OUT OF THE BOX

[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, ...

Two dear friends responded to my last post about God's healing me of panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have printed their emails below. Each has a really good testimony of how the Lord responded to their cry for help.   - Billy Long A Testimonial from Beth Tuggy Hi Billy, I really enjoyed reading this. I remember you sharing bits and pieces of this story when you would preach in NC. Hearing it all in chronological order spoke to my heart, mostly because I had a very similar experience when I was a child. So I could relate to the suffering and to the wonderful feeling of deliverance. As child I was plagued with fear of dying, and I was obsessed with the topic of death. I was constantly afraid. Even words like bones, skeleton, disease or anything related to the topic of death would put me into inner turmoil. This all started when I was around 5 years old and continued until I was 17. I don't know why or where the fear originated. Often...