KEYWORDS: lord, god, jesus, others, spirit, things

Shooting Straight, Part 13--Letter Links: The Poor-Me's

March 22, 2005

(ML #3536, GN 1127)

FD/MM/FM October 2004

Let's Talk About Jesus

ML #20:2-4‚6‚8,10,11,13‚15; DB 4.

2. WINE IS LIKE JESUS! THIS LITTLE BIT OF SPIRITS IS LIKE THE HOLY SPIRIT! YOU GET SO FULL OF IT—YOU DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF ANY MORE; you forget yourself & you just are happy in spite of yourself!—And all you can think about is you're HAPPY & you don't even care! It helps you forget the past & yourself & get your mind off your own damn ass & just be happy! 'Cause WHO THE HELL CARES WHAT A HEEL YOU ARE? Everybody's just such a damn heel THEMSELVES they don't want to hear what a heel YOU are! They're discouraged enough themselves without hearing about a failure like YOU! They want to hear about something better—like JESUS!

3. WHEN PETER STARTED LOOKING AT HIMSELF, HE STARTED TO SINK! It was no use! If you start looking at YOURSELF you're going to SINK SINK SINK, when you THINK THINK THINK, 'cause you STINK STINK STINK!!! You HAVE to KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS! You've GOT to BE SO FULL OF JESUS—LIKE BEING FULL OF WINE—that you're so high, so drunk, so freaked out on Jesus you don't care what the hell happens! All you know is you love Jesus—Jesus loves you!—And that's all that matters. That's a FACT!

4. THEY SAY THE DEFINITION OF A BORE IS SOMEBODY WHO TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF WHEN I WANT TO TALK ABOUT MYSELF! I think the WORST bore is the kind that talks about HIMSELF when we OUGHT to be talking about JESUS! … We just want to hear about JESUS! Who the hell cares about YOU? I'm a hell of a mess MYSELF & I don't want to hear what a hell of a mess YOU are! I want to hear about some guy that MADE it—like JESUS! I want to FORGET about myself. I can't even stand to THINK about ME! I'M TERRIBLE! I can't stand the SIGHT any more! I want to hear about JESUS!

6. Let's get knocked out on the LORD, huh? It helps make you forget what a damn fool you are & how the hell you feel & you just think life is wonderful—because you're so full of JESUS!

8. TO HELL WITH YOU! AND TO HELL WITH ME! WE'RE A HELL OF A MESS! THE ONLY HOPE WE'VE GOT IS DROWNING OURSELVES IN JESUS & filling ourselves with the Holy Spirit & getting so drunk on the Lord that we don't care what you're like or what I'm like!—All we care about is JESUS—& all we want to do is drink JESUS—get drunk on JESUS—talk JESUS—get full of JESUS!

10. WHEN ALL YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT IS YOUR DAMN SELF ... YOU HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH OF JESUS!—'Cause if you were drunk with the SPIRIT you wouldn't even REMEMBER all that!

11. YOU DON'T EVEN COUNT! JESUS IS ALL THAT MATTERS! … You're not high enough on the HOLY GHOST or you wouldn't even know you existed! NOT I, BUT CHRIST! If you keep talking about your damn stupid SELF, you're not DEAD yet! You need to get so drunk on the SPIRIT that all you want to do is talk about JESUS!—And to HELL with YOU! THAT'S where YOU belong!

13. I JUST WANNA HEAR ABOUT JESUS! LET'S JUST HEAR WHAT JESUS HAS DONE—IN you & THROUGH you & BY you & ABOUT you & TO you & WITH you & FOR you—& all about JESUS! Whatever it is, I just want to hear about JESUS!

15. LET'S TALK ABOUT JESUS! If HE'S lifted up, HE'LL draw us all to HIM! Let's just look at JESUS‚ huh? I don't care to see what YOU look like!—I look bad enough myself! LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT JESUS! LOOK & LIVE!

Dumps

ML #33 (excerpts); Vol.1

1. "Poor me!" Let's have a round of "poor me's!"

2. YOU'RE USUALLY JUST TRYING TO GET ATTENTION AND SYMPATHY! It's 'cause you're selfish! When the Children of Israel were murmuring in the wilderness, they were trying to make Moses and the Lord sorry for them! Our pride is wounded, our ego has been a little deflated, self-confidence been a little shaken, and you begin to wonder then if the whole thing was a mistake. Maybe you were never right about anything! Maybe it was all wrong! In comes Mr. and Mrs. Doubt and all the little Doublets‚ and Mr. and Mrs. Devil and the little devils, and you pull up a chair and invite them to talk it over—and start agreeing with them! "Yes, that's right! You never were very much of Christian after all! How could God use you? You never have very much victory and you're not perfect, so it surely couldn't be the Lord; and you're just a big mess and you might as well quit."

