POINTS OF TRUTH CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

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Crusade Church of God

Slaying Goliath

By: Larry R. Lasiter

The battle lines were drawn. Across a great valley, the army of the Lord faced their enemy, the Philistines. The mighty army of the Lord was in full battle array, shouting the war cry, and waiting anxiously for the sound of the trumpet! The Philistines had invaded Judah and were standing on holy ground defiantly challenging the God of Israel to do something about it!

It was a tense moment, adrenaline was rushing through the veins of each soldier. Hearts pounding, they were determined to defend the honor of their God and His chosen people.

Then suddenly a single Philistine warrior stepped forward onto the plain. He stood upwards to thirteen feet tall, wearing a two hundred pound breastplate, and holding a spear weighing about thirty pounds! He was the Philistine Champion of war. His name was GOLIATH, meaning "exiled, raging spirits!"

The hearts of the Israelites melted at the sight of Goliath, and they trembled in fear. For thirty-nine days Goliath had humiliated and demoralized the Lord's Army. Each morning, the Israelites would summon up the courage to ready themselves for battle, only to shrink away in fright and disgrace.

But day forty would prove to be very different. Forty is the number of trial and testing. For thirty-nine days not one Israelite had overcome the trial and passed the test. For thirty-nine days Goliath had taunted the Living God and no one had answered his challenge.

But on the morning of the fortieth day, a young shepherd boy named David was delivering goods to his brothers who were soldiers in the Army of the Lord. He arrived in the camp as Goliath began his challenge and taunt. David was enraged and asked,- "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the Living God?!"

Twice each day Goliath had offered the challenge,- "Face me!" "Defend your God!"

For forty days not one had answered his challenge, they all trembled in fear before him.

This young shepherd boy was delivering goods to his brothers, he was not there for battle,. . .but David answered immediately! He had no doubts, he was convinced that his God was faithful.

Though not trained for warfare, David was courageous and anxious to face the challenge while trained soldiers cowered in fear and shame. David's trust was in his God, not in his personal training or ability.

David sought permission from King Saul to answer the challenge, notice- "And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

SATAN TRIED TO PLANT SEEDS OF DOUBT

(1) ELIAB, David's older brother: His anger burned against David saying,- "Why have you come down here?" "YOU ARE ONLY A SHEPHERD BOY, who is watching the flock?"

(2) KING SAUL: "You ARE NOT ABLE TO GO AGAINST THIS PHILISTINE." "YOU ARE JUST A BOY, YOU ARE TOO YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED." "GOLIATH HAS BEEN A WARRIOR SINCE HIS YOUTH." "HE IS TRAINED AND HAS KILLED MANY MEN." "HE IS A CHAMPION!"

(3) GOLIATH: "AM I A DOG THAT YOU COME TO ME WITH A STICK?" "I WILL FEED YOU TO THE BIRDS!"

Notice David's answer in faith,- "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I COME TO YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, the GOD OF THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD WILL DELIVER YOU UP INTO MY HANDS, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, THAT ALL THE EARTH MAY KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL, and that ALL THIS ASSEMBLY MAY KNOW THAT THE LORD DOES NOT DELIVER BY SWORD OR BY SPEAR; for the BATTLE IS THE LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."

David was not shaken. He met Goliath's challenge with a STONE. (Isaiah 44:8) He refused to approach the giant with the armor of men, but clothed himself with the spiritual armor of the Lord. Protected by the "Shield of Faith" (Ephesians 6) the Devil was unable to pierce him with his fiery darts of doubt and fear.

David knew that it was not the size or the might of the enemy, but the might and power of the Lord, to whom the battle belonged. . .David knew IT WAS NOT THE NEED, but WHO THE PROVIDER WAS. . .David knew IT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM, but WHO THE DELIVERER WAS. . .David knew IT WAS NOT THE SICKNESS, but WHO THE HEALER WAS. And he faithfully placed his faith in Him who is always faithful.

WE BATTLE AGAINST SPIRITUAL FORCES

Jesus said that if one has the FAITH the size of a tiny mustard seed, he could say to this "MOUNTAIN" "be removed and be cast into the sea" it would happen! (Matthew 17:20)

About three thousands years ago, this young shepherd boy named David faced a "mountain" of a man whose very name means "exiled, raging spirits", but prevailed over him because of his faith in his God. He spoke to the "mountain" and said, "THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S."

As Christians, we have SPIRITUAL GOLIATH'S to slay. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against "exiled, raging spirits!"

