HomeARC ML 1375
POSITIVE PRAISE & FIGHTING THE DEVIL! DFO 1375 6/9/82
--Family Communion Talk.
1. WE'VE GOTTA REALLY PRAY FOR MARIA! SHE'S REALLY BEEN HAVING A BATTLE, SO TIRED ALL THE TIME WITH HEADACHES & ALL. I think it's just the Enemy fighting her. I got a good Scripture for her last night. I wasn't asking for a Scripture or wasn't expecting anything, I just laid hands on her head to pray for her &, boom, it hit me: "Be not weary & faint in your minds!" (Heb.12:3.) She's gotten discouraged about her health once in awhile.
2. THE ENEMY REALLY FIGHTS US, IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW IT, PROBABLY FIGHTS YOU SOMETIMES TOO, DOESN'T HE? After all, if he can knock THIS outfit in the head, he'd be happy! But as long as we keep fighting he can't win! I think the Lord just wanted to inspire Maria to fight a little bit more & have a little more fight--so she started fighting with me this morning!--Ha!
3. SHE REALLY GOT THE FIGHT IN HER & SHE WAS REALLY GOING STRONG! She popped out of bed & started firing away! (Maria: He wasn't ready for the battle yet though!) I wasn't even half awake yet & I wondered what was going on! (Maria: He told me, "You've gotta fight! You've gotta get out of bed & you've gotta really fight!"--So I jumped out of bed & I started to fight, not with him, but he wasn't ready!) She dashed off to start business & I said, "What in the World is going on here?" I wasn't even half awake yet, much less ready to start working!
4. (PRAYS FOR JOHN'S CONGESTION:) REBUKE IT, IN JESUS' NAME! You promised, Lord, if there are any sick among you, call for the elders of the church, the prayer of faith shall save the sick & the Lord shall raise him up! TYL! If they've committed sins, they shall be forgiven. (Jam.5:14,15) If he was careless about sitting in a draught, Lord, forgive him & help him to learn his lesson. Amen. TYJ!
5. HONEY, YOU MUST NEVER BE TOO PROUD TO ASK TO SHUT THE DOOR OR WALK OUT & GET YOUR SWEATER OR WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO! I used to be ashamed to wear a sweater when I was young & nobody else needed sweaters & nobody else was wearing coats--you know how schoolboys are--but I was always cold-blooded. They'd look at me & say, "What's the matter with you? Are you cold?"--Like I was a bit crazy or something! That social pressure of other students was really a vile diabolical thing, so a lot of times I left my sweater or jacket off when I shouldn't have, & I just had one cold after the other, flu & even pneumonia a few times!
6. BUT TTL, AFTER I FINALLY GOT TO TRUSTING THE LORD, I DIDN'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT, I JUST DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS BEST! I think it was after I got anointed with the Spirit when I was about 19, from then on I just wore a sweater or a coat or a hat or whatever I thought I needed to wear to keep warm--& I quit having so many colds & everything then! If I was cold & sitting in a draught I'd shut the door or the window or tell somebody else to shut it or turn on the heat or whatever.
7. SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO PROTECT YOURSELF, SON! If you're the only one that's cold & nobody else is, well, you can't expect them to bottle themselves up, but you can at least go put on a sweater or a coat or something. Take care of yourselves, Folks, you belong to the Lord! PTL!
8. I'M GETTING ALONG VERY WELL, TTL!--I haven't had any trouble with my stomach as long as I stay clear of anything too rough--thanks to you dear girls who are willing to blend my meals! I just decided I'd give the Lord a little cooperation & not be so hard on my stomach! If something hurts you, you ought to try something else, & the blended meals don't hurt, so I figure that will give the Lord a little cooperation & a little chance to heal it.
9. THERE ARE CERTAIN NATURAL PROCESSES THAT WILL HEAL THEMSELVES BY THE LORD'S CREATION. I don't know why I don't have the faith for a miracle, I should have. I guess as long as I can get by, I'll get by. That's what most of us do. We have to get pretty desperate before we ask God for a miracle. So PTL, I'm glad that most of us are healthy most of the time. Otherwise I feel great!