3. IT'S 'CAUSE YOU GET YOUR EYES ON YOURSELF INSTEAD OF THE LORD—INTROSPECTION INSTEAD OF HEAVEN-SPECTION! It's like confessions! You talk so much and think so much about yourself and your own faults and frailties and mistakes and sins that yourself really gets you down! The Devil can really tell you a lot of truth about yourself that's horrible, not to speak of the lies he tells you, so if you start listening to the Devil there's no end to it because you're bad enough as it is; and if you listen to him he can make you sound even worse!—Even worse than you really are, and that's pretty bad! … You get all down and discouraged and feel like giving up!

8. One of the things that shocked me was that I began to realize what a terrible example I was being to someone weaker and younger than I in the faith who was trying to lift me up and encourage me while I was trying to resist it and fight it! ... The danger of possibly dragging them down with me finally woke me up and I realized I had to get the victory just for their sake, if nothing else!

9. MY GRANDFATHER USED TO SAY, "IF YOU MUST GO TO HELL, AT LEAST DON'T LET SOMEBODY ELSE STUMBLE OVER YOU INTO HELL, TOO!" But this isn't possible, because if you're going to hell you're bound to drag others with you—because everybody has influence! "No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." Your life is bound to affect others! "No man is an island!" Everybody's influencing somebody—even when you seem to be all alone! Sometimes just a word or a glance or a smile can make a big difference—how you look or sound or seem! If it's not cheerful and victorious and uplifting it's bound to hurt somebody and pull them down with you!" You're either going to pull people up to your level or drag them down to yours—one or the other! There's no in-between—no neutrals! You're going to either be hot or cold eventually!—And lukewarmness is the worst form of coldness—because it doesn't know it's cold!

10. Just a little bit of doubt, a little bit of fear‚ a little bit of complaint, a little bit of discouragement, can grow and grow until you're totally defeated and a terrible influence on others!

11. IT SEEMS INNOCENT ENOUGH AT FIRST, AND THE DEVIL TRIES TO PERSUADE YOU IT'S NOT SO BAD—BUT IT HAS A BITTER END! You go one way or the other—up or down! There's no standing still! You're either climbing and getting to the top or on top, or you're sinking and drifting downward, ever downward!—And when you start going down there's no stopping place! You never stop until you hit bottom—unless you repent and ask God to forgive you and snap out of it and chuck the whole damn caboodle of lies of the Devil and all your doubts and fears and discouragements and forsake all and follow Jesus and His Word and His Promises! The future is as bright as the promises of God! You gotta keep your eyes on Jesus because there's no other way to look but down—and that's the Pit—the dismal abyss of horrible nothingness.

12. YOU'RE GOING TO EITHER BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE—ONE OR THE OTHER! You can't be just a little bit of both! That's what the Devil will try to tell you: it doesn't hurt to be just a little down‚ a little bit sorry for yourself! After all‚ you deserve just to enjoy a little bit of discouragement so you can get a little bit of sympathy from others! Why not? Misery loves company! Let's make everybody else a little bit miserable, too, so we can all enjoy it! Let's make everybody else sit down a while and quit and hold our hand so we can cry on their shoulder and feel sorry for ourselves!

13. LISTEN‚ BROTHER, THE MINUTE YOU START LISTENING TO THE DEVIL YOU'RE DONE FOR, because there's no end to it! No stopping place! He'll never quit! He'll never quit until he's got you completely down at the bottom, totally and utterly out of the victory, and a terrible reproach to the Cause and a curse to others and everybody else around you.

14. THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT WHAT THE LORD SAID ABOUT OUR WORDS. WORDS ARE REAL THINGS! THEY BLESS OR THEY CURSE; THEY LIFT UP OR THEY KNOCK DOWN; THEY SAVE OR THEY DAMN! There's no in-between! You'll give an account for every idle word, "for by thy words shalt thou be justified, or by thy words shalt thou be condemned!"

15. SO IF YOU'RE DISCOURAGED, FRIEND, FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T PUT IT INTO WORDS‚ whatever you do! Don't voice your doubts and fears! Don't tell somebody else about it! Keep it to yourself and just share it with God if necessary! Others have enough troubles of their own without you dumping on them! They may already have burdens more than they can bear! Yours may be the last straw!

16. WHEN THE LORD SAID, "BEAR YE ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS," HE DIDN'T MEAN THAT KIND—a burden of doubt and anxiety and a lack of trust and faith in God! He meant to get under the load somebody else has and help them to lift it—not dump yours on top of somebody else who's already overloaded!

18. AS FOR YOU‚ BUDDY, HE SAYS, "LET EVERY MAN BEAR HIS OWN BURDEN." You can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you! Ask God for help—and if you really are overloaded, He'll help you! If you really need help, tell it to Jesus first of all! Seek the Lord! Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee! Just roll it over on Jesus and roll over and go to sleep—and let Him stay up all night! Don't worry about it! Let the Lord do the worrying! His shoulders are broad enough to carry any load—all the burdens all put together, including His own!

24. "ALL THROUGH LIFE, MY BROTHER,

IF YOU'D BE A HAPPY SOUL‚

KEEP YOUR EYE UPON THE DOUGHNUT—

AND NOT UPON THE HOLE!"

25. "KEEP YOUR EYES UPON THE GOAL,

AND THE VICTORY IN YOUR SOUL;

ALWAYS SHOUT,

NEVER DOUBT!"

