by G. D. Watson
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
“We are going to see, I think, unprecedented attacks against our faith through measures like the hate crimes [legislation] to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” he says. “We’re going to see attacks on innocent human life through the Freedom of Choice Act, trying to erase all the gains that have been made in the pro-life movement. And I think even our freedoms are going to come under attack.”
Father Stephen looks at what happens when politics and religion mix.
Ultimately, it is by willingly participating in the life of God that we are saved from our corruptible nature, to be caught up with Him in heavenly places.
God bless you Mike!
We believe Tony hit the nail on the head! We are in for a very bumpy ride I think. We are to pray for Obama.
First pray for Obama’s salvation. He is part of a heretical church that does not preach the gospel. Then pray that God will curb the evil that our enemies have planned. Pray for God to work in the hearts of our people to stop the murder of the unborn. Pray that God will give us the resolve and courage to stand in the gap no matter the cost.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
Just as Christ preached to the souls in Hades after the crucifixion, so too do we, when we take His Body & Blood in a worthy manner. Kyrie eleison.
Fairness Doctrine combined with Americorps? Goodbye 1st, 2nd, and 5th Amendments. Hello Fabian Socialism.
This bill that Obama will sign will hit health care workers squarely! I don’t have to work at a hospital which performs abortions, but I might have to give a pill which causes an abortion. This is just an example…I personally won’t have to since I work mainly with the elderly. But we have had one patient who claimed to be raped on our floor (once in seven years which isn’t too often). What if she had gotten pregnant and wanted the pill (I forget its name something like RU4 something or another) that causes an abortion? I’m not giving it! Will I lose my job? Very possibly!
Stand firm Sarah! God holds us in His hands. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. Good to hear from you my sister.
Sarah:
RU-486, erroneously called “the morning after pill”. I did research on it for a report I had to do when I was in my senior year in college as an older adult. Even then, back in ’93, the kids couldn’t understand what was wrong with devaluing life.
I work in healthcare also, having a CNA. Workplace non-discrim and such won’t touch me because I work in an elderly woman’s home (doing independent non-CNA work). However, I *do* understand how hate crimes legislation could be intimidating. I used to work at Western Illinois University from ’96 until just in to 2000 and I could see that coming. This was just after my conversion in ’98. It was scary for me to be such a young believer in a place like that. Very dark. But I think the Lord was giving me a foretaste of what is coming. And I’d much rather be canned for doing what is right than be praised by man for doing, or approving of, what God hates. Been there. Was fired a year ago for standing up against abuse of an elderly woman in a nursing home. I was a whistleblower. How dare me. But God was faithful and gave me the job I have now within a couple days of my being fired. It was God, pure and simple. I walked from one job and into another.
With the climate we have coming, I am hoping that the Lord will continue to bless me with work such as I have. I have an anxiety disorder and a bit of hypertension. My mind races and I am overanalytical. But if God can help me stand, I don’t think you are too much trouble!
Blessings to you as you serve Him!
Tim
Thanks, Tim
You’re welcome, Sarah. And remember me in prayer. Been out of work for 7 weeks now. And I’m wondering if “granny” is going home. I’m already looking, just in case. Not much around here.