2 Corinthians 10:3-5,- "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

Satan seeks to build a "fortress" or "stronghold" in a person's life. He wants you to believe that a problem or a sin in your life is too big a mountain for you to overcome. The Devil is a liar and is the father of lies. He and his demons are lying spirits sent forth into the world to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. But we are assured by God's Word that if we resist him, he will flee from us! (James 4:7) Notice,- "SUBMIT therefore TO GOD. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. DRAW NEAR TO GOD and HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

James tells Christians to "cleanse" themselves and stop practicing things that are not pleasing to God, stop being "double-minded." He is saying what Paul told the Corinthians,- "You cannot partake of the cup of demons and the cup of the Lord." And also what Jesus meant when He said,- "You cannot serve two masters" and please God.

Notice, as we read in 2 Corinthians 10, in spiritual warfare, you must guard your mind and thoughts, taking every thought captive and bring it to the obedience of Christ. WHY? Because many of our thoughts are not really our thoughts, but are demonic spirits tempting us with suggestive thoughts. WHY DOES SATAN AND HIS SPIRITS USE THIS STRATEGY? Because. . . . .

(1) THOUGHTS produce FEELINGS

(2) FEELINGS produce ACTIONS

(3) ACTIONS become HABITS

(4) HABITS produce CHARACTER

(5) CHARACTER determines your DESTINY

We all have GOLIATHS that stand in the way to eternal life. If we are truly traveling the little used, narrow road, we cannot take a detour around them, we must overcome them.

The giant Philistine that David slew was not always so mighty and powerful. Like any of us, he began as the seed of man, born as a helpless baby who had to be carefully nurtured by his mother. OVER TIME, Goliath grew to be the mighty mountainous warrior he became.

Likewise, many of the "mountains" that we face began very small. When they were small, they would have been much easier to overcome, wouldn't they? That is why it is so important to "CAPTURE EVERY THOUGHT", before it becomes a "feeling", an "action", a "habit" and our "character."

A demonic spirit may tempt your mind with a "desire" that will become a "lust" if left unchecked.

EXAMPLE: A desire is like saying "a glass of wine sure would be good." Lust becomes an additive need, such as alcohol is to an alcoholic who would believe,- "I MUST have a drink to get through the day." When desire turns into lust, it can cause you to believe a lie and do and say what is unlawful, such as,- "Alcoholism is a sickness that I suffer from. . .God understands." The truth is, ALL DRUNKARDS will have their part in the LAKE OF FIRE!" (1 Cor.6:10 / Gal. 5:21)

Alcoholism is not a sickness but a sin that will destroy not only your physical body but your eternity. If this is a "mountain" in your Way to the Kingdom, put your faith in God, and submit and commit to change, and He will help you in time of need. Stop being "double-minded" and determine that you will resist the Devil at this point of temptation. If you truly resist, he will flee from you and God will set you free. "It is for FREEDOM that Christ has SET US FREE. STAND FIRM, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

Goliath (SIN) is always crouching at the door, you must slay him with the spiritual weaponry of the Lord. (Genesis 4:7)

Israel followed God out of Egypt (type of SIN), God did not follow Israel. God must go forth and we must follow His lead.

EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO: A person's marriage may become a "Goliath". A person who is unhappy with their marriage may begin to dwell on how much they desire a happy marriage to the point of becoming discontented. Remember, Paul tells us to learn to be content in our circumstances. The Apostle Paul himself desired a wife but because the Church did not support him adequately he could not financially provide for one,- "Do we (Paul and Barnabas) not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?(Peter) (1 Corinthians 9:5) But Paul did not let his desire for a Christian wife become a lust, he was content and accepted his situation,- "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11)

If a person unhappy with their marriage becomes discontented, they will develop a lust for what they don't have. If this goes unchecked, over time this lust will consume them as an alcoholic is consumed and driven by his addictive need for alcohol. Succumbing to lying spirits, they will become convinced that they cannot be happy as long as they are in this situation.

As addicts find themselves doing things that they would have never even dreamed of doing to satisfy their unlawful desire, -one who is discontented in their marriage may soon find themselves lusting for a happy one, and doing things they would have never thought they would do.

They develop a mind-set where they are "SELF-Centered" rather than "GOD-Centered." It becomes "WHAT THEY WANT and what they perceive they need", rather than "WHAT GOD WANTS AND REQUIRES."

They soon find themselves standing at the "CROSSROADS OF LIFE", one leading to BLESSING and LIFE, and one leading to CURSING and DEATH.

