NEW LIFE!--NEW LOVE!              DFO 731           6/78

INTRODUCTION

         1. The instantaneous, miraculous & supernatural change of mind, heart & life which occurs by the power of God's Spirit when we receive His Son Jesus into our hearts is so drastic that God's Word likens it unto spiritual rebirth! The newborn child of God then enters for the first time into the whole new world of a whole new life in the incredible spiritual Kingdom of God!
         2. SUCH "REBIRTH" OR "CONVERSION" EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN A VERY COMMON MIRACLE OF GOD THROUGHOUT HISTORY. Jesus called it being BORN AGAIN of His Spirit, & Paul called it the new birth in which "old things are passed away & all things are become new" & "ye are become NEW CREATURES in Christ Jesus"! The Bible also calls it "putting off the old man & putting on the new", & it is often such a remarkable transformation & actual personality change that God's Word likens it to the death & burial of the old & a resurrection of the new to an entirely new life & way of living!--Jn.3:1-8; 2Cor.5:17; Eph.4:22-24; Rom.6:3-11.
         3. FOR "EXCEPT YE BE CONVERTED & BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN, YE SHALL NOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN."--Mat.18:3. Therefore "ye must be born again" (Jn.3:7), in spirit: First, by BELIEVING THE WORDS OF GOD; then, RECOGNISING YOUR OWN NEED OF A SAVIOUR from your sins, by RECEIVING THE SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF into your own heart personally in a definite individual decision, forever thereafter PROCLAIMING HIM as the Son of God & your Saviour, as well as the Saviour of ALL those who will believe & receive Him & His Words.
         4. HIS COMING INTO YOUR LIFE NOT ONLY RENEWS & PURIFIES & REGENERATES YOUR SPIRIT, BUT IT ALSO RENEWS YOUR MIND, literally breaking old connections & reflexes & gradually rebuilding it & rewiring it into a whole new computer system with an utterly different outlook on life, a new way of looking at the World, & with new reactions to nearly everything around you.
         5. SO DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF YOU ACTUALLY FEEL DIFFERENT & even think differently & are happier than you have ever been before!
         6. YOU'RE BORN AGAIN, A NEW MAN, GOD'S NEW CHILD! Usually when this happens, the new man frequently testifies that he even feels better physically, He now LIKES to face life & finds a thrill in his new-found tasks & the greatest of pleasure in the fellowship of his new-found Family & the greatest of satisfaction in his new-found faith.
         7. HIS WHOLE LIFE, NATURE, MIND, HEART & ALL IS CHANGED! His whole outlook, desires & aims in life are usually much different than before. I have often heard some even claiming that the grass actually looked greener, the sky bluer, the trees more beautiful, the sunshine more glorious & golden & they feel like they've entered a whole new world of Heaven on Earth compared to the Hell that they were living in before! It's just that WONDERFUL!
         8. BUT OF COURSE, LIKE ALL NEW BABIES, YOU HAVE A LOT TO LEARN & A LOT OF GROWING TO DO! So don't be discouraged if you don't understand EVERYTHING all at once about your new life & the whole new world in which you live & your great new Family.

THE "MILK OF THE WORD"

         9. BUT IF YOU SUCK THE MILK OF HIS LIFE-GIVING WORDS FROM HIS BREAST OF THE BIBLE YOU WILL BEGIN TO GROW IN FAITH & UNDERSTANDING. "As newborn babes", His Word tells us, "DESIRE the sincere MILK OF THE WORD, that ye may GROW thereby."--1Pet.2:2. If you will read His Words & put them in your heart, they will be a "lamp unto your feet & a light unto your path" & a guide to you in your new life, your new experiences & your new relationships.--Psa.119:105.
         10. FOR THE BIBLE IS GOD'S PERSONAL WORD TO EACH OF US. In it you can find the answer to almost every question & every problem you will ever have in life. Just ask God for the answers, search the Scriptures, & let Him speak to you through His Word.
         11. THIS IS ALSO WHERE YOUR FAITH WILL COME FROM: "FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, & HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD."--Rom. 10:17. It's NOT a sudden boom. Faith is something that is built by FAITHFUL STUDY of God's Word. Faith comes--it grows by hearing the Word of God.
         12. SO READ THE BIBLE & YOU WILL FIND A CONSTANT & CONTINUAL GREATER & GREATER REVELATION OF MORE & MORE TRUTH, fitting more & more missing pieces into the great & puzzling picture of God's complete & perfected & final overall design!
         13. NOTHING WILL EVER TAKE ITS PLACE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED! There's nothing on Earth more powerful than the Word of God, inspired, beautiful & poetic, just the naked Word of God! The only reason I have to write anything at all is to help others understand it & relate to it.
         14. YOU SEE, THE BIBLE WAS ENOUGH IN ITS DAY, it was all the truth that man needed when it was fresh & new & had just been given by the Prophets, the original Prophets. But now today, it has been so contorted & distorted & misinterpreted & everything by the preachers!
         15. THE TRUE PLAN & FOUNDATION OF GOD AS OUTLINED IN THE BIBLE HAS BEEN ALMOST TOTALLY BURIED UNDER THE RUBBLE OF CHURCHIANITY & the traditions of Man in opposition to the knowledge of God. As Jesus told the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day: "In VAIN do ye worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of MEN. For LAYING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, ye hold the TRADITION OF MEN, MAKING THE WORD OF GOD OF NONE EFFECT THROUGH YOUR TRADITIONS!"--Mk.7:7,8,13.
         16. THE CHURCH TODAY HAS PUT THE STORIES OF JESUS & HIS DISCIPLES WAY BACK IN THE PAST.--They're looked on as FAIRY TALES.--They've no real reality to them. But when suddenly it's brought up to you in the present, the fact that the things of the Lord can STILL happen TODAY--that He's just as real & can still do the same, & even more so (see Jn.14:12)--THAT'S what shakes & wakes people up!
         17. --AND THAT'S WHAT MY LETTERS ARE FOR. I HAVE EXPLAINED THE BIBLE'S APPLICATION TO PEOPLE'S LIVES TODAY. With each of my Letters I'm clearing away the churchy rubble to try to uncover once again what the Bible REALLY says & means, what Jesus taught, how He really lived, what the disciples really showed, & what they were really trying to show by their example. In other words, we're REDISCOVERING WHAT GOD'S PLAN WAS ALL THE TIME! It's been there all the time & is as good as ever, but we can't build on that Foundation again till we get rid of all the rubble of the rabbis!
         18. BESIDES, WE ARE LIVING IN A NEW DAY & since we're not just wandering around in tents living like Moses & the children of Israel, I can't tell you just to read about how they did it. I can't just hand you a Bible & say, "Here, here's how you should do it!"--Because much of it was God's message for THEM THEN, but TODAY, we have to know how to do it under THESE PRESENT circumstances, & believe me, God can give it out faster than we can receive it!
         19. AND REMEMBER ALSO, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MOSES' WRITINGS, & DAVID'S & THE PROPHETS' & THE APOSTLES' WRITINGS, WERE NEW SCRIPTURES. Yet today the Church condemns any new Scriptures, any new messages from God. They as good as say that God doesn't speak anymore. Well, such a God would be a DEAD God! THANK GOD HE STILL SPEAKS TODAY!
         20. BUT EVEN I MYSELF USED TO BE SO FANATICAL ABOUT THE BIBLE & SO AFRAID TO PUT DOWN ANY WORDS OF MY OWN, THAT GOD HAD TO SUPERNATURALLY ALMOST FORCE PROPHECY THROUGH ME to give me His Words for TODAY & to show me that the Bible was NOT enough!
         21. MANY OF THE DEEPER REVELATIONS WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED WERE SO IN THE SPIRIT that I was not even conscious of what was happening & afterward had to be told what had been said, which was often as much a wonder to me as anyone. All I know is this is the way God speaks to me & I'm only a messenger boy who delivers His telegrams, & I'm not always responsible for what has been said or revealed. You'll have to blame God for that!--Or thank Him!
         22. SOME OF THE THINGS HE HAS GIVEN ME HAVE EVEN BEEN A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND, & some of them have been obviously offensive to those who didn't care to understand. However, God has always FULFILLED them, they're bearing GOOD FRUIT, & I have no reason to believe that He will not CONTINUE to fulfill them & continue to cause them to bear such good fruit. Praise the Lord! I'll confess that some of the things which the Lord has said have amazed & nearly appalled us, but I have always immediately asked God for Scriptures to confirm their authenticity, & He has never failed to help me find the answers.
         23. SO READ & STUDY HIS WORD, "OLD & NEW" (Mat.13:52), for it is His Word by His Spirit in His Love that makes you strong! Please do not neglect it, for it is food for your soul & gives you strength for the battle! Read, study, memorise, & enjoy it, & ye shall have strength for your souls! God bless you!

