Good evening Pastor John,

I wanted to write down something simple that Jesus taught me a few days ago.  It is small, in that it doesn’t take up much space on paper, but it is a thought that I am confident came from Jesus, and it is a truth regarding the way of holiness.  If I may tell it:

I was about to start speaking to my wife, again…several days ago , and the Lord stopped me as the words were about to leave my mouth. I was about to begin my sentence with the word, “Usually…”  and the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “In the Spirit, there is no such thing as ‘usually’, or ‘most of the time’, or ‘generally’ “

I instantly understood God’s meaning, and in the next moment, I recounted your testimony of your father, Preacher Clark, telling you, as you continued to look on the tract room wall (by habit) for a clock that had been moved to another place,  that “The truth will save you from doing that.”  His point was that “the truth will cause you to look where He is, instead of where He was” (I am paraphrasing).

What wisdom! God is not a creature of “habit”, or “usually” or “most of the time”… and neither are His children who walk in His Spirit!  God is alive and now!  And so are we! 🙂

Jerry

Pastor John,

Many years ago, during a time when we were all assembled together in Louisville, you sat down with us and asked us a very sober question.  To paraphrase, you said something like this to us: “You all know that God will take care of you.  You know that He will be there in your time of need and when you are in trouble, that He will catch you.”  We all sat together in what felt like quiet agreement.  You then asked us, “But what if He doesn’t?  What if He doesn’t rescue you?  What if He doesn’t save you in your time of need?  What if He lets you burn up in the fire?”  I remember the room was very quiet.  If any there had an answer, we did not speak it.  You then went on to tell us that God can choose not to rescue us, and that if that is the case, He is still right and good.

You explained God in a new way that evening, new to me for certain.  You helped me to understand that we do not serve God in order to be rescued from the hard times, though He may rescue us.  We do not serve God to have our needs met or to be blessed, though He can do both.   We serve God, we bow to Him, we surrender all, because of Who and What He is. We don’t serve Him for anything that He may do for us.  He may slay us, and even then, He is still due our unconditional surrender.

Many weeks ago, the Spirit of God sat down in my truck with me.  It was like no experience that I have ever felt in the Lord.   I was at work at the time, and it was early in the morning, and for four uninterrupted hours, I knew what a completely subdued man felt like.  During that time, I was above my own thoughts as a human being.  I had no wants, no preferences, no desires, no concerns, no fear or confusion about anything.  I had no misunderstandings.  I understood man’s purpose perfectly.  I understood my purpose, perfectly, and in that place, for those four hours, I had the knowledge that whether God saves my soul or not is irrelevant to my purpose or my actions here on earth.  I knew that I was created to serve God and that I am His possession, and not my own, and whatever He did with me, with His possession, was not even a consideration of mine.

Pastor John, if I understand what you have said and what Jesus has allowed me to feel, then I would say that we may suffer terribly in this life and that Jesus may not bring the relief.  We may be hurt and suffer physical pain and loss that only a real connection with Jesus will get us through. We may not have a life that is comfortable, and it may be more sorrow than happiness.  If that is true, and we know this, and we know that our earthly condition and circumstances are God’s choice (to fulfill His holy and divine and eternal purpose), then we can endure it without being hurt, confused, and then bitter.  We can know that He loves us and that He has not forsaken His end of some imaginary deal that we have placed Him into, where we do this and He, in turn, does that.  I know that I have been guilty of thinking that way about God.

It has shown itself every time that I have been surprised or disappointed or saddened or discouraged by how things turned out. Many times in my heart I have said, “But Jesus, I thought you would…”  That was the imaginary deal that I placed God and myself into.

What is real is that we obey because He is our Creator.  We bow and must meet our appointed time to die because He is Holy.  He is free to do anything in response to our situation.  And whatever it is, He is right.  You have helped us to understand that scourging, chastening, and pruning will occur, if we obey God, just as Jesus said (Jn. 15:1-2).

The knowledge that it is God who is either hurting us or blessing us will save us.  Knowing He loves us all the while will save us. Our flesh can’t survive its imaginary deal with God.  It’s going to take the Spirit to survive this life and to meet God in peace.

