Fellowship With God

Seem like we're getting a little change. You know, I love to preach the gospel. I love to tell about the good things of Jesus; and it's such a thrill to me to be able to fathom the great adventurous depths of the Mind of the Lord Jesus. My such adventure! You know, I've travelled across the United States and the different parts of the world, even as far as the Land of the Midnight Sun, and down below the Equator and different places around the world, but there is nothing, nothing that is so adventurous to me as getting out into the unknown of God and getting out into the great depths of His revelational truths. It just literally thrills me beyond expression, and it captivates me in such a way that my whole life just desires to be spent in doing that. And I have spent a great deal of my life doing that. So then I really enjoy preaching the gospel and telling about the things of Jesus, And, as I say so many times, I'm a happy Christian. I am a jubilant Christian on the inside. You see me so many times and it looks like I'm weighty, and I have a lot of pressure. I have a tremendous amount of pressure. Because hundreds and thousands of dollars continually have to be, you know, brought about to continue to operate, and the weight of the entire world seems to lay on my shoulders continually. It seems like I can't escape it day or night. I tell my wife over and over, I say, I say, "Betty, in the day time it's that way; at night it's that way; every minute it's that way. No matter where I go," I said, " It's the same." But on the inside, I think about God and I Just start thinking about the Word of God and I just literally bubble over, just run over. It is so joyful and so jubilant! It's so wonderful! Paul said, "Without you know, I got joy unspeakable and full of glory. But, knowing what I know, having seen what I see, understanding the fullness of His desire. You know that's what does it. Now you say, "Bro. Pike, you don't understand the fullness of His desire." Oh yes I do. You say, "O.K. express it to us." Jesus. See, I said it. And you didn't believe I could do it. How many of you agree that that's the fullness of His desire? Alright, see everyone of you is in agreement with me and didn't even know it. Alright, so there we are. See, the beautiful fullness of His desire. Understand it. It's so wonderful to see these beautiful things, to know and to understand. It does something to me. And in seeing this, see, in seeing this, looking down you know, beyond the surface like, Walking out to a beautiful pond and looking beyond the surface, and seeing the beauty of all those species or whatever, down below the surface of the water, you know, and you see the beautiful radiant things down there. You know I see those things, and I know that it is something so great and so mighty that is given to you and to me and It's for you. And seems like many of us are just one tiny step away from it. I mean just one tiny step away from it. And the problem is it's your reasoning. I feel it in here so many times, especially in some of our ladies. You know reasoning, of course the woman is the weaker vessel you expect to feel it in the woman. The women don't get as much from God, ah, when I come in service here, usually I get the men together and, and the men just feed like a bunch of hungry horses; but ah, women, some of the women, you know, they're very, ah, they reason in their mind you know, and try to figure things out and what they think about it, and whether it's there or whether it isn't there. A lot of times they just close the door, you know and they, they just don't get it. But anyway, it is your's and it's so close to you, just one tiny little thought away, and it belongs to you. It belongs to you, and oh how wonderful it is. It just thrills me. I find myself having problems finding the words to express the joy and jubilance of what I see because it is so great. Let's turn over to the book of Matthews and read in the seventeenth chapter beginning with the first verse and let's see if we can just talk a little and fellowship. I want you to continues to pray for the meeting that we're suppose to have down, down in Manchester, Georgia, which is about eighty something miles away. You know, some how or another God always sends Rick back about time to put up the tent. It's almost as if you called him on the telephone and tell him, but the Lord knows that I don't tell him nothing. I don't even talk to him on the telephone as a rule, as a rule he don't know anything about it, when or where, but somehow God always has it that way. And coming back this time, folks, it has such a great...his life has always moved by God. Your children, you don't realize it because you don't watch revelation. But every step you children take, it's the hand of God. Whether they're Christian or whether they're not Christian, see, God creates the good and the evil and has His way in both. That means whatever happens in the evil, regardless it's still the hand of God. When David sinned against God I can take every step of it and show you the life of Christ in it. Now, say "Well, Christ never sinned." The Bible said, "He that knew no sin was made sin." So right at this particular time, it is fantastic. It is fantastic. It is fantastic the things that it has to do with in him being here. Great and marvelous for the saints of God. Now I know when a person sins, like David, ah, though God's in their life, yet God's not in their sins, and they have it to pay for. They pay a great price for it, but nevertheless, the Lord has his way. "Can evil come to a city. and I have not sent it, sayeth the Lord." Allright. The,....chapter seventeen, the book of Matthews the first verse...