OUT OF THE BOX

I am re-posting this article because of its encouraging insights. It deals with the significance of a "boat" and how we should face the "storm" when it seems the Lord has sent us on ahead without Him, and when it feels like the Lord is "passing us by." ---Billy Long HE WOULD HAVE PASSED THEM BY? 1   "Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side...Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by."     Mark 6: 45-52 “He made His disciples get into a boat.” The “boat” is significant because it represents a context from which we can not easily escape. The disciples, on that small boat in the middle of the sea, could not simply change their minds and walk away from the problems and issues at hand. They could not escape the process; they had to ride it out. The Lord de...

“For…you have known my soul in adversities, and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy.” Psalm 31: 7-8 The following paragraphs are intended to help us see that God’s hand is the undergirding “moving sidewalk” that is constantly carrying us forward in His purpose even when the enemy and circumstances try to point us in the opposite direction. Lawless hands may “grab” us, but God’s hand rules. We must see ourselves in God’s hands rather than victims of those who mistreat us. Whose Prisoner? “…I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you…” Ephesians 3: 1 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner….” 2 Timothy 1: 8 The apostle Paul did not take on the role of victim nor did he rail against those who placed him in chains. Focusing upon them would have depleted his spiritual life leaving him bitter and frustrated. He counted himself a "prisoner of the Lord" not of the Romans. And his enemies, without realizing it, sent him to ...

Below is a list of principles that will be helpful in your walk with the Lord and in facing the adversities and difficulties of life. Each of the items listed below is just the “tip of the iceberg” for the particular topic being given. There is more to say and many Bible verses that speak to the points given. If you have questions or would like more information or would like to know the Bible verses that accompany the principles written below, please contact me at broblong@gmail.com .   ----Billy Long Keys to Successful Spiritual Warfare  Realize we are on a battleship and not a cruise ship. We must face “Og” (the enemy at the border), cross the Jordan, and deal with “giants” in the land we will possess. Christians often tend to expect victory without battle...and if there is adversity, they tend to expect battle without victory. If we continue and stand in faith, we will see battle...but also victory. Don’t be disillusioned by adversity, hardship, and strug...

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 during that period and seeing its desolation and the absence of the Jewish state, proclaimed, “See, this proves the...

Check out my Youtube video giving a brief teaching on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Just click this link: Baptism in the Holy Spirit Billy Long

Billy Long Ministries Order your copy at this link: https://www.billylongministries.com . Spiritual Power for Everyday Living defines and explains spiritual gifts and the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. It gives the reader a clear understanding of the prophetic ministry as practiced in the lives of the first Christians. It also gives a clear teaching on praying in tongues and its role in aiding the believer in a deeper experience of intercessory prayer and praise. A careful reading of this book will bring clarity and remove misconceptions relating to the role of spiritual gifts, prophesying, and tongues in the New Testament Church. This book will challenge new and mature Christians alike as it gives a clear exposition of the work of the Holy Spirit. The book is filled with testimonials of real life experiences given in the context of a balanced and practical application of the work of the Spirit.  One reader stated, “ I have thoroughly enjoyed you...

Have you ever had to deal with relational conflict? Here are some Biblical principles that will help you come through the fire without becoming spiritually derailed and disabled. The principles discussed are basic to our success in all areas of our spiritual walk. I am re-posting this for my newer readers who may have missed it the first time.   -Billy Long DON'T ARGUE WITH THE DONKEY! ENGAGE THE LORD FIRST We encounter various trials in our Christian walk. Some we can't explain and some are indicative of the “roaring lion” seeking to devour the righteous. But there are also times when adversities are the result of our own foolishness, disobedience, or sin, times when our adversaries are instruments of God designed to get our attention, teach a lesson, interrupt our wrong path, or to discipline us. God raised up adversaries against Solomon because of his idolatry (1 Kings 11). Balaam’s donkey balked and fell underneath him because his way w...

“You are to them as a lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice.”    ---Ezekiel 33:32 In our visit to Poland in 1988 Pastor Jim Sink and I traveled in a circle from Warsaw to Ludz, to the Soviet border, to Krakow, to Katowice, and back to Warsaw. We were accompanied by Adam Kuczma who was head of the Methodist Church in Poland at the time. He was a great man of God and desired to share the power of the Holy Spirit with his people. We spoke in churches and shared many testimonies of miracles and the supernatural presence of Jesus as we traveled through the country. The people would listen with interest, and then tell us how much they enjoyed the messages. But they never asked, “What must I do?” They did not engage the message deeply enough to ask how they could experience the Presence of the Lord in the same way.  After the meetings they simply proceeded with the food and fellowship as if what they heard from us was commonplace…and then went on their way. I con...

The first time I gave a word of knowledge in public was to a lady at a health club in Chapel Hill, NC.  I had never met her before. She was a doctor and her husband was an anesthesiologist. I stumbled around very awkwardly with my words, but managed to get them out. I told her the Lord had given me a word to encourage her. I then said, "You are married to your second husband. Your children are from your first marriage. There is tension in the home because your husband and the children do not get along.” She answered, “That’s right. My husband is rather immature."   I then told her the Lord wanted to encourage her and help her and her family. My presentation was not polished, but I was relieved to know the Lord had u sed me in spite of my uncertainty. Every Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit should be moving in the Holy Spirit to minister to others. My book, Spiritual Power for Everyday Living, gives definitions and examples of spiritual gifts and helps the r...

(The following article is stern in it's words to the industry, but God is merciful to individuals who call upon him. He forgives and heals. --- Billy Long) THE BRUTALITY OF ABORTION Excavations of pre-Israelite Canaan uncovered a large number of jars containing the remains of children sacrificed to Baal. Other excavations discovered many jars containing the remains of infants who had been sacrificed to Baal during King Ahab’s time. These jars bring to mind the photos of garbage cans filled with baby parts at abortion clinics. I showed one of these pictures to a high school girl once. Her reply was, “That’s just propaganda.” She was not able to bring herself to face the fact she was looking at actual babies dismembered and thrown away. Her political position would not allow her to accept the fact that these babies went through torture and excruciating pain as they were being killed and taken from their mother’s wombs. The religious rites of Baal worship were noted for their sex...

Roy Rogers   Billy Long   1967 It was September 1967, my freshman year at ORU. There was a prayer chapel on the ground floor of the men’s dorm. It was a small room with an altar and a few short benches. I would often enter it at night to pray. The only light I needed was coming from the lobby and shining through the stain glass windows of the door. The first time I went in there to pray, I discovered there was another student, Roy Rogers, lying on the floor at the altar. He was wrestling with God much like Jacob in Genesis 32 and was in deep intercession and literally groaning before the Lord. I don’t think he realized I was there. He was passionate but not emotional. His spirit was in travail and crying out to the Lord regarding some serious issue. His intensity reminded me of the agony Jesus went through in the Garden of Gethsemane. His prayers were deeper than simple intellect or the shallowness of typical prayers we often hear. We became good friends. I found that ...

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” -Genesis 1:1. LOOK AT YOUR NOSE 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, and their functions must be exactly precise and with perfect timing. These dynamics testify to the existence and reality of God. I see the reality of God in many simple, subtle, and yet so obvious aspects of life that we often take for granted. For example, look at your nose. It is located in a most beneficial and practical place on your body. The nostrils point down so you don’t have to cover them to keep rain from falling into your sinuses. It is just above your mouth so that the sense of sm...