10. I WAS TELLING MARIA LAST NIGHT, YOU OUGHT TO THANK THE LORD FOR THE HEALTH YOU DO HAVE & THE STRENGTH YOU DO HAVE! She's hardly ever really sick, you know, sick in bed with something or other. She's up & around & lively & spirited when she has to be, she just doesn't have as much energy as she'd like to have. But when she has something to do, she really bounces around! She pops out of that door & talks to you all day--& that takes quite a bit of energy! Then she wonders why she's so tired after talking for hours! So PTL!
11. (SINGS: "BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE".) Originally, as you can tell by the song, it talks about the "page", & obviously the writer was thinking of the WORD, right? But the Lord IS the Word, PTL, & this is part of His body, kind of like a page out of the Book! Lord, help it to do the trick for anybody sick! We ask You to lick the Devil, in Jesus' name!
12. I HAVE A LITTLE HEADACHE SUDDENLY FOR SOME REASON. Maria, will you pray for it? (Maria: Amen, Lord, in Jesus' name, he's Your child, Lord, & Your Prophet & King & he's doing Your work, Lord, & he has been all day & every day, Lord. He's Your son & You said, "Concerning My sons, & concerning the work of My hands command ye Me." You've told us to ask what we will & it shall be done unto us. So Lord, in Jesus' name, You have healing & we ask You to give it to him right now, Lord! You said, "I am the God that healeth thee! These signs shall follow them that believe, they shall lay hands on the sick & they shall be healed!" In Jesus' name, Lord, we expect it & we have it!) (Isa.45:11; Jn.14:14; Ex.15:26; Mk.16:17,18.)
13. AMEN, I'M ALREADY BETTER! TTL! WHEN MARIA LAYS HANDS ON ME I'M ALMOST ALWAYS INSTANTLY HEALED! I really think she has the gift! When you're sick you should get her to pray for you, she's got a real gift, & always has had. TTL! You know me, I hardly ever have headaches, it's just an attack of the Enemy I'm sure. As I said, I'm sure the Enemy hates us & our work, so it's no wonder we have a few attacks. Just don't quit fighting! Just keep on fighting & you're bound to win! He can't win unless you give up! (Sings "Keep on Believing!")
14. AT FIRST THEY USED TO SING THAT "KEEP ON BELIEVING & PRAY YOUR WAY THROUGH", BUT MY MOTHER WAS A GREAT ONE FOR PRAISE! I think it must have been my Daddy who wrote it & said, "PRAY your way through," but she said, "PRAISE your way through!"--Because that's really how you get the victory!--Not just by praying & praying, that's good, but if you BELIEVE in your prayers you're going to start PRAISING the Lord for it even before you see it! TYL!
15. HAVE YOU LEARNED HEBREWS 12 YET, MARIA? She was supposed to learn it today! Can you quote it? (Maria: Well, you didn't give me a deadline! I STARTED learning it!) Well, quote it the best you can! (Maria: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which doth so easily beset us, & let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the Author & Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied & faint in your minds.") (Heb.12:1-3)
16. WE GOT THAT VERSE LAST NIGHT--WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THOUGHT IT MEANT? It speaks of "such contradiction of sinners"--Jesus had a lot of enemies--He suffered the cross. I mean, He really went through a battle & a struggle! It sounded to me like the Lord meant that you've really got to put up a fight!--That you've really got to press through & fight & endure--& fight who else but the Enemy?
17. SHE HAD ALREADY GOTTEN THIS ABOUT HER WEAKNESS ETC., THAT IT WAS ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY. (Maria: Just that morning I got quite a few verses along that same line, "We wrestle not against flesh & blood.") (Eph.6:12) It was absolutely attacks of the Enemy that kept weakening her etc. And you got the other one about "the spirit of a man sustaineth him, but a wounded spirit who can bear?" (Pro.18:14)
18. SO THE ENEMY'S REALLY ATTACKING HER & I SAID, "YOU NEED TO FIGHT! Also you need to PRAISE the Lord more instead of talking about it & murmuring & complaining about it & groaning & bemoaning your fate & your weakness & your headaches etc. And she said, "Well, I'm just trying to explain to you why I have to have so much rest & so many naps & all."--Because she's a little ashamed that she's not as tough & strong as I am. Well, not very many people are, Honey! (Maria: But even that's wrong, because the thing is, if it's not a physical thing, sleep's not going to help it any.) Yes.
