OUT OF THE BOX

[The following article is longer than usual. But the reader will find an interesting story of how the Lord spoke and provided "manna" as Laurel and I took a wonderful trip of faith.  --Billy Long] “Let me not be ashamed.” During the latter part of 1972 Laurel and I were living in South Carolina. We were preparing to drive to California to attend her sister’s wedding but had only enough money for one-way. We sought the Lord and felt very strongly that the He wanted us to make the trip. However, I did not want to be irresponsible and embarrass myself by being stranded in California and having to call on family or friends for finances to return home. So we prayed and began our journey with peace and faith knowing we had heard from God. The Lord would provide for the trip back, and we were excited to see how He would do it. We agreed that we would not tell anyone of our need, but would simply pray and trust the Lord. This would give greater proof that God was leading ...

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts.” 1 Corinthians 14: 1 So many people approach the subject of the manifestations or gifts of the Holy Spirit from a purely doctrinal or analytical point of view. To do this is to miss the real significance and wonder of it all. A person’s ability to fully appreciate the magnificent gifts and tools the Lord has placed in his hands depends on the depth of his vision and motivations. What a person sees determines what he reaches for. What a person desires (and why he wants it) determines the passion and enthusiasm with which he pursues it. The apostle Paul covered the issues of desire and motivation when he said we should “pursue love and desire spiritual gifts.” When we move in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit we are expressing our hunger for God’s active presence among us and we are showing our love and care for those around us. Jesus healed people because He was moved with compassion. We will move in the gifts of the Spirit as we are mov...

When God arises issues are no longer left to the opinions of individuals. God pronounces sentence or blessing based on the reality of where people and things actually are. That which is of God will be blessed; that which is not of God will be judged. Saul and his house will fall in battle. Eli will drop over dead. The earth will open and swallow Korah and all that are with him. Shemei will face the sword of Benaiah. Alexander the coppersmith will be delivered to Satan to receive his just wages. The plaintiffs, the defendants, and the prosecuting attorneys will all have eloquently stated their cases, but God will arise to judge. All of them will be silenced together as He gives the verdict. The builders will be dwelling in the structures they have built. Then God will arise sending the storm to expose the nature of the building material down to the very foundations to test the building and the builders. When things become muddy, cloudy, and confused, when the enemy is entrenc...

It was the summer of 1969. I was 20 years old. My friend Larry Rodeffer and I had just finished our second year of college at ORU and were preaching revivals during the summer in Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. On this tour we held a series of meetings for 9 nights in my home community of Longs, South Carolina. We used the Ebenezer Methodist church building. Though thriving and growing now, it was abandoned with no congregation at that time, but in good condition and maintained by a family who who hoped to see church activities revived again someday. Larry and I were granted permission to use the facility for our meetings. The little church building was filled almost to capacity with about 80 people attending our meetings nightly. The atmosphere was electric, and people came expecting to see the hand of God at work. Larry and I preached the Gospel, sharing the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was raised from the dead as Lord ...

“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them….And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.”  Mark 10: 13-16   Claire Claire was 8 years old. She had two problems that troubled her—an embarrassing problem of bed-wetting and a wart that had been on the bottom of her foot for over a year. She had heard her brother Reuben’s story about the doctor cutting a wart from his foot and she did not want that. She determined in her heart that she would wait for Mahesh Chavda to visit to our church and let him pray for her. Claire, along with our other children, had come to love and respect Mahesh. They had heard him tell stories of the many healings that had taken place in his ministry around the world. And  we had friends who had experienced healings in his meetings. Therefore, little 8-year old Claire decided that Jesus would heal her when Mahesh came to minister. She entered the meeting with a child’s faith. She went...

The article posted below is a reprint from December 2009.   -Billy Long

“And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands (the idols)…”   Acts 7: 41 “And…he…made a molded calf…and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”  Exodus 32: 4-6 “It is…the sound of singing I hear….He saw the calf and the dancing.”   Ex 32: 18-19. The above verses show that we can disobey the Lord and still have a party---at least for a while. One of the problems with human nature is that it so often loses sight of both reward and consequences. When we get caught up in the temptations of the moment or in what we want right now, we forget that there is a reward for faith and obedience, and a consequence and reaping for evil and disobedience. And so like Israel, we make our “golden calves” and have a party. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet God face to face and to receive the commandments and the laws for Israel’s life as a nation. The people became impatient, d...

The Cat at the Door When I was just a kid we had a yard cat that should have been out hunting mice, but instead, was always sitting at the screen door meowing and whining plaintively, “begging” for someone to let him in the house. “Meow, meow, meow!” he cried. Translated into English this means, “Let me in. Feed me, pet me, help me, comfort me, make me happy. I want to go inside where it is comfortable and safe. I don’t want to face the world outside.” My Dad hated for a cat to sit at the door begging like that. So he pushed the door open, and shoved the startled cat out onto the carport. As he walked past he said, “When I get back, I am going to haul you off to the shopping center.” He fully intended to get rid of the cat. The Fight About an hour later, I heard a commotion beside the corn barn at the edge of our back yard. I turned my head in time to see about 15 or 20 squawking chickens flapping their wings, jumping in the air, and scurrying in every direction to flee the water...