(Brother Pike reads the scripture Matthew 17:1-27). Now that's reading the whole seventeenth chapter, and I'd like to comment just a little bit, say a few things here. Bring about a few thoughts and share with you, maybe a few things that I have shared with some of the others in secret. And, maybe some things that I haven't shared with the other. It just depends on which way the spirit of the Lord leads, but anyway, I'd like to talk to you just a little bit about the things of God. And here's a great thing taking place. How many of you agree that this is a great thing taking place. This is the Mount of Transfiguration. I'd like to go back and pick up a thought or two. I won't hold you long tonight. We'll just pick up a thought or two and see if we can enlarge upon this passage of scripture, just enough to maybe encourage you in the things of God and broaden your understanding in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, it says that Jesus stepped out away from the multitude. that's the first thing. Did you notice that when God was fixing to do something, it seems that always that He would step out away from the multitude and the great things that Jesus did, it always seemed that He only wanted one or two people with him. Now, there is a reason for that. A lot of times when He would raise somebody from the dead or He would administer healing or some great act, you know to the people, He would only have one or two people. And it seems that James and John was always one or two of those people as we say that He picked. Now there's a reason why God did that. You know on one occasion God refers to them as what? The Sons of Thunder. See, in other words the Lord has a reason for this particular thing. You know we speak about the thunders of Revelation, and when we speak about those thunders, then we're made to wonder a lot of times, but you know when you hear somebody speak and they call somebody the Sons fo Thunder, that's really something isn't it? The Sons of Thunder. Now we could say a whole lot about that tonight, but we would really have to get into deep water if we talked about the Sons of Thunder; but I want to comment just a little bit tonight on this. Notice that Jesus when he was going to do something, he would take these disciples, he would pull them out from the rest of the disciples and, he himself along with these disciples would separate themselves, go into a solatary place and there some great phenomenon would take place. Why was it? It was because Jesus knew that there was faith in the hearts of these men. Is that right? There was faith in the hearts of these men, and if you'll notice most of the time he had Peter along with him. Is that right? See there was great faith in the heart of Peter. Now, Peter was kind of presumptuous, you know, he was ready to cut a man's ear off if he got out of the way; but nevertheless, Peter had great faith; he could walk upon the water. He could just get up on a wall and walk along and the shadow fall on the people and it stirred their faith so much God would do great miracles. Peter and great faith in God, and Jesus admired this great faith. It pleases God when a man has faith in God. The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. "He that cometh to God must believe that God is and believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." You know you're never going to get anything from God until you get to the place to where you can be spiritual enough to acknowledge the fact that there really is a God. Most people don't really believe there is a God. Now if you talked with them about God, they'll say, "I believe there's a God, Brother Pike." But when you really get down to the basic principles of it, as far as really believing that there is a God, they don't really believe there is a God. Because when it comes to trusting to some invisible supernatural power of deity that could intervene in their life and engineer their life, they don't really believe in that. They can't trust that. Do you understand what I'm saying? So then God admires those that believe in Him. He is the invisible God. And the Bible tells us that "They endured as seeing him who is invisible." The great invisible God. "He that cometh to God must believe that there is a God." And we've got to come to the place to where we can believe that there really is a God. If you come to the place in your life to where you believe that there really is a God, You've made one great masterful step toward your salvation and toward the redemption of your body. But until you come to the place to where you can believe that there is a God that rules on high, you've not really gotten in shape to do anything for your soul or the salvation of your soul. You know in the book of Daniel it tells us how that the king was made to know that God ruleth from on high and that God ruleth in the affairs of men. Isn't that right? You know Nebuchadnezzer and the great men of old, those great kings they didn't believe that God had the power to intervene in their kingdom. They didn't believe you know like, like the great men of today. There's kings, there's presidents, there's rulers of today, they don't believe that God has anything to do with what happens to them. They feel like it's just a matter of their power of intelligence and powers of ingenuity and the way that they manipulate life, But let me tell you something, "God has his way in the good and in the evil." God does