They will either deny themselves as Paul and Barnabas did, or they will pursue the lust of their heart.

They may drop out of Church services, Bible Study and fellowship, or they may allow lying spirits to convince them that they can pursue their unlawful desire, leave their spouse, find another who will "Make them happy." "After all, it is God's will, because He wants me to be happy."

From this point on this is the motivation for all their actions. It becomes all about self, instead of God.

Then they expect God to follow them, bless them, when in reality, they have made a mockery of being obedient.

A person who succumbs to practicing sin often replaces obedience to God's will with sacrifice, as King Saul did. The Prophet Samuel told Saul,- "Behold, it is better to obey than to sacrifice. . .for rebellion is as the SIN of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as the SIN of idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:22)

God is Love, and love and obedience must be our motivation for what we do. All the Commandments are summed up by Love toward God, and Love toward your neighbor. Without the love of God any sacrifices we may make will profit us nothing, Jesus will still say- "Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

Notice also,- "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Self-righteous Pharisees once asked Jesus why He had fellowship with sinners? Jesus answered,- "It is not the healthy who are in need of a Physician, but the sick."

Two thousand years ago this Physician was called to prescribe for a world of sick people. After examination, He discovered that they were filled with poisons that would destroy them. He saw that they were filled with the poisons of disobedience, self-righteousness, lust, bitterness, envy, jealousy, selfishness and hate. The wise Doctor prescribed the medicine of LOVE. "But now abide FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, these three, but the greatest of these is LOVE." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

THESE ARE DIVINELY POWERFUL WEAPONS AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL FORCES OF DARKNESS. THEY ARE NEEDED TO SLAY THE "EXILED, RAGING SPIRITS" (Goliath)

The Shield of FAITH will protect us from the missiles of doubt the Devil fires at us. It will enable us to believe God, being convicted that He is always right and is faithful to His Word.

HOPE is the anchor of our souls. It keeps us from being tossed here and there by every trial or problem that arises. Notice,- "This HOPE we have as an ANCHOR of the soul, a HOPE both sure and steadfast." (Hebrews 6:19) We understand that ALL THINGS work to the good of those who love God. Sometimes it pleases the Lord for us to suffer patiently. (1 Peter 2:19)

LOVE is the most powerful force in existence. God is Love and Love gave God the Father the ability to give His own Son as a sacrifice for sinful man. It is His divine nature, and must become ours. Love gives us the right motivation, it destroys the fortresses the Devil tries to establish in our lives. Love is patient and kind, and is not jealous. Love produces self-less-ness, as opposed to selfishness. Love does not seek its own interests, but produces HUMILITY. And Love never fails in the day of battle. Goliath is always defeated by Love exercised properly.

After giving a lecture on humility, Dwight Moody was asked,- "Am I to understand that you are saying that a "humble man" does not think much of himself?" Moody replied,- "No, I am saying, a "humble man" does not think of himself at all."

As Christians, we all have "Goliath's" in our lives that need to be overcome. It may be lying, sexual lust, anger, lack of self-control, impatience, unsubmissiveness, discontentment, not releasing the Lord's tithes, hatred, unforgiveness, envy, a drinking problem, a smoking problem, illegal drug use, gossip, etc.

God does not want us to be enslaved by any of these things, because we become servants to what enslaves us.

Let us commit ourselves to be as David when confronting the Philistine giant. He was anxious to defend the honor of his God and the Army of the Living God. When Goliath rose to meet the young shepherd, David RAN QUICKLY TOWARD THE BATTLE LINE! (1 Samuel 17:48) There was no cautious, sizing up! David was driven by FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE in and for his God. There was no, "This is going to be too difficult." David simply committed and trusted the Lord to deliver.

Make your commitment to RUN QUICKLY TOWARD YOUR BATTLE with your Goliath, and do it today. Don't size up the situation, nor take into account the strength of the problem. Don't be cautious but courageous. Say No! to Satan now, and resist him.

You may feel you are stuck on the road to the Kingdom because Goliath is in the way. You may be afraid to face him. But you can overcome. If you will place your faith, hope, love and trust in God, He will enter the fight. Let Him turn your fear into faith through your obedience to His will.

  Halloween's Dark Secret

Condensed From "HALLOWEEN'S UGLY LEGACY" and "HALLOWEEN, Trick or Treat?"

By: Larry R. Lasiter © 1996

As Customary, many dress as witches and goblins

Adults send their children door to door asking for treats

Seems strange, doesn't it? Yet millions do it every year. . .WHY?