The fear of feeling mistreated if God were to severely prune me even after I have done well makes me fearful and makes me want to disappear into that place where the mind of Christ is the only mind at work.  It knows God.

Jerry

=============

Hi Jerry,

Those are some sober thoughts.  I want to add that although the flesh can, and often does, imagine things about God that lead to frustration and bitterness, the covenant that God calls us to is the “real deal”.  In it, He promises, among other things, to save us from the coming wrath if we obey Him.  In the meantime, as you say, we may well suffer various trials as we go through this life. But if we are faithful to Him, we will be saved, and that will be a very great blessing!

Thank you for writing.

Pastor John

 

Good Morning Pastor John,

I woke up this morning early and had the sweetest thought. Jesus really turned my darkness into light.

I have fought depression for as long I can remember.  Even as a young girl I had a heavy sadness that seemed to follow me.  By 2010, I had been through multiple in-patient centers, seen multiple psychologists, and I cannot name all the medications I had tried.  I remember waking up and dreading seeing daylight.  I did not want to get out of bed, let alone have to try to function for another 12 hours.  I remember the day I called out to Jesus.  I was on my couch.  All the kids were gone for the day.  I lay on that couch for hours crying and wanting relief.  I had once met a person who told me about how God changed his life.  He said everything had fallen apart for him, his job, marriage, and his zeal for life.  Then one day after a really bad day, his truck broke down and he just crumbled.  He got out of the truck on the side of the road and just cried out to God.  He said he told God, “I can’t take anymore, Go!  If you are really there, then help me!  Take over my life.  I can’t take any more.”

Then a peace came, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.  After that, his whole life changed.  Now, I was leery of this story, but for some reason I remembered this as I lay there sobbing.  I cried out to Jesus. I said, “Jesus, I don’t know if you’re real or not, but if you are, I need you.  Every day is so awful.  Help me, Jesus!  Please send someone to love my babies like I do.  I am tired, Lord, and I really can’t take care of them.  Please, Jesus, I am so tired.”

Things got really bad for about two months after that.  I lost my home, and my children moved in with their dad and step-mom.  I lived on a relative’s couch.  It was during this time that I reconnected with Jerry.  I look back now, and I can see Jesus in every step. Then, I just remember feeling a little hope again.  Jesus did not instantly fix things.  He ever so gently removed damaged pieces.  Like a loving surgeon, my sweet Jesus cut and took out all that darkness, and added light.

I woke up this morning excited for my day — excited to open the blinds — excited to live. Jesus really is the light.  Literally removing my darkness. Praise God!  I am so thankful for life, for light and for Jesus. I just wanted to share that this morning.

Beth

Pastor John,

I continue to learn from the message that you preached to us 6 weeks ago. A facet of that message is that there is a place, so high above this world’s ability to choose between what is good and what is evil, that while walking in it, we will never offend His children by choosing a side, any side, we will only provoke them to rise above it. That place is the way of Holiness. It is the place that we call “walking in the Spirit”.

Jesus keeps teaching me about that place. It keeps growing. What He has just taught me, I did not know that I did not know. You have told us this and explained it, in so many ways, for decades and the Bible is filled with it… and I thought that I understood it, but I did not. This is mine now, it is a part of me, if I will remain in the spiritual place where I learned it. My flesh is scared to confess what it really means, but I know it’s Jesus. I know that you know this well, but if you will allow me, here it us:

To make a bad decision or to “do something wrong”, is not necessarily to sin. You can make a bad decision and be perfectly pleasing to God. Sin is not a tangible list of actions that can be read and performed from a list, it is the act of going against one’s own conscience. Sin is altogether a matter of the heart. If you are filled with God’s Spirit and have a clear conscience about doing something, then to do so is not sin, even if it is a bad idea. In such a case, in love, we can depend on God to faithfully correct us and show us a better way.

But if you, as a Spirit filled child of God, go against your own conscience, regardless of the act, you are sinning. Sin is a matter of the heart; “to the pure, all things are pure.” From the lesson the Lord has taught me, I will add this..