what He wants to whenever He will. And so the he runs the affairs of men the way he want's to. An the Bible tells us that when He processed Nebuchadnezzar and the others, then immediately they begin to look to God and they said, "We know that God ruleth in the affairs of menkind. God has his way." That's what we need to know today, here at Little Bethlehem, we need to know that God ruleth in the affairs of menkind. Brother Pike needs to understand that God ruleth in his affairs. That Brother Pike is not capable of handling the situation of Little Bethlehem or the ministry around the world that God has given to me. that God ruleth in the affairs here, and you as an individual that is associated with this ministry and with our world outreach, you need to realize that God ruleth in your heart and in your home and God has His way in the good and in the evil. Now when the people of the world or especially of the church we will say, when they come to the place to where they can realize that it is not, it is not a matter of their ability. It is not a matter of how thorough, they are in their thinking and in how explicite that they are in the powers of ingenuity of their lives; when they come to the place to where they realize that God raises up one. God puts down another. God created the good and the evil. God works all things after the council of His own will, and God does what He wants to. God ruleth in the affairs of menkind. When they come to that place, then we're going to see a different kind of life. We're going to see a different kind of world. We're going to see a life of prosperity, a life of blessings, a life of healing, and overflowing abundance of the presence of God that will do something for us that we've never had before folks. You know a preacher can get up a crow, and he can boast and he can say all he wants to about trusting God, but when he gets right down to the fine line, then it proves out whether or not he really trusts God. When he gets his back against the wall and then he doesn't have any place to go anything to turn to, anybody to help him, then he finds out whether or not he trust God. I'm glad of one thing. I'm glad in my early life as I've travelled in my ministry that I was made to lean upon God and I had to learn to trust in God, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because in so doing I had to learn the reality of God. "He that cometh to God must believe that there is a God." Do you believe that there is a God tonight. How many of you believe there is a God tonight? I believe that there is a God tonight. We've got to believe that there is a God tonight, and that God is looking down in your life and in my life tonight. I've got to believe that God is watching every thing I say, everything I do, you've got to believe that. We've got to have the fear of God. We've got to tremble at God's Word. "Blessed is the man that trembleth at the Word of God, or at my Word," the Lord said. We've got to come to that place. Then when we believe that there is a God, then there is another thing that we have to learn to do. Once we exercise ourself in this field of conviction, there is another thing that we must do, and that is we must come to the place to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Do you understand what I'm saying? You know a lot of people never get anything form God, because they never use their faith. They never come to the place to where they trust God. To where they believe in God. You know, you've got to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently trust Him or follow after Him or seek Him. You've got to believe that. See you've got to believe that. The Bible said, "When you pray, believe." If you're not going to believe, there's no need to pray. What good is there for you to pray if you're not going to believe. God doesn't answer prayer! God answers faith. Are you listening to me now? So then there is no need to pray unless you, unless you believe. God doesn't justify us by prayer. Neither does God purify our heart by prayer. What good is prayer to God? Prayer doesn't make God nearby. Prayer doesn't connect me with God. That's not what connects me with God, but it's faith that joins me together with God. See, the divine contact between heaven and earth, between man and God, between man's spirit and God's spirit, it's faith, is that right? So then faith honors God, God honors faith. When a man believes in the invisible, in God, a man believes in the supernatural, then the supernatural is manifested, brought present in that man's life. How many of you find this investing enough to listen at me? Alright. Now, so then, this is where we're at. Do I believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him? I do. I do! Many times, as I have recently found, many times I find myself in such a, such a predicament as we say in an old fashion language, I find myself in such circumstance that if it was not for my faith in God, I would not be able to continue doing what I'm doing. There would be no way Christian friend, that I could ever continue to do what I'm doing. It takes God to do what I'm doing. I want you to know that it takes God to do that. It's like Brother Gary said the other night, Brother Gary said, "There's one thing about it Brother Pike, it's for sure that God has got to carry this thing." He said, "I'm persuaded, I see that our brethren cannot carry this thing. Said, "God's got to help you carry this thing." Not only that, but numbers of others have come to the same conviction and it is a true fact, see, it has been raised up of God. It's