On October 31, as the sun fades and darkness begins to spread its wings across our neighborhoods, the footsteps of America's children can be heard scurrying down the sidewalks. "Trick or treat?" they cry as each door is opened. Of course most adults play right along dropping candy and various treats into the little Halloween bags the children hold open.

It seems as though the celebration of Halloween is growing in popularity with each passing year, but WHY?

Why do we in America observe this festival? Just where did it come from anyway? What does it commemorate to us?

Every holiday you keep you probably have an idea of what it commemorates, don't you? If asked why you observe Independence Day on July 4^th, you would probably say,- "To celebrate America's independence from England."

If asked why you observe Thanksgiving Day, you would probably say,- "To commemorate the landing of our forefathers at Plymouth Rock, and to remember to thank God for the wonderful blessings He has bestowed upon this country."

But think for a moment. . .WHY OBSERVE HALLOWEEN? Just what does its observance commemorate?

Encyclopedia Americana: "Halloween, a festival of Scottish-Irish origin, held on All Hallows Eve, the night of October 31. Elements of the customs connected with Halloween can be traced to a DRUID CEREMONY in PRE-CHRISTIAN times."

The Roman Catholic Church established All Hallows Day to be observed on November 1. But this was after AD 900. Clearly 900 years after the establishment of Christianity. But strangely, we see that the customs connected with this holiday, and its celebration taking place at the very least 1500 years earlier. WHY? If Halloween is not to honor the God of Christianity, then WHO or WHAT was it established to honor?

World Book, Childcraft International, Vol. 9: "Most holidays honor a famous person or celebrate an important event. But what started this rather strange holiday that seems to honor witches and ghosts?

Halloween wasn't always a children's "fun" holiday. At one time, it was a very serious and rather frightening event!

Thousands of years ago in England, Scotland, Ireland and some other places, the day that's now November 1 was the beginning of the new year. People also thought of this day as the start of winter. They called it "summer's end."

People believed there was a sort of war between winter, with its cold and darkness, and summer with its bright long days and pleasant greenery. And they felt that at summer's end, October 31, was a frightening time! People were sure that all the wicked creatures would be out celebrating, and might attack them!

To protect themselves, people held special ceremonies. They built big bonfires on hilltops to light up the night. They put on masks and animal skins so that they looked frightening. They hoped that their costumes would keep the evil creatures from knowing who they were.

HUNDREDS OF YEARS LATER, the "Christian Religion" (Catholic Church) came to these countries. November 1 "became" a "Christian" holiday known as All Saints Day or All Hallows Day.

The night before All Hallows Day, October 31, became known as All Hallow E'en. (E'en is an old way of saying evening) After a time, this was shortened to HALLOWEEN.

But many people, especially in England, kept up some of the old summer's end CUSTOMS. So, even after thousands of years had passed, people remembered that ghosts, goblins and witches were supposed to be most powerful on Halloween. And they remembered that this was the night on which people had once put on special costumes.

That is why people in America and the British Isles think of Halloween as a time of ghosts and monsters. And it is why American children wear costumes on Halloween."

Little by little we see that the seemingly harmless activities associated with Halloween today have sinister roots that go deep into paganism and superstition. You may still think this is all harmless, but let's examine a few more of Halloween's dark secrets.

One of the gods that was feared and worshiped ON THIS DAY was CROMM CRUAC.

Standard Encyclopedia of Folklore, Mythology and Legend: "Cromm Cruac, a HUGE IDOL which stood on the plain of Mag Sleact. . .the KING IDOL of Ireland. Around him were twelve idols made of stone but he was of gold, and TO HIM the early Irish SACRIFICED ONE THIRD OF THEIR CHILDREN ON SAMHAIN. (Halloween)

Cromm Cruac was held in horror for his terrible exactions; it was dangerous to even worship him, for the worshipers themselves often perished in the act of worship."

This is one of the pagan gods the observance of Halloween honors! Do you really want to participate in a festival that has its roots in DEMONISM? An observance where HUMAN SACRIFICE was demanded? The Druidic Priests demanded that each Celtic family offer one of every three of their children to be burned alive in the bonfires of Halloween!

Just imagine how difficult it must have been for parents to choose which of their little ones would be offered to this bloody idol.

To make light of Halloween today is to make light of its sinister past and dark meaning. It dishonors the memory of God's precious little children who suffered an agonizing death to honor demons.