HOLY GHOST POWER!

         24. SHORTLY BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION & RESURRECTION, JESUS PROMISED HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE WOULD SEND THEM A COMFORTER, THE HOLY GHOST, TO STRENGTHEN, EMPOWER, LEAD & GUIDE THEM in their spiritual lives & relationship with Him. "But the COMFORTER, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, & bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you...I will send Him unto you...and when He, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, is come, He will guide you into all Truth."--Jn.14:26; 16:7,13.
         25. RECEIVING THE FULL ANOINTING, INFILLING, OR "BAPTISM" OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS USUALLY A SUBSEQUENT EXPERIENCE TO THAT OF SALVATION (When we decide to believe on & receive Jesus). This is why the Apostle Paul inquired of certain disciples that he met, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE ye believed?"--Acts 19:2. The Scriptures also say that "they that believe on Him (Jesus) SHOULD receive the Holy Ghost."--Jn.7:39.
         26. LIKE A MOTHER, TENDER & GENTLE WITH A LITTLE BABY, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL HOVER OVER THE NEWBORN CHILD OF GOD, waiting, comforting, nursing & nurturing. So we all certainly need this Baptism of God's Love & power & to be filled to overflowing with His precious Holy Spirit in order to have the strength to pull through.
         27. YOU CANNOT DO THE MASTER'S WORK WITHOUT THE MASTER'S POWER!--And the means of power that God has provided for His children is His Holy Spirit. THAT'S the problem with a lot of Christians today--they don't have the Holy Spirit yet.--They really need the power & boldness of the Spirit!--As Jesus told His disciples, "Ye shall receive POWER after the Holy Ghost is come upon you, & ye shall be WITNESSES unto Me."--Acts 1:8.
         28. THIS IS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE POWER: FOR WITNESSING (telling OTHERS about JESUS). The greatest thing that happened on the day of Pentecost (when the first disciples received the Holy Spirit) was not that they merely had miraculous manifestations of the "gifts of the Spirit", but that those gifts resulted in the salvation of 3,000 souls. (See Acts Chapter 2.)
         29. HOWEVER, WE SHOULD NOT BELITTLE NOR NEGLECT THE "GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT". As His Word tells us, "covet earnestly the best gifts."--1Cor.12:31. The most common gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, other tongues & interpretation. These are all gifts from a loving Heavenly Father to His simple, little children TO HELP COMMUNICATE UNDERSTANDING OF HIMSELF & HIS WILL, a mere SAMPLE of glorious realities to come!
         30. SO YOU NOT ONLY NEED THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HAVE THE POWER & STRENGTH TO WITNESS TO OTHERS, BUT ALSO TO HELP YOU IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE LORD. When you really get baptized & speak in TONGUES for example, there's a real yielding. You'll then know the SPIRITUAL ECSTASY of which the physical is just an illustration!--You'll have a much CLOSER relationship with the Lord!
         31. YOU CAN THEN REALLY PRAY IN THE SPIRIT--& your prayers will have more EFFECT because you pray BY THE SPIRIT HIMSELF, by His power, which is exactly what God wants in His Will in His Own Spirit. "Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities: For WE KNOW NOT what we should pray for as we ought: But the SPIRIT ITSELF MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US according to the Will of God."--Rom.8:26,27.
         32. IT'S LIKE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE POWER OF OUR PRAYERS. Just like a radio cannot transmit a message unless it is plugged into an electric current, your prayer transmission won't have any power at all unless it's plugged into the current, the Holy Spirit, God's power, the main current, the mainline. But if you're in tune, the Holy Spirit empowers & directs your prayers.
         33. BY THE SUPERNATURAL, MIRACULOUS POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE LORD CAN EVEN GIVE YOU DOWNRIGHT, OUTRIGHT, UPRIGHT REVELATIONS, Heavenright, straight from Him, to show you exactly what to do when you need His guidance. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, & He SHALL direct thy paths."--Pro.3:6. So "BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT" (Eph.5:18)--so you can have the power & boldness to witness, & so you can experience the exciting sights, sounds, visions, voices, & even resultant physical thrills, like talking in tongues--& the many other ecstatic joys of the world of His Spirit, where God Himself dwells! Hallelujah!
         34. HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE MIRACULOUS INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SINCE YOU BELIEVED? If not, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR HEART & simply PRAY & ASK Jesus to fill you with His Spirit--& He will--His Spirit will flow in to you in all His power!--Jesus said, "Ask, & it shall be given you; seek, & ye shall find; knock, & it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; & he that seeketh findeth; & to him that knocketh it shall be opened!" (Read Luke 11:9-13.)