carried of God. It must be carried of God and we've got to have faith. There is no other way. We've got to believe that there is a God. We must believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. I must believe that God is with me. I must believe that he is my rewarder. I cannot believe that God is going ro reward me, unless I, unless I am in harmony with God. How can a man believe that his wife loves him when he is a wretch to her? If he's always tormenting her, always torturing her, always doing something contrary to her, how in the name of human reasoning can he believe that she loves him? You know she doesn't love him. Isn't that right? How can you believe that God favors you if you do everything contrary. Every day of your life, you're contrary to God. You're contrary to all the plans of God. You're contrary to God's people. Every stipulation of the Bible, every rule, every regulation, everything that God want's to do, you're contrary to it, and you just pass it off and somebody confronts you when you have a conversation, and you just pass it off, instead of getting down to business and saying, I'm sorry. I realize that I'm wrong. That's God's Word. You just bypass it. How can you ever be convinced that God is your friend and that God is going to share with you and do something for you. You could never do it. Friend, you could never do it. There's no way you can do it. Now you might tell yourself up here in this little computerized thing up here that you call a brain, that God cares for you, but down in your heart there is something that says, "You know better that that. Alright, so then, when we think of this, we must come to one conviction and that is that if we're going to have God's favor, we're going to have to do the things that please God. Isn't that right? Here, when they spoke of prayer, and they spoke of fasting and they spoke of divine healing, and they spoke of divine deliverance and spoke of casting out the devil, Jesus said, "Because of our unbelief, then we so not accomplish our purpose in life." Is that right? Now we can apply it, just the healing here, which is what he was speaking of. Actually not a healing here, but a deliverance, casting out a devil, now, see, faith. He said it is the lack of your faith. But then when he confidentially, confidentially began to talk to the brethren, they said, "Lord, would you get a little more personal about this thing." You say, It's because of our unbelief. Tell us what you mean Lord." He said, "This kind come about only by prayer and by fasting." In other words fellows you're going to have to have a little time off from your businesses and your way of life and your desire and your plan and get out here with me and let's get together a little but, if you're expecting me to be friends with you, to where we can link together and get the job done. Isn't that right? We're going to have to be better associates than what we've been in the past, if you expect to do what I want you to do. Alright, so then, we've got to get together. Beloved friend, we've got to come together. You've got to get together with God. What was the secret of Enoch? The Bible said, that, "Enoch walked with God and God took him." Enoch was not, because before Enoch's translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. He walked with God three hundred years. He was not for God took him. See he walked with God. Now that's the secret of it. Walked with God. We sing that song a lot of times. Brother Taylor sings that songs, "Walk with me Lord, walk with me. As you walked with Elijah, walk with me Lord. Walk with me Lord as you walked with Abraham. Abraham was called a great prince. Walk with me Lord. Wouldn't it be wonderful tonight if God would walk with you as he walked with Abraham? Oh! Hallelujah! When I think of it, my cup runs over. I think about God and I think about Abraham and I think about walking with God, and I think, "Oh Lord, you said Abraham was your friend. Isn't that wonderful? God could turn to the angels and speak to the angels and say, "I think I'll go down here and have a cup of tea with Abraham." Ah.. now somebody said, "Now, don't get so personal Brother Pike." That's exactly the way it was. Glory to God! It didn't make any difference if it was a bowl of soup or a cup of tea. Whatever they had in that day, God said, "Abraham is my friend." I think I'll go down there an I'll set and talk with him some." And the Bible tells us that he walked right down in the middle of the desert, went over to the Oak of Mamre, set down under the tree and there they ate together and had a good time together. God talking with Abraham. Walk with me Lord as you walked with Abraham, walk with me. Isn't that right? That was because Abraham believed God. And the Bible said, "Abraham believe God and it was imputed unto him as righteousness." Not only to Abraham but said, "And to all that believe it shall be imputed unto them." Their faith shall be imputed unto them for righteousness. That's the beauty of it. I preached to you the other night, that you are without spot, you're without, wrinkle, you're without blemish, that we're approaching the translation and the message of God is coming forth and now the hour is here to where you, you know, it's being unveiled that you're not full of spots and blemishes. and the only thin that's holding you up is the lack of fellowship with God. You know to have that that staunch conviction ot to have that you know that real drive in you toward believing God. That real sure conviction toward God. "And this is our confidence in God that