The Promises Of God

In the forty-ninth chapter. I've read this chapter a number of times but I want to read it this morning beginning down at the eighth verse. Forty- ninth chapter of the book of Isaiah, beginning at the eighth verse.

Isaiah 49:8-26 "Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob."

Now, the Lord gives some real strong words concerning the restoration of Zion. Actually God is speaking here to Israel and telling Israel what He will do in the great restoration, in that He hath scattered them abroad. And how that He will make the kings of the earth and the queens of the earth all come and bow down to Israel because Israel is His chosen son. He tells them how that He will gather them together back in their home land, how that He will restore to them all that has been taken away from them. How that the kings and the queens of the earth will come, bow down before them. That is to say, accept them and acknowledge them as the head of the nation and contribute, or make contribution to their security. God said that this will happen. It has to do with the birth of Jesus. Like when He came as the head of the people and the wise men came. They would bow down to Jesus, and they would give Him all kind of gifts. That is to let everybody know that He was somebody special. And so then, Israel is referred to as God's Son. And we see them that they will do the very same thing. That is, the Gentiles will do the same things to Israel that they did to the head of Israel, which was Jesus. But, see? At the same time that we recognize the blessings of Israel we have a typical thing of what God has promised to the Church. What God has promised in the restoration of Zion. God has promised the same thing to you and I, and to elevate you and I even above Israel. And though he makes Israel the head of the nation, and though he restores all that has been taken from Israel, and so far as the earth is concerned they are the ruling power of all the earth; yet God will elevate us into another realm, into a celestial realm, to where Israel will have to come to us to be able to continue in the earth, or to be sustained. So it's such a wonderful thing when we see the two-fold meaning of God's purpose and plan concerning the restoration of the children of God. I always thrill at the things of God as I read, as I mediate, or as I get into revelation, I always thrill at the wonderful things of God knowing how great and how mighty they are. I often refer to this, you know, where Peter was speaking. I refer back to it trying to stir up people's faith, trying to make them realize that something good is going to happen. When I use the terms that God hath given us exceedingly great and mighty promises. When you think of exceedingly great and mighty promises then that is something to get excited about, did you know that? Not just a promise. It's not just a promise from God, but exceeding, great and mighty promises from God. When you think of a promise__ If the president of the United States made me a promise I'd really cherish that because I know that he is able to fulfill great things if he makes a promise. But, see? When God makes me a promise, I tell you that's just something out of this world. How many of you agree to that? God's promises exceeds this world, and when God makes me a promise I really cherish those things. I really lay hold on those things and I make them dear to my heart because I know that God cannot lie, and I know that He that promised is faithful. The Bible teaches Abraham found favor in the sight of God for one reason, and that is, he judged Him faithful Who had made the promise. And Abraham said within himself, He is also able to perform that which He hath promised. But, you know, God is willing that we should know our future and how secure that it is, that not being able to swear by any greater, Paul said, He swear by His ownself that blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. You know, God has given us such a strong secure promise of eternal life there is no way we can doubt it. Now, if God had not sworn by Himself and gave us an established word then we could not rest assured that we would inherit the future, because God could change His mind, couldn't He? Somebody would say, Well, God can't change His mind. God has changed His mind. The Bible said God had repented over the things He sought to do to Israel. See? God could change His mind if He wanted to. So then, He could say, Brother Pike, I'm going to give you eternal life, but it could be conditional. It could be conditional. But, see? I'm glad that God gave it to me unconditionally. I'm glad that God's promises are not conditional. Now, somebody would say, Now wait a minute, Brother Pike, you teach that God's promises are conditional. I say that they are conditional in Christ as to who will accept them and who will not accept them, and whether or not we will meet God's terms to be eligible for His promises. But, Brothers and Sisters, when we become eligible for the promise of God and God gives that promise to us it is no longer conditional. It is unconditional and cannot be changed and cannot be altered never again throughout eternity. And so then, God Who sware by Himself because He could swear by no greater, He said, blessing I will bless thee, George, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And I will give thee my very best blessings. I will give thee the very best thing that Heaven can afford. I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth. I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob. I will multiply