When the Devil tempts you to get down and discouraged—fight! Don't even listen to him, much less surrender! Start doing something positive! Start saying something cheerful and encouraging!

27. GET BUSY WORKING! GO OUT WITNESSING! HELP SOMEBODY ELSE! GET SO BUSY WITH THEIR TROUBLES YOU CAN'T THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN DAMN SELF! Get so busy trying to make somebody else happy you can't help but be happy! Praise the Lord! Pray without ceasing!

28. BUT TO HELL WITH THOSE … SESSIONS where you like to spread your doubt and gloom and depression and fears and discouragements and your own sinful self … just to get a little sympathy—"Poor Me"—Let's have a round of "poor me's." Now all together, everybody say‚ "Poor Me!" Doesn't that sound like a good time! Man, that's a hell of a time, and it'll make you feel like hell, too!

29. LET'S TALK ABOUT JESUS! LET'S GET POSITIVE! LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WORD! LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NEEDS OF OTHERS! Let's talk about the good things! "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things!"

30. KEEP THE FAITH‚ BROTHER! PRAISE THE LORD! KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS! And get busy helping somebody that needs help—and forget your own damn, stupid self!

31. LET'S GET GOING WITH GOD! HE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN MAKE IT! And He'll pull you through if you just give Him a chance and hang on to His Word and let Him hang on to you! Let Go—And Let God!

38. "ONLY JESUS, ONLY JESUS, ONLY HE CAN SATISFY. Every burden becomes a blessing, when I know my Lord is nigh!"

Third Epistle to Pastors

ML #49:25‚ Vol.1

25. Don't feel sorry for yourself, and try to blame it on God‚ and quit! Self-pity is pride: hurt feelings are damnable stinking self, and at the root of every doubt, there is sin, the heinous, diabolical sin, of rebellion against God's will! This is why people doubt! They're not willing to accept the truth, but prefer strong delusion, rather than obey the will of God! Don't let it happen to you!

Letter to a Laborer

ML #325:2,4,6–12,15-16; Vol.3

2. WE'RE SORRY ABOUT ALL THE TROUBLES YOU'VE HAD, but are very thankful that you love the Lord and are trying your best to serve Him. We're sure you've been a real blessing in the many ways in which you've helped others and are now helping our ministry there.

4. WE ALL LOVE YOU AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU that you'll find your place where you can be content and feel fulfilled and satisfied with your tasks, however humble they may be. Remember that, "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

6. BUT REMEMBER THAT NOT ALL VOICES ARE OF GOD and you must "try the spirits" to make sure that what you're hearing is of the Lord. If it is not according to His Word or causes you to be discontent or bitter, dissatisfied or unhappy or critical of others—these things are not of the Lord and you must rebuke the Enemy in Jesus' name when he tempts you with these negative thoughts.

7. ONE OF YOUR BEST PROTECTIONS IS TO KEEP BUSY FOR GOD AND OBEDIENT to those who love you in the Lord, and also to fill your mind and heart with positive, encouraging‚ strengthening and faith building thoughts from His Word, remembering, memorizing and continually quoting to yourself and even to the Enemy when he attacks you and claiming such promises of God constantly as you cling to His Word.

8. SOME SCRIPTURES WHICH HAVE BEEN A GREAT BLESSING to me in times of distress, mental anguish, doubts and fears and battles with the Enemy have been those like: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusteth in Thee."

9. "FOR CONSIDER HIM THAT ENDURED such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds"..."Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God‚ which is your reasonable service"..."And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God"..."If you've been offended, suffer it."

10. THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM AND THE LORD'S PRAYER HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT COMFORT to me also in time of need, to know that the Lord would never leave nor forsake me nor leave me comfortless. And I am always convicted by that part: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us", and where Jesus said we know that "If we forgive not others their trespasses, neither will our Father in Heaven forgive us."

11. SO WE MUST ASK HIM IN ALL HUMILITY TO HELP US HAVE MERCY on others, knowing that we ourselves must also be forgiven for many sins. Remembering continually what sinners we are and how many mistakes we've made helps greatly to keep us humble and to avoid that spirit of self-righteous pride which causes us to criticize and condemn others.

12. IT HELPS TO ALWAYS REMEMBER WE'RE ALL SINNERS AND THAT WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES and that we must "forgive one another even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven us".

15. STAY CLOSE TO HIM AND HE'LL NEVER FAIL YOU. He'll never forsake you. He'll never let you down. Even though He may not always answer just the way we'd like, keep trusting Him and He'll never fail.

16. KEEP LOVING OTHERS AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU. Keep serving Jesus and He'll serve you—well!

You Are Your Own Worst Enemy

ML #1945 (excerpts); Vol.16

2. I'LL TELL YOU, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW THEY BRING THEIR OWN SPIRIT TO CLASS, & that spirit has a pervasive influence. You are either radiating sunshine or a black cloud! You think because you're sitting here amongst others that you can hide your feelings, but you can't!