If it goes against our conscience, nothing is clean.
Nothing in and of itself is evil and there may be a holy purpose for everything under the sun, at one time or another.

Do not judge by what you see, that is not righteous judgment.
Do not judge another person based on your liberty in the Lord.
Your liberty in the Lord reaches to the boundaries of your conscience.
Keep a clear conscience and God will guide you safely home.

Jerry

============

Hi Jerry,

That’s pretty much it, and to live that way is to abide “in the liberty with which Christ has made us free.”

The ultimate standard for right conduct is not, of course, the human conscience. Rather, it is the Spirit of God. However, once we receive the Spirit, and even before then, beginning the moment when the Spirit first convicts us of sin, the Spirit itself becomes our conscience. So, there we are, back to the (sanctified) conscience again!

As you rightly said, mistakes are not necessarily sin. Ignorance is not necessarily sin, either. Even spiritual weakness is not necessarily sin (see Rev. 3:8). Without understanding this, we will certainly, at some point, condemn someone whom God does not condemn (including ourselves) and will likely do spiritual damage to an otherwise innocent person, perhaps to a brother or sister in Christ who is just weak in faith. And that IS sin (Mt. 18:6), as Paul warned the saints in Corinth, “But when you sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (1Cor. 8:12).

May God grant us the faith, love, and wisdom to stand before Him “faultless in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” and to help others to do the same.

Pastor John

We are blessed to hear these things.

I remember what God told Moses about Israel at the mount, and they were terrified at his coming down on the mountain…. that He wished they would always fear Him like they did there.

The true fear of God will bring true humility – when we are only concerned with what God thinks, above all else. What I love about that is that, is that even the most uneducated, simple minded, non-talented (as far as this world goes), newest believer can qualify to do and feel that, and to be blessed of God for it.  It’s for all who will. No experience necessary!  Just experience with God.

Gary
 

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says the Lord.“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways,and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8–9

Being humble before God includes humbling ourselves to labor because to labor was God’s original curse on humans for their sin.  What this means is, a lazy man is a rebel against God.

Being humble before God also includes humility in the face of natural disasters, disappointments, and inconveniences because they are just more of God’s ordained consequences for our sin.

Being humble also means standing up for the right, even if few others have the courage to do so.  Moses was the humblest man on earth, according to the Bible (Num. 12:3), and yet he stood fast with God and the truth through some very perilous situations, even daring to smash the people’s beloved golden calf to very tiny bits – and then making them drink it!  Jesus was even meeker than Moses, but he became furious when he saw his Father’s house being used by men to make money, and he overturned their tables and drove them out of the temple (Jn. 2:13–17).  Jesus once said, “I am meek and lowly”; at the same time, he always “called a spade a spade”, and he would boldly stand up for the helpless against the powerful who were abusing them (e.g., the hapless woman caught in adultery).

Men can appear to be humble by making a show of their humility.  But be careful.  Before judging someone to be humble, let us pause to consider what God thinks humility is.  His thoughts are not our thoughts, and He is not fooled by appearances, as we so often have been.

Hey,

As you have probably heard, same sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court. Honestly, it made me want to throw up; I literally felt sick to my stomach. Then, I felt angry, as I usually feel towards this subject, not an anger that most people think of. It’s not an “I’m mad” kind of anger, it’s hard to describe. And, then I felt sad, and thought, “God have mercy.”  As I was going to bed, I had a bunch of thoughts on the subject, so I thought I’d share. 🙂