thy seed, and I will give thee the desires of thine heart. All I want you to do is just delight yourself in me and believe because I am giving to you exceedingly great and mighty promises concerning my word and my treasures. Hallelujah! I get excited a lot of times when I think about the Scripture where the Lord tells us that He has given unto us all things that pertain unto life. Now when you say all things that pertain unto life that covers a lot of territory. That covers a lot of ground. If I said to Brother Richard today, and if I was able to do it, I'd say, Richard, don't ever worry again; I'll give you all things that pertain unto life. I will give you everything that you need that pertains unto life in this world and in the world to come. That would be a big promise. That would be a big promise, but that's just exactly the promise God made to me. Now, you say, Brother Pike, what makes you feel that God meant it to you; He said that to the Church. I'm the Church. I like to take these things personal. Did you know that? I don't get anything out of God's promises just because He promised a lot of people something. I get something out of God's promises because He promised me something. How many of you know that? God promised me. If your eligible for God's promises God deals with you as an individual. He promised you. Now when He deals with Israel He deals with Israel as a nation. He promises that to a nation. But, Brothers and Sisters, when God deals with me He promises me something. And He said, I have given thee great and mighty promises, exceedingly great and mighty promises. And I'm enjoying the promises of God. I don't let my mind think negatively. I don't let my mind go out here in the negative side of life. I don't spend my time wondering if God will, or wondering if God can. I don't spend my time like that. You know, the human mind is something that is very illusive. You have to really keep tab on it, because you'll find yourself subconsciously building up an expectation of failure, or building up an expectation of the wrath of God, or building up an expectation of sickness, or poverty, or something. Always the mind will work like that. See? The reason for that is because it is continually under pressure. See? The devil keeps it under pressure all the time. Through these living human senses that we feel that is interwoven with our outer man, those human senses keeps our mind under pressure and it causes our mind to automatically take the despairing side of life. Isn't that right? So then, what do we have to do? We have to take on an inner strength. We have to take on something from God. We have to ask God to give us something special, and we have to ask God to make a special move in our life, to come on the inside of us. And Paul said, Therefore being strengthened by the power and the might of the inner man that I receive the strength to resist. I receive the power of perseverance to where I can continue on through life and overcome every obstacle of life. Now I have to have that strength. I cannot do it within myself. But to be able to utilize the ability that God gives me I have got to have a conviction that through Christ that strengthens me I can do all things. I can never at any time take the outlook that there is something in life that I cannot do. There is nothing that I can't do if God will help me. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. You love Jesus? Hallelujah! Glory to God! I feel the presence of Jesus this morning. I can do all things. I can be strong in Jesus. I can be weak in Jesus. I can be exceedingly rich in Jesus, or I can be poor in Jesus. I can be old in Jesus, as the Ancient of Days. I can be young in Jesus, as a new born babe. I can do anything I want to anytime I get ready because this is my promise from God. Jesus said, No man taketh my life from me. I lay my life down. This promise I have of God that I have the power to lay my life down. I have the power to take my life up. That's the way that we should look at it. Jesus said, this is my promise from God that I can do this whenever I get ready. Today if you, or I, or any other Christian anywhere in the world look to the Scriptures, or promises of God in any less way, or through any less evaluation in life, they are failing to receive the benefits that God has got for them. Now, if there is a promise from God we ought to know what it is. Did you know a lot of people don't even know the promises of God. A lot of people have never even bothered to understand the promises of God. They couldn't have confidence in them because they don't even know them. Though they know that they're in the Bible they still couldn't have any confidence toward the Word of God, because if they did they would search out those promises and they would personally apply those promises to their own life that they may draw the benefit of them. Like Paul said concerning the Jews, said they had the Word of God but it did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith. It can be said of the Gentiles there are Bibles in almost every home, but it does not profit the people because they do not utilize the faith that God has placed in their heart in mixing it with the Word of God to make the Word of God profitable for them through life. I don't intend to be like that. I intend to enjoy the fullness of God. I intend everyday, every hour, whether night, or whether in the morning, whenever it might be, I intend to have a drive for God. I intend to believe God. I intend to wake up in the morning believing that God is going to do something