12. You'd better sit up & face up & get the victory & be happy & get your God–damned mind off yourself & on others & how to please them & please the Lord & do His work instead of moping around all the time about whether you're happy or not, or whether you're pleasing me or not or whatever!

13. What the Hell difference does it matter whether you're happy or not?—Get your mind on the Lord & get your mind on others & try to just forget yourself & your selfishness & your pride & please other people! Get your mind on the Lord & others! You don't find happiness through the pursuit of it, you'll find happiness through trying to make other people happy, & then it'll find you!

17. YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW SERIOUS IT IS! You don't realize how your spirit reflects on everybody else & on me too, because you're thinking only about yourself & selfish in your pride & how you're unhappy, … you can't do this or that.

31. I don't know whether you realize it or not, but ... the spirit of the Body, of the Class or of the Home is made up of a combination, a mixture of all of your spirits! You each contribute some kind of spirit to this Class, either good or bad!—Either you lift it up with your spirit or drag it down. Your spirit is real, your aura is real!—Forget your aura, your spirit extends much further than your aura, & your spirit can drag the whole Class down, or it can lift the whole Class up!

32. THE SPIRIT OF A WHOLE CLASS OR A HOME OR A CONGREGATION OR THE CHURCH IS THE COMBINED INDIVIDUAL SPIRITS OF EACH ONE OF YOU, all of you put together, & if even one of you is out of the victory, out of sorts, out of it & down, if the person beside you can't feel it‚ let me tell you, all I have to do is look in your face, look in your eyes & I can feel it!

33. YOU RADIATE THAT BLACKNESS & THAT DEPRESSION, THAT HORRIBLE SELFISH DOWNCAST SPIRIT & YOU DRAG [others] DOWN.

39. GET YOUR MIND OFF YOURSELF! FORGET YOURSELF! Forget your attitude! Get your mind on others! Get your mind on Jesus! Think about the Lord & forget yourself & go to work for Jesus & that's the best thing in the World for that kind of problem, good old-fashioned work-therapy, love–therapy, love for others‚ love for the Lord! Sacrifice yourself on the altar, forget yourself, lose yourself! Forget your God-damned selfish personal proud feelings!

42. I'VE FOUND OUT WITH MOST PEOPLE THAT THEIR PROBLEM IS THEY BLAME ALL THEIR TROUBLES ON SOMEBODY ELSE! They think, "It's that person I have to live with, that awful Hell of a person I have to sleep with or that leader I have to work under"—or this one or that one!—But when they go from here to some other Home they take that same selfish proud heavy heart with them & drag it along & drag the next Home down too!

45. HOW CAN YOU STAND YOURSELF? How can you come to Class with a spirit like that? Don't you know it offends God? Don't you know it influences others & you're hurting the whole Home? You've hurt God's feelings & you've hurt mine & you're hurting others, you're hurting & influencing the whole Class!

84. DON'T THINK YOU CAN JUST KEEP YOUR LITTLE PROBLEM TO YOURSELF & KEEP YOUR BAD DRAGGY SPIRIT TO YOURSELF! Everybody will notice it, everybody has already noticed it, everybody already knows it. It gets around. They can just take one look at you & know that you're down in the dumps‚ something's wrong, your spirit is bad. They can even feel it in the Spirit without even looking at you, just feel it when you're around.

85. DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIDE IT, YOU CANNOT HIDE A BAD SPIRIT ANY MORE THAN YOU CAN HIDE A GOOD SPIRIT! You cannot hide a happy, useful, helpful‚ shining spirit, it radiates on everybody the same light, the same joy!

87. PEOPLE SEE IT IN YOU! IT STICKS OUT! When you're happy & you have the Lord‚ you radiate, you shine, you're joyous, you smile & you're always trying to be helpful & always trying to help people & encourage people!

90. HAPPINESS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, & you don't make yourself happy by trying to make yourself happy, or trying to find somebody else to make you happy. It's a law of God just like gravity that you don't get happy by trying to make yourself happy or trying to get somebody else to make you happy, but you get happiness by trying to give it to other people! You don't find happiness by chasing it! You go around chasing others & trying to make them happy, then happiness will find you, it will chase you & catch up with you & make you happy! That's a law of God!

91. WE HAVE A LITTLE SAYING, LOVE ISN'T LOVE TILL YOU GIVE IT AWAY! What does it mean? Love isn't real love until you are spending your time trying to give love to others.—Not trying to get love, that's not love, that's selfishness.

111. EVERYBODY HAS THEIR TIME WHEN THEY GET DOWN IN THE DUMPS, THEIR LOW TIME, & THEY SEEM TO THINK SOMETIMES THAT THEY'RE ENTITLED TO IT. "Well, this is my time to be down in the dumps‚ let me enjoy my misery! Don't try to cheer me up. Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I want to go out in the garden & eat worms & enjoy my misery! If I can't be a blessing, at least I can be a burden. If I can't be a help‚ at least I can be a hindrance! If I can't be cheerful, at least I can be a sad sack, at least I can be something!—I can enjoy my misery." The trouble is, misery loves company.