HEAVENLY COMMUNICATION--HEARING FROM GOD

         35. THE GREATEST THING THAT EACH NEW GENERATION OF GOD'S CHILDREN HAS TO LEARN FOR ITSELF IS TO FOLLOW GOD & HEAR FROM HIM FRESH EVERY DAY.--Moment by moment learn something NEW every day, because only God is way out there in front & knows what's going to happen & is able to lead you & guide you & show you what to do.
         36. EVERY DAY SHOULD BE A NEW DAY, A NEW EXPERIENCE, A NEW LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD. YOU CAN HEAR FROM GOD EVERY DAY, & you SHOULD be hearing from Him every day. God expects His children, those who know Him personally & know His Will & His Word, to touch Him PERSONALLY, DIRECTLY, & make a DIRECT CONTACT with Him, not through somebody else's faith or prayers.
         37. AND THIS IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT: OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD--HEARING FROM THE LORD! In fact, that's why WE, our Family of Love, are where we are today--because we stopped & sat down & listened to God & then followed His directions & won every battle, because we did it GOD'S way!
         38. SO, CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, PRAYER IS NOT JUST TO GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES & SPEAK YOUR PIECE, BUT TO LET GOD SPEAK HIS, TOO!--And WAIT until He answers! You've got to get not only in prayer, but you've got to get in the SPIRIT. And if you do, He'll tell each one of you what you're supposed to do.
         39. YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE FAITH. Jesus speaks anytime, anywhere, if you BELIEVE!--Anytime you believe! So when you ask the Lord for an answer, EXPECT an answer, & take the first thing that comes. If you really believe & ask the Lord, & you want to hear or see, you won't be disappointed! And that thing you see or hear with the eyes or ears of your spirit, that's the Lord--and it will be such a COMFORT to you!
         40. EXPECT GOD TO ANSWER! Just open up your heart & let the sunshine in! If you really want to hear Him, He'll talk to you. In fact, HE'S MORE WILLING TO GIVE THAN WE ARE TO RECEIVE! He just keeps sending & broadcasting as long as we are willing to receive.
         41. THE POWER'S ALWAYS ON & THE MESSAGE IS ALWAYS THERE. God's Spirit is like a BROADCASTING STATION broadcasting all the time. All you have to do is THROW THE SWITCH OF FAITH & TUNE IN. If you're really DESPERATE & crying with your WHOLE HEART & are asking Him, He'll ANSWER.
         42. IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE OUT LOUD, it doesn't have to be with an audible voice. It can just be in that "STILL SMALL VOICE" that you feel inside of you.--1Ki.19:12. Sometimes it's not even words, just an IMPRESSION that you have. God doesn't even have to communicate in words, He can just give you a FEELING or a PICTURE or an IDEA.
         43. HE'LL SOLVE A LOT OF YOUR PROBLEMS BEFORE THE DAY EVEN STARTS if you listen to what He has to say. But if you go plunging into all your problems & troubles & your work without stopping to talk to the Lord & get directions from your Commander-in-Chief, then you're going to be like a soldier who's trying to fight the war all on his own without listening to Headquarters, no organisation from his Chief. You need to learn to PRAY & LISTEN to the Lord.
         44. TRUE, GOD HAS SET DOWN THE GENERAL RULES FOR THE WAR IN HIS SOLDIER'S HANDBOOK, the BIBLE, but He has also furnished us with an excellent means of communication with headquarters: PRAYER! So whenever you can't find the answer or solution to a specific situation in your Rulebook, all you have to do is CALL HEAVEN, & THEY'LL let you know what to do!
         45. GOD'S CHILDREN, HIS ARMY, HAVE GOT TO BE MOSTLY DIRECTED FROM THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN HEAVEN, BY THE COMMUNICATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, since our ground communications are very slow & very poor & extremely inadequate & frequently disrupted! But IF YOU FOLLOW THE LORD YOU'LL NEVER GO WRONG! He's right out there with you, & He knows exactly what to do, & all you've got to do is ask Him, & you can get an answer in a split second!
         46. HAVE YOU HEARD FROM THE LORD LATELY? You CAN & OUGHT to be hearing EVERY DAY. Thank You Lord! Keep in touch with Heaven! Jesus NEVER fails!