good for me. I intend to wake up in the morning believing that God is my buckler and my shield, and that God will make my enemies to be at peace with me. Hallelujah! When the storms of life come, and problems and troubles come, I intend to have my sails so set in the wind, and fixed in the wind, my heart fixed before God that my thoughts will continually be staid upon Christ, and that God will be continually rewarding me and taking care of me in all that I set my hands to do. That's the way I believe it. That's the way it ought to be. It's like last night. A Brother ask me last night. We were putting up these beams. He said, Brother Pike, he said, don't this make you nervous? I said, It doesn't bother me a bit. Way over in the morning, any normal person would get nervous, no sleep, going through hardships and problems for days and days, been pressing myself for numbers of days for the needy, but he said, It doesn't make you nervous? I said, It don't bother me at all. Now, what causes a person to be like that? Not because they don't have a getting away in the body, or strength, like anybody else, but because they are re-energizing their body by the Spirit and strength of God by the power and might of the inner man, continually receiving a strength, always a great and a mighty strength from God. They are re-energizing their bodies and they don't have any problem like that. They don't have any problem. Why should I be nervous? Why should I fret? I believe. I believe. See? How can I be fretful? How can I be nervous? I'm not doubtful. And the thing that makes you nervous is being skeptic of something, or being doubtful, not being steadfast in you confidence toward God. That's what makes you nervous. But, see? I believe God. I believe He'll work with me. I believe He'll help me in what I'm doing. I believe He'll take care of me. It's like sometimes I go up in the plane with Ron. I go up in the plane with David Allen. I go up in the plane with other pilots, like over in Charlotte. And then in the big planes as we travel to and from across the sea. I don't get nervous. It doesn't bother me. When I'm up there, I mean sometimes with a pilot and I watch that pilot, a highly skilled pilot, and I see how nervous he is, but it doesn't bother me when I take off. It doesn't bother me when I land. It doesn't bother me when I'm flying. Now you say, Why, Brother Pike? Because I belong to God; it doesn't matter where I'm at. If I was in the chambers of hell I'd still belong to God. Amen. The Bible teaches He's with me. If I'm in the air God is with me. And praise God, wherever I'm at God is with me. He takes care of me, and He watches over me so it's my confidence in God that God is my keeper and that God is with me and God is going to guide me. And everyday of my life all day long I refuse to let my life, my mind, go to the negative side of life because God has promised and He that promised is faithful and He also is able to perform that which He promised. And being fully persuaded in God I look for His promises to be performed in my life. The Bible said that when God made Abraham a promise, and Sarah a promise, even though the Bible said Sarah laughed; yet Sarah believed. Did you know that? I know that the Bible teaches that the angel said, Wherefore didst thou laugh? See? But the Bible also says a little farther on that Sarah believed. That Sarah believed the promises of God, that she had to get a little strength from Abraham but she believed. See? Why was it so easy for Abraham to take his only begotten son and offer him up there on the mountain? Why? How could he do it? How could Abraham do that? Because the Bible said he believe that God would raise him from the dead. The reason for it is, the Bible teaches, that he had received Isaac in a figure from the dead already. Isn't that right? See? It wasn't hard__ Pardon me just a moment. It wasn't hard for Abraham to believe that God would restore, or preserve, the life of Isaac. That wasn't hard. Why is it that it wasn't hard? Because Paul in his writings, or the writer of the New Testament said that he received Isaac, in a figure, from the dead. How was it he received him from the dead? Because Abraham's body was dead. He could not reproduce. And the Bible said that the deadness of Sarah's womb was of such that she could not reproduce. So then, it was a divine birth from God. That's what happened. See? Just like the birth that came in the days of Mary; that was a divine birth. The only difference was that in one instance there was human instrument used and the other there was not. But both of them was a divine birth in that God brought the seed of God into Abraham's heart, and the Bible said he staggered not at the promises of God, but he was strong in faith believing that God would do what He had promises considering not the deadness of Sarah's womb, but believing that God would do just exactly what He said He would do. That's the way it ought to be. Hallelujah! It doesn't matter, see? When God said, Abraham take thy son up on the mountain and offer him for a sacrifice he didn't draw back. Why was it he didn't draw back? Because he knew he had received him from the dead already. If God had given him to him from the dead already what did he have to worry about? He'd give him from the dead again if it was necessary? Hallelujah! I like that kind of believing, don't you? I encourage myself in God. David said encourage thyself in God. I encourage myself in the Lord. I stir up my pure mind in Jesus. The Bible tells us to stir up our pure mind. You know, we've got one mind that is