113. WHEN YOU'RE DOWN IN THE DUMPS & YOU'RE TEARFUL & YOU'RE A SAD SACK, YOU WANT EVERYBODY TO BE MISERABLE WITH YOU, you want everybody else to sympathize with you & be sad with you! "How can they dare to be happy when I'm so sad? How can you be cheerful when I'm down in the dumps? Come on down here in the dumps of the Pit with me! Don't you dare be happy when I'm sad!" It's pitiful! It's human nature. But it's godly nature, it's spiritual nature, it's the nature of Jesus to try to lift others up & encourage them & cheer them even when you don't feel like it.

117. IT'S REALLY RIDICULOUS WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF AS YOU REALLY ARE & SEE WHAT YOUR ATTITUDE REALLY IS, what you're really trying to do! Just because you're sad & you're unhappy & you're a sad sack, you may not even realize it‚ but you're trying to bring everybody down with you! Because you're so sad & unhappy & so much in the dumps, you hate to see anybody else happy, you want everybody else to feel like you do & want to drag them down & get'm in the dumps too & have sympathy for you.

118. (SINGS A DOLEFUL DIRGE:) "I NEED SYMPATHY, SYMPATHY, JUST SYMPATHY! Oh-oh, come on with me‚ I need such sympathy!" That's the way we are—when we're down we want everybody to sympathize with us & feel sorry for us & come down to our level & drag them down with us. "How can they dare be happy when I'm sad? Come on‚ be sad with me! Let's be sad together, misery loves company. Let's enjoy our misery together."

120. MY, HOW WE LOVE SYMPATHY WHEN WE'RE DOWN‚ WHEN SOMETIMES THAT'S THE LAST THING IN THE WORLD WE NEED! Somebody needs to come along & sock us on the butt, kick us in the ass, sock us on the chin to wake us up out of our lethargy & our stupor of self-pity & self-sympathy so we can get our minds on the Lord & His Work & others & forget our God-damned self, our stinkin' self! You'll never get the victory by looking at yourself‚ because there's nobody that drags me down worse than me & my stinkin' self, my own foul spirit! Self is horrible! Self is terrible!—That kind of self, that evil you‚ that evil self!

130. Why don't you get your eyes off of your God-damned self & get'm on Jesus! Why don't you get your eyes off of others & your mate or this problem person or this person you don't like or something you don't like about the Family or our doctrine or the Home or your rooming situation or your job or whatever it may be, & get your eyes on Jesus! Think about the Lord! Let the Light in & the darkness will flee!

136. YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY!—BUT JESUS IS YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND & HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN HELP YOU GET THE VICTORY!—Not over your job & others & blah blah blah, but over yourself where the big problem is. You are the big problem! If you can let Jesus conquer your evil spirit, He can easily take care of all the rest! PTL? Hallelujah? So, (sings:)

"Lift your heart to Heaven & the Glory will come in!

Lift your heart to Heaven & His Glory will come in!

Let Jesus have possession, He'll save you from your sin!

Lift your heart to Heaven & the Glory will come in!"

138. (SINGS:)

"KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS‚ DO NOT WATCH THE WAVES!

Keep your eyes on Jesus, 'tis faith in Him that saves!

Keep your eyes on Jesus, His promises avail!

Keep your eyes on Jesus, praise God, He cannot fail!"

Quit trying to succeed yourself, quit trying to have the victory, just let Jesus come in & let Him win it!—PTL? Get your mind on the Lord! Get your mind on your job! Get your mind on helping others! Seek their happiness before your own! Have real, genuine‚ sacrificial, unselfish love!—That's love‚ not this hog-wallowing trying to get satisfaction for yourself, trying to make yourself happy, trying to make others make you happy. Get your mind on Jesus! Ask Him to help you love Him so much you'll love others so much you'll forget your God-damned evil self, your worst enemy, & live for the Lord, live for Jesus, live for others! Praise God?

Bitterness

ML #2672:67-81; Vol.19

67. Although "evil thoughts proceed out of the heart of men" (Mk.7:21)‚ we should not be ignorant of the fact that bitter, hateful & resentful thoughts are also a "device of the Devil" (2Cor.2:11) that he frequently attacks God's children with. Our spiritual Enemy is always looking for a weakness, a way to enter our defenses. He is always seeking to cast his "fiery darts" (Eph.6:16) into the city of our fellowship‚ trying to sow the evil seeds of dissension, jealousy, covetousness, bickering, selfishness, & internal discord.

68. So we all need to be watchful & on guard against such thoughts towards others. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil‚ as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."—1Pet.5:8.

69. When the Enemy is out to poison & "defile" you with bitter & hateful thoughts, he's usually very subtle about it. He tries to make his poison look very attractive, offering it to you as something that you want to take. The Devil almost always sugar-coats his pills with enough truth to trick people who don't know better than believing & swallowing them.

70. When I was a little boy, when they gave you pills & capsules, they started to put a coat of candy on the outside so the children would be willing to swallow them, because they thought it was candy. But inside it was bitter, horrible–tasting medicine.—And that's the way the Devil's lies are; no matter how he sugar coats them to tempt you or to suit your taste, no matter how much truth he may use to get you to harbor bitter thoughts against somebody, his thoughts are a bitter pill to swallow, & will make you bitter if you do!

