I am sitting on the back porch reading the papers you gave us.  I was reading the last part of Psalm 26:2: “Purge my heart and my mind!”  I had my eyes closed and was saying to the lord, “Lord, purge my heart and my mind.”  Just as I said “mind”, a big bird flew under the porch, grabbed my hair, and started fluttering around!  Then it took off into the woods!

Jimmy T

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That’s a great story, Jimmy!  Do you think Jesus sent that bird to carry your mind away into the woods?  God works in mysterious ways, you know.

Seriously, thanks for this.  Brightened up my morning.

Pastor John

Hi John,

Wow!! I loved the testimonies this morning!  And Amy’s song!  and Gary’s!!! Thank you, Jesus, for your mighty power from above that you let move our bodies, and clean our minds and thoughts!  I loved your preaching today, John.  I have been reading in Deuteronomy about all the things you were preaching on.

Why can’t we just believe God, no matter what anything else looks like?  Does any of it matter to God?  His ways are right!!! no matter what anyone on earth says!! That is so simple! What is it that Christianity has that is more valuable than what God himself says!!  Whatever He says is enough!!

I love this truth.  It is right, and it will be right until the end, and beyond, forever and ever!!  It takes God and faith to believe this holy truth.

Stuart

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Just listened to your message from yesterday again.  It really is as bad today as it was in the Old Testament.  That was really good to be reminded of that, because we are in a desert land, but God gave us life.

I also wanted to thank you for the new camera and for John David and Stuart doing the work that they do so we can enjoy the meeting with everyone.

Natalie

Pastor John,

I talked to the case worker for Mama recently and found out she will be permanently placed in a home and will not be returning to either of her homes. They picked her up on her birthday while she was at a doctor’s appointment and took her to a place that deals with dementia and other issues. Now, when I first found out about this, my heart hurt. I wasn’t sure exactly why I was so sad about it. I know it’s the best thing for her, but I kept thinking about how she must be feeling. One thing that bothered me was that it was on her birthday when they picked her up. Oh, but Jesus! (I will come back to that part in a minute.)

The case worker told me that all of Mama’s property and assets will be sold to pay for her care. After hanging up, I felt sad that the last bit of my grandfather’s land will be sold to strangers. Then Jesus helped me see that it is my Mama’s stubbornness that has robbed us of our inheritance. At one time, my brother offered to help her and to be her appointed guardian, but she would not cooperate with him. She would not yield. Now the courts will make all of her decisions for her. All these years of people trying to help her, and she would not yield! While I was thinking on this, Jesus showed me that the spirit of slander walks hand-in-hand with a stubborn spirit.

Whenever you will not yield to what is right and good, and go your own way, you are really slandering what is right and good so that you can justify your choices. But then, as I sat in the car taking this all in, Jesus showed me more. He warned me that those two spirits stubbornness and slander – are not just “out there” in the world; they are at work in the body of Christ. The choice to be stubborn robs the children of God of our inheritance (each other), and slanders those who are not stubborn! And that is not much different from the loss I and my siblings will now suffer because of the lifetime of my Mama’s stubbornness!

Now I find that I am thankful that Jesus has done this for Mama. She has no more choices. She must live clean, and eat, and take her medicines. I see now that there is such mercy for her from Jesus in this. Mama could not get out from under the spirit of stubbornness, or she didn’t want to, so Jesus took her choices away. For her, it is a blessing, but for us in the body of Christ, it is a warning that God may take our choices away if we do not stay humble and listen to those who love us in Christ.

Any time a brother’s heart is hardened because of stubborn self-will and he is loses fellowship with the body, just look at the blessing, the precious gift that the body of Christ has lost! We lose a husband, or a dad, or an uncle, a brother, a son. We lose part of our inheritance from Jesus!

Pastor John, I and my siblings spent a whole lifetime making up excuses for and covering up for my Mama’s stubbornness and hoarding, and I am so relieved to finally see it for what it is. I am so relieved Jesus stepped in and took Mama’s choice away! My entire family has given in to her for as long as I can remember, and in doing that, we could not do what was right and good for Mama, or for any of us. Now, we have lost our inheritance.

The last thing I found out was that Mama did not have be picked up and taken away on her birthday. Previously, when the case worker tried to talk with Mama and take her at an earlier time, Mama would not open the door, and even held up a sign to the window saying, “I am not leaving this house until my Dr’s appointment on my birthday 4-18-17.” Mama did not mean that she would leave on that date to go to the facility she is in now; she was just refusing to leave the house until that date. So, to be taken to the facility on her birthday was actually HER choice. And now, my heart is at peace and I am thankful that Jesus did all of this and that he loved me enough to show it to me.