contaminated from the fall in the garden. Isn't that right? The abased side of life. In the flesh no good thing. Paul said, Within my flesh there is no good thing. It is continually warring against my soul. And he said, abstain from the fleshly lust, our desires, that warreth against the soul. But inwardly I have another mind that is the mind of Christ. It is pure. There has never been anything in it was ever ungodly, or defiled. And David said stir up your pure mind in Christ. Hallelujah! Get that pure mind stirred up. Why do you want to get your pure mind stirred up. Because in getting my pure mind stirred up I can have faith because faith works in that pure mind. Isn't that right? Faith won't work in that contaminated mind that is in the flesh. Brother Taylor, it's got to be this inner man. It's got to be from the heart. It's got to be a believing from the heart. The Bible tells us that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. See? If you go around all the time in that old contaminated mind of yours you're nothing but an old garbage can. Did you know that? You're just an old garbage can and everything that the devil has he throws it into you garbage can. That's all. That little old computer of yours up here, all you ever do it lean to your own understanding. To begin with your in violation to the Holy Scriptures because God tells you to start with not to do that. Lean not to thine own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all your heart. Believe in God. Count all His promises yea and amen. Calling those things that are not as though they are and the Bible said God will bring it to pass. So then, I don't want to mess with the contaminated side of life. And as I say again it comes natural to people to always be in a tail spin, or a nose dive. (Begin side two.) ....you be flying a plane__ I'm learning this. You can be flying a plane, you can be pulling back, you know, doing all that you can to hold the nose of it up but it'll be going down all the time. And you'll find out that just one simple little thing will take care of it, and that's to reach over with your hand and set what the call the tab on it. Just set it a little bit and that pull on the nose will just ease off and you'll find it will just fly right by itself. It'll just set right there. See? You've got to evaluate properly. Got to get it equalized properly and when you do she'll just sail along beautifully. Did you know that? Just so easy, it will do it. But then there is another thing in flying that you have to watch. You can be losing altitude all the time and just flying along real nice and don't know nothing about it. If you don't know who to read the instruments you can be flying along so fine, you know, but you're coming down all the time. So you've got to know what you're doing when you go to read the instruments. Isn't that right? That's what happens to a lot of people, they're losing spiritual altitude, coming down, and they don't understand what's wrong. But, see? If you'll just set steady in the boat, just set steady in the boat, believe God, learn the Word of God, read your compass, see what it's got to say and you'll know just exactly where you're at, where you've been and where you're going. Know just exactly your status in God. Won't have a bit of trouble. Isn't that right? Just read it. Learn to read it. Learn to fly God's way. You know, they use to have an old saying, said, straighten up and fly right. Learn to fly God's way. Learn to do it God's way. See? I want to say just a few more things and I'm going to close. But, see? Here's the thing. We've got to remember that it comes naturally to take a nose dive. That's where we miss out. See? We feel like well, we're Christians now and it's just going to come naturally for us. Because we're Christians it's going to come naturally for us; everything is going to go right for us. But it isn't. See? The Bible says men press their way into the Kingdom of God. You press your way into the Kingdom of God. You don't just get up like in a glider but you press your way into the Kingdom of God. You've got to use a little power, a little motivation, a little drive and a little effort and press your way into the Kingdom of God because you've got a pressure against you. You've got a pressure. You take off in that plane there's a pressure against you. You've got to have some power to get up there. And the more power you've got the better off you are, until you can drive so hard that you get up above every cloud. When you get way up above the clouds up there you just sail along so beautifully. You know, a lot of people are like some amateur fliers. You know, they can't get up above the clouds. They just go so high. Their planes are not pressurized to get up there and they're just always in the storm all the time down here underneath the clouds. Is that right? They're always having problems. But a man can set his wings of faith like an eagle. He can have faith in God and he can have everything hardship, every heartache, every problem. It doesn't matter whether it's in the home, or on the job, or wherever it's at. It might be a bodily conflict but he can overcome everyone of them by setting his faith in God. That's all he has to do, is set his faith in God. But he's got to mean business. He can't be halfhearted. He can't be halfhearted. But Jesus said_ You know, wouldn't it have been wonderful if you could have met Jesus face to face and stood there and shook hands with Him; talked to Him. Wouldn't that have been wonderful? Did you know that when you meet a Brother in Christ that's