Everyone is putting what they believe on social media about the subject. So, I thought why not put mine? I know there’s a tract on Homosexuality and the Bible, I read it just to refresh myself about what the Bible really says.  I thought about posting it, but I didn’t want to put it out there as an argumentative piece. I didn’t want the situation to become a “yes and no”, “right and wrong”, “good and evil” situation that the world makes everything into. The court ruling that same sex marriage is legal is them, the government and others, saying “yes”.  Those who disagree, often religious organizations, are saying “no”. It’s all becoming a choice, a choice that’s causing more division. I thought about the “Neither This nor That” message. There is a third option. The “yes or no, etc.” is man’s righteousness. God is above all of it. He doesn’t have that kind of life; He doesn’t participate in man’s righteousness. God’s way is the third option. Then I thought, “OK, how do we get to a place where we pick option 3?”  Well, it brought me to the Stir Up the Gift of God tract.  We have to have our hearts stirred so that when the Spirit speaks, we move. God’s way, the third option, is whatever the Spirit is saying. It’s the answer for everything. So, when or if we are put in a situation where the subject of homosexuality is to come up, which with the recent legalization is going to be more prominent than ever, we need to answer back with neither “yes or no” but whatever God wants us to say. I often feel like I want to “fight” against homosexuality. People always “fight” for it, I feel something rise up in me to “fight” against it. But, I can’t let it be a “right and wrong” kind of fight. It has to be a “godly fight”. And, in any situation, I want that 3rd option to be the only option, where, at that moment, it is whatever God says that’s important. It may be to say that I disagree or it may be a time to be quiet. But, without being stirred up in the Spirit, we won’t be able to hear his voice to tell us what to do. If not, our answer would be out of our own righteousness, not God’s righteousness.

It has always irritated me that if you disagree with homosexuality, you are “homophobic”, afraid of homosexuals. I do not fear homosexuals; I fear God’s wrath. His way is the only way. So, we shouldn’t fear man; we should fear God. “What does it matter what man says about anything?” Does it matter that men legalized same sex marriage? In the end, God is going to have the final say and judgment. I pray that he has mercy on this country. And, I pray for all those who disagree with homosexuality, that God will give them strength to keep those right feelings in their heart and not pick the “yes or no” option, but to choose God’s way.

All in all, it shouldn’t be “this or that”. God’s people need to be in a place where we aren’t in man’s righteousness, caught up with the world’s decisions. If we stay in God, then we won’t have to quarrel and debate. His way will be the only way, and it’s the answer. I’ve really enjoyed the “Stir Up the Gift of God” message. The way the world is turning, with this situation, all of the politics, governmental control, the whole race issue, I feel like there’s a lot that is happening and it’s only going to get worse. But, having our gift stirred is the only answer to it all. It’s all that’s going to matter. It’s comforting to know that we can have the answer and not be caught up in the world’s troubles. I’m thankful to have the life I have, and I don’t ever want to take that for granted. 

Looking forward to seeing you soon. 🙂

Love,

Danielle

==========

Thank you, Danielle, for this. You are a wise young lady, and the wisdom of God that you have embraced will keep your soul from much confusion – though what trials it will lead you into is yet to be seen.  No matter what trials that confessing the truth will lead to, however, they will not be worthy of comparison with the eternal reward God will give you in the end.

Stay the course.  Stay humble.  Keep the gift of God stirred in your soul.  And when this short, trouble-filled life is over, you will have an eternity of uninterrupted joy and peace.

I hope to see you and yours soon, too!

God bless,

Pastor John

==========

Good morning pastor John,

When I got home last night and looked at fb I saw all the rainbow posts supporting homosexuality. I even  saw a photo of rainbow colored lights shining on the Whitehouse. I too had posted a rainbow photo.  I immediately felt like I should not have posted my rainbow because it may be confused for a show of support for  homosexuality. When I see a rainbow I have such a pure joy. I always have the same feeling. It makes me feel like Jesus is saying ” Hi there. I am still here my daughter”. I always feel like it is a special gift just for me. I was talking to Jesus about His rainbow being used for such an abomination and had the sweetest feeling from Jesus. My rainbow is pure. My life in the spirit is pure. My rainbow is a gift from my Jesus. After feeling this I couldn’t feel any of that anger or disgust. I felt like Jesus let me know just to keep my heart with Him. Let my rainbow be His rainbow. Oh pastor John I am so thankful for the truth. I am thankful for our gifts from Jesus. I am thankful for His rainbow.

I loved Danielle’s email. I love that our young people are strong in Jesus. This world is such an awful place to live in without Him.