71. That's why it's extremely dangerous to allow even a little bitterness, resentment or a critical spirit to creep in. The Enemy will use it as a channel, especially if there's some motivation of jealousy or pride or desire to vindicate or avenge yourself, or even to just feel sorry for yourself‚ or excuse yourself. You may think, "Oh, just this one little tiny seed, just this little bit of a grudge or gripe against them, it's not so bad.—Besides, they deserve it!" But that little crack in your spiritual armor is where the Devil will begin to seep in, & his gas of deceit then begins to poison your mind because you've opened the door to him, & pretty soon you're totally off the track!

72. As long as you leave a window open, you're not going to get rid of a roomful of flies. Likewise, you're not going to get rid of the Devil & his annoyances until you force them out & close the door or the windows so they can't come back in! But as long as you're harboring bitterness or hatred in your life, that just lets the Enemy in, it's leaving the door wide open.

73. My Mother used to say, the Devil knocks on some people's door & they just throw it open & say, "Come on in, Mr. Devil, come in, Mrs. Devil & all your little doubts & doubtlets! Here are some comfy chairs, sit down & talk to me & let's have a nice visit, let's hear all that you have to say!" Instead of that, when you first hear the Enemy's knock at the door in your thoughts, in your mind & heart, as soon as you recognize who it is, you should slam the door in his face so quick it cuts his nose off! You shouldn't even listen to his first doubt, his first evil thought or "fiery dart"!

74. That's where Eve made her mistake. Her first mistake was stopping to listen to the Devil. When he puts negative or critical or doubtful thoughts in your mind, don't even listen. Resist him! Rebuke him in Jesus' name & start praising God & thanking the Lord for all your blessings! Get off the Devil's negative channel & think of the positive! When Eve stopped to listen, pretty soon she was believing him. So don't listen to him at all!—"Neither give place to the Devil!"—Eph.4:27. Listen to Jesus, read His Word‚ study & memorize it & praise the Lord, & the Enemy will flee!

75. Whenever you feel like murmuring & griping about things, watch out! Such an unthankful, doubtful & negative attitude may not only be an indication of bitterness, but of backsliding as well! Even if you haven't actually turned your back on the Lord, you're turning back in your heart when you start yielding to that feeling of doubting, murmuring & being critical of everybody else. When people start picking out others' faults & covering their own, & murmuring & griping about everything, complaining instead of praising the Lord for what they've got‚ it's a dangerous sin!

76. Even if you don't wind up completely backsliding, you'll certainly lose your inspiration & the Lord's anointing if you go around voicing complaints & resentments like that. You can't keep complaining & criticizing & murmuring & belly-aching about things & still keep God's Holy Spirit on you for your job‚ you just can't do it. You'll wind up like Saul, the Spirit left him, & he became so damned hardened of heart & cold, he didn't even know it was gone! He didn't even know he had lost it.

77. When someone's going around murmuring & constantly being critical of everything, it shows that they've been entertaining the Devil's lies in their mind & heart, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."—Mat. 12:34. Then they become a witness for the Devil. If your heart is filled with negative thoughts, sooner or later you'll mouth them, & that's when you really begin to pull others down too.

78. One reason that people complain & bellyache & criticize is because they know that they're not making it themselves & that they haven't got the victory.—They know that they're failing because of their own unyieldedness or rebelliousness. So rather than really trying to make it & stop failing & do better, they start looking around for something to justify themselves, to excuse themselves & vindicate themselves. So they frequently accuse & blame everybody else for their own faults & failures, & will freely criticize everybody else but themselves.

79. Such murmuring is virtually the voice of the Enemy & his doubts‚ & a critical spirit like that sows dissension, disunity & discord amongst brethren‚ one of the seven abominations to God!—Pro.6:16–19. So God certainly won't—& can't—bless people who allow themselves to fall into such a sorry state.

80. In fact, if you sin in murmuring against God, & complaining about your lot, complaining about the circumstances & conditions under which you're living, & griping & murmuring against God or your Shepherds or your brethren, God may just let you stay there much longer than He'd originally planned!—Like He did to the Children of Israel when they murmured against Him!—Until you learn to be thankful & patient! "Tribulation worketh patience!"—Rom.5:3.

81. No matter how great your trial may be, no matter how difficult your difficulty may be, no matter how bad it may be, if you just have faith to trust God to bring you out of that difficulty, you won't murmur & complain! You'll rejoice & praise God & thank Him, even for the trial, because you know He is able to save & deliver you!—And He will! PTL!

Jewels on Comparing

ML #3326:15-19, GN 932

15. (Dad: ) The Lord deals differently with each of us, and sometimes what's good for one person is not good for another. So we can't compare and wonder why some people seem to have it so easy, while others suffer so. The Lord is fair and just, and most importantly, He's loving, and it all balances out in the end. (End of message.)