1 Corinthians 10:19-21,- "What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything.(alive) No, but I say that the things the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."

Just WHO are you obeying in commemorating the observance of Halloween? It certainly is not a commandment from the true God. But it is a commandment from Cromm Cruac and the Druid Priests. It is an observance to honor and appease Cromm Cruac, whose very name means "bloody bent one!" The Bible reveals WHO is really behind this holiday,- the entity is the bloody, twisted one God calls the Devil.

You may have fond memories of its observance. It may have been fun to you, but was it right? Many things that are fun are not right, are they?

Is it really right to ignore the true meaning of Halloween? Even today there are HUMAN SACRIFICES offered on this evening. Some of the missing children whose pictures you may see on America's bulletin boards at your local grocery store, may have been abducted for this very purpose!

And what would be the memories of the ancient Celts of this observance? Wouldn't they be memories of extreme fear, with the painful REALITY that thousands of their little ones perished on this very day?

More importantly, WHAT ARE GOD'S MEMORIES of the observance of Halloween? A thousand years is as a single day to God. You see, to God it does not seem so long ago that He watched parents take their own trusting little children by the hand and lead them to the altar of demons,- to perish in the fiery flames of Cromm Cruac.

No doubt, RIVERS OF TEARS flowed in Heaven as the Heavenly Host observed this yearly HOLOCAUST. . .My friends, separate yourselves from this vile and wicked festival called Halloween.

SPOTLIGHT: Bible Code

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

The Bible Code was discovered by Dr. Eliyahu Rips, an expert in Group Theory, a field of Mathematics

Dr. Rips explained that each code is a case of adding every fourth, twelfth, fiftieth, etc, letter to form a word. Skip X spaces, and another X spaces and another X spaces, etc., and the hidden message is spelled out. It is more than a simple skip code, messages also criss-cross.

It has been confirmed by famous mathematicians at Harvard, Yale and Hebrew University. It has been replicated by a senior code-breaker at the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

The Bible Code is found only in the original Hebrew version of the Old Testament.

The Bible was encoded with information about the past and about the future in a way that was mathematically beyond random chance, and found in no other text.

The Bible is constructed like a giant crossword puzzle. It is encoded from the beginning to the end with words that connect to tell a hidden story.

Dr. Rips said,- "All probabilities may be there, and what we do may determine what actually happens. Maybe it was done this way to preserve free will."

There are at least 10 or 20 billion combinations that can be used. If you start counting from 1 and never stop day or night, it will take you 100 years to count up to 3 billion. So the Bible Code contains more information than we could even count, let alone find, in several life times. At age 21 you will have lived 666,688,000 seconds, - age 40,- 1,262,217,600 seconds, age 80,- 2,524,521,600 seconds.

Michael Drosnin, author of The Bible Code, said,- "Many others will also say that we now have the first secular evidence of God's existence. I am persuaded only that no human could have encoded the Bible in this way. We do have the first scientific proof that some intelligence outside our own does exist, or at least did exist at the time the Bible was written."

Sometimes random letter combinations appear in a large book such as a novel, but is never accompanied with related coherent information. "Shakespeare" may appear, but not with "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" as in the Bible Code.

The Bible Code says that there is a chance of "World War" with an "Atomic Holocaust" in the years 2000 and 2006. Found in the same location is the question,- "Will you change it?" Implying that man's free will may determine how and when future events happen.

"Computer" is found in the Bible Code, but in Hebrew the root of the same word also means "thought."

Dr. Rips said,- "Of course you can find random letter combinations in any text. You will find "Saddam Hussein" in any large enough data base, but you won't find "scuds", "Russian Missiles", and the day the war began, all in the same place, in advance. (As in the Bible) It doesn't matter if we're looking in a text of 100,000 or 100,000,000 letters, you will not find coherent information, except in the Bible."

The famous Scientist, Peter Hawking said,- "Quantum Mechanics does not predict a single definite result for an observation. Instead, it predicts a number of different possible outcomes. In the end, all conventional science, indeed all conventional concepts of reality, may be irrelevant. If some Being that stands outside the system, outside our three dimensions, outside of time, encoded the Bible, the code may not obey any of our laws."

FOCUS: Wisdom Keys

"A wise man will hear and increase in learning. And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel." Proverbs 1:5

From Dr. Mike Murdoch's book, Wisdom for Crisis Times

FOUR FORCES THAT SHORTEN YOUR SEASON OF STRUGGLE

(1). Your Speaking: Words of faith build you up in the spirit. Faith-talk is explosive (Proverbs 18:21) When God wanted the present to end and the future to begin, He spoke.

