it when they saw it on someone else. They had something from God and they knew it. Then, God opened the door to the Gentiles and filled them – the ones Jesus called dogs – with His holy Spirit. It was impossible, by every standard they had available to them, and yet it had happened. They knew that it had happened because they (the Gentiles) were now doing what the Jews did when they received it. Here is Acts 10:44-46: "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God."

They (the Jews) were astonished. But what was it that astonished them? What were they witnessing that had that effect on them? God had grafted in the Gentiles by pouring out on them the gift of the holy Ghost, and the Jews knew it because they heard them speaking in tongues, just as the Jews had done in the beginning. Peter and the Jews with him knew what was God and what was not. God had made sure of it. So, to borrow a phrase from Peter, "Who were they to resist God?"

God had sent irrefutable proof (speaking in tongues) to the Jews that the Gentiles were now God’s people, along with the Jews, and that they really had been given the real Spirit of God. Had the Gentiles merely have claimed to be washed from their sins, the Jews would never have believed it, and rightly so.

The Jews were sometimes proud of the fact that they were a special people to the Lord and were set apart by Him for Himself (e.g. Luke 4:24-29). But by God’s adopting the Gentiles into His family (if they repented and believed the gospel), the Jews had lost their status! It may not have been seen as a good thing by many Jewish believers, yet it had happened, and speaking in tongues proved it! The Jews who followed Jesus while he was on earth had been trained to know better than to believe the testimony of men. At the same time, they had also been trained never to deny the testimony of God! At Cornelius’ house, God had changed things, and then He sent His witness from Heaven to let the Jews know that He had really done it.

Paul said that speaking in tongues was a sign for unbelievers. Who could have qualified to be more of an unbeliever than a Jew that day? They would never have believed that God would baptize a Gentile into His kingdom. That was contrary to everything they had ever seen or heard, even from the Lord Jesus, who commanded his disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Mt. 10). It is easy to see why they were utterly astonished at hearing God’s testimony, the witness of the holy Ghost, coming through the mouths of the uncircumcised. But they knew God’s witness was true. They had received it themselves.

When did the witness ever stop? No man, especially a Gentile, could have convinced a wise believer back then that he belonged to Jesus without God’s sign – and he can’t today either. Would a man’s claim of being born again or "getting saved" have stood the test for a believing Jew back then? Would the Jews have been "astonished" if the uncircumcised in Cornelius’ house had listened to Peter and then said, "I accept the Lord as my personal Lord and Savior", or "I just got saved"? Of course not! Peter would have rebuked them for their foolishness. It has never been acceptable in God’s kingdom for men to declare themselves to be right with God! Man’s claims of holiness have never meant anything in heaven, whether under the Old or New Testament. Only the foolish are impressed by what men claim.

God did the wonderful work of cleansing Gentiles that day at Cornelius’ house, and He added His witness, speaking in tongues, to show His servants that He had really done it. No man at the scene could in good conscience deny that God had indeed washed away the sins of the Gentiles and taken them in. Thankfully, God is still showing the same great mercy to all who repent and believe, and He is still giving the same sign that He has indeed done it.

Jerry Durham

Think On Things That Are Above

Hey there!

I have been listening to a cd on Colossians when you taught it after you had translated it. I pulled out my printed copy of Colossians and followed along with the cd. And I got to this part (3:1-4), and I just liked it and didn't want to keep it to myself.

Let me preface this by pointing out that Paul had already explained in Col. 2:12 that it is by baptism (of the holy Ghost) baptism that were are raised up with Christ. Colossians 2:12-13: "by baptism buried with him, by the which baptism you are also raised with him through faith in the operation of God who raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with him, forgiving all our transgressions."

Here it is (Col. 3:1-4):

(1) If, therefore, you were raised up with Christ, seek things that are above, where Christ is sitting at God's right hand,
(2) and think on things that are above, not on things on the earth,

That's not demons. They are not above. They have been cast down from Heaven to earth. So, they are no longer things that are above but of things of the earth. Paul said not to think on things of the earth but to seek things that are above and to think on things that are above. So, really, it is a waste of time to try to figure out or think about demons or spirits, or whatever things that cloud your mind or do not meet the criteria for "things that are above". Which brings me to my favorite Scripture in Philippians (chapter 4 verse 8):

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
For (back to Colossians). . . .

(3) You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God;
(4) and when Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then you will also appear with him in glory.

Amy 8-)
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Hi Amy:
People who spend their time thinking about demons are like them. Demons ceased thinking about "things that are above" while they still were in heaven with God. Jesus told Satan that "you savor the things that be of men and not the things of God" (Mt. 16). So, God threw Satan and the angels who followed him (demons) out of heaven and down to the place where they belonged. And he will throw out everyone else who savor the things of earth rather tha of heaven, whose minds are continually occupied with carnal things.

It's a warning. Where are our minds? What occupies our thoughts? Paul said that "to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." May God give us peace.