19. I GAVE HER THAT VERSE TOO LAST NIGHT: "STRENGTH COMETH NOT FROM THE BED!" (Pro.6:10-11) So she said, "Well, why do we have to sleep then?" A moderate amount, a normal amount of sleep keeps your strength up, yes - but just staying in bed too long when your sick without any activity or exercise is not going to make you strong or well.
20. I SAID, "I CAN REMEMBER MY MOTHER OR FATHER BEING SO SICK & YET PRAISING THE LORD, saying 'thank You Jesus' & quoting Scriptures, singing songs! You need to go on the ATTACK! As long as you're thinking about the Scripture & the Lord & you've got a song or a praise in your mouth, you can't complain & murmur & moan & groan & bemoan about how bad you feel. You need to go on the attack & praise the Lord for the strength you DO have, thank Him for the health you DO have!"
21. BECAUSE MARIA'S ACTUALLY FAIRLY HEALTHY, no doctor's been able to find anything wrong with her. She said when she was young the doctor said she was anaemic. Well, they told me that too & here I am! I'm almost stronger & healthier than I ever was! I have a few little problems but most of the time I feel good! So you really need to attack the Enemy, & when you get down or feel down, quote Scripture, sing a song! You can't very well sing a song of praise & thanksgiving to the Lord & be complaining & murmuring & groaning & moaning at the same time!
22. MY MOTHER USED TO SAY HOW EVEN THE GREATEST MEN OF GOD SOMETIMES GOT DISCOURAGED, LIKE KING DAVID. One time before he was king he was sure that Saul was going to kill him & he actually said, "Some day I shall surely die at the hand of Saul!" (1Sam.27:1) He said it! Did he ever?--He never died at the hand of Saul! He never died until he died of old age, very very old, almost 90. So that was just the Devil talking.
23. SEE, IF YOU LET THE DEVIL USE YOUR MOUTH & YOU SPEAK DOUBTS & DISCOURAGEMENT & THE LIES OF THE DEVIL, YOU'RE PREACHING THE DEVIL'S OWN DOCTRINES, you're preaching his doubts, his discouragement, his lies! When you say: "Oh, I'm so tired! I just can't understand why I'm like this, I don't know why I have these headaches!"--I know she doesn't know why, but I think we know why now, the Devil's just attacking her! (Maria: I got that verse about "lying vanities" too.) (Ps.31.6)
24. YOU KNOW, DAVID WAS A GREAT PSALMIST, A GREAT SINGER, HE USUALLY SANG BEAUTIFUL PRAISES TO THE LORD, RIGHT? And my Mother used to say, "Thank God David never wrote a Psalm saying: 'Some day I shall surely die at the hands of Saul!'--How could you sing that?" It would have had to have been sort of a dirge or something, wouldn't it?
25. AND YET WE SOMETIMES GO AROUND GROANING & MOANING ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS & TROUBLES & THINGS. I said, "You just need to really go on the attack & refuse to talk about it! Praise the Lord & thank God for the health you DO have! Fight the Enemy, really attack! Attack, attack!" But after preaching all that to her this morning, I turned around & lost round one! The Lord always puts you to the test! We said we were going to fight the Devil & attack attack--& he almost got in his attack first!
26. BUT IT'S THE TRUTH! "Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." (Isa.26:3) If you'll keep your mind on the Lord, that keeps you from getting it on your problems & your troubles. And one of the best ways to do it--& I think I put this in "Count Your Blessings" (No.1259)--you can't groan & moan & complain & murmur very well while you're singing something positive, or while you're quoting Scripture, which helps your faith.
27. SING! QUOTE SCRIPTURE! PRAISE THE LORD! Whatever you do, don't go around moaning & groaning & murmuring & complaining the Devil's own doubts & doctrines & lies! Don't do it, or you're just letting the Enemy in when you do that. The minute you feel like doing that, start praising the Lord, start going on the attack! Sing! Quote Scripture! Do something positive! The power of positive praise! You need to read that one over again. (No.1259)
28. I CAN REMEMBER MY FATHER WOULD HARDLY EVER ADMIT HE WAS SICK, EVEN WHEN HE WAS ALMOST DEATHLY SICK! He would refuse to talk about it or even admit it & walk around with a fever, almost half-dead, praising the Lord & singing & rebuking the Devil in spite of it all! So Maria said, "Well, isn't that deceitful & not really being honest? I'm not really telling the truth if I'm going to act like I'm NOT sick when I AM!" (Maria: How do you correlate that with asking for prayer when you are sick?) She said, "How can I act like I'm well when I'm really sick? It wouldn't be honest, it wouldn't be telling the truth."