(2). Your Singing: Singing (praises by true, sincere Christians) creates a climate Satan cannot tolerate. Songs of worship and praise dispel demonic spirits as Saul discovered when David played the harp. (1 Samuel 16:23) Someone has well said, "Motion creates emotion."

(3). Your Sharing: The prayer of agreement with others is extremely powerful. It is wise for you to initiate the prayer assistance of intercessors. "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. . .whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. . .If two of you. . .agree on earth. . .it shall be done for them of my Father." (Matthew 18:18-19)

(4). Your Seed-Sowing: Sowing creates a partnership with God that involves Him in your adversity. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now. . . saith the Lord. . .if I will not open. . .windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes." (Malachi 3:10-11)

Dr. Murdoch says,- "I have always observed significant changes in times of stress, battle and struggle when I have boldly unleashed the above four forces."

TWO IMPORTANT TRUTHS

(1). Your battle is always for a REASON.

(2). Your battle is always for a SEASON.

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go not more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of God, which is the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven. . .and I will write upon him My new name. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." (Revelation 3:5,12,21)

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou are also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12)

SPECIAL MEMO TO SPIRITUAL SOLDIERS

• Accurately assess your struggle.
• Name your REAL enemy for who he is.
• Make a quality decision to go on with God. You have already been in your past. There was nothing there that you wanted, so fight it out to get into your future.
• DO BATTLE! Battle is your chance for recognition to both the Heavenly Host and the Spiritual Forces of Darkness.
• Your endurance is demoralizing to Satan.
• The rewards of OVERCOMING are worth a thousand times more than any pain you will ever experience.
• The taste of VICTORY lasts far longer than the memory of your struggle!

The Story of Man

Part Two

By: Larry R. Lasiter © 1996

The Story of Man series are transcripts taken from my POINTS OF TRUTH Radio Broadcasts. Audio of the broadcasts are available upon request.

THE HISTORY OF MAN IS ONE OF VIOLENCE AND WAR

AND DAILY, THE WORLD NEWS TELLS OF TRAGEDY AND SUFFERING

WHERE IS GOD? WHY IS IT THAT HE SEEMS SO FAR REMOVED FROM MANKIND?

In Part One of the Story of Man we examined the loving relationship our Creator had with the first humans, Adam and Eve before their sin of disobedience. How God would enter the garden paradise, and how Adam and Eve would run to meet Him when they heard His footsteps.

We saw the devastating effects of SIN unfold before our very eyes. And how Adam and Eve chose to know both good and evil, to decide for themselves how they would live their lives.

And sadly, we saw that instead of running anxiously to meet their Creator, they hid themselves from Him after receiving the knowledge of evil.

Man had chosen the Way of SELF-RELIANCE, rather than GOD-RELIANCE. He was, in effect, telling his Creator to "stay out of his business!" Man would make his own decisions regarding how he would live his life.

As a result, God removed the man and the woman from the beautiful Garden of Eden which He had made them, to provide them with food and shelter. They would now learn on their own. With the sweat of his brow, Adam would have to till the soil and grow his own food. He was no longer under the grace of God, and was told that he and his wife would eventually die because of their disobedient act.

Jesus said that He is the WAY to eternal life. There is no other WAY. The WAY is not in man. It is not found in SELF-RELIANCE, but in RELYING ON GOD.

Man's life became hard, and it was not long before the first murder was committed when Adam's son Cain killed his brother Abel. Cain was jealous of Abel. But the question in his mind was what to do about it. History reveals that like his father before him, he trusted SELF-RELIANCE and did what was right in his own eyes and killed his brother. The Creator counseled him beforehand saying,- "You must overcome" (this evil desire). But evil was now in the consciousness of mankind, and Cain chose evil over good.

In the next one thousand years or so, few men sought to know their Creator. Very few, indeed, came to have a relationship with Him.

By the time of Noah, the world had become depraved and violent. Even to the point that God grieved that he had even made man.

God mercifully put a stop to the excessive misery and violence by destroying the earth with a flood. But He noticed that there was one man that was righteous, Noah.