Beth 

Hi Pastor John,

On Wednesday night in the meeting I was so touched when Tom and Anna sang, “Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God” – that was just absolutely so beautiful to me. It touched my heart so deeply and it was just as though Jesus was singing it to me; it really felt that way, and I’m sure others were touched too. The feelings of it were so soft, tender, gentle and encouraging. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that sweetness like that before. I wanted them to keep on singing it over and over. It just brought tears to my eyes and I spent the rest of the meeting feeling it over and over and teary the rest of the time.

On the way home I spent the whole time thanking Jesus for that; with all my heart. And yesterday throughout the day I was thanking Jesus for it, and asking him to help me to seek first His kingdom.

I felt very, very thankful and I long for the next time. That meant so much to me.

I hope your day is good.

Jenny

Hi Pastor John,

I really enjoyed reading this TFM (below).  It reminded me of the dream that I had when I was asked in the dream, “Do you know what being established means”?  I started to shake my head yes, but I replied like a little school boy, “No, not really”.  Then the lady in my dream said, “Well, let me tell you.  Jesus, is the only one who kows the way, and to be established means that noone will be able to remove you from off this path”.

http://goingtojesus.com/site/php/thoughts.php?tname=tfm06-23

Billy M

I love these thoughts from the latest Blog, John… they come from that “other” world.  Where it’s not “yes” or “no”, but it’s Jesus! 

With the mind of God, Herod could have been just like Solomon, when he was ready to divide that baby, and had an answer that men would have marveled at.  Had he answered with your wise answer, and said that John the Baptist’s head was worth more than 1/2 his kingdom, he would have gone down in history as a wise and righteous ruler.  Instead, he went down in history as a despot, and a fool.  It’s all a matter of the heart.

Oh, I love these thoughts, yes I do!

Gary

 

WORTH MORE THAN HALF THE KINGDOM

Herod, on his birthday, made a feast for his chief officials, the captains of a thousand, and the leading men of Galilee, and the daughter of [Herod’s wife] Herodias came in and danced, and she pleased Herod and those banqueting with him.  And the king said to the girl, ‘Ask of me whatever you desire, and I will grant it to you.’  And he made an oath to her: ‘Whatever you ask of me, I will grant you, up to half of my kingdom!’  So when she went out, she said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for myself?’  And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptizer.’  And immediately, she hurried in to the king and made her request, saying, ‘I want you to give me, right now, the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.’  And the king was deeply grieved, but because of the oaths and those feasting with him, he would not refuse her.  And so, the king sent an executioner and commanded that his head be brought in at once.  And he went out and beheaded him in the prison, and carried his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.”

Mark 6:21–28

If Herod wanted to give this dancing girl anything up to half of his kingdom, it was no one’s business but his.  It was perfectly lawful and permissible for him to do that, even if it was foolish for him to make such an offer because he enjoyed someone’s dancing.  Herod was probably drunk, having been at his birthday bash for a while before the girl danced; but again, the King was well within his rights as king to make that offer.  Even one of Jesus’ parables upheld the legality of a man doing whatever he wanted to do with what is his (Mt. 20:15).

But it was when the young girl, after being advised by her wicked mother, asked for the head of John the Baptist that Herod showed what a great fool he really was.  A sane response to the girl’s insane request would have been that John the Baptist was worth more than half his kingdom, more even than all of it.  God certainly thought so.  That is why He warned His people, “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm!” (1Chron. 16:22; Ps. 105:15).

But Herod was a fool.  He did not value John as he should have, and so, he foolishly fell into his wife’s trap and assented to the ungodly request.

The apostles warned us that there are people around us like Herod’s wicked wife who will also lay traps for our souls.  They hate the truth as she did, and those who speak it, and if we get drunk on the things of this world, they will take advantage of our weakness and get us to agree with something that we should not agree to.  Our safety is in esteeming the things of God above everything in this life, all we have and even all that we are.  When the love of God fills our hearts as it did the prophets, Jesus, Paul, and others, nothing can move us to say or do anything which does not please God.  We will please God in everything, and keep our victory over sin.