I suspect that those who are pre-occupied with issues about evil spirits have been given guidance from God some time in the past, guidance that they prefer not to folllow and so, they are trying to disguise their rebellion by an appearance of spiritual depth. Whenever anyone gets over-religious, or zealous about things that really don't matter, that is usually the problem.

Pastor John

Rebekah's Memories

I’ve been thinking over some good memories that I have of learning things about God during the time that I was seeking the holy Ghost. One very special thing, that I will never forget, was something from Ashley. Ashley and I weren’t even that close at all at the time that this happened, during Thanksgiving 2001. This was the Thanksgiving that so many young people received the holy Ghost on that Friday night, including Chris Penman, Joey, Tyler, Josiah, Leah (who still lived in WA and had only been to NC once before), and Margo (whom had never been to NC before then!). And I didn’t get it. Me, who was 19 years old, been in the meetings my whole life, and was even John Clark’s daughter. I don’t think that it would be possible for me to express how I felt that Thanksgiving, but it was really awful. I felt that God really did not want me. I felt that I would never receive His Spirit. I felt like He must not love me -- that there was something really wrong with me. I knew that wasn’t true; but at the same time, I was scared that it was. Looking back, I can see now that there was noooo way I was ready for it at that time; I still had a lot to work on and learn and repent of and change. I didn’t see it that way at the time, but fortunately, that was irrelevant to God. :) I understand now that, although I really was scared and miserable, the real truth was that I was pouting with God -- mad that He didn’t do what I wanted when I thought that it should happen. Ha! Doesn’t work that way, Bekah. :) And God is no respecter of persons, either!! But, at the time, all I could see was that everybody seemed to be able to reach the Lord but me. I remember at one point that night while everyone was praying, Daddy sang, "Do Not Pass Me By". I felt like that is exactly what He did. And it broke my heart.

That, I think, was the closest that I ever came to "quitting". I just about decided that I wasn’t worth it, and I couldn’t keep going through this. I spent that whole next day completely miserable, and was so humiliated (how silly was that!) that I just kept to myself until most of the out-of-town company from around the world had gone home. It was one of the worst days of my life; and could possibly qualify as the worst. When I finally came out, I remember finding this folded up paper plate sitting on the table that said, "To: Rebekah, From: Ashley; Please let her read it first -- request of the author! :)" I thought, "What in the world??" I mean, I didn’t even really know Ashley much, except that she came to my house every summer that she got a chance over the years. When I opened it up and read it, though, it was like every single word was a tiny drop of encouragement right into my heart. It said:

"Hey Bekah! Sorry about the paper plate, but I had no other form of paper. I just wanted to tell you that I love you very much AND about something that happened Friday night. When you were on the floor praying, I got down with you -- whether or not you know, I was there a lot of the time. Well anyway, when I was praying with you, something kept saying in my mind over and over and over... "Jesus knows your heart... Jesus knows your heart" and one time when I was praying with you and Jamie, "Jesus loves you." I wanted to tell you, but I kept praying. I didn’t know if it was time, so I decided that I’d write you and tell ya!! He knows your heart, Bekah! He knows your heart and what you want! Keep seeking, I know He’ll give you your heart’s desires!!! Trust Him! I love you and don’t forget that! :) Love, Ashley"

I had stayed away from people that day so that nobody would know how I was feeling, and I know that Ashley could not have known what I was going through. After all, most people who are seeking the holy Ghost are sensible enough to realize that it’s a happy and wonderful thing to be seeking God, even if they do get a little discouraged along the way! And I realized after the fact, that nobody thought the things about me that I did. Everybody else knew what was coming if I kept on seeking! And when you’re on that side of it, watching, you can’t help but be excited for anybody who is on their way to what the old saints used to call "the blessing." :) I have no idea, looking back, why I was always so depressed about it! Well, I guess I kind-of do; I just didn’t have any faith in what God could do for me. Anyway, that is a moment that I will never forget, reading that little note. It did something down inside of me – I could feel the realness in what she was saying, and I had hope again that Jesus did actually feel that way. I just cried, feeling those little tender feelings creeping in, even though they were tiny, of the love of God. On top of that, it really touched me that Ashley would feel that way about me. As far as I could remember, I had never done anything to deserve that from her. But, I could tell that she meant it! And another thing, when I was a little girl, right after Grandaddy died, I found a little tin plaque in his house while they were cleaning it out that had Psalm 37:4 on it, "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." I remember taking that plaque with me and making up a tune to it and singing it the whole rest of the day, and ever since that day, it has been my favorite verse. Ashley didn’t know that either; but Jesus did, and he let me know that he would "give you your heart’s desires."