I pray to yield to his will, and not be stubborn. I pray to be willing to surrender or to keep whatever Jesus wants me to. I also pray if I am wrong, you will correct me so I can be what is right and good.

Beth

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This sounds right and good to me, Beth. May God help us all to stay humble and to obey His Son. Jesus is our hope and our light. I do hope that now, at last, your mother will be taken good care of. She obviously could not, or would not take care of herself or her property.

Pastor John

Pastor John,

I have been thinking about Wednesday night’s meeting all day. I love the mercy God shows all of us.​ ​ I love what God molds us into. ​​When we were reading Psalms last night​,​ I kept thinking how I was a person who thought God did not do anything about sin and wickedness. ​ ​I mocked God at times.​ ​ I did not know the truth then because I did not know my Father or His judgment, ​but then Jesus re​-​created me and gave me a heart that fears Him and wants to seek His ways. ​ ​That is so beautiful and full of mercy.​ ​ This world will not get down on their face in a room full of people and let God touch them like J​— did last night. ​ ​This world will not stand up and share their hearts about the love for their wife like sweet Brother Jimmy did. ​ ​I love hearing how Jimmy wants to be close to Debbie in Heaven. ​ ​I ask Jesus all the time if Jerry and I can share a mansion and Michelle can live right next door. 

I love what Jesus turns us into. ​ ​There is nothing else I would want to be but mushy and sweet and wide open to share it. ​ ​When I came to my first meeting seeking the holy ghost​,​ Donna Nelson said our music was so genuine. ​ ​That struck my heart that day and stayed with me. ​ ​Now, ​every time I see how real Jesus makes us​,​ it stirs deep down in my heart. ​ ​Oh Praise God for making us real!​ ​ ​Praise God for real feelings, ​and for ​new ​hearts to be what Jesus is making us be. ​ ​Jesus is making us into what will please God.​ ​ Whew! ​ ​That takes my breath away today. ​ ​Makes me want to lie on my face and let him cut and mold and shape me into whatever He pleases.​ ​ I love that our brother stood up with tears and said​,​ “I don’t want to be ​me.”​ ​ What mercy that is from Jesus, ​to want to be better, to want to be more like Him.

I love His mercy ❤

Beth

Hi Bro John, 

I want to tell you about a sweet little experience I had this morning. Jesus is always on time when we need encouraging.

At 7:30 this morning, I read the “Remember What the Spirit Has Been Saying” that Bro Gary sent out late last night, – ​  It was “Keep asking for an answer.​”​ And that was an answer to the prayer I had just prayed around 4:30 this morning.

I woke up at 4:15 this morning with my feet burning in new places & I started talking to Jesus about all the pain I’ve had this week  – reminding him of how bad I hurt Tues​day​ night & didn’t get to sleep until close to 3:30 Wednesday​ morning. I talked to him about all the on-line research I’ve done for the past two years trying to find help for my feet, the doctors I’ve seen & followed all their recommendations & still the relief is minimal. ​ ​Still telling him my heart, I said, “Jesus, I am so tired & so worn out, would you please help me & make this better for me?”​ I reminded him of the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years before he healed her & I said, ​”​Lord, I’ve hurt with both these feet since 2006 & that’s 11 years for me, will you heal me when I get to 12 years like you did her?​  If not, I just don’t feel like I have the energy to keep researching, looking for answers, going to new doctors & sometimes I just feel like giving up. ​ ​But Lord, I know that all it would take is just a touch from you, so how can I give up, you’ve always been there for me even though right now I don’t see anything happening to improve the condition of my feet.”​

So about 7:30 this morning, I got up & read the emails & there was Brother Gary, with a message from you & right on time with “Keep asking for an answer.”​

Well, that made me feel so much better!! I am grateful for the messages & reminders that God sends our way & I pray that He continues to bless those that do this for us.

Hope you have a very good day.

Sheila

John,

I know I sent this to you again about 6 months  ago. But, I think about this message and re-read it often. It is so true. 

Thanks,

Paul C.

I listened to your sermon from Sunday.  The title was called, “Your choices determine your future.”   I felt as though it was going to be good.  It was!  Here are some things that really touched me that you preached.

(1)  Our lives, right now, are the result of the decisions we have made in the past.

(2)  After Adam made his decision, after the deed was done, he had no more choice. He could only reap what he had sown.  You are going to reap what you have sown!