if we ask God anything, we know that He hears us" And if we know that God hears us, we know that God hath granted to us the petition that we desire of him. Isn't that right? Alright. Have you got just a few more minutes? We'll look a little further and then we'll close. Now, look at the marvelous thing that is taking place. Faith, faith- I must believe, I must believe that God loves me. I must believe that God's my friend. I must walk with God. See, I must believe that God is my friend. I must be associated with God. I've got to find a closer association with God. See, how can I a natural men, a natural intellectual being, how can I have fellowship with God? God is a Spirit. How can I do that? (Tape is turned over) I've got to come to an understanding of God. Is God the Word? In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word is God. The Word Is God, and God is a Spirit. How then can I fellowship God more? There is a way. How can I do it? Through the Mind of Jesus Christ. Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. I can fellowship God by having the Mind of Christ. Isn't that right? Christ Jesus fellowshipped God. He was constantly in fellowship with God. Jesus pleased God. He said, "I do always the things that please my Father. Always the things that please the Spirit." I see him through the eyes of my understanding. I walk with God. I walk with God. and we have this mind. Let this mind be in you. while I have this mind in me, can I walk with God? I can walk with the spirit. But I've got to get acquainted with the Spirit. I've got to contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints of God. I can't just take it for granted that everything is going to be alright. I can't just say, "Well, you know everything's going to be alright. I don't have to worry about it. God's looking after me and everything's going to be alright." I can't do that. I cannot do that. I've got to, I've got to contend. When you say contend, you know two fellows in the ring, I've said this a lot of times, two people in the ring boxing, now Willie used to do a lot of boxing. Now, two men in the ring boxing, you know they're contending one with another. They're fighting to see which one's going to win out. Is that right? Contending for the belt. Contending for the championship. Contending to see who's going to be the overcomer. When you start to live for God, friend, you got a battle on your hand. Did you know that? You got a battle. Paul said,"No man goeth to warfare at his own charge." If you've got some idea that you just want to stir up a fight with the devil, you better forget about that. Like those men said, "We adjure you by the Christ or the Jesus that Paul preaches, and the Bible said, "That man in whom the devils were in, They overcame these men and tore their clothes off of them." And they fled from them. Having been abused by these evil powers that was in them. If you, want to start a warfare of your own, you better forget about that. No man goes a warfaring in his own charge. They draft you into the army or or they get you in there and they train you and then send you into the field, is that right? When God, brother, when you go to war with the devil, you better be sent. You better be sent. When God tells you to go, you're alright, but you be sure that you're sent. Alright, so then we are contending. We've got a warfare going. We've got a battle going with the devil. And when the devil knocks you down, you don't have to stay down. Now you say, well the devil's never going to knock me down, but the Bible said, "A good man goes down seven times and gets back up." So there's been some good men that's been knocked down. Isn't that right? That's right. So then, we can get back up. We may stumble, we may stagger, we may have problems, but we don't have to coward out and run away from it. Stand like a man! Hallelujah! Be a real man of God and stand where you're at! And the Bible said, "Having done all to stand, stand therefore, having your loins girt about with the truth." Having on the breastplate of righteousness." "Taking the shield of faith that you might be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Stand like a man! God will stand with you! Like I told them the other night in men's meeting, I said. "I've got some things that I got to meet, I don't have the money to meet them, but I said, "I'm going to meet those things plus, and I've done it, brethren." By faith in God, I've done it. Multiplied plus. Done it. I said, "God's gonna meet it because I'm honest. I try to pay my bills. I've tried to do right. God's gonna make the provisions for me." And I'll tell you what, if you be honest and you be straight and you up like a man, God will meet those needs. You don't have to shrink away. You don't have to back up. Throw your chest out in the name of Jesus like a man. All of those down there in the valley couldn't raise their head up and a bunch of scared people running like a bunch of rabbits, isn't that right? Had the armor of Saul and all fixed up and everybody going out to fight the battle. You know where the problem was? They went a warfaring at their own charge. They didn't wait for God to send them. You say, "How do you get that Brother Pike?" Because the Bible said, "God took a little boy by the name of David, a shepherd from the hillside. Gave him a little old sling and put a stone in it and said, "I give you a charge, Go to the battle, son." David went to battle and stood before the giant and defeated him. Why did he do that or how did he do it? He did it simply because God was with him. He