16. (Jesus:) You've been looking at the hole in your life instead of the donut, and in the lives of others you've seen only the donut and not the hole. But all have both, My love. Look not at what others have. Or if you must look at what they have, then look deeply, and you'll also see that all hurt, all suffer, all have pain in one form or another.

17. You know others have it hard too and that nobody has a perfect life, so just keep reminding yourself of that. Maybe they have something you want, but maybe you have something they want. Maybe they have something very special, but maybe they had to go through a whole lot of waiting to get it—maybe longer than you'll have to wait!

18. People often want what someone else has‚ but they only see the silver lining, the benefits, the advantages. They don't see the sacrifices and hard decisions that made others what they are and prepared them for their place of service. With the crown comes the cross. I have made your cross, as I have everyone else's, tailored just for you, just what I know you can take and what will make you into what I need you to be. But often people envy the crown and the glory so much that they neglect to see the cross, which is the sacrifice that fitted the person for the crown.

19. Don't compare the way that I've supplied the need of one to the way that I've supplied the need of another, for I have a purpose in all that I do. You can come to Me‚ ask Me, and seek Me‚ and I will show you the purpose and the reason that I placed you where I did. (End of message.)

Victory Over Comparing, Part 1

ML #3327:21-24‚ GN 953

21. (Jesus:) While it may seem to you that the balances tip unfairly one direction or another in your life or in the life of another, in My eyes all is fair and just. I give each person what they need. It may not always be what you want or come in the way that you want, but it's what you need. Whether seeming to be a blessing or a burden‚ each experience is a gift from My hand, and each happening is part of the plan on the map I've laid out for your life.

22. You have to move from place to place in order to reach your final destination, and so does every other person. At times your lives seem to intersect‚ and you feel that you're traveling on the same path, so the conditions should be the same for both of you. But in fact there are times when I have each person make a slight turn or detour, or I alter their path somewhat so that you're not going at the same pace or completely in the same direction.

23. Everyone is moving forward toward the goal. The goal is for all to draw closer to Me and to become stronger in My Spirit‚ but I use different things in different lives to achieve that goal. Your makeup is unique, different than any other person's, and the things that I need to do to remake you, to help you learn all that I need you to learn, are different from the things I do in any other person's life. So the only way to be happy and content is to truly let go of comparing. Do not analyze, observe or study the lives of others to see how their personalities compare with yours, how their relationships compare with yours, or how their jobs compare with yours.

24. It's good to understand, to have insight, to learn from what others learn; it's not good to measure your experiences, your battles or your blessings against theirs. For one, there is so much that you don't know‚ that you don't see or understand; and second, you don't know My plan or the purpose I have in each thing. What seems to you to be a blessing that you're missing out on may be part of a burden that another person bears. (End of message.)

Victory Over Comparing, Part 2

ML #3328:2-3‚ 6-7, 9, GN 999

2. (Jesus:) I seek to take away the tinted glasses through which you've been looking at past situations and the people around you. These glasses make everything seem dark and full of despair; they make life seem like it's biased against you, and make you feel like you've gotten a raw deal. These glasses make you feel sorry for yourself‚ and resentful of others, because they seem to have been handed an unfair advantage. When you're wearing these glasses, you can't find it in your heart to forgive people for their blunders, their lack of communication, or for the way they may have offended you. These glasses block out the problems and burdens other people bear, and you only see that others have things or opportunities or relationships that you wish you had. Then you begin to question My plan in your life, or My love for you‚ because you think you'd be happy if you had all those things you covet in other people's lives.

3. The truth is, the only way you'll be happy is if you get those glasses permanently removed. Because even if you did have all those things—an ideal-looking relationship, multitudes of job and travel opportunities, a different personality that's more attractive, and so on—you would continue to be unhappy and desire more, because not having these things is not what's affecting your happiness. It's these glasses, which represent the Enemy's lies that have taken hold in your life and which you now believe as fact.

6. You've fought negative thinking over the years and you've made progress, but the problem is that those glasses have never been far from you, and you're ever ready to put them back on and analyze your life through this so-called "realistic" tint. You're quick to judge whether you've been dealt a fair hand in any situation, and you often come out thinking that if you had only had better cards, you would have been perfectly happy. The fact is, I deal everyone a balance of blessings and challenges. If you only received blessings, there would never be any opportunity to grow, to experience sorrow or hardship and to learn to have compassion and a broken heart for others.

7. I want you to have joy in serving Me, and I want you to trust Me that everything I send your way is for your good—that even if something looks like a stone, it's bread‚ simply because it came from My hand. Then you won't look on the things of others and wish I'd given you blessings you see others receiving, because you'll realize that I have every good thing in My hand for you, and it's but a matter of timing in your life as to when you can receive those blessings.

9. It's going to take time to get these glasses off you permanently, but I'm not going to give up. At first you'll blink at the bright sunshine of My way of looking at things, and because you're not used to it, it may seem too bright, too positive, and the Enemy will tell you it's too rosy and unrealistic to be so thankful for everything, to see My perfect will in everything, and to count all things as working together for good because you love Me. (End of message.)