Of all the people on the earth at that time, only Noah sought a relationship with his Creator. Because of this, God made a WAY of escape for him and his family in the Ark. God commanded Noah to preach to the people for 120 years, warning them of the coming deluge and offering those who would repent of their wickedness a way of escape also. Sadly, not one repented, and they all perished in the raging waters. But Mankind was preserved in the seed of Noah. And those who perished will be resurrected after the millennial reign of Jesus. (Rev.20)

This was not pleasant to God. He is a loving Creator with no desire to destroy His own creation. But as He looked upon the earth, He saw His children filled with every manner of evil. A thousand years is as a single day to God, so it must have seemed just like yesterday that the first humans ran in the directions of His footsteps. And now He must destroy them. How His heart must have cried out for them.

After the flood the task of repopulating the earth began. But it wasn't long before men began to choose evil continually. Sin began to reign over men again!

Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor.4:4) began working with the mighty hunter, Nimrod. Nimrod was full of evil, and vowed to fight God if ever He sent a flood upon the earth again.

Many people were afraid to live in the plains because they feared God would send another flood. Most lived in the higher elevations.

Nimrod united many of the people to build a tower that would stretch all the way to heaven. The spaces between the bricks were filled with a water-proof mortar. The tower was to serve two purposes,- (1) Provide a way of escape should God send another flood. (2) Provide a way to reach God's throne. Remember, Nimrod had sworn an oath to ascend up to fight God. And defiantly they built the tower on the plains of Shinar.

But the WAY of escape does not lie in man's hands but in God's hands. God saw the people united in one purpose against Him. They had been poisoned by Nimrod and his wife Semaramis. So, God confused their languages in order to stop the work. As a result, the people were scattered abroad.

Although men knew OF GOD, history reveals that few actually knew Him. But the Bible speaks of one man that did respond to the call from God, his name was Abram. "Abram" means "father", God later changed his name to "Abraham" meaning "father of many."

Abraham lived in the Chaldean city of Ur. It was probably the greatest city that has existed. Its inhabitants lived in luxury and safety. But Abraham responded obediently when God told him to leave Ur and wander about in the desert, living in tents. When we realize the setting in which Abraham had lived in, it drastically changes our perception of him. He was a leading citizen of a very sophisticated city. But Abraham obeyed God and left his "comfort zone."

According to Josephus, Abram was an astronomer who had come to understand that the universe was a product of a divine Creator. He wanted more than to just know of that Being, he wanted to know Him in a personal way.

Abram left a great city, but the book of Hebrews tells us that he was looking for a city that was not made by human hands, the heavenly city, New Jerusalem. He knew that city was not of this world but of the world to come, yet he left all in order to gain all, he wanted to live where his Creator lived.

After many years, in his old age, God blessed him with a son, Isaac. To test him, God asked him to take that son atop Mt. Moriah and give him in sacrifice. Abraham was committed to obey God, but as he brought the knife blade down God stopped him saying,- "Now I know you Abraham, since you have not denied Me your own son", and God commanded Isaac be released.

By giving His own Son Jesus, the Father demonstrated that He was willing to give all in order to restore man's broken relationship with his Creator. He could have sent myriads of angels to rescue Jesus, but because of His love for you and me, He didn't. Jesus willingly laid down His precious life for us, no one took it, He gave it.

"Now all these things are from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

What a weighty price was paid to make a way for us to come back to our Father and His Son.

"And if you address as FATHER One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon the earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD, as of a LAMB unblemished and spotless, the BLOOD OF CHRIST." (1 Peter 1:17-19)

When we contemplate on the past 6000 years of SELF-RELIANCE, and on the devastating results of man doing what is right in his own eyes, we truly come to understand that mankind is weary and heavy-laden. Even the earth itself cries out for relief.

The world news is full of reports of immense suffering, all a result of man's broken relationship with his Creator, which allowed Satan to remain the god of this world until Christ returns.

There is a better WAY. In fact, it is the ONLY WAY. Jesus said,- I am the WAY, and the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6) Jesus was the "I AM" who spoke to Moses, and it was Him who walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. He was the Lord of the Old Testament, and Creator of all things. (John 1) And He wants to mend that broken relationship with mankind and introduce man to His Father. He is calling, "Come to Me, you who are weary and heavy-laden". . .Will you answer His call?

NEWS, Letters & Odds`n' Ends

FEAST REPORT: Points of Truth Christian Ministries and the Church of God Fellowship in Russellville, Arkansas sponsored its first Feast of Tabernacles this year. We held our own Feast because of a number of new converts who would not be able to attend otherwise.

The Feast was held at beautiful Petit Jean State Park, on Petit Jean Mountain in central Arkansas. There were a total of 33 sharing at least a part of the Feast here. Due to having made the decision to sponsor the Feast only one month prior to its beginning, we sent out only a few invitations in our local area. Had we known sooner, we would have sent all of you on our mailing list an invitation and schedule of activities.