what you're doing? That's bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. Did you know that? But wouldn't that have been wonderful. But, see? It's far more wonderful to have Him to come into your house, into your heart, and sup with you. Just set down and eat and drink together the spiritual things of God, and fellowship, and be interwoven with the strength of God that comes to the inner man and feel Christ break forth in your members. Isn't that greater? Just to shake hand with Him, that's His member. Isn't that right? But when God gets inside of my heart and God breaks forth inside of me then I feel like the sun shining within my strength coming from the inside. Then I feel a conqueror. I am a conqueror then. I'm a son of God then. I've got power over Satan then. Jesus said, Whatever you ask I will do it. Exceeding great and mighty promises. What promise? For God who created heaven and earth, Jehovah God, God to say to me, Whatever you ask I will do it, George. Just ask Me. Ask Me and see if I'll do it. And He says to me over in Mark, Jesus speaking, and He said, Say what you will; I'll do it for you. I'll do it for you. Hallelujah! I know where you're mind went to but, Brother, God said, I'll do it for you. Every word of it is true. You're powerful mind can't change it either. Hallelujah! When a lion roars he doesn't backtrack. When a lion roars he doesn't give any ground. It doesn't make any difference if it's a elephant or a giraffe. It doesn't make any difference if it's a tiger, or whatever it is, when he roars he's right there. He doesn't bulge one inch because he knows where he's at. God's done put it in his heart. See? He's lion hearted. He knows where he's at. He knows what he's doing. He knows everything has got to give away to him. I know that everything has to give away. Can't nothing stand before me. This promise I have from God; that no man shall stand before thee all the days of thy life, rich, poor, educated, whatever; no man can do it because God promised it. Everything has to give away. Devils and demons have to give away. Everything has to give away. So then, I thank God because of that. Hallelujah! Everybody did not draw the benefits of Christ. He went in and out among many that didn't receive it, but it didn't change His heart. It didn't change His mind. He knew who He was. He knew what He was born for. He knew where He had been. He knew where He was and He knew where He was going. But the others didn't. Somebody said, Oh, everybody knows that. Then why did Thomas say, We don't know; can you show us the way? Why did he say that? Why did he say that? He'd been right with the apostles. He'd seen Jesus all the time; walked right with Him. Why did he say, Lord, we can't come because we don't know the way? But Jesus said, I know the way. I am the way, Thomas. Hallelujah! I'm the way. You want to talk about life; I am the life. You want to talk about the way; I'm the way. If you want to know what truth is; I'm the truth. Hallelujah! I'm the truth. Glory to God. When you move into certain places, certain realms__ Somebody says, How do you know that's true? Maybe you're getting off the old beaten path, Brother Pike. Maybe that isn't true. I know that's the truth cause I am the truth. Hallelujah! Somebody said, Now, wait a minute now, Preacher. The Bible said He was the truth, the life, and the way. And as He is so am I in Him, the Bible tells me. I am complete in Christ. I am bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. It's not me living but Christ that liveth within me. The life I now live I live by the Son of God, hallelujah, Who gave His life for me. Why then did you question the Son of God. Why did you do it? See? How evil you can be? See how evil you can be? How doubtful and resentful you can be when your evil minds of corruptions and carnality questions sons of God? You question the Almighty God. To find fault with the son of God is to find fault with God. You did it to the least of these you've done it unto me. Come on, folks. That's where we're living. So then, I say this, that we have a tendency to take a nose dive. Not because we want to do that but because we are subjected to vanities in this life. The Bible tells us that God has subjected us to the vanities of this world, not because He wants us subjected to it. He wants us to master those things, and those things be subjected to us. But we're subjected to them that we may grow in the knowledge of God, the strength of God, and sharpen our wits as you lay the axe against the grinding stone to bring out the power of the axe. God has placed these things against us that we might conquer, that we might sharper our wits in God, even to the extent that we can wit the redemption of our body. God letting these things come against us that we might, as the eagle, not take a nose dive but turn our heads upward wings and use that to surmount every problem. So then, contrary winds will not wreck you if your navigation is right. Isn't that right? But don't be double minded. And I'm going to close. I said I was; just hold on. Don't be double minded. Today don't want to be at Bethlehem and tomorrow be somewhere else. Don't be double minded. Today you want to serve God and tomorrow you see the sparkle and the radiance of the dew drops on the web of the spider and you are enticed by that. Don't be like that. Don't have a drive today and tomorrow be way down. Don't do that. But be the same yesterday, today and for ever. Stand up. In other words, don't stand up as a man. I can't stand as a man. There is no way I can do it. Don't stand