**************************

I actually learned a whole lot from the KY kids, er, young people, while I was seeking the holy Ghost. The summer before I received the holy Ghost, summer 2002, everything was still falling apart & coming together at the same time out there in Louisville, and Daddy was spending almost every other week there. I went with him most of those trips, and it was out there that I really learned about the kind of life I needed and wanted. I looked up to Ashley more than anything – to me, she was a rock in the Lord. I wondered if she ever did anything wrong! And, of course, Maleah was always like that to me, too – I found an old letter that I had written to Maleah back around 1996 and had never sent, and we read it together not too long ago and laughed because I had written, "Can I ask you a question I’ve always wanted to ask you? Do you EVER have any problems? I guess not." Ha! But, that’s really what it seemed like to me! She was so happy and doing good all the time! I thought that I’d never be able to be like that. I just didn’t realize what the Spirit gives you. :) And Jason; that was the summer that I got to know him, and a good thing, too, because he was my brother-in-law six months later! And all the other young people, too. They were just so... solid. And I wanted that! I wanted to be normal and rooted and not up & down and swayed by this or that. I wanted what they had; I wanted God. It was during that summer in KY that the Lord told me what it was that I wanted to be. The way that it came to me was four "s" words that summed it all up: Simple. Stable. Strong. Satisfied.

Before, I had thought that simplicity = boring. Not in the Lord! Life gets exciting when you keep it simple! Why? Because being simple, spiritually, is what the flesh does not want – it’s a battle to keep it simple! Many people lose out with God or are swept away by other doctrines of man because the way of God is just too simple for them to keep. And stable! Oh my. That was what the Louisville crowd was not at that time, and I learned the great value of being stable in the Lord by watching what happens when you’re not. Up & down all the time is dangerous; that is being on the fence. And you can’t stay on the fence but so long before Jesus will knock you off one way or the other! And strong. That didn’t mean strong willed or strong self-control or strong in being able to resist sin or anything like that. It meant strong in the Lord. It meant being built on higher ground and not on the sand, so that when troubles do come, you stay rooted and unmoved. When I think of strength in the Lord, for some reason I think of the Embrys. That summer, I really watched Junior Embry a lot, and Jason, and they never seemed shaken by things. That is a very, very good thing to strive after. And satisfied. :) So many people, it seems, aren’t satisfied with where they are in God or with what they have from God. If you aren’t satisfied with your function in the body of Christ, it is more than likely because you envy someone else’s place, and that is dangerous because that can result in slander. And if you aren’t satisfied with what God has done for you, then you aren’t thankful for it, and you will surely lose it. Just be happy with what God has made you! Yay! :) Be like a little child; they are just content to be whoever they are. And if you aren’t satisfied with your connection with God or how full of the Spirit you are, then seek after Him until you get satisfied!

If a person is those four things in the Lord, they are going to be doing just fine. If you look at the ones around you who are really happy and free, you’ll see those qualities. And I guess you could add another "s" word: Sweet. :) That’s a good thing to be, too!
Just some good, good memories I’ve been thinking on lately. I think it’s always good to think about your testimony and all the things that God has done for you. It’s healthy; and it’s encouraging, too!

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Wow, Bekah, this is very good – very, very good. That is a testimony that is worth telling – or writing about. I am glad that you hung in there. It always pays to trust God and do good, no matter what we feel at the time.

Love,
Daddy
=======================

That’s really sweet, Bekah. And now, you are the four S’s...plus the other one! :o)

I love you!
Maleah

The Politics of Harry Potter

Hey, this isn't much, but I thought it was neat. Today, I was looking at Wikipedia. They have "Did you know..." section.

One of the titles was, "Did you know that several universities now offer courses on the politics of Harry Potter?" Of course, I wondered what in the world a course on "the politics of Harry Potter" could possibly be. Under the link to this article, I read, "There have been many published theories that read politics and meaning into J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Often the theories conflict with each other, such as some writers who see Harry Potter promoting devil worship and others who interpret it as promoting Christianity." And I thought, "Well, they are arguing the same thing." :-)

I think that is incredible... that we know these two things to be the same: devil worship and Christianity.

Elijah
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It is incredible, Elijah. And only God can help us keep believing that truth in the facer of such opposition.

Stay humble, and there is no telling what else the Lord will teach us, or what good he will use us to do. And in the meantime, please remember that although participation in the religion of Christianity does glorify Satan, and even though God has precious children in there unwittingly doing that, He still loves them dearly. Always do good for them when you can, and never puff yourself up against them because of the truth you know.

Dad

Passing Time

Pastor John,

I wanted to tell you that I'm so glad that you said Saturday night, "We are just passing time on this Earth." Everything we do is just passing time and you were talking about the attitude of a servant.

Sunday I usually get sad b/c the work week is about to start again and the weekend is over. But, this time I thought, "I'm just passing time by going to work." Just look for opportunities as you pass time there!