SOME PRAYER PRINCIPLES

         47. PRAYER IS POWERFUL! WHEN WE PRAY, THINGS WILL HAPPEN & things will be different. God will answer prayer. He says, "Call unto Me & I WILL answer thee!"--Jer.33:3. But God said to Israel one time that bad things were happening because, "No man STIRRETH himself to call upon Me"!--Isa.64:7.
         48. WHEN WE GET TO HEAVEN ONE OF THESE DAYS, WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT THAT A LOT OF THINGS WERE NOT THE DEVIL'S FAULT or GOD'S fault that they didn't happen or they did happen, but they were our fault because we failed to pray!
         49. YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH GOD DEPENDS ON YOUR PRAYERS--HOW CONCERNED YOU ARE & HOW INTERESTED YOU ARE. He wants YOU to show concern & pray about things, & be SPECIFIC about them. If you really BELIEVE, every prayer is HEARD & ANSWERED. But if you don't pray it is NOT done! An awful lot depends on YOU!
         50. SEE, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SORT OF A LAZY ATTITUDE & SEEM TO THINK THE LORD WILL DO IT ALL NO MATTER WHAT.--But the truth of the matter is, an awful lot depends on us, OUR faith & OUR prayers & what WE WANT done. If we stir OURSELVES then God will stir HIMSELF. The very intensity with which you pray & really mean it or desire it is reflected in the answer.
         51. IF YOU ONLY CRY WITH HALF A HEART YOU ONLY GET HALF AN ANSWER. But if you cry with your WHOLE heart you get a WHOLEHEARTED STRONG ANSWER. If you turn it on real strong, then it REFLECTS strong. Like a beam of light focused on a mirror, prayer will reflect or be answered with the same intensity as it originates. It will bounce back with as much power as it began with.
         52. HE SAYS, "IN THE DAY THAT YOU CALL UPON ME WITH A WHOLE HEART I WILL ANSWER THEE."--Jer.29:13. I know our little prayers are sincere & we mean them, but we also need to really get DESPERATE in prayer about serious situations or anything that needs it.
         53. JESUS NEVER FAILS! HE WILL ALWAYS ANSWER WHEN WE STIR OURSELVES TO CALL UPON HIM WITH A WHOLE HEART. However, He does not always answer us right away, which sometimes TESTS OUR FAITH & draws us closer to Him in the Spirit as we are driven to His Word to try to find some answers from what He has ALREADY said while WAITING for more direct & specific answers in prayer.
         54. BUT IF YOU STAY CLOSE TO HIM, HE'LL NEVER FAIL YOU. He'll never forsake you, He'll never let you down. HIS DELAYS ARE NOT DENIALS. Even though He may not always answer just the way WE'D like, KEEP TRUSTING HIM & HE'LL NEVER FAIL. Even "if WE believe not, yet HE REMAINETH FAITHFUL: He cannot deny Himself."--2Tim.2:13.--And He cannot break His Word--He is going to see you through!
         55. GOD HAS MADE PROMISES IN HIS WORD, SO WHEN YOU PRAY, BRING THOSE PROMISES WITH YOU TO REMIND HIM. When you remind God of His Word, it shows you have FAITH in it.--And it's a positive declaration of your faith & your knowledge of the Word which PLEASES Him. (See Heb.11:6) It's like a lawyer in a court room reminding the judge of the law of the land.
         56. "WHEREBY ARE GIVEN TO US EXCEEDING GREAT & PRECIOUS PROMISES: THAT BY THESE (HIS PROMISES) YE MIGHT BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE."--2Pet.1:4. The Lord even says, "COMMAND YE ME!" "I will give thee the desires of THINE heart"; "NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD from them that walk uprightly"; "And our God SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS!" (Isa.45:11; Psa.37:4; Psa.84:11; Phi.4:19)--So DEMAND it! You have the right to!
         57. YOU HAVE TO QUOTE THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT (THE BIBLE) TO THE CONTRACT MAKER (GOD), & HOLD HIM TO IT! So it's important to familiarise yourself with His Word. FAITH IS BUILT ON THE WORD; that's the CONTRACT & the LAW. That's why you can CLAIM it & COMMAND the Lord to fulfill His promises.
         58. HE IS BOUND BY HIS WORD! So REMIND Him of it, CLING to His promises, MEMORISE & QUOTE them continually, & never doubt for a moment that God is going to answer--and He WILL! He HAS to! He WANTS to! TRUST Him! And THANK Him for the answer--even if you don't see it immediately!
         59. BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER HIS CONDITIONS, HIS TERMS OF THE CONTRACT: FAITH & OBEDIENCE! For "without FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him: For he that cometh to God must BELIEVE that He IS, & that He is a REWARDER of them that diligently SEEK Him."--Heb.11:6. And "if ye be WILLING & OBEDIENT, ye shall eat the good of the land."--Isa.1:19.
         60. FAITH & OBEDIENCE COME FIRST, THEN GOD ANSWERS PRAYER! If we are obeying the Lord & are faithful & trusting & believing, then God's GOT to bless & answer. He CAN & WANTS to give you what you need in EVERY area. But if He's NOT, it's not HIS fault.--Something's wrong somewhere.
         61. IF YOU'RE NOT FULLY OBEYING THE LORD, THEN YOU CAN'T HAVE FAITH FOR GOD TO BLESS YOU WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT OBEYING HIM. How can God bless DISobedience? He cannot protect, prosper or bless you when you are out of His Will & running around outside of the secret place & from under His shadow--His wings--& His fortress of perfect fellowship with Him. (See Psa.91)
         62. BUT IF YOU DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD MOST OF ALL & TRULY WANT TO DO HIS WILL, IT IS HIS DELIGHT TO ALSO GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR OWN HEART, because HE'S the One Who puts them there when we're pleasing Him.--Psa.37:4. HE GIVES US WHAT WE WANT & HAVE FAITH FOR. So "seek ye FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD & HIS righteousness; & THEN all these things shall be added unto you!"--Mat.6:33. Hallelujah!

"FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT" (1TIMOTHY 6:12)

         63. A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THAT AS SOON AS THEY RECEIVE JESUS THEY'LL REALLY GET HAPPY & ALL THEIR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED & they're NEVER going to have any more & things are going to go real smoothly.
         64. JUST BECAUSE THEY WON ONE BATTLE, SALVATION BY GRACE, A GOD-GIVEN VICTORY, THEY THINK THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF A PERMANENT VICTORY. Well, THAT BATTLE FOR THEIR SOUL IS WON & it IS a permanent victory of SALVATION FOREVER, they will never have to fight THAT one again, thank God!
         65. THEY'RE SAVED, THEY'VE GOT GOD, THEY HAVE THE LORD, they've got the Holy Spirit, they've got the GREATEST POWER in the World! You've got ETERNAL LIFE, you're not going to Hell, you don't have to worry about death anymore, you don't have to worry about life anymore & you've got the LORD on your side, or you're on His side.
         66. THE DEVIL CAN'T GET YOU BACK ONCE YOU'RE SAVED--YOU'RE THE LORD'S FOREVER!--(SEE JN.6:37; 10:28,29) BUT HE TRIES HARD TO KEEP YOU FROM SERVING GOD, so he gives you a lot of TROUBLE. IF THE DEVIL CAN'T KEEP YOU FROM BEING A CHRISTIAN, HE'LL TRY TO KEEP YOU FROM BEING A REVOLUTIONARY CHRISTIAN. He'll try to make a DEAD one out of you, instead of a real live one!
         67. HE'LL TRY TO PUT YOU TO SLEEP & PUT YOU OUT OF ACTION LIKE HE HAS THE CHURCH, so you at least won't get in his way! He'll try to keep you from being a good or effective WITNESS or a good TESTIMONY.--If he can't destroy YOU he'll try to destroy your TESTIMONY!
         68. THE BIGGEST THING THE DEVIL WILL TRY TO DO IS DEFEAT YOU FROM BEING A GOOD SAMPLE TO WIN OTHERS, because he knows now he's going to lose OTHERS from his clutches because of YOU! YOU'VE already gotten there, but he knows he's now going to lose OTHERS too through you!
         69. AND IF HE CAN SCARE YOU OUT BEFORE YOU BEGIN, THEN YOU'LL NEVER EVEN GET STARTED & YOU'LL NEVER ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO. So for GOD'S sake & the sake of OTHERS & your OWN sake, DON'T LET THE DEVIL FRIGHTEN YOU OR BLUFF YOU OUT OF WHAT THE LORD WANTS YOU TO DO BEFORE YOU EVEN GET STARTED! THAT'S when he attacks you the WORST & THAT'S when the LORD ALLOWS him to attack you the worst, because the Lord is TESTING you to see if you really mean business.
         70. IT'S LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS OF WORLD WAR 1 TRENCH WARFARE: Things were usually comparatively quiet in No-Man's Land--the unconquered territory between the enemies--until one or the other of them decided to make an ATTACK!--THEN the other side really opened up & let them have it with all barrels! The minute you go over the top, the Devil starts shooting!
         71. AND LET ME TELL YOU, THE LORD LETS THE DEVIL DO IT TO KEEP US HUMBLE & CLOSE TO HIM.--Because you can be almost as sure as shootin' that the Enemy doesn't start shooting until you start charging into his territory & attacking him! THEN he really starts sockin' you back!
         72. BUT WE'RE FIGHTERS! WE'RE AT WAR! SO GET TOUGH & FIGHT BACK at the Devil & his forces & IF YOU KEEP FIGHTING, HE CANNOT WIN! He can only win if you SURRENDER, he can only win if you chicken out & quit & wave the white flag of sickening surrender!
         73. YOU CAN'T LET THE DEVIL SAY "BOO!" & SCARE YOU OUT & MAKE YOU RUN! You have to STAND UP & FIGHT him & ATTACK him & RESIST him so HE will run & flee from YOU! "Submit yourselves therefore to God. RESIST THE DEVIL, & he will FLEE from you!"--Jam.4:7.
         74. WHEN THE DEVIL TEMPTS YOU TO GET DOWN & DISCOURAGED, FIGHT! Don't even LISTEN to him, much less SURRENDER! He's a LIAR & the father of them, the father of deceit, the father of lies, Jesus said, so why should we listen to him!--Jn.8:44. WHY LISTEN to his doubts & fears & lies when he says terrible things & tries to scare you out?
         75. SO DON'T JUST STAND THERE: DO SOMETHING!--Sing, shout, praise the Lord, quote Scriptures! SOCK IT TO HIM WITH THE WORD! That's the way JESUS did it when the Devil tempted HIM & lied to Him! He just quoted the Scriptures: "IT IS WRITTEN!" (See Mat.4:1-11.) The Devil is a liar & the father of it & he knows it, & HE CAN'T TAKE THE WORD! Resist the Enemy & he'll flee from you! He'll turn tail & run!
         76. TAKE UP THAT WHITE-HOT SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD, & CUT THE DEVIL TO THE HEART! "For the Word of God is quick & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword!" INSTEAD OF SURRENDERING, ATTACK!--And conduct an AGGRESSIVE warfare! "GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU (JESUS), than he that is in the World (the Devil)."--So "FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH" & "neither give PLACE to the Devil!" "Put on the WHOLE ARMOUR of God!" "And the God of peace shall BRUISE SATAN UNDER YOUR FEET SHORTLY!"--DON'T GIVE UP! (Heb.4:12; 1Jn.4:4; 1Tim. 6:12; Eph. 4:27; 6:11-19; Rom.16:20.)

