OUT OF THE BOX

SURVIVING THE FIRE: PART 1 "...The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."   Nehemiah 1: 3 "...Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?"   Nehemiah 4: 2 The drama of the church is often reminiscent of those scenes from war movies in which excited new recruits march toward the front lines while being met by weary veterans limping along bandaged and bloody, carrying their wounded, and still in shock from the trauma of battle. The new recruits move forward ready to conquer the world, while battle-weary veterans groan in the pain of failure and disillusionment. Multitudes start out in the Christian walk, everybody expects testing, they just don't expect it to be so intense and real. They expect victory without battle (naiveté and untested faith) or battle without victory (skepticism and unbelief). Untested faith and motives must inevitably face the refiners fire; and the disillusion...

BROKENNESS Brokenness is a subject that requires revelation to see the reality and depth of what is being discussed. It is a topic for which most people will only see the tip of the iceberg while the main body and substance will remain hidden. Therefore, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  --B L Psalm 51:17 “A broken and a contrite heart, Oh God, You will not despise.” The essence of brokenness is surrender and humility. It speaks of how we respond to God and to his leading and discipline in our lives. Brokenness refers to a contriteness that is willing to die to self and its desires. The absence of brokenness is characterized by a stubborn and self-centered struggle to resist change, correction, and God’s rule. Our unbroken human nature can be compared to the wild horse that is unwilling to submit to the rider and the bridle. The spirit of rebellion is basically the desire to cast off the yoke of God’s rule, to go its own way, and to satisfy its own desires. Much stres...

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 are entering to 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, hard...

This article was originally written as a list of charges I gave to men who were about to be ordained into the ministry. Each point below is but the “tip of an iceberg” of more comprehensive teaching and exhortation hidden beneath the surface. Volumes could be written. It is also noteworthy to mention that although these charges were given to leaders, they are applicable to every person who follows our Lord. The article is rather long, but deserves a careful reading and study. Some Biblical references are given for those who desire to study more fully or use the article as a teaching tool.   ---Billy Long   CHARGES TO LEADERS I charge you to walk in a deep, abiding faith in the Sovereign Almighty God. This will produce the ability to maintain composure, rest, and peace in the face of pressure, problems, adversity, and conflict. It will prevent unwise and premature reaction, carnal grasping and impulsiveness.   Faith produces the grace to wait, endure, and per...

A Minister’s Personal Prayer I don’t want to be just another guest speaker or give just another sermon. I want to “carry the goods” and actually deliver them. To see the grace and presence of God that actually makes a difference in the lives of those to whom I speak. Take note of the confidence and great expectations expressed by the Apostle Paul regarding what he knew would happen when he ministered to God’s people. “For I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessings of the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15: 29). What does that mean? It means he carried an anointing of the grace and presence of God that actually imparted something significant and substantive into the lives of those to whom he spoke. He knew that his message would be in the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power, and not in word only. He “had the goods” and he knew the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit would make a real difference and change lives wherever he went. The Apostle...

NO SWIMMING POOL, NO TOILET PAPER Throughout history Christians have suffered persecution and faced fiery trials for the word of God, for the testimony of Jesus, and for righteousness sake. There are many today who are imprisioned, tortured, persecuted, and put to death for their faith. However, there are also many of us who have no concept of real suffering for Jesus’ sake. We complain at small inconveniences as if we have paid such a great price. One pastor’s wife said she was suffering for the Lord when she and her husband left their nice home in California and moved back east into a house without a swimming pool. My friend Adam Kuczma was the head of the Methodist Church in Poland when it was still under communist control back in the days before the Berlin Wall was taken down. He was talking to a lady in America when she told him, “I want to go to Poland and suffer for Jesus.” “We don’t have toilet paper,” he responded. “I don’t feel led to go to Poland,” was her immediate reply...

This article probably describes SOMEONE YOU KNOW. Interestingly, all the main points in the paragraphs below came to me while listening to a lady complain about her friends at church. She exemplified most of the principles discussed. — Billy Long SELF-CENTEREDNESS “Self-centeredness” and “selfishness” are two different things. A selfish person wants his own way, his own advantage, pleasure, and comfort without regard for others, and does not care how it affects others. A self-centered person evaluates and judges everything according to how it relates to or affects him, and is oblivious to how it affects others. A selfish person will deliberately hurt you. A self-centered person will hurt you and not realize it. A self-centered person has great difficulty in relationships because he has inner struggles with what he assumes others think about him. He wonders what they really meant by something they said. Self-centered people only get along with people who are givers and those strong e...