I woke up at 4:30 am this morning and instead of thinking, "aww, it's so early, I want to go back to bed" like I do every morning, I thought, "Welp, I'm up early and passing time; it's all good." I thought about it all day at work. After work, I usually rush out to get home. Today, I walked and passed time enjoying my walk to my car and my drive home. I love thinking like this. Things don't seem as important - I mean being anxious about getting things done or stuff like that. I want to slow down and enjoy each passing moment, no matter what I'm doing. It feels like a big adventure, you never know what the master will have you do next. Meanwhile, just enjoy living life and wait on the master.

Love,
Maleah
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Beautiful, Maleah! Sounds like thoughts coming from a slave.

Solomon said, "He who hastens with his feet is sinning." There is no one who can be in a constant hurry and keep from sin. Righteousness includes faith and wisdom, and faith and wisdom teach us that we have nothing to do here on earth but pass our short time doing the will of God, until the Master comes and takes us home.

To paraphrase an old saying, "If you live in a hurry, you will die. And if you don’t live in a hurry, you will die. So, why hurry?" Hurry is not faith, and it is not wisdom.

Pastor John

Now and Then

Sometimes when the Lord gives us a song, it teaches us. An example of this is the song "Now and Then" that the Lord gave me a few months ago. Here are the words:

- 1 -
Now I’m sharing Father’s throne and resting in His glory;
then I suffered all alone and bore your sin and shame.
Now the angels sing my song and millions tell my story;
then, I didn’t have a friend, and no one called my name.

Now, I sing a song of joy alone unto my Father;
then the song the drunkards sang disgraced me everywhere.
Now, whenever you feel down, I take it to my Father;
then, when tears fell from my eyes, no one even cared.

– Chorus No. 1 –
Now, I have a place of rest . . . from all the earth, from all its strife.
Then, I had no comforter . . . no help or home where I could hide.
Now, God’s mighty angels bow and tremble at my power;
then, men beat me to the ground and nailed me to a tree.

- 2 -
Now I’m sharing Father’s throne and resting in His glory;
but He has promised me that I can bring you here someday.
Now, I’m waiting for the time appointed by my Father;
then I’ll rise up from my throne and come take you away.

Now, I sing a song of joy alone unto my Father;
but then, we’ll lift our voice and sing together all His praise.
Now, whenever you feel down, I take it to my Father;
then, He’ll hold you in His arms and brush your tears away.

– Chorus No 2 –
Now, you have no place of rest . . . from all the earth, from all its strife.
Then, you’ll have a hiding place, with me at home right by my side.
Now, I sit and dream of then, when we can sing together;
then, upon the crystal sea, we’ll give our Father praise.

Pay close attention to the second verse (in bold). It is a thought I had never had until Jesus gave me this song. It tells us that, even though he is gloried now and sitting at the Father’s right hand, Jesus is not perfectly content because we are not yet home with him. We are not the only ones looking forward to the future; Jesus is, too. He died so that we might be with him where he is, ans we are not there yet. How can he feel perfect contentment until the reason he suffered and died is fulfilled?

This lets us know that it is acceptable with God for us not to be perfectly content, either. We have peace with God; nevertheless, we all want something else: salvation. And Jesus will bring that with him when he returns for his faithful saints. We all – even those who have fallen asleep in Christ – feel incomplete while we are here in this world. We all who belong to Christ are misfits on earth, "strangers and pilgrims", and only the coming of the Lord will remedy that, for he will take us to the place we belong.

I always pictured Jesus as having reached the goal and, so, being absolutely and perfectly at rest, but the love for us that led him to the cross forbids that. He cannot be perfectly content until we are safely home, with him and the Father.

By God's Word

"Concerning the works of men, by the word of your lips
have I kept myself from the paths of the destroyer."
Psalm 17:4

Satan is the "destroyer" that David mentions in the verse above, and Satan’s principal mode of destroying the good among the saints is by using the first thing mentioned by David in that verse: "the works of men". Jesus said that Satan "savors" the things of men (Mt. 16:23). But why? First, because he envies the precious opportunity men have to obtain eternal life and fellowship with God. He wants what God is offering men. Second, Satan "savors the things of men" because by craftily using "the things of men", he can lure God’s children into his sphere of influence.

The devil has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9). That means that all men are under his delusive spell, and so, the things that are of men are under his control. That is what makes him "the god of this world." His influence is so pervasive, his craftiness is so subtle, that no one can escape his control. Everything on earth, every institution, every custom, every law, is working with the fleshly nature of every person to bring each soul under the dominion of Satan. But there is hope because there is truth, and David rejoiced in it.

The religions of man are "the things of man" that Satan loves the most, and the closer to the truth that a religion comes – without being true – the better he can use it. This is why Christianity is, to date, his most effective weapon in dividing and confusing God’s children. It speaks of the true Lord, and that is very good, but it does not speak truly of him, and that is very bad.

