OUT OF THE BOX

Dear Friends I have many testimonies of miracles I have witnessed in the past. But God not only has “golden oldies;” He also has "current hits." The article below tells of one that just happened recently at a local radio station. ---Billy Long MIRACLE AT THE RADIO STATION A couple weeks ago I spoke on a Sunday afternoon radio program for my friend Rev J T Adams. I also sat in on the program that precedes J T’s and listened to Jerry and Margie Cribb sing some gospel songs. As Jerry and Margie were beginning one of their songs, Jerry shared that he had a very difficult week and asked his listening audience to be praying for him. His doctor had informed him that he had cancer in his kidneys, and that he had a dangerous aneurysm on his aorta. As they sang their song I was moved by the Holy Spirit. When the song ended I stepped up to Jerry at the microphone and asked if I could pray for him at that moment. He gladly agreed, and I asked the radio audience to pray with me. As I la

Holy, But Not Silent Some of the most amazing glimpses into the spiritual realm and manifestations of God’s intimate involvement with His people are seen in the Christmas story. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias (father of John the Baptist), to Joseph, and to Mary. The heavens opened causing shepherds to tremble as they saw and heard a multitude of angels praising God with a roar equivalent to Niagara Falls. John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth conceived him in her old age. Jesus was supernaturally placed in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. Joseph and Mary were led by angelic visitations and by the Holy Spirit to go to Egypt and were told when to return to Nazareth. These and other amazing and marvelous things happened around the birth of Jesus. But the yearly and routine presentation of those experiences in church Christmas plays and manger scenes has tended to inoculate Christians to the reality and awesomeness of what actually happened. The Bible verses describing the events are

Dear Friends The following post deals with two areas where the enemy of our souls is crafty and works subtly to deceive. The first section deals with “feel good” experiences that cause undiscerning Christians to accept error. The second section deals with deceptive approaches to scripture that are used to lead astray the unwary and gullible soul. My purpose is to help Christians to be aware of these potential snares and pitfalls that are prevalent in our culture today. In Christ Billy Long SUBTLE MEANS OF DECEPTION “Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.” Matthew 24: 11 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7: 15. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits and discern whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4: 1 “FEEL GOOD” EXPERIENCES THAT CAN MISLEAD AND DECEIVE. Some of the experiences listed below can be true and

Dear Friends This will be the third time I’ve posted this article over the last few years. It is one of my favorite postings and one which too many people will pass over without realizing its importance and the valuable lessons addressed. The message is not enhanced with photos, glitter, and lights. Diamonds are hidden in the ground before they are seen in beautiful displays that attract our attention. There are many nuggets of truth in this article. It is a bit long but worth your time. Billy Long GOD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN THE FAIRNESS PRINCIPLE. “The apostle Peter answered and said to Him (Jesus), ‘See we have left all and followed you. Therefore, what shall we have?’” Matthew 19:27. “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men

Dear Friends There are two principles that help the believer walk in faith and show mercy during relational difficulties. The first principle is that God has appointed delegated authorities (both in church and in civil government) to deal with offences . It's easier for a person to forgive an offender when the ecclesiastical or civil authorities are functioning in order and meting out judgment properly. The second principle is that God is the Righteous Judge. Ultimately no one gets by with anything, and everyone must give an account to God both in this life and when they die. This article should encourage those of you who are impatient with God’s timing in how He deals with people and who feel the delegated authorities (whether civil or ecclesiastical) have failed to do their job. ---Billy Long  WAITING FOR GOD TO JUDGE God is the Righteous Judge. Christians often have difficulty with the fact

Ecclesiastes 10: 1 "...So a little folly outweighs wisdom" Our failures often make a bigger “splash” than our successes. People will often forget all the good a man has done and judge him based on the one mistake or failure in his life. Many contemporary men of God who have done great works and accomplished very significant things for God will be remembered primarily for the sin that was discovered in their lives. A man's folly is more entertaining to the public than his wisdom. His sins will be trumpeted much louder than his accomplishments, especially if they follow his accomplishments. The enemy would take advantage of our sins and failures in order to produce shame and despair, and ultimately to make us quit. But we should humble ourselves before God, surrender to His discipline, and continue in faith and obedience. Our reputations, as well as our lives, are in His hands. I support church discipline. Individuals cannot grow spiritually unless they face the realities,