"..and a sword shall pierce your soul.” -Luke 2: 35 A supernatural word from God does not mean your life will henceforth be easy and free of grief and pain. Sometimes, to the contrary, it may mean the suffering, hardship and tribulation involved in entering the kingdom of God and extending it into a hostile world system. The Apostle Paul’s commissioning word from God included the phrase, “I will show him how great things he must suffer for My sake.” The angel Gabriel visited Mary telling her that she would be the earthly mother of Jesus. We celebrate these words at Christmas as we sing about the joy and wonder of it all, while often failing to recognize the perplexities that accompanied the fulfillment of that revelation. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song inspired by the subsequent word given to Mary by the elderly prophet who warned her of the grief she would someday suffer at Jesus’ crucifixion. “A sword shall pierce through your soul.” Then later Mary must have wept...

[This article is Part 2 in in the series on Disillusionment. Scroll down to read Part 1  -BL] DISILLUSIONMENT The term "disillusionment" means to be freed from illusion and no longer be misled or deceived. Disillusionment can be helpful because it forces one to face reality. It is beneficial to see truth and be freed from misconceptions, but the term also has a negative connotation when it describes one who has been enlightened to some disheartening reality. It refers to the disappointment that accompanies the enlightenment, to the paralyzing effect that it can have on a person's will to act, and to the discouragement that comes with discovering the disappointing truth about someone in whom hope and trust were placed. Disillusionment becomes a problem when a person does not respond to it correctly, when he overreacts and becomes overwhelmed by it. If it is not handled in the grace of God it can cause one to become cynical and bitter, to quit trusting people, and even...

[This article is the first in a series of postings on the subject of "Dealing with Disillusionment." -Billy Long The Narrow Perspective To have an accurate understanding of truth as God sees it, we must look beyond ourselves and our moment. We must see God’s purpose beyond our own comfort and pleasure. Disillusionment comes from a narrow and self-centered perspective, from making judgments based on ones limited "now" experience and current moment rather than faith in God and his power to fulfill His will and plan. Sometimes He gives us immediate victory and keeps us from harm and trouble, but other times He may allow us to suffer persecution, adversity, and hardship. Our circumstances may change, but God and His plan remain fixed and inexorably moving forward. Mark Twain’s Mistake Palestine, before the renewal of Jewish settlement during the late nineteenth-century, was virtually laid waste and its population in acute decline. Mark Twain visited the Holy Land ...

“In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19. Refusing Comfort “Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for Him.” Genesis 37: 34-35 "Refusing comfort" refers to the state in which the loss or pain is so great and final that there seems to be absolutely nothing that could possibly heal the hurt, relieve the pain, or replace the loss. Jacob found himself in this condition as he experienced heart-wrenching grief over the loss of his son Joseph. No one was able to comfort him. No words could relieve or console him. Genuine and Not Superficial To a person in such grief the idea of comfort often seems like an empty and futile promise. Consolation is viewed much like the consolation prize which i...

[A reprint of some poems I posted a couple years ago] Just for fun I decided to include some poems I wrote. The first two I think are quite witty. The first one I wrote in response to mine and Laurel's kidding about my tendency to repeat myself too much. The second one I wrote in response to my struggles to change in areas that would improve my role as a husband. The other poems are of a more serious nature and share some spiritual insight gained from experience and Bible study. Vain Repetitions My emails will say hello, communicate, and engage. They may even dazzle you with eloquence and prose. Expert tools of grammar will be utilized on each page. But no trite phrases, and no repetitions. No. None of those. Your heart will be warmed by thoughts so expressed In simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and other additions. But in the end you surely will have confessed The thing has a glaring absence of those redundant repetitions. His heart and mind are drawn with words Telling ...

I am grateful for all of you who visit this site, and especially those of you who visit on a regular basis. I now have visitors from all over the United States and from many countries around the world. I would enjoy hearing from some of you and getting to know who you are and where you are from. It would be a great blessing to me if you would write me at the email address below and introduce yourself. Thank you so much. Billy Long        blong8@sccoast.net

“But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord... ” Jonah 1: 2 Jonah was instructed by the Lord to warn the wicked city of Nineveh of impending judgment. He did not want that task. He was afraid the city would repent, and God in His mercy would withhold the judgment they deserved. Jonah, therefore, decided to run away. He boarded a ship headed to Tarshish, a city located on the far west end of the Mediterranean Sea, probably in Southern Spain near Gibraltar. To sail past this point would be to enter the vast unknown Atlantic Ocean. Jonah was going to a remote location that represented the point farthest from and most opposite to where God was sending him. He was fleeing the purpose of God and the very presence of God. “Asleep” Jonah went down into the ship and fell asleep. Usually a person running from God is unable to sleep very well, especially during a storm. Generally speaking there is no rest or peace to the wicked, but Jonah was able to sleep. He slept t...