"By the word of your lips" is a phrase that points us to our hope. David discovered that what God says is the means of escape the confusion that is in "the things that are of man". By the word of God, David discovered the precious pathway of righteousness and rejoiced as he walked on it. By the word of God, David learned what was good and what was evil, and with the strength which that Understanding brought to him, he overcame the heavy pressures of this world to go the wrong way. When joy is in the heart, David discovered, the world’s call to sin seems nasty, no matter how prettily Satan paints it, and no matter what holy-sounding titles he gives it.

There is nothing of "the things that are of men" that is like the voice of God. Nothing of man’s medical knowledge can heal as God’s word can; nothing of man’s educational systems can enlighten as God’s word can; nothing of man’s art can comfort as God’s word can; nothing of man’s religions can guide into righteousness as God’s word can. When David learned this, he wrote, "Truly, every man at his best state is altogether vanity." And to that, we can add, "Truly, at His worst state, God is altogether and eternally good."

The Ten Virgins Parable

John,

Tonight when I listened to you telling about the wise and foolish virgins (Mt. 25), God cleared something up for me! I love these new thoughts! I was thinking how those wise and foolish all looked the same; they were not wearing different colored robes to show which was which; they weren't labeled "Wise" and "Foolish"; and they didn't call each other those names. They were all waiting for the same thing (the coming of the groom).

There was a question in my heart as to why the groom wouldn't open the door when the foolish virgins came back from buying oil. I didn't even know the question was there until he gave the answer tonight. The whole plan was designed to expose the hearts of those virgins. God designed it! And he designed it that way because He will not receive the foolish virgins into His kingdom. Praise God! He is not a beggar, and He is perfectly in charge of His house. Wow! That is big! I just love it! He does not want the foolish. Wow.

Donna
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Sister Donna:
The foolish virgins dishonored the Bridegroom by not being prepared to greet him when he finally arrived. The fact that he "tarried" and did not come when expected is irrelevant. That was his prerogative. Those who truly loved him prepared for the possibility that he might be late; they made no claims on his time. That is genuine humility.

jdc, sr

This Is The Day

Dear Pastor John
The last day Shiela was in the hospital Bro.Tom was there. He told Shiela God had given her a gift. God had taken to death's door, yet extended her life so that she could have a greater appreciation for each day.
I keep thinking about that. These are my goals:

(1) To love God and keep His commandments to the best of my ability and with my whole heart.
(2) To love, care for, and do good to the hearts around me.

I know this is the only real way for me or anyone else to be happy. I woke up this morning with a song: "This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"
I think that is a commandment!

Love,
Sue
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Hi Sister Sue!
Jesus said that all the commandment of God hinge on but two things: loving God supremely and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Sounds as if you got the point. That's good.

Pastor John

Falling Away

Pastor John,

This morning I stayed home sick form work and had a chance to listen to some of your teaching series on Galatians. While I was listening, you started talking about Titus and Timothy and what special young men they had been to Paul. When you got a little further into it, you started talking about those people who fall away from Christ and how we are to look at it. It really blessed me and I though I would pass it along. The excerpt is below.

Jason

Galatians Series Notes

Things were falling apart as Paul got older.

Titus left Paul. Paul was about to appear before Caesar. Titus couldn’t take the pressure.

Now I have this question for you: Was Paul fooled? Was Timothy a fake the whole way through? The answer is No. What God did for Timothy, and where Timothy stood with God, was as real as what Paul had from God.

Don’t ever beat yourself up and think you’ve been less than wise because somebody else is unfaithful to Jesus. Don't condemn yourself for loving people, and giving to people, and spending time and effort on people who later backslide, as if you have been foolish to do so. Paul loved Titus. He called him his own son; he took him to Jerusalem to show him off as THE example of Paul gospel for the Gentiles. And Paul was right to do every bit of that. It wasn’t Paul who failed to encourage. It wasn’t Paul who failed to discern where Titus really stood the whole time. Don’t condemn yourself when someone else errs, as if you have failed. Do not do that to yourself. And don’t do that to anybody else, either. There is such a thing as somebody good going bad, of somebody blessed who doesn’t appreciate their blessing, of having fellowship in the light with people who later wander into darkness or is overcome by a fault.

It happened to Paul, and it has happened to us. It’s nothing unusual. It has always happened and it will continue to happen until God thoroughly purges the body of Christ near the end of this age in preparation for the return of His Son for a bride "without spot or blemish or any such thing." There is such a thing of a child of God that you may love dearly getting weak in the faith and stumbling. It doesn’t mean you’ve been lacking in discernment.

On the other hand, I know you can discern weaknesses or faults in others. Every person who comes to the Lord brings some baggage of the past with them, and pride will lead you say (if somebody does fall away), “I knew it would happen all along”, as if you foresaw everything. Don't fall for that. That is just your flesh puffing you up. You didn’t discern anything anymore than anybody else did. They just never submitted to God's chastening hand to be made perfect. Then again, if you did discern more, maybe you should have been praying for that person more than others were praying. Did you?