had a charge from God. Paul said, "I give you a charge!" That's what we need is a charge from God. Alright, so then we see this, I must have a faith. I must have a faith. I must have a relationship. I can't just pray. I must believe when I pray. When you, when you desire a thing, when you pray beloved friend, believe that you're going to have it. The Bible said, "You shall have it." When you ask God for something, Pray and believe; and the Bible said, "If you pray and if you believe, God will give you whatever you ask for." It doesn't make any difference what it is. Don't consider the circumstances. Don't consider what it is. Just say, "God, you said it.' "God, it's going to be that way!" Stay with it that way and God will make it come to pass. So then, don't waver. He that wavers is like the waves of the sea. He'll never have what he ask for. Anchor, drive in, and put your stakes down. The Bible said, "Lengthen thy curtains. Strengthen thy stakes." Drive then in! Stand there! Be right there. Say, "God, you said it. The word of God says it. Though hell rages, it's got to be like that. And though the storm clouds of heaven sweep and the thunder roll and the lightning crack, God's Word said it, it's got to be like that. And you stay right there with it. And after awhile, you'll see that old veil begin to shake and tremble and that thing will begin to rock and you'll say, "Glory to God, it's about to happen." You'll see it begin to rock and break away, and you'll look and there it'll come to pass. And my, how strong you will be in God. See, when we pray, believe that it's going to happen. "He that cometh to God, must believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Is that right? Are you diligently seeking God? Now, I could go on and on and on and on tonight. But now there's the thing. In what I'm saying, are you diligently seeking God in a simple child-like message tonight? Are you really seeking God? We're getting near the translation folks. Enoch was translated by faith. Where are we at? Are you really trusting in God? Are you truthfully believing God? I must believe. I must believe that God is a rewarder of me. I must believe. You know, I say, "Jesus, I know that you're going to help me." And the devil will say, "Why you hypocrite!" What do you think he wants to help you for?" Ah,.. he never talked to you like that. And I say, I say, "But God's going to help me." And the devil say. "Who ever told you that?" You know, there's your battle. Now, we're contending for the faith. Isn't that right? faith by the hearing of the Word. The Word said it. The promises is standing there before us, but here the devil is. He's pounding away and he's wrestling away. You know, and you done put you petition out. You done laid it out there. You know, like Gideon did the fleece."Now, Lord let the dew fall on it. Isn't that right? "Come on, send me the dew of heaven, now God; and there you are, are you standing right there?" Brother Mike, He's standing there waiting now, like a man, you're not going to run like a coward. "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." See, you stand there. And there you stand and you say, "The Lord, I..I know you're going to help me Jesus.' "Lord, I got, I got this problem and I've got to meet it." And the devil says, "Why. why the Lord don't hear you." You know you can be praying over in the night or over in the morning, the devil say's, "Well, there ain't no spirit of God in a hundred miles of you." Come on now! Over in the morning and over in your room, Chuck, isn't that right? He'll say, "Why there, why there, why the Lord isn't in a hundred miles of you." But ah, but ah, say, "Lord, I know you hear me. I know you hear me." And devil'll say's, "why don't you get up and go to bed and quit your foolishness." you're just wasting your time! "You're going to get up in the morning with a heavy head." "You know." "And you got better things to do than to do this." And if God's going to do it, He's going to do it anyway. What you whinning about? You know that's the way he talks to me. But you just stay there anyway. Hallelujah! Glory to God! That's the way they done David, isn't that right? Them brethren said, "Here comes Little Mister Show-off." David just kept showing off, though didn't he? He didn't stop. Don't you know, they laughed at him, when he went prancing out on that hill, a little old shepherd boy with a little old sling in his hand? Went prancing out on that hillside. Some of them fellows, they probably laughed him to scorn, but old David just kept running, he just kept running, skipping along with that little sling. Probably singing to God. Hallelujah! Glory to God. They that wait upon the Lord, just ah slinging that little old sling around. Had nothing to do nothing with. He didn't have nothing to do anything with. Why, that little old sling in there, that little old rock couldn't done nothing. Not against that giant. You know, but I'll tell you what, God turned that thing into something stronger that a windmill. I believe that. See, David, David wasn't counting on that sling. Somebody said, "Now David was counting on that sling." David wasn't counting on that sling. He said, "God delivered the bear into my hand and God delivered the lion into my hand and God Will deliver you into my hand." He was counting on God! And he kept whirling that little old sling and skipping up the hillside. Isn't that right? He knew what he was doing. Praise God! He knew that giant was coming down. I believe before David ever left from over there, he'd done seen him flat on his face. Had