29. (MARIA: LIKE AT THE TABLE WHEN YOU ASK EVERYBODY IF THEY'RE HEALTHY & THEY ALL SAY YES, YES, then later you hear somebody has an earache & you say, "Well why did you say you were well?" Should they say yes, they are well, or they're not well?) Yes, it often appears afterward that somebody is sick & asks for prayer, so I say, "Well, why didn't you tell me that when we first asked you?" Well, you've got this bit of encouragement & Scripture to go for you on that case.
30. I WAS TELLING HER AT THE TIME THAT I'VE OFTEN BEEN QUITE SICK & I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO ADMIT IT! I don't like to give the Devil the satisfaction of hearing me talk about it! He loves to have you admit that he's made you sick. I've had that eye pattern sometimes where I was almost blind & couldn't even see to read & do my work! But things aren't too bad sometimes & we just bear'm, grin & bear it, & expect to get over it!
31. YOU KNOW, NOTHING HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT, THE LORD ALLOWS IT, & sometimes the Lord would allow it to get bad enough that I'd have to humble myself & ask for prayer & ask Maria to lay hands on me--& then I'm almost instantly healed, the Lord takes it away right away! Thank God I don't have migraine headaches with it, because I finally read about that sort of eye pattern, & it usually goes with migraine headaches. But I thank God I virtually NEVER have a headache, TTL! Even with the eye pattern I don't have it as a rule. Your optic nerve has something to do with your stomach, that's also what makes you seasick.
32. SO SOMETIMES WE'RE TOO PROUD TO ASK FOR PRAYER, that's one thing, but when you're just fighting the Enemy & you hate to admit you got sick because you just don't want to talk about it & give the Devil the satisfaction of hearing you preach it, that's another thing! She said, "Well, isn't that deceiving? Isn't that not being honest?"
33. AND IT IMMEDIATELY CAME TO ME, THE STORY ABOUT ELISHA & THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN. (2Kg.4:8-37) Remember, she had no son & the Prophet prayed that she'd have a son--& I've often wondered if maybe he didn't give it to her! Why not? She built him a little room on the side of her house & furnished it with a bed & a table & a candle & a chair, a little Prophet's chamber where he could stop by & stay when he was passing that way!
34. AND THEN ONE DAY WHEN THE BOY WAS ABOUT 12, HE DIED OF SUNSTROKE OUT IN THE FIELD. He said, "Oh my father, my head, my head!"--& he died. So immediately, by faith, his mother took him in & put him in the Prophet's room on the Prophet's bed, dead, & she ran off to Mt. Carmel quite some miles away to find the Prophet, & there she found Elisha.
35. SHE CAME & HE GREETED HER & SAID, "IS IT WELL WITH THEE?" SHE SAID, "IT IS WELL." He said, "Is it well with the boy?" She said, "It is well." Was she lying? She had such faith that even though the boy was DEAD, she had the faith that he was in God's hands & it was well with him. Dead or alive it was well & she had the faith that the Prophet would be able to come & bring him back to life! (Maria: And then she still went ahead & asked for prayer.) Yes, she went ahead then & told him what had happened & asked the Prophet to come & pray for him.
36. SO ELISHA CAME, & AS YOU RECALL THE STORY, HE LAID HIMSELF DOWN ON THE BOY'S BODY, just the way they do nowadays in the matter of the "kiss of life," etc., to warm him like they do for people in shock. I don't know whether he actually did any artificial respiration, but I think it even says he put "his mouth upon his mouth, his body on his body"--& prayed for him, of course--& the boy sneezed 7 times & woke from the dead!--Rose from the dead! So was she lying when she said, "It is well with the boy?"