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

         77. WE KNOW THAT GOD DOES NOT FAIL & WILL NEVER LET US DOWN IF WE ARE TRUSTING & OBEYING HIM & operating according to His Will & what He knows is best. Therefore, when things begin to go awry we usually know that either HE'S TRYING TO SHOW US SOMETHING or that WE'RE MISSING THE MARK SOMEWHERE, failing in some area or mistaken in some way about the way we're doing things, or not moving exactly in the right direction in the way we're going about it.
         78. WITH THOSE OF US WHO REALLY LOVE THE LORD & are doing our best to serve Him as best we know how, ofttimes at considerable personal sacrifice & even some measure of suffering, inconvenience, discomfort or simple dissatisfaction, we know that God LOVES us & is doing HIS BEST to HELP us if we're doing our best to help Him.
         79. SO IF THINGS AREN'T GOING QUITE RIGHT WE CERTAINLY KNOW IT'S NOT GOD'S FAULT, but that we must just not be getting our signals straight somehow or our wires are crossed somewhere in some way that's not suitable or pleasing to Him.
         80. SO OF COURSE, THE FIRST THING TO DO IS TO LOOK AROUND & SEE & ASK HIM WHAT WE ARE DOING WRONG or how we could do it better or if we're making some kind of mistake or even in some way actually DISOBEYING Him.
         81. GOD ALWAYS HAS A REASON; & I BELIEVE NOTHING HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT TO ONE OF HIS CHILDREN! I have found in my own life, & that of many others, that He always has a purpose for them, although it is not always revealed immediately! HE GETS SOME OF HIS GREATEST VICTORIES OUT OF SEEMING DEFEATS!
         82. SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO DRAW US MUCH CLOSER TO THE LORD--to keep us HUMBLE & more DEPENDENT ON HIM--such as CHASTENINGS OR SPANKINGS FROM THE LORD! But He says in Hebrews 12: "Whom the Lord LOVETH He chasteneth, & scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."--Heb.12:6.
         83. LIKE ANY GOOD FATHER, IT HURTS HIM TO SEE HIS CHILDREN BE BAD, because He loves them, & He knows their badness hurts THEM, so He tries to CORRECT them. When we won't keep His commandments or heed His loving warnings, IN LOVE HE IS FORCED TO CHASTEN US with the rod to rescue us from the ruin of our folly!
         84. AND ALTHOUGH GOD'S SPANKINGS ARE SOMETIMES HARD TO TAKE, THEY'RE A TOKEN OF HIS LOVE, His intolerable compliment, & are good for us if we learn our lesson thereby, & are thus brought into harmony & happiness with Him & His creation & each other through truth, faith, love, repentance, confession, forgiveness & restoration.
         85. "MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS; BUT THE LORD DELIVERETH HIM OUT OF THEM ALL."--Psa.34:19.--And this is one thing that helps keep us so righteous, our many afflictions! "BUT IF YE BE WITHOUT CHASTISEMENT, then are ye BASTARDS, & NOT SONS." SO THANK GOD FOR THE ROD! It's ALWAYS good for us, & "yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."--Heb.12:5-13.

"THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH" (1PETER 1:7)