up as a man. It's not that man living. I've buried that man. I've passed from death unto life. Hallelujah! If it was a matter of me as a man doing it I'd have to give up. I said if I was wrestling against God I'd have to give up. I'm not wrestling against God. You know, the devil he is shrewd. He loves to make us think that we're wrestling against God. Isn't that right? He perverts our thinking. He perverts our thought pattern in such a way that we find ourselves wrestling with God. Maybe having an affliction in our body and we want to get rid of the affliction and we start trying to believe but then we're pressed down, harassed every moment trying to do something financially but the devil presses us. And the reason he does it is because he convinces us that it is not God's will for a man to have money. It is not God's will for people to prosper. It is not God's will for people to be healthy and happy. It is not God's will for man to just throw the load off and rejoice forever more. He convinces them of those things, see? and they go around with a dread. They go around in a nose dive. They go around under pressure. They go around in a negative state of mind, always believing wrong. And bringing Satan into power all the time. But, see? It's like I said up yonder. If it isn't God's will to heal a man, if you don't really believe that why do you go to the hospital? Why do you try to get the doctor to give you medicine? Why do you do everything you can to get rid of the aches and pains if it isn't God's will? We seeking God's will. If it's God's will for us to be in that condition why don't we submit to it and quit fighting against God? But the devil will do that, see? He'll mess us up in our minds and our hearts. He'll destroy our faith and then we get in that negative condition, that pressure. It's driving and driving until down we go and then we'll crash. Isn't that right? You know, you go over a mountains when you're flying you have to go way up because there is a down draft. You go over that mountain and though you are way up in the air that thing will go shoooooo, and it catches that plane with all the effort you've got. Down in the valley you go. You crash. So then, you've really got to have power. That's why I like the Scripture where It says, Behold, I give you power over all the powers of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. I give unto you power. I like to personify that. I like to personify that. When you receive the Holy Ghost you shall receive power, the Bible teaches. I like to personify that. I have the power of God in my heart and my life. Now, I don't have to take a nose dive. I don't have to listen to those degrading thoughts. Those bewildering thoughts. I don't have to get in a wilderness of intellectual reasoning and stay there all the days of my life. I don't have to do that. I can enter into the Canaan land of God's exceedingly great and mighty promises. I can go right in there and get the grapes of Eschol, hallelujah! and get the goodies of God right out of the land of Canaan. Hallelujah! That's why God cut them off in the wilderness; they discouraged the hearts of the people. See? But God is looking for a testimony. The giants are nothing. Man's a little lower than the angels. Fallen angels are giants that's true, but they're nothing. We're more than their size according to the Word of God through Jesus. We can handle them without any trouble. Hallelujah! Take a little sling of faith and a little stone and that will take care of them. Hit them right in the educational part and that will do away with them. Knock all the reasoning out of them. Did you know that? That's all we have to do. Praise God. Just use a little faith. Use a little understanding of God and after awhile you're their master. You're a conqueror. All right, in trying to close now. I said I was going to close a few minutes ago and I'm kind of running over, but I am going to try to close out now. See? Under this pressure that we're under, under this pressure we can never come into the things of God. We must learn God's will. He said, Lo, I come in the volume of the book as it is written of me, O God, to do Thy will. It is God's will for us to have all things that pertain unto life. It is God's will for us to have whatever we ask in His name. It is God's will and pleasure for us to say what we will and He'll perform it. It is God's will to command Him concerning the works of His hands. It is God's will for us to decree a thing in our hearts that it might come to pass. It is God's will that we have the pleasure of the Kingdom of the living God. Fear not, little flock, for it is thy Father's good pleasure to give unto thee the Kingdom. Hallelujah! Everything. When you say the Kingdom that means everything. We are heirs to all things. I quoted this the other day in trying to help a person get straight on this one thing. When the Bible speaks after this fashion, that all things are possible to them that believe it doesn't mean that all things hold a probability. It doesn't mean that maybe anything could happen because you are a believer. God wasn't saying that there is a possibility that it will happen because you are a believer. That wasn't what He was saying. But God was saying that because thou art a believer there is nothing impossible to him that believes. He can do anything he wants to whenever he gets ready. Just say it and it will come to pass. So then, knowing that we are prone to think negative then we have trouble. Therefore we have to press against Satan in our outer man. Abstain from the worldly lust and