37. IT'S NOT THAT HE WANTS YOU TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SICK, YOU SHOULD ASK FOR PRAYER. You should humble yourself & not be so proud that you're ashamed to admit that you're sick. And it's not easy to do sometimes, especially when you're all leaders & supposed to trust in the Lord & be blessed of the Lord. But "many are the afflictions of the righteous, yet the Lord delivereth him out of them all." (Ps.34:19) And one thing that helps to keep you so righteous is those afflictions, it keeps you close to the Lord!
38. IT'S NOT THAT YOU'VE GOT TO GO AROUND HIDING IT & NOT ADMITTING IT, but you don't have to go around all the time complaining & murmuring & groaning & moaning about it either! That's not faith. You can admit it & ask for prayer, but then try to be cheerful, try to be encouraging, try to show you have FAITH!--Sing, quote Scripture, be positive & praise the Lord!
39. SO WE WERE HAVING THAT LITTLE SERMON IN BED LAST NIGHT & I THINK MARIA GOT THE POINT! The minute I laid my hand on her head--I wasn't planning to get a Scripture, I wasn't even thinking about getting one, I was just going to pray for her--instantly the Voice of the Lord spoke: "Be not weary & faint in your minds!"
40. SOME PEOPLE FAINT IN THEIR MINDS. I think I've said this to you before, that science has said that people who faint, faint first in their minds. They sort of give up mentally first. They give up SPIRITUALLY, you might say, first, & they faint in their minds. In other words, you give up in your head first before you even faint in your body.
41. I'VE NEVER FAINTED! I MUST BE AWFUL STRONG-HEADED OR THE LORD'S AWFUL GOOD TO ME! I've been knocked out a few times, & it took a pretty rough knock to even knock me out! I've knocked myself out a few times by doing crazy stunts I shouldn't have been doing, or I've been knocked out in car accidents, but I don't ever recall ever just fainting, TTL, & I'm sure it was the Lord. Maybe it's also part of the strong spirit He's given me & the strong mind.
42. WELL, ANYBODY WHO KNOWS MARIA WELL & HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH HER VERY MUCH, KNOWS SHE HAS A VERY STRONG SPIRIT & VERY STRONG WILL & HAS A LOT OF DETERMINATION & A LOT OF DRIVE! So we know it's THERE, she just needs to use it against the Devil for the Lord--like she usually does! She just gets a little discouraged sometimes because she's so tired & she can't live my schedule. I can get along on 4 or 5 hours sleep a night & she can't. (Maria: I did yesterday! TTL I kept going!) Well, Honey, I don't want you to be like that cow that the farmer also got her off of feed & she'd have been fine if she hadn't died! (Maria: Well, I figure if the Lord only gives you that much sleep, He must have strength for you to keep going.)
43. HONEY, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT OLDER PEOPLE DON'T NEED AS MUCH SLEEP AS YOUNG PEOPLE? That's a proven scientific fact! For one thing, we're probably not quite as active physically, therefore we don't need as much physical rest. Most of our labours are mental. Also, you notice how old people can sometimes kind of doze off just sitting in a chair, just a little catnap for a moment. Well, that's enough to really refresh you & rest you quite a bit!
44. SOMETIMES WHILE I'M READING IN MY CHAIR I'LL JUST DOZE OFF--& THEN I'M WIDE AWAKE & CAN GO ON FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF HOURS! It just seems to be a natural thing with older people & we don't seem to need as much sleep as young people. Some older people are absolute insomniacs, they hardly ever sleep! They're awake almost all the time! I'm sure they must doze a little & are probably not awake as much as some of them claim to be. I often take little dozes & catnaps & doze off to sleep & she'll tell me, "Well, you were asleep!"--& I didn't even know it, I thought I was awake all the time!
45. SO HONEY, DON'T TRY TO KEEP UP WITH ME & MY SCHEDULE! You already found out that I don't need vitamins & all the pills you take & everything. I was in the spirit once & I or the Lord said, "Well, Prophets don't need vitamins!" But I do try to eat good food & have a normal diet & get a fair amount of sleep.