(3)  Whether we want it this way or not, our choices determine our future. Adam lost his happy life.  He ate sorrow the rest of his time on earth.  He had no choice about that because he had made the wrong choice.

(4). You then asked a question John, you asked, “Do you have any good thing in your life that you  want to keep?” Do you really want to keep your blessings?  The key is to live like you want to keep them.  You have to have thankfulness for what God has giving you – health, wealth, the people in your life – treat those people land things like you value them because things can change, and will change.

(5). God told Adam, “In the day you eat thereof, you will die.”  Adam didn’t believe it, and he didn’t value his happy life, so God gave him another one.

(6). Don’t play around with your blessings.  You may wake up one day to find them gone, and there may not be a way to get them back.  Value them!

(7). God has blessed us with the freedom to make choices, but once our choice has been made and the deed done, the results are entirely up to God.  You have no say-so in that.

We have to take advantage of the opportunity to make the right choices!

This was just the first four tracks of the CD.  It made me consider the times, today.  God is so good!  Let’s choose God first.

 

 

Such wonderful feelings tonight!  Feelings!  I was soaking up every part of the meeting.  Fellowship is in the feelings.  Pray to have God’s feelings.  I loved the testimonies and the music.  We are blessed to be able to listen to such things!  Words can’t describe the feelings! 🙂

Carrie

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Hey Pastor John!

I loved the meeting.  Jesus knew exactly what my heart needed this week.  I loved what you said about feelings and about sin coming from the heart.  I was talking to Jesus while mowing the lawn recently.  I was thinking about everything that Jesus has done in my life the last few months, and really just wanted to have a conversation with him.  I asked why some things are so easy when he gets rid of them. He just takes them away, and we are perfectly content with it. Then I proceeded to ask why other things are more painful and hurt/sting when he starts removing them.  It’s not that you don’t want them gone, but they just hurt a little more in the process.  I immediately heard back, “Those are the things that keep your heart from ME!”  He answered the question! 🙂  Rather it is people or things, if they keep our heart from fellowship and feelings, he wants them gone. But He doesn’t leave us empty. The sweet thing I’ve noticed lately is the more I let go and let God do the work to remove those things, the more He replaces with Him and what He wants for us.  I am thankful for my conversation with Jesus and for feelings.

I also had something else happen.  The testimonies tonight reminded me of it.  When I came home from NC, I could not find my favorite pair of sandals.  I looked everywhere for them.  I was sure I had not left them at the beach.  And I knew I had not taken them with me to NC.  I finally gave up looking.  But I was really disappointed and told Jesus how they were my favorite pair.  I didn’t really want to spend the money on a new pair.  I was perfectly content with them, and just really wanted to find them.  I had forgotten about it and moved on.  While cleaning this past Saturday I found them!  I’m thankful that Jesus heard my prayer.  It’s so sweet to think that Jesus cares about something as small as a cheap pair of sandals.

Anyways, I wanted to share! The meeting stirred those up in me. Miss you and hopefully will see you soon!

Margo

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Pastor John,

I heard two things from the Spirit this evening, while you were preaching.  I want to share them.

Feelings: “Don’t confuse God’s feelings with your opinion”; they are not the same thing.  God’s feelings are not just another option among many.  God’s feelings are truth, they create, and they govern all of creation.  What He feels, is.

Being a Loner:  “You can be a loner sitting right here in this meeting.”  And you can be in perfect unity with the body of Christ even in their absence. Being a loner isn’t cutting yourself off from God’s children; it is cutting yourself off from the feelings of God, and you can do that while surrounded by the body of Christ.

Jerry

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Pastor John.

I loved the feelings last night and the testimonies. It reminded me of a conversation I had with my boss’s boss. He called me to congratulate me on my raise, and I told him Jesus did it and he agreed. We began to talk about Lord, and he brought up how we surround ourselves with good people and how they can help lift us up when we are not able.  He used the example of when they tore a hole in the roof of the house and let the sick man down for Jesus to heal. What struck me was all that has been said through the weekend and last night.

Token’s testimony last night about asking the body for advice touched me; it made me want to be in touch with the Spirit so I can be a help, not a drain on the body.  Makes me want to do my part so I can lower someone down to be healed by Jesus or lift someone up to him.  Just everything makes me want to give my whole heart to God.

Also, I want to thank everybody for all they have done for me and my family.  We could have not made it without you all in every way. Hope to see you all in the near future.

Greg

Pastor John, 

I think these are some of the most wonderful and encouraging words: 

Revelation 22:17

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

 Romans 10:13

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Beth

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Yes, Beth, they are precious, encouraging words.

Pastor John