attires that is going to give him strength. Fast him out. Kill him out. Lay him away. Bury him, and then consider him dead by the body of Jesus, and strengthen this outer man by prayer, by supplication, by virtue in God. Then we become great and mighty, talker than trees. We can do this by faith. If we're willing to do it, we can do it by faith. Do you love Jesus? All right. Let's don't think negative. I want to say this just before I close. I know, you get a hold of a book and somebody says positive thinking. That's a bunch of junk. Ain't no man living that can think positive when there is a devil around. That's a bunch of junk. That's an intellectual brainstorm that will lead you to hell and cause you to crash up somewhere. Ain't nothing to it. Oh, somebody says, I believe in it. That's because you're of the devil. There ain't but one thing you can believe and that's the faith of Christ. That's the only positive mind and positive thinking there is, is the mind of Jesus Christ. And when I speak of thinking positive I'm talking about stirring up your pure mind, taking in the mind of Christ, thinking His thoughts. Don't lean to your own understanding but thinking His thoughts. Those are positive thoughts, beloved friend. Do you love Jesus? All right. Let's stand together. God so longs and desires to give us the very best. Did you know that? Jim, He wants to give us the very best. You know, the devil has us going around thinking that, you know, building up the subconscious expectations of defeat that keeps us coward down all the time. And we think, Well, God wants us just to squeeze by, you know. Squeeze by. He wants me to squeeze by. But the Lord is setting on the throne saying, freely I give to you. Freely. All that I have is thine. All that I have is thine. Everything that I've got, everything I can do. I gave you Jesus, the best that I can afford. What else would I hold back after giving you my best. In Him I give you all things, and He's just sitting there. It is His delight that we bring forth much fruit. And the Bible says that our fruit shall be this; that whatever we ask of Him we'll receive it. It is the Father's pleasure for you to blossom like a rose. For you to grow up tall like a tree. For you to spread out and your branches be filled with the fruits of God. Glory to God. Don't you feel the Holy Ghost? Just to swell up in God. Spread out in God. Hallelujah! I feel like preaching again. Just spread out. Glory to God. I feel the Holy Ghost. Let Him charge and activate your body. Give you that illumination from heaven. Praise God. Just spread out in Jesus. Every thought. Be a conqueror. Every thought. Even though you don't feel good, don't let that bother you. Though things aren't going right, don't let that bother you. Though the devil whispers and says, Ole boy, you've had it. You've had it. You are one of them that have had it. Say, Well, I ain't even got half started yet. Like they said about old Ironside when they came up and they begin to bump on her bow, they began to hit her across the bow, to throw shells against it, and it looked like she would sink. Said, the Captain look overboard and said, Why we ain't even began to fight yet. Hallelujah! Glory to God. When the devil beats your head down, as Mike says, tries to beat your brains out, you just look back up and say, Why I haven't even begun to fight yet. I'm just getting wound up. I'm just getting wound up. That's right. When they plucked Jesus' beard and stuck the spear in His side, laid the strips across His back and cut His back open, why He was just getting wound up. He was just getting started. Isn't that right? That's right. Like a good boxer that was down for the count, He sprang out of the grave and knocked the devil slap out of eternity. Somebody say I love Jesus. Amen. That's right. He's just getting wound up. Hallelujah! Glory to God. The church is just getting wound up. Do you believe that? The Bible said they will rise and take the Kingdom, and possess it for ever and ever. Just getting wound up. Hallelujah! Let's sing this little chorus together. You know, I made this statement the other day in the meeting. A lot of people feel like that Satan defeated Jesus at Calvary. Went through the cruel sufferings, was placed in the dirt. That's why I made this statement the other day; it didn't happen that way. Have you ever seen an eagle? Have you ever seen an eagle after a snake? I've never seen this is reality but I've seen it on film. A great big eagle over the desert after a snake, and watch that snake going through the dust trying to get away from him and watch it coming in, watch that eagle close in on him. That's what Jesus was doing. Jesus run him in his hole. Jesus got after him. He didn't run Jesus. Jesus got after him and run him in his hole. And, you know, the eagle usually stops but Jesus didn't stop; he went in the hole after him. That's right. Went slap down to the lower parts of the dark domains. Amen! Beat his head in and then come back out. Took the keys away from him and stood up and said, I have the keys to death. I have the keys to life, to health. I have the keys to everything. Stood there, beat his head on that stone until He killed him. Come out there victorious. Hallelujah! That's Jesus. That's Jesus. Praise God. (Singing) I want you to sing it again and I want you to think about what I'm saying. Will you do that? Think about it now. Make it a personification. Apply it to your heart and think about what I'm saying. (Singing) Talking about me now. (Singing)

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord