Pastor John,

Wednesday night, you commented on the verse from Romans 11:22:

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.“

You said, “It’s (referring to ‘continuing in His goodness‘) an opportunity! It’s not a grievous commandment; there’s some goodness we can keep in!”

That’s so good!!

Jerry

Pastor John,

This morning as I was driving into work, I was listening to a CD and you were preaching on Revelation and how the Beast is going to destroy the Harlot and bring her to desolation. You said the only reason that it has not happened yet is because God still has children out there, but once all of his obedient children come out of her, she will be destroyed. You said the only thing that is keeping them is the power of God, for some of His children still have a connection with Him. You said that the only reason we are protected is because of the power of God. The power of God is keeping us hidden and is keeping His children that are still out there, in that religious system God hates.

The Spirit fell on me, and with tears I began praying for His children everywhere and for us. I felt like the spirit redefined the power of God in my heart. What a powerful and humbling feeling it is, to be protected by God’s power. To be given the truth, to understand and love the truth, is a precious, humbling thing, something not to be taken lightly. I had the thought, “Jesus, the truth you have given to us is worth everything.”

I feel the Spirit just covering me like a blanket. How humbling to be kept by God.

I pray that all of God’s children will take heed to His call and come out of her. There is so much love outside those gates, and He’s just waiting to pour it out on all of His children.

Michelle

Pastor John,

Whew! Enjoyed this article: “Self-will: The Door to Insanity” .

This excerpt – wow!

“Self-will is the way that humans conjure up demons from their place of damnation to come inhabit a new home, a human one.”

To understand that “self-will”, which is rebelliousness, is to practice the “sin of divination”, is a profound thought, Pastor John.

The will of God for us is a safe place.  It is a place (the only place) that He created for us that is free from such things.

But I love most of all the simple answer that you gave us for this, and whatever else we stumble at: “Stay happy and free, and just do the simple, sweet will of God in Christ Jesus.”

Only the Truth is simple.  And I’m noticing as I go along, all other conversation that is edifying, is simply had to get us back there.

Thank you for this.

Jerry

Hi, Pastor John:

Your most recent blog, Self-will: The Door to Insanity, touches on the same story that I have been reading the last couple of weeks.  I have spoken a little about this with Aaron & Vince last week, and asked them about the translation of the word “enquired”, as in I Samuel 28:6.  And Saul enquired of Jehovah, but Jehovah did not answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.  Also, in the scripture I Chronicles 10:14, it says, “And (Saul) enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse” (1Chron. 10:14). 

I thought, “Wait a minute.”  It says Saul enquired of the Lord in I Samuel, but in I Chronicles 10:14, the scripture states that Saul did not enquire of the Lord.  Insomuch that in 1Chronicles 10:13, God killed Saul, or rather, Saul died for his transgression by the hands of the Philistines because, 1) The transgression he committed against the Lord, even the word of the Lord, which he kept not, (or the words spoken from Jehovah to Samuel for Saul)., and 2) asking counsel of the one that had the familiar spirit to “enquire of it”. 

I asked Aaron Nelson if the two words “enquire” are the same words in Hebrew.  Aaron said that the word “enquire” in I Samuel is more of a formal way of enquiring about something, as Saul did in this case, as with the Urim, the prophets, or even dreams.  The same English word “enquire” in I Chronicles is not the same Hebrew word or meaning. The word there means “seeking, or to seek”.  

I thought, “That explains it.”  Both are right in their own context.  In Saul’s court, to others that were there, it appeared on the outward appearance that Saul was seeking God, but he was not seeking God in I Chronicles (with his heart) as David did when he sinned against the LORD.  God did not answer Saul when Saul was enquiring of the LORD in Saul’s court because Saul was not seeking for an answer, but did as he thought to do.  And when God did not answer Saul as Saul thought Jehovah should do, Saul enquired of the one with the familiar spirit. I Chronicles is correct, Saul did not seek God; Saul wanted an answer to his way, the way he thought God should answer him. 

I pondered about seeking God.  I asked myself, “Jesus, do we seek after you when we gather in the meetings just for an appearance (as in a formal nature as Saul did), or are we seeking you from our hearts?  This latter way, you don’t have to speak a word, but pour out your spirit unto the Lord.  The best we can do if God is not speaking or answering us is to do nothing.  Not like Saul did when he continued to enquire to get an answer he wanted to hear.  If we are doing anything in formality unto God, is it our own self-will?  The word “formality” has a base word, “form”; it is not from the heart, and God will not hear it. 

Bill M. 

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Pastor John, 

I really like the point and the lesson contained in brother Billy’s email – I have read it several times; it has a good message.

There is a difference in praying simply because it is appropriate for religious folk to submit to prayer, versus “seeking the Lord” because we really want to know what the Lord wants.

The first “seeking” being nothing but etiquette, a polite form to say that we did it; we can submit to prayer without ever submitting to God.  But the second “seeking” is a sincere plea for God to intervene and change our life – to change us!

It gave me a new perspective on what it is that is really being said, when someone suggests to another that they should “pray on a thing.”  Asking the Lord is only a part, and by itself a useless – if not damning part- were the Lord to answer on deaf ears.  But submitting to be changed is what praying means.  It means being willing to step in as one person, and then step back out another – every time!  That is the only prayer that has ever reached Jesus! 

Wonderful!  

Jerry

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These emails about praying have been so good to me. It makes me wonder about when one says, “I am praying for you.”  Is that just a phrase that we learned to say in Christianity?  OR are we EARNESTLY going to our quiet spot and praying for that person or situation.  And getting very real with Jesus!  It is a very HEARTFELT thing.  And we can feel those heartfelt prayers when ones are praying for us.  And I am so thankful for these prayers. 

All of these emails have made me stop and think.

Diane

 

Pastor John, 

I went back and listened to what you said about zeal without knowledge from God.  These last few years, I have prayed asking Jesus to please let me hold onto my zeal, but without knowing how vital the knowledge of God is to go with that zeal!  Without knowing that, what I have been praying so desperately for Jesus to let me have might have harmed me IF it were not for the mercy of the Lord, that we have an anointed pastor to teach us and guide us.  Jesus has been teaching me what that really means.  We don’t even know what to pray for without hurting ourselves!

Jesus has so lovingly put in place everything we need, to be taken care of.  What about all God’s people out there, following men with no anointing?  Just men with their own ideas, and their own agendas, and nothing from God!  I feel so very, very blessed, and so very small!

I feel like I am seeing what we have been given more clearly.  I woke up thinking about it.  I feel very loved.

Beth D.

Pastor John, 

Yesterday’s message regarding zeal for God, without knowledge, gave me a brand new perspective on this scripture, from Hosea (4:6): “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” 

I have always considered that scripture to mean that God’s people wither and perish for what they DON’T do, due to lack of knowledge.  But now I see how all the more, destruction can come from what God’s people WILL do because of the lack of the knowledge of God. 

In our time, buildings (and human beings) are being blown up; wars are started; hatred abounds; and misappropriated love toward what is evil is everywhere. All of this is due to the lack of the knowledge of God, but a zeal to go forward in his name, nonetheless.

A prayer for “zeal for God,” without having the knowledge of God is a prayer for more energy to – go in the wrong direction!

I have never considered this.

Thank you for that! 

Jerry

Hey Pastor John, 

You know that expression, “What a difference a day makes?”  I was just laying here thinking, wow what a difference the holy Ghost makes. 

I love the feelings today.  I felt like everything was lifted and all that remained was me and Jesus!   

It was perfect!  I LOVE living!  I love living with my family! It is complete satisfaction!  

Michelle 

Pastor John, 

I loved what you said today about zeal and about knowledge from God.  This is what I heard from you: Zeal can take you anywhere, good or bad, and zeal can be used anywhere, rightly or wrongly; pray for knowledge from God.

This changed my whole heart on zeal.  I have held zeal very high on my list for a while now. I pray often for Jesus to please not to take my zeal away.  I have been attributing zeal with life.  But the Spirit is life.  It felt so good today when you taught about this.  Zeal can be used anywhere!  Zeal is used everywhere.

And there is no difference between the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews, the Athiest – without the holy Ghost, they are all in the same condition.  They are all serving the same dead god.  I know you have said this, but today it just seems so much clearer. The five pillars of Islam are just like Christianity or Jewish rituals.

I know Jesus can use zeal, too, and I want to have everything Jesus wants me to have.  I want to have the exact amount Jesus wants me to have.  But, boy, this sure changed how I looked at things.  I had zeal on the top of my list! 

Beth D.

Hi John.

I can’t recall how many times that I have read and listened to the tract: Spirit of a Serpent, Spirit of a Dove, but it has been scores.  Every time that I listen to it, there are new thoughts and feelings in each of the sections: “the serpent”, “the Dove”, “the Stone”, and “Jesus”.  There are so many things that I have learned about myself and others listening to your words.  In my recording room the other night, when you read the section about shooting the dove and then finding it alive – that is the section that hits home to me the most.  God’s children are referred to sparrows in the Bible, and look how God cares for them!  And Jesus said that we mean more to God than small, fragile sparrows. 

The Lord reminded me, through your testimony concerning the dove that you shot long ago, that the opportunity to receive God’s mercies and to love one another is a precious gift.  God can heal wounds, and a broken reed He can straighten, and a smoking flax He won’t quench.  His mercies are new and available every morning.  All of God’s little sparrows are precious in His sight, and if the mind of Christ is in us, we feel the way God does about them. 

Just wanted to share some feelings.

Billy

Wow, Pastor John. 

I was sitting here typing, thinking on the Lord and some things that we, as frail human beings, experience in our daily life. 

I was considering how we can easily get engrossed in our work, beating and banging away all day, trying to produce as much as we can, sometimes losing sight of the fact that the Lord sustains us, not our job – the job is just the vehicle by which he delivers that blessing.  Or he can just rain manna 🙂 

As I was thinking on these things, and how we may give ourselves over to worry during turbulent times in our field or industry, or even the global economy, and how we may worry about whether we will have a job.  Or we get concerned about the amount of work we have now, and whether it is enough to sustain us, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “That is the equivalent of Nebuchadnezzar stepping out onto his balcony and declaring in his heart, that he was responsible for all that his eye could see.”

The Lord was telling me that to worry about your future is to boast that you are responsible for your past.  To worry about what will come is to say in your heart that you are responsible for all that your eye can see – and not the Lord!

I have never seen it quite that way before!  I love that thought from Jesus!

Jerry