it all planned out. What he was going to do and take that sword out of the sheath and cut his head off. He probably went across the hillside singing you know, "Glory to God, I'll be coming back soon with Goliath's head and I'm going to marry that pretty girl." That's right. I believe that's the way is was. He was looking for a wife anyway, you know. That's right. He was probably thinking so much about that pretty little lady he was going to marry till he wasn't even worried about that giant. He had God on his mind skipping out there and it wasn't long before he was coming back with the head of the giant. You know that's the way that it's got to be folks. We got to be convinced of the Lord. The Bible said, "Abraham was fully persuaded." He wasn't wavering. He wasn't wondering. He wasn't hoping it was going to happen. He was convinced that because God had said that-that it couldn't go any other way. That's faith. You know faith don't question and say, "What if it don't?" Faith don't even know that kind of language. Did you know that? Faith is not even acquainted with that kind of language. You don't know that kind of language. See, all faith knows is Glory to God, it happened! That's all faith knows. Yeah and Amen. Alright, well, I said I was going to close. Anyway, here we are. Getting close to the change, now close to the rapture. Contending for the faith. Here we are. Getting almost up on that mountain, the transfiguration is about to take place. Getting ready. The Lord's done weeded us out. Picked us out. Taking us up there with him. Now, getting higher and higher in the mountain. Now, go on up there. Something's about to take place like I said to the men the other night. Getting closer and closer. See, can't talk about these things without something happening. So then here we are. I must believe that he is a rewarder. No matter how my mind harrasses me. No matter what anyone says to me, no matter how discouraged I am, no matter how I feel in my body. It don't have anything to do with it. Jesus said it. I believe it. Glory to God! It's going to happen. That is the truth from my heart. I believe it like that! I believe it like that. You say, "But Brother Pike, What about all them other thoughts? All them other thoughts as far as I'm Concerned, I have nothing to do with them. I have nothing to do with them. Lean not to your own understanding. That's my own understanding. I don't have nothing to do with that. See, God said it. I believe it. Yea and amen. God, I'm waiting. Patiently waiting. Because I know that it's done come to pass in the Mind of God. I'm just patiently waiting. Patiently waiting because I'm fully persuaded at what God has promised He is able to perform." Old Brother Abraham sang songs of victory. Isn't that right? There'll be songs of victory; did you ever sing that song? Hallelujah! Said, "I saw a stranger." You know, you look out there and you see the early morning sunrise. You see te sun up there over the hill. You know you get up in the early morning and you hear the rooster crow. And you feel good and yawn a little Bit. Get up you know and feel like you could whip a bear. Isn't that right? We ought to always have faith in God. Jesus he constantly said this folks. He had a lot of problems, a lot of weights, a lot of heaviness, but as He walked this earth He was so mighty on the inside, he said, "Have faith in God." He said, "Don't doubt. No matter what your problem is Children of God, He said,"don't doubt. Don't get like that. Don't worry about that. Don't doubt. Just go on out there and stand fast. Just stand up. Throw your head back up in the wind like a young horse. I watched that horse down there the other morning, that wind was blowing so bad. The trees just a waving every which a way, and I saw that horse, that beautiful white horse, we had just washed him, he was just snowy white, and he'd get a whiff of that wind, that wind would just stir him a little bit. And he's throw his head back in the wind, the mane would just fly and he'd just run just just like a streak across there you know. Just beautiful. You know, and you could just see them muscles as they flexed in the light there, in that morning light. Betty said, "What in the world's wrong with that horse; he's gone crazy or something." I thought, "No, he, he's just showing off a little bit." I walked to the door and I saw him streak out across there And I hollared at him and called his name. He just stopped just like. And that's all there was to it. And then he walked over there very calmly there where I was. That's what we need to do. Throw your head up in the wind. Spread your wings like an eagle. Hit the stormclouds and ride over them and go right on up into the heavenlies with God. You can do it. You can do it. Don't consider the circumstances. I want you to stand with me. There's so much that I'd like to say. There's no end you know talking about the good things of God. My, I tell you what, you just don't know who you are. That's all there is to it. You just don't know who you are. That's all there is to it. You just don't know. "Now, beloved are ye the Sons of God. And the Sons of thunder. Mighty men of valour, and that angel looked at Gideon and said, "Oh thou mighty man of valour." Don't you know, he wasn't just saying that? Can you imagine an angel of God that can fly swifter that the light. Move faster that the the speed of light. One angel that could have took a sword and a whole army and just shuuuah! like that and just mowed down a whole army, stood back there looking at Gideon, took one look at him and said, "Oh thou