According to one of Jesus' parables, only half of God's children will be saved in the end. Paul even mentioned a "great falling away" from the truth among God's children. It is a sad reality of spiritual life. The world attracts some of God's children and leads them away from Jesus. Others become stubborn when God chastens them (as He does all His children), and they harden their hearts against Him -- and us. Solomon said, "He who, being often reproved, hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Things like that do happen. It’s been happening from the beginning. Jesus lost many people along the way while he was here who had some real conviction, at one time, for righteousness. Disciples leaving him and forsaking him is a reality that is plainly recorded in the Gospels. Look at John 6:53-65:

"Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me, and I am living by the Father, so also that man who eats me shall live by me. This is the bread that came down out of heaven – not as your fathers ate manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever.

"These things he said while teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum."

"When many of his disciples heard this, they said, 'This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" And Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, 'Do you take offense at this? What if you should see the Son of man ascending up to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is completely useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life, but there are some of you who do not believe.' (For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him.)

"And then he said, 'This is why I said to you that no one is able to come to me unless it be given to him from the Father.'"

Now read the next verse in John -- 6:66 (an appropriate number for this, don't you think?)

"At this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him."

Was the indignation of these disciples at Jesus' words a reflection of their spiritual condition or Jesus'? Should Jesus have felt depressed, as if he had failed? No. He was unmoved; he know he was doing the will of God. No doubt, those bitter disciples grumbled as they went away, "He's a fake!" or "He's a false prophet!", etc. Then, they would have gone away and slandered him to anyone who was foolish enough to listen. They would have encouraged Jesus to blame himself for their unfaithfulness to the light God had brought them. But Jesus was having nothing of it. Their unfaithfulness, and their unwillingness to be corrected by God was not his fault.

Remember this lesson, the next time one of your dearly loved brothers or sisters in Christ walks away, speaking evil of you and the way that they themselves once said was good and right. Jesus told us that it must be that some of God's little ones stumble and fall away (Mt. 18:7); just be sure that it was not for following your example that they fell.

Better To Die Than To Be Born

John,

Playing soccer when I was younger started getting frustrating from the standpoint that you could put your whole heart into a game, preparing for it, etc. and you still might end up losing because of a funny bounce, someone would lose the ball in the lights, something seemingly fluke (or, someone could just "outdo" you because they were more capable in the flesh - which seemed equally senseless to me). The "return" did not seem to justify the "investment" at times (I don't know how else to put it). At the end of it, it was just striving in the flesh, and you know how that can go, disappointment, frustration and all the rest.

In God, if you sow 100%, you return much more. There are no funny bounces and flukes in the kingdom of God. He rewards every good and every evil thing, perfectly. Life got so frustrating to me when I was younger because I didn't know there was a God in heaven keeping things in order like that (you saying what you did about God working to get us back in line with Him and with others reminded me of that). There's purpose everywhere. If we don't see it, life can seem pretty hopeless.

I'm so glad we serve a God like this. Whenever I think of it (here lately at least), it feels like I'm taking a good, deep breath of air. It's like, "Ohhhh, everything is right in the universe, what a blessing".

Talk to you later.
Taylor

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What you are describing is why Solomon said "Therefore, I hated life." What wise man can love living in a world like this, where unjust things can happen to us, and often do? It is bad to live in a world where we do not always reap what we sow. Solomon thought it was far better to die and get out of this crazy world than it is to be born into it because after we die, there is nothing but perfect, eternal justice waiting for us. Here, we can earnestly do what is good, and then suffer for it; and here, people can do what is evil and perverse, and be glorified for it - but that will never be the case beyond the grave.

Pastor John

Doormat

"You are bought with a price; do not become slaves of men."
Paul, in 1Corinthiunas 7:23

Preacher Clark told us that God doesn’t want His children to act as a doormat for anyone. That is, God is not pleased when we bow before the unrighteous and knowingly allow sinful people to take advantage of us. When the righteous fall down before the wicked, Solomon said, it is like "a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring." In other words, it is poison for those who partake of it. Solomon also said, "the lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it." The world will respect the man who "turns the other cheek" when he is persecuted for righteousness sake, but it will only scoff at the man who wilfully allows the world to take advantage of him. Yes, Jesus did say that we are to be harmless as doves, but he also said that we are to be as wise as serpents. There is a right balance of the attributes of the Spirit to which we must attain if we are to be like Christ.

Was Jesus being "harmless as a dove" when he drove the money-changers out of His Father’s temple? Some of God’s children will stand by and watch as truth is being trampled and goodness condemned, as if that is humility. But it is not; it is cowardice. We are not the servants of men; we are the servants of God.