In the South we address our parents as “Daddy” and “Mamma.” These are terms of endearment and less formal than “Father” and “Mother.” Although my father drew close to the Lord in his latter years, My mother, Jessie Lois Long, was always the more spiritually zealous of the two. Mamma was not shy about her Christian experience and was always ready to share her testimony or pray for anyone anywhere. Any guest in our home was a captive audience and was prayed for if he or she happened to mention an ailment or problem. Mamma once prayed for a visiting insurance agent. He received his healing right there in her living room. The family’s reputation was important to her. She was fearless when it came to sharing her Christian testimony or taking a stand for her faith, and it was important to her that no one in the family do anything that would appear to be a bad testimony or bad example for a professing Christian. I called her one night and told her that our church had a square-dance the night ...

This article is meant to be a discussion of current times, not end times. I don’t want to get into theological debates around eschatology. Some emphasize the great falling away while others argue that the Gospel will conquer. There is often an element of paradox in spiritual truth. The Bible speaks of great evil and darkness while also speaking of the glory of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of a person’s perspective on end times, it is indisputable that we are currently in a time of world-wide intensity, as seen in nature, politics, economics and sociological dynamics. Nations are filled with conflict and distress. Those that seem to be at peace are better described as being in a malaise (that vague sense of ill-being and debility that accompanies the onset of an illness). Even people who lack spiritual perception can sense the urgency of the times. We are moving into an era of troubled people and troubled times, a time when the devil will be active and angry, ...

GRACE, FAITH, WORK, TRAVAIL, OBEDIENCE, REPENTANCE: TERMS THAT STAND IN CONTRAST BUT NOT IN CONTRADICTION A CHALLENGE FROM FRIENDS I had four separate conversations with friends that caused me to have concern with some of the doctrinal trends that have been developing in the church over recent years. One friend was telling me that, under the New Covenant, Christians do not have to repent. Grace has brought forgiveness and a believer does not have to “repent” of sins. A second friend was telling me that the terms “obey” and “obedience” were part of the Old Testament Law, and therefore, not appropriate for the New Testament Christian. A third friend expressed concern over my sermon entitled “The Blessing is Beyond Obedience” and that this message undermined faith. On a fourth occasion a friend expressed a mild disapproval at my teaching on “travail and labor in Intercession.” His implication was that travail seemed to suggest “works” rather than faith. The e...

If you are hungry to know more about how the Holy Spirit worked in the early Christian church, and if you are hungry to understand and experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit, y ou should order my book SPIRITUAL POWER FOR EVERYDAY LIVING.  Go to my website at the link shown below to order your copy. https://www.billylongministries.com/ The book clarifies many misconceptions and contains practical teaching with many examples and testimonies of the gifts at work. It is an excellent tool for teaching others about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. ---Billy Long

GOOD CHEER AND TRIBULATION “You are highly favored…the Lord is with you.” Like 1: 28-30 "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 Je...

I am blessed that so many people from around the world have been reading my blog posts. I do appreciate your visits.  There are many readers from South Korea, Europe, and other nations. Please send me an email and introduce yourself if you have enjoyed these posts.  Write to me at broblong@gmail.com Thanks so much.  Billy Long

True Community versus Cult Community Laurel and I ate dinner in downtown Asheville a few years ago. There was a European atmosphere. The restaurants around that intersection had outdoor dining and all the tables were full. A very pleasant atmosphere. There was a group of people performing outside in the square at the intersection. The performers were part of a cult who called themselves “The Twelve Tribes.” According to one of their members, they do not use the name Christian, but revert back to the Hebrew name for “Jesus” which is “Jeshua.” They do not recognize Christianity as being of God, and they do not preach the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ and His atoning death on the cross. Their passion is “the community.” They hold all things in common, and their testimony is about the group and its New Testament lifestyle. (I found it ironic that they do not preach the New Testament gospel, but yet claim to live by its lifestyle). Laurel and I spoke to one of their members, a...

Thanks to all my friends who read my blog. I also invite you to visit my website to order my book. It is an excellent tool for understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I recommend it highly for personal reading, and for use in small groups or classes. It is also very good for laying a foundation in understanding the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.   ---Billy Long My website: Billy Long Ministries My Other Blogs: https://blongandfriends.blogspot.com His Presence With Us  

THE BRUTALITY OF ABORTION  Billy Long BODIES IN JARS 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 sexual and immoral indulgences and for child sacrifice. Our own culture with its rampant sexual promiscuity has produced over ...