(Below is a re-print of an article I posted last year.   -Billy Long) “Therefore, consider both the goodness and severity of God…” Romans 11: 22 A tricycle and a cedar switch I had a tricycle when I was four years old. Daddy told me I could ride it around the yard but never to go near the highway. But temptation came, and I figured it would be more fun and easier to ride my tricycle on the hard pavement than through the dirt in our yard. So I decided to ride it across the highway and visit the country store across the street. Away I went pedaling my little tricycle and making my way across the busy highway. As I rolled up to the front door of the store I suddenly felt a hand gently grab my arm. It was Daddy. He had broken a small, limber cedar switch from a little tree in our front yard. It did not harm me, but it stung my legs as he gave me a “switching” all the way back across the street to our house. We were a sight to behold as I “danced” across the road with Daddy’s...

The two articles posted below are re-prints from earlier postings. I wanted our newer visitors to have an opportunity to read them. Both articles deal with how the Lord reveals Himself supernaturally through the Church by the Holy Spirit.  -BL

“But if all prophesy (speak by revelation), and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” 1 Corinthians 14: 24-25 The verses quoted above indicate that the Lord moved among the early Christians in a very supernatural way in giving revelation, discernment, and insight to His servants as they reached out to people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would like to share with you three examples of this happening in my own life. A fellow on a plane A few years ago the Lord gave me a word for a fellow who was sitting across the aisle from me on an airplane. Awkwardly I turned to the young man and said, “I am a Christian, and sometimes the Lord shows me things about people so I will know how to pray for them. The Lord has shown me that there are issues between you and your father that need heali...

How do we expect people to act when they are being used by the Holy Spirit? A fellow once said to me, “My preacher is so anointed he pure foams at the mouth.” That is a strange one, and I am thankful that the Lord does not expect us to do that. So what style do we use in our presentation? The Spirit-filled Harvard professor very calmly walks up to someone and in a very dignified and stolid voice and says, “This is what the Lord is saying to you, Your canines will develop acariasis and become acaudal.” A backwoods farmer then walks up to the same person and in a very emotional and energetic manner says, “Thus saith the Lord. Thy dogs-uh will become infested with mites and lose their tails-uh.” The fact is, these men said the exact same thing, but each one spoke out of his own personality and style. The Lord’s word was in the content while the style represented the individual vessel. I want to share three examples below that show us that we can be ourselves and not have to act a cer...

This is a reprint of an earlier post. This one is just for fun.   -BL Just as truth can be stranger than fiction, reality can sometimes be funnier than jokes. Therefore, I try to keep track of unusual things I hear people say. Below is a list of word-abuses that I have heard over the last few years. These friends and acquaintances did not realize they were corrupting a word or using the wrong word. The following sentences were spoken in earnest. A fellow told me he did not want to sound self-defecating. A second cousin told me her sister had an infection in her influfial tubes. One man said he suffered from sick-as-hell-anemia. The hospital had to place a lady’s husband in contentious care. Another man was in there with a brain hemorrhoid. A fellow told me a family member had immaculate degeneration. One man said he had problems with his heart rhythm, but the doctors had decided not to install a space-maker. A friend told me, “While I am in town, I’ll g...

[Many of you read this article when I posted it in October, 2011. I am printing it again here because it is an appropriate follow-up to the previous post dealing with "Handling Failure."   -Billy  Long] “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” Matthew 11: 2-3 “Did I miss it?” Sitting in a dark prison awaiting his execution John began to doubt himself, his message, and his work. “Are you the One or do we look for another?” he asked Jesus. He wanted to know if he had wasted his life in a pointless and now painful exercise in futility or if he had genuinely heard God’s voice and accomplished a legitimate and divine task. Jesus responded by giving him honor and calling him “more than a prophet.” We too are often faced with inexplicable and unexpected turns in life that cause great perplexity and bring us to the ver...

Peter's Examples "Get thee behind me, Satan"   - Matthew 16: 16-17, 22-23 We learn through our mistakes if we remain humble, teachable, and entreatable. At one moment Peter received a great revelation from the Father; the next moment he was influenced by the enemy. In one moment he was praised for his insight; the next moment he was rebuked for speaking without knowledge. Experiences such as these helped Peter to grow in discernment. If Peter and the other disciples had to learn through their mistakes, how much more should we expect to do the same? Instruction and discipline are the way of life. We should not be surprised and ashamed when we need them. "Lord, let us build three tabernacles..."    -Luke 9: 33 Peter stood in the glory of God and, even there, spoke foolishly. The Father had to silence him and move Peter's focus back to Jesus. It is a mistake to think a person is infallible just because he has been in the glory of God's presence. E...

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” - Genesis 1:1. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead..." - Romans 1: 20. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse of heaven His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." - Psalm 19: 1-4. Life is infinitely too complex to have come into being randomly and by itself. There are so many interdependent systems that are necessary for the existence of life on earth; and the degree of refinement, accuracy, and perfection in the coordinated performance of all these operations necessary for life are too complex to exist apart from design. They are independent yet dependent and interdependent, ...