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1. Never run from a dog, or he may chase you! There are a lot of things I should have run from that I didn't & got beat up! Once in awhile I ran, but I found out you should never run from a dog, that's for sure, because then they'll attack you! They figure you must be guilty or you wouldn't be running! Aren't dogs smart? If you stand up & challenge them, they back off! They figure, "Well, maybe he's got some right to be here for some reason."—Especially if you challenge them in the Name of Jesus! I've stopped them in their tracks! You never ever turn your back on a dog that's barking & growling & snapping, or he will definitely bite you then! You face him, you never turn your back! Mama knows this too, she's seen me go through a few of these encounters on our walks. Always be prepared to defend yourself & face the dog. He may be standing there barking & snapping & growling & snarling & baring his teeth like he'd just like to get a hunk out of you, but if you look him right in the eye, especially with the power of the Holy Spirit, usually he'll go that far & no further, he'll stay a few feet away. And if you've got a good stick that looks like you can whack him one, sometimes that will keep some of them away.—Although I've had'm grab the end of my stick sometimes!

2. As I've told you, the surest method is a missile, & I'm not talking about rockets!—The very earliest missile Man ever learned to use, the same kind of missiles that little David used with Goliath! You just stoop right down & pick up a rock! Don't turn your back to do it though, keep facing him & look around out of the corners of your eyes if there are any rocks around on the ground‚ & if you dive for a rock & throw it at him, he will run! And I have found—& Mama has seen this happen—if I couldn't see any rocks or anything to throw, I pretended I was reaching for a rock. I just reached down on the ground & grabbed something & the dog couldn't tell whether I'd really found a rock or not! I'd hold it back like this & that's all you have to do! In fact, usually if you just reach for a rock they'll run! Remember that, it's very important! If you're out someplace where people don't lock their gates & leave their wild dogs running wild‚ you may wish you'd remembered this!

3. So I've never run from a dog, but sometimes I've run from countries!—From country to country!—Ha! Sometimes it pays to run, the Lord recommended it. He said in some cases you're to flee, don't try to stay & fight it out.—Mat.10:23. Maybe you can stay a little while & fight it out until you see you can't win, & you're bound to lose because they've got the upper hand. The System always wins, you can't fight City Hall, & when it gets too tough & too rough & you really can't do your job‚ then get out! That's a good time to run!—AMEN?

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family