Recently, I was talking with a woman who was being taken advantage of on her job. She was crying as she told me of how much was being demanded of her by a new boss and the impossible load of work she was expected to bear. She didn’t see any way she could do all that was being asked of her, and she was right. Instead of feeling sympathy for her, however, the Spirit of God became indignant with her. Why was she allowing the world to abuse God’s temple? Why wasn’t she driving the money-changers out so that she could have peace and God could be praised in His house again? "You are bought with a price;" wrote Paul, "do not be slaves of men." Jesus has bought us; this is his temple. Do not let men abuse it! I bluntly replied to her, "What’s the point of you coming out of Christianity and then allowing the world to use you up? If you will not allow Christian ministers to use you up for their glory, why will you allow business men to do it for theirs?"

The spirit of the world is the spirit of Christianity. That religion uses God’s children up with responsibilities and ceremonies that God never intended for His children. If we will not allow the spirit of the world that is in Christianity to use us for its own vain glory, then why would we allow the world of unbelieving sinners to use us up for it’s own vain glory? It is the same spirit. And it takes the same faith to overcome both of those evils.

The word of the Lord came to me last year for a certain brother whose appearance of humility impressed everyone he met. I was commanded to warn this brother to see to it that his humility come from the heart, and not allow it to degenerate into a mere appearance. I delivered that word of God to him in the presence of a room full of witnesses in my house. But he failed to fear God and put it into practice. Because appearances impress men and gain us praise and respect from them, we are tempted to act so that men will honor us as righteous, but God judges the heart. And He must have foreseen that this humble-appearing brother was headed toward that dead end, for that brother, still as meek in appearance as ever the last time I saw him, has now fallen away from righteousness altogether to pursue his own ways. God knows. We cannot judge who is truly humble by what we see or hear. Some very proud men know how to appear humble. But it is a matter only of the heart.

No, God does not want His children to be anyone’s doormat. True humility is neither blind or foolish; rather, it is wise and just, and it makes us nobody’s fool or plaything.

Wrong Thoughts

There is nothing on earth more deadly than a wrong thought about God. A wrong thought about God was the beginning of all sin. Adam and Eve sinned only because of the wrong thought about God that was placed in Eve’s heart by the devil. Without that wrong thought sown into her heart, Eve would not even have had the thought to do what God said not to do.

"Woe to them who call good evil, and evil good", said God through Isaiah. Wrong thoughts about God result in wrong thinking about what is good and what is evil. And that leads to misjudging liars to be telling the truth and honest men to be liars. The true prophets of ancient Israel were all persecuted in their time because false prophets had fed the Israelites wrong thoughts about God, which led them to think good was evil, and evil good, which in turn led them to hate the righteous and trust the ungodly.

The truth makes us free because it delivers us from confusion about what is God and what is not God. And when we are not confused about what is God and what is not, then we are no longer confused about what is good and what is evil. And if we know what is good and what is evil, then we will recognize God’s voice when He speaks, and we will know a deceiver when we meet one.

The truth is the opposite of a wrong thought about God. If a wrong thought about God is the beginning of sin, then knowledge of the truth is the beginning of righteousness. "I am understanding;" said the Son of God through David, "I have strength." When you take God’s truth in, you take in the saving strength of the Son of God.

Do you have the saving strength of God in your soul? You do if you have embraced the truth, for the truth will protect you and enlighten you. When the truth is alive in our souls, it saves us from the power of darkness! Nothing else can do that.

Loving With God's Love

No man is worthy to lead, naturally or spiritually, if he fears the people he is supposed to be leading. Consider King Saul. He disobeyed God’s clear command because the people did not like what God told Saul to do, and then denied he had done any wrong. When pressed by the unyielding prophet Samuel, however, King Saul confessed that he disobeyed God because he feared the displeasure of the people (1Sam. 15:24). Later, God rejected Saul as king over Israel, and the poor man died a miserable, tragic death. He gave in to the pressure to please God’s people rather than God, and lost out with God.

God’s children need to be loved with God’s love. But God’s love may move a man to do things that may be interpreted as hate. Moved by the holy love of God, Jesus looked at Peter one day and said, "Get behind me, Satan!" And on another occasion, moved by that same pure love, Jesus sharply rebuked James and John, saying, "You don’t know what kind of spirit you are of!" And yet, in the end, the Lord commanded his disciples to love one another "As I have loved you." Did Jesus know something about the love of God that carnally-minded men do not know?

Stephen was accused of hating God and His ways, and stoned to death, because he loved men with the love of God. Paul was beaten within an inch of his life by the people of Israel, whom he loved more than his own life. And when the blood-stained apostle, held up by Roman soldiers, tried to explain himself to his beloved people, they threw dust into the air and screamed, "Away with such a man! He is not fit that such a man should live on the earth!"

Martyrs of Christ who have suffered torture and death through the ages suffered only because they were not afraid to live in the love of God, and love others with the love of God. But not many are willing to do the same because, as a rule, men fear men. That is a quality of the flesh that must be overcome if we are ever going to do God any acceptable service. No man can love people with God’s love if he fears that those people may not like being loved that way. And God’s people are no exception. An ungodly minister is one who fears them and, so, tells them only what they want to hear in order to keep their favor.