The Church had it own private group camp area with electricity and bathhouse. We constructed a 30 ft long tabernacle to have services in, and to congregate in for games and fellowship in the evenings. The camp was nestled in the woods beside a beautiful stream.

FEAST THEME: "How good and how pleasant for brethren to live together in unity and harmony."

SERMONS THEME: "We know something wonderful the world does not know."

ACTIVITIES: Go Kart riding, Ice Skating in Little Rock, Christian Concert in Ft. Smith "BIG TENT REVIVAL", Talent Night, Singing, Trail Hiking, Fishing, Breathtaking Scenery, and Great Fellowship.

FUTURE PLANS: We plan to sponsor the Feast of Tabernacles 2000 somewhere here in Arkansas. We are looking for a larger Camp Retreat perhaps in the Hot Springs area. We will announce it in the coming months.

MAINE GETS TASTE OF Y2K GLITCH: State government got its first Y2K surprise months early when owner of 2000 model cars and trucks received titles identifying their new vehicles as "horseless carriages."

Despite millions of dollars spent to ensure state computers are ready for the year 2000, computers in the secretary of state's office got confused over the 2000 model year designation. As a result, some new vehicle owners or lien holders got titles to "horseless carriages" instead of cars or trucks in April.

The case demonstrates the problems that can occur when computers misread the year 2000 as the year 1900, which is what happened in the secretary of State's office.

Since the computer thought the model year was 1900, the titles were printed with the "horseless carriage" designation used for vintage vehicles produced before 1916. About 800 passenger car titles and about 1,200 tractor-trailer titles were issued with the error.

Letter From Italy: Dear Sirs, I'm an Italian Bible believer and a short time ago I became acquainted with your ministry. I'm very much interested to learn more about your history, doctrinal beliefs, activities and publications. As I'm very interested to deepen my doctrinal beliefs, I would like to receive some of your literature (namely booklets and/or tracts) and also your denominational magazine. I'm waiting for you answer and I thank you very much in advance. Sincerely, Massimo M., Torre Annunziata, Italy

Letter From India: Dear Beloved in the Lord, the Almighty. Greetings in the name of God and the Father of Heaven! It is a great privilege and pleasure to introduce myself as Pastor and Evangelist in the Church of God and working in this part of our state of Amalapuram. The Lord has introduced me your address in the Ministry. I have been doing the Lord's work since a long time and lead many soul to the feet of the Lord. In addition to my Evangelistic work I have care for children and their needs which is clothes, food, soaps etc.

Tract distribution is a part of our Ministry. We are widely distributing tracts, booklets, cassettes, etc. We want tracts, tapes, booklets and other materials which you consider useful to my work, if you will kindly supply me. We would like to work with you and fellowship with your ministry if you are willing to consider my work as a part of ministry in our country. We are always praying for your Ministry to go all over the world. May God bless you and hope to get your kind reply. Thanking You, In Jesus Name, N.J. David R., Amalapuram, India

ORDINATION: The COG Fellowship recognized Jean Boshears a Deaconess on the 7^th day of August, 1999.

Available Literature and Tapes

For a Gift of any size

"And let the one taught the Word share all good things with him who teaches." Galatians 6:6

LITERATURE & TRANSCRIPTS TAPES OFFERED FOR OCTOBER

• Points of Truth Newletters (back issues)
• The Seventh-Day Sabbath in Scripture & History
• Food and the Bible
• Gossip and Slander, the Devil's Poison
• Beware the Wolf!
• Halloween's Ugly Legacy
• Is There Hope for the Dead?
• Submission, From Your Will to God's Will
• Where did we get Christmas?

TAPES OFFERED FOR OCTOBER

• No Greater Sacrifice
• The Theology of Jesus
• Guard Your Heart

This is only a small sampling of what we have available.

This POINTS OF TRUTH Newsletter is published by POINTS OF TRUTH Christian Ministries and the Church of God Fellowship. Permission is granted to duplicate this publication. You may distribute freely. If you would like to receive the Newsletter through the mail, write to the address below, call, or email us.

Weekly services for the Church of God Fellowship in Russellville, AR are held each SABBATH (Saturday) at 1:30 pm with a potluck meal at 12:30 pm. The address is 503 East Parkway. Come join us for joyous singing, spirited worship and anointed teaching.

Email: lasiter@pointsoftruth.com