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.
Possessing the Treasure 
My real name is Henry Milton Frueh.
My nickname is “Rick” because I was called Heinrich (German for Henry) as a child and it became “Rick” after a while and stuck. I have been accused of somehow travelling under the radar with “Rick” as an alias.
Actually, when I travel under the radar I use the alias “Goofy”. Watch for that!
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Hey Heinrich! That makes a lot of sense to me…
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Rick,
You are so funny ):
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Thanks Deborah. Mike, please inform me as to what ): means. I see it but don’t understand the meaning.
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Hmmm: how about hilarity that is spawned from observing your humor. 🙂
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Didn’t you guy’s know that we can click on your name and end up at your website, if you have one?
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Deb, yep.
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It’s just a way of getting free publicity. 🙂
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Hello Heinrich! Now the mystery unfolds!!
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Rick,
If you aren’t really sure that Mike is illuminated enough to discern what that 🙂 symbol really means maybe you should go and ask john at TRUE DISCERNMENT 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I still do not get the punctuation completely. I know it means something and I have seen it, but I still am a little confused. I’m punctuationally challenged.
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You know, it sorta resembles that little Darwinian symbol I see on the back of some cars that is supposed to be a fish with legs. 🙂
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I put it on upside down, duh Deb!! LOL
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Click this
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Is this a joke Mike? I can’t link on to it. lol
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Oh, its a smile. I am so very smart, aren’t I. I don’t have friends, just people that laugh behind my back. The truth is I really am not very computer articulate and many of these sign go way over my head. I am going to make my own.
)**!$
When you see that it means “The rent is due!”
Thanks for the link, Mike.
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Try it now Deb.
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I gave up golf about 20 years ago because that very symbol kept coming out of my mouth when I… Oh, never mind.
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I play golf however I don’t believe it is a fair game. They never seem to cut the grass where I play.
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My problem had more to do with water…
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LOL Thanks Mike. I bookmarked it for future reference. :=)
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You guys are too funny! I never thought about blaming nature on my poor golfing skills. I must remember to blame gravity for my poor golfing skills the next time I golf! Thanks guys! 🙂 BTW, Mike, what led you to write this post? Is there a stalker close by?
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Sarah,
You are very perceptive. Email me.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
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Henry Freuh Rick guy – THANK YOU, goofy! I don’t have to wonder anymore why the “Rick” thing!
“)**!$
When you see that it means “The rent is due!””
For some reason, that tickled my funny bone…and then I was in full-out ha ha when it led into reading why Mike had to quit golf. 😉 (Rick, that’s me winking!)
Love you guys in Christ! Thanks for the laughs!
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Ok once confused I take supreme umbrage about my name. It is spelled FRUEH. Pronounced “Froo”. I will give you a small dispensation this time, but in the future pay attention onse confuused.
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LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My sincerest apologies…that was a mistake! You are too funny!
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