46. SO YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE A POSITIVE STAND AGAINST THE ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY & FIGHT & try to really praise the Lord & sing & quote Scripture & fight the Devil & fight his doubts! I can remember if my Mother would hear us groan or complain or murmur about something she'd say: "Don't voice the Devil's doubts! Don't voice his fears! Don't voice his complaints & his murmurs, you're just preaching the Devil's doctrine! You're preaching his lies when you do that! Don't voice your fears, don't voice your doubts! It has a bad effect on other people around you!"
47. SOMETIMES WHEN MARIA HAS TALKED ABOUT BEING SO TIRED & HAVING HEADACES, IT KIND OF DISCOURAGED ME! I thought "My Lord, I hope she gets the victory over this thing?" Well, I'm not perfect either & I have my battles & I've had certain physical battles for a long time, but I'm still here & I'm still fighting, still kicking, still working & I will until the day I die! PTL!--Of that I'm sure!--Ha! I certainly don't ever want to give up!
48. SO YOU'VE REALLY GOT TO GO ON THE ATTACK & YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE POSITIVE ABOUT IT & RESIST THE ENEMY, & GOD'S WORD SAYS HE WILL FLEE FROM THEE! (Jam.4:7) But if you just accept it, that's bad. And if you admit it, that's even worse!--Because then you're testifying to the Devil's work. You're literally witnessing to his handiwork.
49. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WHEN YOU ADMIT IT ONCE & ASK FOR PRAYER, but if you keep on going around groaning & moaning & sighing & always complaining & murmuring, you'll be like the old lady that was always so negative & pessimistic, people even hated to ask her how she felt! Sometimes they made the accidental mistake of the common courtesy of saying, "Oh hello, how are you?"--And they were sorry!--Because she'd come out with all of her complaints & murmurs & groans & moans & all her troubles & everything!
50. SO FINALLY ONE DAY ONE GUY ASKED HER, "WELL, DON'T YOU EVER FEEL GOOD?" She said, "Yes, sometimes, but even when I feel good, I feel bad, because I know I'm going to feel bad again soon anyway!" She couldn't even enjoy the few times she DID feel good because she knew she was going to feel bad again soon!
51. SO EVEN WHEN YOU FEEL GOOD, MAYBE YOU DON'T THANK THE LORD ENOUGH FOR IT & PRAISE HIM ENOUGH FOR IT! You need to praise the Lord more & be more positive! Thank Him for the health you DO have! Amen? Thank Him for how strong you ARE & that you are not sick in bed, completely incapacitated, injured or sick with some fatal disease. All kinds of things could be wrong with you!
52. "MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS"--BUT MOST OF THEM ARE VERY LITTLE ONES, TYL, & very minor & just enough to keep us close to the Lord & praying & trusting & praising the Lord & asking the Lord for help so we don't stray too far away. David said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but in my affliction I cried unto the Lord!" (Ps.119:67,146) I've always said that's probably why he says "many are the afflictions of the righteous"--that's what keeps them so righteous, their many afflictions! It keeps them praying, keeps them on their toes, keeps them fighting, keeps them close to the Lord & knowing that they have to depend on the Lord for everything!
53. IT'S A FIGHT, BELOVED! IT'S A BATTLE! We're at war with the Enemy & you can never let down your guard or have an unguarded moment! You've got to keep fighting all the time! PTL! So we had a little fight in the middle of the night--not with each other but with the Devil--rebuking the Devil, & I think she's been better today! At least I haven't heard as many complaints about her health today!
54. WELL, WHEN YOU SEEM TO BE EXCESSIVELY TIRED & HAVE FREQUENT HEADACHES, IT'S NATURAL TO FEEL BAD & WONDER WHY YOU'RE FEELING BAD. Well, I think now we know, so now you can go on the attack & resist the Enemy, because it's the DEVIL fighting you! There's no apparent reason for it, & as you can see, I don't think anybody could ever eat more health food & live a cleaner more healthy life, working fulltime for the Lord night & day than Maria! So it certainly couldn't be her, she's not suffering for any particular sins that I know of, because she certainly serves the Lord & serves me & takes care of us all, faithful in the Lord!
55. SO I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY THE LORD PUNISHING HER FOR ANYTHING, except it does say a lot about chastening in that passage, to know that it's proof of God's Love & that He loves you. The word literally means "child training", just like you're teaching & training a child. You have to keep reproving & rebuking & training & sometimes scolding & constantly training the child--& sometimes the Lord has to do this with us too.