Word Basics: Thankfulness

1-4,7; Word Basics

Praise & thankfulness vs. murmuring & complaining

1. Having a thankful, grateful attitude:

A. The Lord wants & expects us to be thankful:

Psa.50:14aOffer unto God thanksgiving

Psa.95:2Come before His presence with thanksgiving

Psa.100:4bBe thankful unto Him

Psa.140:13Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name

Eph.5:20Giving thanks always for all things unto God

Col.3:15bBe ye thankful

1Thes.5:18In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God

(See also Psa.92:1)

B. We should be content:

Phi.4:11In whatsoever state I am, therewith...be content

1Tim.6:8Having food & raiment let us be therewith content

1Tim.6:6Godliness with contentment is great gain

Heb.13:5Be content with such things as ye have

(See also Pro.15:16,17)

C. Don't take God's blessings for granted:

Psa.68:19Blessed be Lord...Who daily loadeth us with benefits

Psa.103:2Bless the Lord...& forget not all His benefits

Lk.17:12-18Were not ten (lepers) cleansed? where are the nine? (None) returned to give glory to God, save (one)

D. Remember to always thank Him for your blessings:

2Sam.22:49,50Thou hast delivered me ... therefore I will give thanks

1Chr.16:8Give thanks ... make known His deeds among the people

Psa.136:1-3Give thanks unto God ... for His mercy endureth forever

1Cor.15:57Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory

2Cor.2:14Thanks be unto God, which ... causeth us to triumph

(See also Psa.26:7; 107:22.)

2. Praising the Lord:

A. We are admonished to praise the Lord:

Psa.107:8Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, & for His wonderful works

Psa.18:3The Lord...is worthy to be praised

Psa.22:3(God) inhabitest the praises of Israel

Psa.66:8O bless our God, ye people‚ & make the voice of His praise to be heard

Psa.67:3O God, let all the people praise Thee

Psa.100:4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving‚ & into His courts with praise

Psa.103:1Bless the Lord, O my soul: & all that is within me, bless His holy name

Psa.113:1Praise ye the Lord, O ye servants of the Lord

Psa.117:1Praise the Lord, all ye nations...all ye people

Psa.147:1Praise ye the Lord: for...praise is comely

Psa.150:6Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord

Heb.13:15Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually ... the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name

1Pet.2:9Ye should show forth praises of Him Who called you

(See also Psa.50:23; 148:all; 150:all.)

B. Praise the Lord in song:

Psa.30:4Sing unto the Lord...& give thanks

Psa.69:30Praise the name of God with a song...& thanksgiving

Psa.92:1It is a good thing to...sing praises unto Thy name

Psa.98:1Sing unto the Lord a new song

Psa.147:1‚7Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise

Eph.5:19Making melody in your heart to the Lord

Col.3:16Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord

C. Praise the Lord happily:

Psa.5:11Let them that love Thy name be joyful in Thee

Psa.95:2bMake a joyful noise unto Him with psalms

Isa.51:3bJoy & gladness...thanksgiving, & the voice of melody

Jer.30:19Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving & the voice of them that make merry

(See also Psa.100:1; Jer.33:11.)

3. Have a continual attitude of praising God:

Heb.13:15Let us offer...praise to God continually ... our lips giving thanks to His name

Psa.34:1I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth

Psa.35:28My tongue shall speak of Thy...praise all day long

Psa.71:8Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise ... all the day

(See also Psa.30:12b; 72:15b; 79:13; 104:33; 113:3.)

4. Murmuring (complaining) forbidden by God:

Jn.6:43Jesus said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves

1Cor.10:10Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured

Phi.2:14Do all things without murmurings & disputings

(See also Psa.144:14)

7. What to do when problems arise:

A. Praise & rejoice even when things go wrong:

Hab.3:17,18Although the...fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off...yet will I rejoice in the Lord

Mat.5:11,12When men revile you‚ & persecute you, & say...evil against you falsely...rejoice, & be exceeding glad

Lk.6:22,23When men shall hate you...separate you...reproach you ...rejoice ye...& leap for joy

Acts 5:40‚41They called the apostles, & beat them...they departed rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer shame

Acts 16:22-25Beat them ... cast them into prison ... Paul & Silas prayed, & sang praises unto God

1Thes.5:18In everything give thanks: this is the will of God

1Pet.4:12,13Think it not strange...the fiery trial...but rejoice

(See also Jer.15:10,11,16; Jon.2:all; Phi.4:4.)

B. If you have a genuine deep grievance‚ tell the Lord:

Psa 55:2,3Hear me: I mourn in my complaint, & make a noise... because of the enemy...my heart is sore pained

Psa.55:22Cast thy burden upon the Lord, & He shall sustain thee

Psa.77:1-4I was troubled: I complained, my spirit...over whelmed

Psa.142:allI poured out my complaint before Him; I showed Him my trouble....my spirit was overwhelmed

1Pet.5:7Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you

(See also Heb.4:14–16)

C. Keep on praising & victory is sure to come:

2Chr.20:22When they began to sing & to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the (enemy)

D. Keep a thankful attitude in prayer:

Phi.4:6By prayer...with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God

Col.4:2Continue in prayer...with thanksgiving

End of File