         86. ANOTHER REASON THE LORD ALLOWS THESE THINGS TO BEFALL US IS TO TEST OUR FAITH--to see HOW MUCH we really LOVE the Lord & what PRICE we're willing to pay to serve Him.
         87. GOD TESTS OUR FAITH TO SEE IF IT'S REAL GOLD FAITH & we'll STILL BELIEVE & OBEY Him no matter WHAT happens! He says that "THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD!"--The TESTING of it!--"Yea," He says, "than MUCH fine gold!" GOLD WILL GO THROUGH THE FIRE & STILL COME OUT PURE GOLD, even PURER gold, if it is REAL gold! (See 1Pet.1:7)
         88. REAL GOLD--no matter HOW HOT the fire or HOW LONG the fire, how hot the test or how long it lasts--will STILL come out GOLD--even FINER gold!--"Yea, than much fine gold!" Because the fire burns all the dross & the impurities away!
         89. REAL FAITH CAN STAND THE TEST & GO THROUGH THE FIRE & still come out better than ever before, like gold! But FAITH THAT CANNOT STAND A TEST IS NO FAITH AT ALL. If it doesn't go THROUGH the fire, it's not faith. If it doesn't come out as pure gold, it's not faith! Because real faith stands the test--WHATEVER it may be!
         90. SO "THINK IT NOT STRANGE CONCERNING THE FIERY TRIAL WHICH IS TO TRY YOU, as though some strange thing happened unto you; But REJOICE, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings."--1Pet.4:12.
         91. WHEN THINGS LOOK DARKEST, DON'T LOOK DOWN!--LOOK UP! Don't murmur & complain!--Start PRAISING the Lord, & you'll often praise your way right out of the pit into which the Devil is trying to cast you! THE LORD LOVES PRAISE; the High & the Holy One dwelleth in the praises of His people.--Psa.22:3.
         92. DOUBT, FEAR, DISCOURAGEMENT & MURMURING KILL! Look at all that murmuring older generation of Israel that died in the wilderness for their lack of faith! But FAITH, TRUST, COURAGE & PRAISING THE LORD MAKETH ALIVE! If you wanna knock the Devil for a loop, just start praising the Lord no matter what happens! "In everything give thanks!"--1Th.5:18. He just can't stand it! He turns tail & runs! "Resist the Enemy & he shall flee from thee!"
         93. SO LET'S TRY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE OUR TESTINGS & OUR TEMPTATIONS. The Lord says HE WILL NEVER GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU'RE ABLE TO BEAR & that He will ALWAYS make a way of ESCAPE. Somehow He'll make it easier for you or at least help you to bear it.
         94. "THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN: But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make A WAY TO ESCAPE, that YE may be able to BEAR it."--1Cor.10:13.
         95. KEEP YOUR EYES AHEAD ON THE GOAL, like in Hebrews 11, the Faith Chapter. By FAITH, by FAITH, by FAITH--they looked ahead, they looked forward! They weren't satisfied with being a citizen of THIS World, they looked for a country made by God, a HEAVENLY country, a heavenly city, built by the LORD!
         96. THEY WERE WILLING TO GO THROUGH ALL THE TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS & be STRANGERS & PILGRIMS here & people without a country, because they knew they had one coming!--And they knew it was WORTH FIGHTING FOR, living & dying for!
         97. SO KEEP GOING FOR GOD! Keep believing & obeying no matter what happens! The outlook may not always be easy, but the uplook is great! "Be thou faithful unto death, & I will give thee a crown of life!"--Rev.2:10. Hallelujah!

THE BREAKING PROCESS

         98. MY MOTHER ONCE ASKED THE GREAT EVANGELIST, PAUL RADER, "WHY ARE THE LABOURERS ALWAYS SO FEW?" And he replied: "They can't seem to be broken fast enough, & God can only use truly broken men & women!" How true! God only uses broken men & women--no others will do! Others are too self-confident in their own flesh!
         99. GOD HAS TO BREAK THEM, melt them & mold them again in the hands of the Potter to make them a BETTER vessel!--but He won't force it! The breaking depends upon YOU & your yieldedness & willingness to be made willing, TOTAL HUMILITY, which is synonymous with TOTAL LOVE, so you're willing to go anywhere, anytime, & do anything, for anybody, & be nobody, to please Him & help others!
         100. HE EVEN USES OUR MISTAKES AS A WAY TO KEEP US HUMBLE & OFTEN GETS SOME OF HIS GREATEST VICTORIES OUT OF SEEMING DEFEATS, victories of brokenness, humility, & more utter dependence on Him, which you must have to be able to truly inspire & lead others.
         101. IN FACT, THE LIST IS ALMOST ENDLESS OF ALL THE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE THAT GOD HAD TO HUMBLE BEFORE HE COULD USE THEM--of all the leaders God had to bring down to the depths before they could stand to be exalted--lest they would have taken credit to themselves & not given God the glory--because, by the time God's ready to make you really great, He makes absolutely NOTHING out of you, so there's nothing left of you at all--& it's only JESUS!
         102. FOR UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN BROKEN, humbled, humiliated & come to the end of yourself & have nothing left but God, He will never be able to use you as greatly as He would like! But when He can get YOU out of the way, then HE has a chance!
         103. "THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD, & NOT OF US!" "When we are weak, we are strong, for then His strength has a chance to be made perfect in our weakness"--to show it's God, & not us, that He may be glorified!--2Cor.4:7; 12:10.
         104. THE WEAKER YOU GET IN THE FLESH, THE STRONGER YOU ARE IN THE SPIRIT. When you're so weak you don't feel capable or sufficient, then God has a chance to take over & do things to suit Himself. When you become nothing but a tool & a channel--then He can really use you!
         105. ALL GLORY BE TO JESUS! HE'S THE ONE THAT DOES IT ALL! We're merely His yielded instruments, vessels of clay in the Hands of the Potter!--Isa.64:8.--Merely doing His Will & serving His Purpose, for which we were called & foreordained before the foundation of the earth! (See Eph.1:3-6.)
         106. IT IS GOD THAT GIVES US THE STRENGTH & GOD THAT HAS DONE IT ALL!--Phi.2:13. We are the work of God--the work of His fingers. So give HIM ALL the glory! Praise the Lord!
         107. BECAUSE THE MINUTE YOU START PATTING YOURSELF ON THE BACK, YOU'RE FINISHED, & God will see to it that you're humbled to bring you out of it! He's a jealous God & He wants & deserves the glory & will have NO other gods before Him!--Exo.20:5. So you'd better not start admiring your own arm of flesh, or you're apt to lose it! Watch out! Give God ALL the glory!
         108. THE BIGGEST FAILURES IN THE WORD OF GOD WERE THE BIG-SHOT BOYS WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD DO IT IN THEIR NATURAL WISDOM & went out & fell flat on their faces. The danger only came when they thought THEY themselves were doing it, & that it was their strength that was saving them, their arm that was saving them.
         109. ONE OF THE BIGGEST DANGERS YOU HAVE IS TO BEGIN THINKING IT'S YOU. IT'S GOD'S ANOINTING. If He withdraws it, you're just as flat as ever, "Pride cometh before a fall!"--Pro.16:18. "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall!"--1Cor.10:12. For unto him who truly hath what it takes it shall be given, but from him who thinketh that he hath & boasteth of it, it shall be taken away from him even that which he thinketh that he hath!--See Luk.8:18.
         110. SO FOR GOD'S SAKE, BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF! Confess to yourself continually how hopeless you are without God! GIVE HIM ALL THE GLORY FOR ANYTHING GOOD about you, & yourself all the blame for anything bad! That's usually a pretty good rule, because it's usually right!--"What hast thou that thou didst not receive?"--1Cor.4:7. "Every good gift & every perfect gift cometh down from above."--Jam.1:17. Give God all the glory!
         111. GIVE GOD ALL THE CREDIT ALL THE TIME at every turn for every little thing, & He will never fail to continue to prosper you & empower you, & protect you & keep you.