mighty man of valour." Glory to God! You know that's the way the angels look at us. That's true. Michael and Gabriel, I've said this a lot of times, you know, just I think of it you know, just on the level like I really see it. You know you see Michael and he'll nudge Gabriel like that you know, and he'll say, "Look down yonder." And they'll look off from the hilltops of Glory and say, "You know that's the that's them Sons of God." Look at them little fellows. They own heaven and earth, Michael, Hear Gabriel, you know. Said, "Them is the fellow that own everything. Them Son's of God. You know, running around like a bunch of kids playing with a toy. Don't hardly know our right hand from our left, but we're growing up. We're growing up. Just give us some time. Gabriel and Michael knows we're on the way. That's right! You know and God like a, like a great Father said, "Michael and Gabriel, don't you let nothing happen to them kids down there. You watch after them." Oh, you say, "He wouldn't talk like that." He says it in his language. But that's the way I understand it. You know, don't you let nothing happen to them. You watch after them. Oh you say, "Now God don't do that, Brother Pike." The Bible said, "God gives his angels charge concerning thee." Said, "You go down there and look after them children. Don't you let nothing happen to them." That's right! That guardian angel is standing there with you to bear you up in all of your ways lest at any time you should dash you foot against a stone. Many a time when that car of yours would have went over a cliff, a blow out or would have turned over and killed you and your little loved ones, that angel would just kinda took a finger like that and kinda held it up just a little bit'til it would quit rocking to and fro, so you could handle it. You just didn't know it. You just didn't see him cause you wasn't spiritual enough, that's all. Hallelujah! And it's true, he's there, The angels of the Lord encamp around us or the angels of the Lord encamp around them that love the Lord Jesus. So then the angels have charge concerning us and they're watching over us. Don't you let anything happen to my sons. After a while they'll be able to take care of themselves. Right now, you watch after them. "Oh thou mighty man of valour." Something good is on it's way. An I believe the answers on it's way. Yes, I know. Let's sing a little chorus. Can we? There's been times when my car was going over the cliff, be in a snow. No way to stop it. Get right on the edge of it, slip all the way and then right at the edge of it stop. Now, you know that didn't just happen. If it slipped all the rest of the way, how in the world did it stop in the in the place that is should have slipped the most. What it was the angel of God just kinda leaned up against it a little bit and said, "You can't have nothing like that today." I believe that! Somebody said, "Ah, you eccentric." But I'll tell you what I might be eccentric, I don't know, but I'll tell you what, Paul said, "If I'm beside myself I'm beside myself for the Lord." I know one thing, it's joy unspeakable and full of glory. I like it. I'm happy with it. I'm happy with it. Praise God! Being like this you don't bother nobody, but the devil. It bothers him. Alright, let's sing a little chorus together. Can we? (Brother Pike sings chorus.) Don't you want to wait upon the Lord? If we walk with the Lord, if we wait upon Christ, we'll feel that supernatural strength. Giving us that great and mighty power, that strength and that drive for God. Don't you feel it? How many of you really genuinely feel It? Do you? Oh, I feel it, I'm not just making believe. I feel it. The real glory of God bubbling on the inside, moving like a great mighty power and a locomotive. I feel it. The sun shining within my strength. How wonderful, how wonderful to believe! To believe! My, what we're missing when we don't believe. The feeling, the joy, the jubilance, the inspiration, that lifting up, that that expels the darkness and the heavy oppression and the weariness of nerves. Oh, what we're missing when we don't invite it, when we don't believe, when we don't trust him. My it's so wonderful. It's so exhilarating! It's so exhuberant, that great love of God. I've run through a troop! I've leaped over a wall," David said. No wonder. My, my, my when this thing gets ahold of you and you begin to feel like that you feel like Elijah did when he outrun the chariots of Ahab. that's right! You know you begin to feel that thing churning on the inside and driving on the inside. My, it's no wonder, he ran through a troop and leaped over a wall. My, what could stop him. See, what could stop you? Mount up with wings as a eagle. "We shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint. Teach me Lord, teach me Lord." You know that's what we need, we need the Lord to teach us, isn't that right? (Brother Pike sings chorus.) Sing it one more time. (Brother Pike sings chorus.) Let's take the Kingdom for God, can we? The Bible said, "The saints of God shall take the Kingdom and they shall they shall posses it forever and forever. Hallelujah! They'll run and not be weary. They'll walk but they won't faint. The sun shining within their strength. That great courage and power, superceding, coming down from heaven, giving them that great strength, that overcoming blessing from God. (Brother Pike sings chorus.) Hallelujah? One more time. (Brother Pike sings chorus.)

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

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

Holiness Unto The Lord