The love of God is the love of God. It prefers Him and His righteousness above all things; it considers His feelings and His will first. Then it acts. We must love people with God’s holy love, which is full of both mercy and truth, and which is almost always misunderstood and condemned by men, even the children of God. Still, without the motivation of the love of God in our decisions, our words, and our actions, our life is worthless to others.

So, we really only have two choices. We can love men with the love of the flesh and be spoken well of by everyone (and bring a curse on our souls - Lk. 6:26). Or we can love people with the love of God and be misunderstood and "hated of all men for Jesus’ sake" (and reign with Jesus in the end - 2Tim. 2:12). Jesus chose to love us with God’s love, and he asks us to follow his example in dealing with others, no matter how they react to the holy love that we show them.

Becky

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

Considering the pain I felt at her death, it seems odd that I only met Rebecca Lee once. There are some people who are so sweet and sincere that they find that secret path deep into your heart as soon as you get to know them. Becky was one such person.
The first time she was surrounded by people of God, the holy Ghost fell on her, even though she had never been taught about the way of the Spirit. She just belonged to God, and as soon as she learned of the baptism of the holy Ghost and met people who had it, she received it.
I was not there that night, when Becky was born again. I had to wait until her next visit to NC, in May of this year, to get to meet her. When I did, I well understood how it was that the saints here had fallen so deeply in love with her the first time she came. She had planned to make another trip to be with us at the beach this summer, but God decided otherwise, and she died yesterday, the end of her life-long struggle with Cystic Fibrosis. Everyone around here felt as if we had lost a life-long friend, or even more accurately, a very dear family member. As I said, considering the pain I felt at her death, it seems odd that I only met Becky once.
It isn’t often in life that we are blessed to meet a person like Becky. Now, all we can do is (1) live according to the will of God so that we will be permitted to see and love Becky again, and (2) take advantage of the opportunity we have now to love the ones who are still here with us.
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From Brother Damien this morning:

Pastor John
As it was, yesterday afternoon, I checked my email barely a minute after you sent the email saying that Becky had died about ten minutes previous. I had prayed that day that whatever happened would be quick, that God would do something. I told Kay, and then we waited. Afterwards, I sat on the front porch listening to the storm to the east. No rain, just lots of thunder. I really felt God in the sound - He chooses everything: here not there, this way not that way, this one and not that one.
I have not had many people around me die thus far in my life, and I believe I know where all of them are now. Becky is the first person I know that I am certain is now with the Lord. What love God has shown us these past four months through her! Thinking of her being with the Lord did something to me as I talked with Kay about it. For the first time, I felt just a part of what you feel when you talk about having “more over there than here.” It produced a greater desire for that reward; somehow it became more real, and there was a greater desire to be ready when the time comes.
It felt so good to realize that it was all over for Becky. Now she is with the Lord, already experiencing freedom from all of this life on Earth. Reading her website (www.takeadeepbreath.tv) gave me more insight into her suffering and how she endured in her life. If we are right with the Lord, all we have to do is die, and then we are with him. That is all that matters.

Damien

Nobody had To Wonder

Nobody had to guess whether I was seeking to please God when I first came to Jesus. Nobody had to guess whether I hated the way I had lived. Nobody had to wonder if I was ashamed of my sins. Nobody had to wonder if I was determined to live right or if I was humble. Nobody had to wonder, whether they were old friends or new acquaintances. Nobody had to wonder what I stood for. Do you know why no one had to wonder? Because I really was finished with sin and was on the Lord’s side, with all my heart. I was sick of myself and sick of sin. And if anyone around me still loved sin, I was sick of them, too. I didn’t want anyone in my life who wanted anything other than the righteousness of God.

When it is real, no one has to wonder. When you really are committed to Christ, every person around you knows it, whether sinner or saint.

King David’s attitude reflected mine. He said, “Depart from me, you deceitful and bloody men.” It did not bother me in the least, and I am sure it did not bother David, if sinful people didn’t like me any more because I didn’t want them around me. I know how David felt about that. He wanted nothing in his life that was tainted with sin, nothing that was less than acceptable with God. Why should I want someone in my life if that person doesn’t love my God? Paul warned the saints, “Do not be deceived; bad companions corrupt good habits” (1Cor. 15:33). That being the case, why should I want to be corrupted?

Get real with God and man. Choose your path and let no man lead you astray. Make up your mind what you want your life to be like, and go for it. But be prepared. Unrighteous people around you will consider you to be a fanatic, or a fool, for not wanting them and their foolishness in your life any longer. They will “think it strange”, said Peter, “that you run not with them” any more. But care nothing for it. Set all your affection on the approval of Christ, and then, no matter what ungodly humans say or think of you, you will have peace.