SAINTHOOD: PIOUS PERFECTION VERSUS HONEST HUMILITY

         112. GOD'S IDEA OF SAINTLINESS IS NOT SINLESS PERFECTION, SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.--It's a sinner saved by grace, a sinner who has no perfection, no righteousness of his own at all, but is totally dependent on the grace & the love & the mercy of God by faith. Believe it or not, those are the only saints there are--there are no others!
         113. KING DAVID WAS ONE OF THE WORST SINNERS THAT THE WORLD HAD KNOWN, but he was also one of the greatest saints, because he knew he was totally dependent on the love & the mercy & the grace of God for forgiveness. In other words, he gave God all the glory! He knew it was all the Lord & that he was a helluva mess & blew it every time, except for the Lord.
         114. GOD KNOWS YOU'RE ANYTHING BUT PERFECT & CAN'T be perfect & never will be perfect, & usually you're pretty much of a mess, like the rest of us, but the only question, the only standard is: Do you depend on the Lord totally, trust Him & His grace & His Love & His mercy, & give Him all the glory & all the credit?
         115. SEE, MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALLY REALISE WHAT GOD'S IDEA OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS. Their idea of righteousness is so different from God's! When you feel so righteous & good, it's because you are self-righteous & not closer to God, but closer to yourself! It's a perverted idea from the churches--a kind of "sinless self-perfection".
         116. AND IF YOU'RE TRUSTING SO MUCH IN YOUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOUR OWN PERFECTION, IT ALMOST BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO CONFESS YOUR OWN MISTAKES & shortcomings, because it destroys your own self-confidence & it nearly shatters your own self-reliance, because it proves you're not perfect--but you hate to even admit it to yourself.
         117. THIS IS ONE REASON WHY WE REALLY NEED TO CONFESS OUR SINS--because it really helps keep us humble! It helps you to be honest with yourself. And if you're honest with yourself, you will be honest with the Lord, your loved ones & those around you!
         118. THIS TAKES HUMILITY OF THE KIND ONLY GOD CAN GIVE, BECAUSE THE FLESH IS NOT WILLING TO DO THESE THINGS! It's always vindicating itself, protecting itself, justifying itself & trying to prove it can do it.--The flesh likes to think of itself as all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, & that there are no alps! Because it's just the inborn sinful nature of Man to want the glory & so be unable to confess.
         119. SO THE HARDEST ONE TO CONFESS OUR FAULTS TO IS OURSELF! We hate even to admit to ourselves our own mistakes, sins & shortcomings, it is sometimes so discouraging, humbling & humiliating! So we try to excuse ourselves to ourselves, & defend ourselves from ourselves, & exonerate & absolve ourselves from all sin, so that we can stand to face ourselves.
         120. BUT THIS ONLY TENDS TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, because when we're not honest with ourselves & we keep on trying to fool ourselves, we try to do the same with God & others, & the result is one awful mess--you make a mess of your own life, hurt all those associated with you, & hurt God most of all, as well as hinder your testimony & ministry to others who need you!
         121. SO MAY GOD HELP US ALL TO BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES, OTHERS & GOD! It will help us to keep from being false to any man! Falsification is the product of pride, an effort to hide the awful truth of which we are ashamed!
         122. BUT CONFESSING THAT YOU'RE A SINNER, really exposing yourself & your sins, reminds you that you're no picture of purity & innocence.--And although you no longer feel quite as angelic, you're a whole lot more saintly according to GOD'S idea of saintliness! The person who knows he's a sinner & therefore gives God all the glory if anything good comes of what he's done--THAT'S what the LORD looks on as saintliness. As Paul said, "I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing!"--Rom.7:18. There's nothing good about us or our flesh--it's only the Lord!
         123. IN FACT, EVERY ONE OF US IS A HELL OF A MESS, & if we don't keep our eyes on the Lord & our mind on His Word, we're doomed to defeat, doubt, disillusionment & final failure! None of us can stand the sight of ourselves! We're a mess & nothing without the Lord, & only He can do it, if we will just yield to Him! As Jesus said, "WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING!"--Jn.15:5.
         124. WHEN PETER WALKED ON THE WATER & STARTED LOOKING AT HIMSELF, HE STARTED TO SINK! It was no use!--And if you start looking at yourself, you're going to sink sink sink, when you think think think, 'cause you stink stink stink!--YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS! Let go & let God! You can't do it yourself! You can't get the victory!--Only God can give it! You can't earn it, work for it, work it up, pray it down, pray it through & become so wholly sanctified, that you're some kind of a sinless saint!
         125. SO LET'S FORGET ABOUT TRYING TO BE PERFECT--'CAUSE WE NEVER WILL BE! LET'S JUST FOLLOW THE LORD & DO THE BEST WE CAN! Amen?

CHANGING THE WORLD WITH LOVE!