56. SO MAYBE IT'S JUST ANOTHER LESSON THAT WE'RE LEARNING & WE'RE HAVING TO LEARN THROUGH A LITTLE CHILD-TRAINING, through a little suffering, a little affliction, a little problem or trouble or some kind of a difficulty. The Lord is child-training us, He's trying to teach us a lesson through it somehow. I think dear Maria is learning her lesson & I don't think I've heard a complaint out of her about her health all day! (Maria: I feel a lot better, TTL!) PTL!
57. IF THE DEVIL CAN'T GET YOU TO PREACH IT, THEN HE GIVES UP! A lot of times the Devil gives up, at least on that particular thing, then he'll come back & try something else. If that didn't work, he's got a lot of tricks in his bag. He seldom ever gives up forever--only temporarily. And if you get the victory over that one besetting sin or that thing & he's found he can't lick you on that score, he may come up with something else! So anyway, PTL! She's felt better today, how about that!
58. AMEN! TYL! PYJ! HALLELUJAH! REBUKE THE ENEMY IN JESUS' NAME! Resist Satan, Lord, in Jesus' name! Deliver us all out of the hands of the Evil one! Protect & keep us, Lord, & we thank Thee for Thy angels around our beds & around our heads & around us all day long! TYJ! PYL! Hallelujah!
59. THANK YOU LORD FOR HOW WONDERFULLY YOU'VE KEPT US, & PROTECTED US & PROVIDED FOR US! We have so few little problems & troubles, so few complaints, so few minor illnesses, Lord. They're so few, Lord, we've hardly ever seen a healthier, happier, better-provided-for, better-protected bunch than this one. TYL! You've done so well to take care of us!
60. AND HELP US TO THANK YOU FOR IT CONTINUALLY, ALL DAY LONG, to praise You, Lord, & thank You & sing songs of praise & quote Scriptures. You're thankful for our praises, Lord! Thy Spirit dwells in the praises of Thy People, Lord! (Ps.22:3) TYL! So help us to be constantly thankful & grateful.
61. YOU SAID TO COME INTO THY GATES WITH THANKSGIVING & INTO THY COURTS WITH PRAISE! (Ps.100:4) In everything give thanks! (1Th.5:18) You talk so much about giving thanks & praising Thee & being thankful & grateful. Lord, help us not to forget to be thankful continually, constantly praising Thee & quoting Thy Word to encourage our faith, Lord, & singing positive songs of praise to rebuke the Enemy!
62. THE ENEMY HATES PRAISE, LORD! HE HATES SONGS THAT PRAISE THEE & HE HATES THY WORD MOST OF ALL! So keep us full of it, Lord, in Jesus' name we ask it for Thy glory! Amen! PTL! TYL! Let's join hands & say our little goodnight prayer, amen? Were you through, John? PTL! TYJ! Don't laugh! I want you guys to get used to officiating! Someday you'll have to do it, maybe in prison like Angelo.
63. I THINK THE LORD REALLY PURIFIED ANGELO! He had quite a bit of foolishness in him before he went through that experience, but I think he's pretty well purged now. He's very sober, very serious & he knows what suffering is like! I think he's got a real heart for those in prison now such as he never had before!
64. AND FOR A MAN WHO HAS A RADIO PROGRAM, THAT'S IMPORTANT!--Knowing that he's speaking to many men in prison, to be an encouragement to them & to be able to say, "Well I was there once, I know what it's like!" So "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord." (Rom.8:28) Amen? PTL! I'm sure, having been tried in the fire, he's going to come through as pure gold!--And he HAS, according to his testimony & his letters. (Job.23:10)
65. AS WE PRAY OUR LITTLE GOODNIGHT PRAYER: (Prays: "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", Ps.19:14 & the Lord's Prayer.) Amen! PTL! Hallelujah! TYJ! (Sings: "God Will Take Care of You!") PTL! Hallelujah! TYJ! In Jesus' name, amen! (Sings:)
"Everybody happy, say Amen!
Everybody happy, say Amen!
Joy & Peace are multiplied,
Since my Jesus is my Guide,
Everybody happy, say Amen!"
TYL! GBYA! WLY! GBAKY praising and fighting, IJNA!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