         126. OUR JOB, THE JOB THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO EACH OF HIS CHILDREN, IS TO GIVE HIS WORD & HIS LOVE TO OTHERS, TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, TO SOW THE SEED, TO WITNESS!--That's what God has called us for. Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go ye into all the World, & preach the Gospel (Good News) to every creature."--Mk.16:15.--And we must likewise do the same. For "the harvest (of hungry, searching souls) truly is plenteous, but the labourers (the workers who will gather them in) are few."--Mat.9:37.
         127. BUT PERHAPS YOU'RE DISCOURAGED & THINK, "WELL, WHO AM I? WHAT CAN I DO? It all seems so hopeless & impossible! It looks like there's nothing that one person can do to change things for the better, so what's the use of trying, what's the use of doing anything?"--And maybe you're tempted to just give up & let the World go to Hell, which it sometimes seems to deserve!
         128. WELL, ALTHOUGH YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE WHOLE WORLD, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR PART OF THE WORLD! Don't ever think because there's so much darkness, that it's no use to have just a LITTLE light, because even one candle can be seen a mile away when it's dark! (See Mat.5:14-16.)
         129. EVERYBODY HAS INFLUENCE--YOUR LIFE IS BOUND TO AFFECT OTHERS! "No man is an island!" Everybody's influencing somebody--even when you seem to be all alone! "For none of us liveth to himself, & no man dieth to himself."--Rom.14:7. Whether we live or die, we have some effect on others & the World.--You're either going to pull people up to your level or drag them down to yours--one or the other! It's up to you!
         130. AND THE PLACE TO START IS WITH YOU!--Your own heart, your own mind, your own spirit, your own life. IF YOU CAN CHANGE JUST ONE LIFE, EVEN YOUR OWN, YOU HAVE CHANGED A PART OF THE WORLD, & you have proven that there is hope that it can ALL be changed! The place & the very atmosphere around you will be changed if even you change yourself by the power of God's Love!
         131. THEN CHANGE NOT ONLY YOUR OWN LIFE BUT ALSO THOSE OF YOUR OWN FAMILY, OF YOUR OWN HOME. You'll have a new home, a new family, with new lives, new minds, new hearts, new spirits, filled with the Truth & the Love of God, the life of God, the Word of God. Then your little family can start trying to change the people you contact from day to day, just as we do.
         132. YOU CAN EVEN GO OUT & MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT DAY OR NIGHT TO REACH LONELY, HUNGRY, NEEDY HEARTS in places where they gather for recreation, solace, comfort & entertainment, seeking love, seeking truth, seeking something they know not what, but seeking happiness, desperately seeking to satisfy their longing, yearning hearts.
         133. YOU WILL FIND THAT THERE ARE MANY AROUND YOU WHO ARE LONELY & LONGING FOR LOVE, just waiting for you to make the first move! So many poor folks today who are always seeking genuine love, seldom, if ever, find it simply because there are so few of God's people who are willing to SHOW them His real Love & MANIFEST it by GENUINE PROVING ACTION, to help them with their PHYSICAL NEEDS.
         134. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MERELY SAY TO THEM, "I LOVE YOU", & yet not try to help them physically in whatever way they may need--food, clothing, shelter, companionship & so on--this is NOT love! True, the need for real love is a spiritual need, but it must be manifested physically in works--"faith which WORKETH by LOVE!"--Gal.5:6.
         135. THE ONLY LOVE OF GOD THEY CAN SEE IS THE LOVE THEY CAN SEE IN YOU, & if you don't show them the love they can SEE & FEEL, they're going to have a hard time believing that there IS Someone up there Whom they don't know & that HE really loves them.
         136. SO STEP OUT BY FAITH & TALK TO SOMEONE TODAY ABOUT LOVE & TRY TO MAKE THEM HAPPY! Be a faithful witness & testimony to what has happened to you where you are, what God has done for you personally, & you can start changing your part of the World!
         137. AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO WITNESS PERSONALLY, JUST READ THE GOSPELS.--That's what JESUS did most of the time. Most of the time it was personal witnessing, & very seldom that He ever preached to crowds. See how He handled personal witnessing, how He handled questions! It is just beautiful!
         138. AND IF WE PREACH CHRIST & GOD'S LOVE TO THEM & THEY RECEIVE IT AS SUCH, THEN THEY WILL BE SAVED!--And those you win to the Lord will be your friends forever!--Better yet, they'll be your BROTHERS & SISTERS FOREVER!--They'll be thankful to you for all eternity, that you told them about Jesus & showed them His Love!--Hallelujah!
         139. AND PLEASE REMEMBER, WHAT EVERYBODY NEEDS IS LOVE! The first & most important thing to show them is that you LOVE them. The greatest need of all is love. "The greatest of these is love."--1Cor.13:13.--So love someone today! Find out what wonders love can do!
         140. YOU'LL FIND A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF LOVE YOU HAVE ONLY DREAMED OF! There are wonders of love that you yourself can enjoy along with some other lonely soul--if you will only try! If you give love, you'll get love!--SO LOVE! "For God IS love" & "Love NEVER fails!"--1Jn.4:8; 1Cor.13:8.

GIVING YOUR ALL TO GOD

         141. WHEN YOU HAVE YIELDED YOUR LIFE TO GOD ON HIS ALTAR OF SACRIFICE & ASKED HIM TO TAKE IT, He will--and He will try to use it for His glory as much as you will LET Him. (See Rom.12:1) You are His & He loves you & will do His best for you in trying to make you useful & happy in His loving service for others, that you might bring them life & happiness too, as you have found it in Jesus. And since He has been preparing you for His service all of your life, He will undoubtedly use what you've learned in the past, your hidden talents, at some time or other, sooner or later, for His glory! (See Mat.25:14-30.)
         142. LIFE, LIBERTY & THE GIVING OF HAPPINESS TO OTHERS: THESE ARE THINGS THAT ONLY GOD CAN GIVE, & the only things that will ever truly satisfy your spirit! So if you want to be happy & make others happy, "SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, & all these things will be added unto you".--Mat.6:33.
         143. FOR HE DESIRES YOUR LOVE & FOR YOU TO LOVE HIM FIRST OF ALL, above all, & seek first His Kingdom!--And then if you do, He's happy to add all these other things unto you, including every desire of your heart--as long as you delight yourself in Him! "Delight thyself in the Lord; & He shall give thee the desires of thine heart!"--Psa.37:4.
         144. ALL HE ASKS IS FOR US TO COMMIT OURSELVES. He'll do everything else for us--give us strength, power, wisdom, life & love. Only GOD can do this, but we must be willing & yielded to Him, & make the decision to put HIM FIRST without reservations!
         145. ONLY THEN CAN WE FIND THE FULLNESS OF FAITH THAT WE SEEK--IN THE PATH OF COMPLETE OBEDIENCE, when we really begin to forsake all & follow the Lord! When we're willing to "take up our cross & deny ourselves" (Luk.9:23) & yield our pride & will & follow Him, all the rest will come, because He'll give us the power as we surrender to Him.
         146. WE'VE SIMPLY GOT TO DO THE OBEYING. We've got to do what we know God has told us to do! We have to first of all do the forsaking, the dedicating to God, the utter dedication, the complete commitment to God, & then He will do the rest. Do what you can do & He will do what you can't do!
         147. SO DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE!--THE BLESSINGS DON'T PRECEDE OBEDIENCE! You can't say, "Lord, You bless me & do this or that for me, THEN I'll obey." But God tests you first to see if you'll obey, and THEN He can bless you. It's such a common mistake people make!
         148. BUT IF YOU OBEY WHAT YOU KNOW GOD WANTS YOU TO DO, THEN HE WILL SHOW YOU MORE TRUTH; & when you obey that, He'll give you a little more, & step by step, as you follow Him, He shows you more & more. The trouble with most Christians is that they stopped obeying the little truth they did have, & as a result, God hasn't been able to give them any more.
         149. HE CAN MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING--EVEN YOU--IF YOU'LL JUST YIELD, TRUST & OBEY, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to TRUST & OBEY! Are YOU willing to do BOTH? The one cannot go without the other! You can't obey without trusting, & you can't trust without obeying!
         150. BUT IF YOU'RE WILLING TO BE WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE, NOT WHAT YOU ARE, BUT WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE, THEN HE CAN MIGHTILY USE YOU. In fact, there is no limit to what He can do with a man who is yielded & willing to do His Will! Are you ready?
         151. "CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE! If the LORD be God, then FOLLOW HIM! As for ME & MY HOUSE, we will serve the LORD!"--Jos.24:15; 1Ki.18:21.--And if YOU want to serve Him, you can come with us, work with us, join us, live with us or help us. WE LOVE YOU & want to help you live a life of love for Him & others. Please visit or write us for more of these Letters today!
         152. YOU ARE NO FOOL TO GIVE A LIFE YOU CANNOT KEEP FOR A LOVE YOU WILL NEVER LOSE! "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: But whosoever will lose his life for My sake," Jesus said, "the same shall save it!"--Luk.9:24. May God bless you with a New Life & a New Love in Him!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family