Dear Friends, this  post is longer than usual because it contains three articles I wrote on the subject of Abortion: The Brutality of Abortion, Loss of Natural Affection, and Child Sacrifice. I encourage you to read them and pass them on to others.  I am re-posting these articles because of the seriousness of this issue, because of the case that is before the Supreme Court today (12/1/21), and because of the law recently enacted in New York allowing babies to be aborted even during the 3rd trimester, which would be right up until the time of birth. This law also allows them to kill the child if the aborted baby is born alive. This is a cruel and wicked abomination. It is these practices that will bring the judgment of God upon our nation. It is time for Christians to pray and for pastors to speak up in the pulpits. --- Billy Long PART ONE THE BRUTALITY OF ABORTION BODIES IN JARS Excavations of pre-Israelite Canaan uncovered a large number of jars containing the remains of childre

The following article is a re-print of an earlier post. It is a good story...and true, and I am posting it here for those who have not read it.   ---Billy Long L. D. AND THE RELIGIOUS FOLK L.D. was a colorful character who ran a country store a couple miles from Longs crossroads where I grew up. I used to stop in occasionally, and visit with him and any of the local farmers who happened to be standing around the old wood heater that sat in the middle of the one-room store. He watched and listened as people from the local churches dropped in. From his position behind the counter he would hear all the latest gossip and get a good whiff of all the “dirty laundry” to which he was exposed on an almost daily basis. Consequently he did not have a favorable impression of many of the church members who passed by. When one of the local pastors tried to talk with him about his need to repent, LD quickly responded, “You surely don’t want to check behind your members too close. Cause if you

”As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” Proverbs 27: 19 It is easier to list problems than to provide solutions. “How To” books are generally disappointing to me. They give insights, inspire, and point in the right direction but are limited in their ability to bring us to full satisfaction in the results we anticipated. This is because the solutions lie primarily in the heart rather than mechanically following a list of steps. The heart, not the mind, determines our spiritual state. It is the heart that determines how a person perceives God and how he deals with life, other people, and his environment. The mind is the battlefield. It can be blinded and confused, but it is a product of the heart. The disposition of the heart determines the revelation a person can receive, the clarity and accuracy of his perception, and the extent of his ability and willingness to change. Although the mind does feed and influence the heart, yet the heart is the rudder. A per

CUBA'S EXAMPLE There was a revival among the Christians and churches in Cuba as Fidel Castro and the communist party were coming to power. A missionary who was in Cuba at the time told me that most of the Christians supported Castro. They believed his promises. Like the socialists and communists of today, he was promising them equality and all the utopian benefits that come about by redistributing the wealth. Once he was in power…reality struck hard. Everyone became equally poor and under the power of a government that controlled everything and told them what they could and could not believe. RUSSIA'S EXAMPLE The Bolshevik revolution in Russia promised to free the people from what they considered to be a repressive regime and replace it with the equality and prosperity of a socialist and communist utopia in which all their needs would be met by the government. But with communism’s rise to power came oppression, suffering, poverty, shortages, and the absence of freedom. The com

THE CAT AND THE RAT Courage to Face the Battle Dear Friends, This post continues our message on the spiritual battle and illustrates how Christians tend to enjoy church but fail to take the message of the Gospel out into the world. While Christians have been reluctant to face the world, we need to be aware that the battle may now come to us. The spiritual forces that hate God and His word will also hate Christians. But to be more specific, they may claim to love God, but just hate Jesus Christ and those who follow Him. That's why the Bible calls the end time "man of sin" the “anti-Christ." As the western world tends to unite under some all-inclusive religious unity devoid of Christ, it will begin more and more to attack Christians personally and legally through the laws of the land, and thus attempt to silence the testimony of Christian who would share the good news of Jesus Christ and His Word. We are in a spiritual battle. And Christians who have tended t

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERS VIOLENCE. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." Matthew 11:12. "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.'” Matthew 11: 17. The first verse quoted above describes the intensity that occurs around the Kingdom of God—the aggressiveness of those who seek it, and the violent resistance of those who reject it. The second verse compares the religious world to children sitting in the marketplace playing games rather than engaging the realities occurring around them. It is a picture of typical Sunday morning church-goers’ failing to recognize they are participants in a spiritual war. Taken together these verses urge us to put on our spiritual armor and be prepared to fa

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29 The “Others” Hebrews 11:32-35a gives an impressive list of victories and conquests achieved by God’s people as they moved in obedience and faith. We emulate their experiences as we read how they subdued kingdoms, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle and turned to flight the armies of aliens. Some even received their dead raised to life again. As Christians we stand in faith and believe that we also will see these same victories accomplished by followers of Christ today. However, we must also be to prepared to join and stand with the “others” described in the next few verses (Hebrews 11:32b-40). These “others” also stood in faith and were strong in the grace of God, but they did so during suffering. “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that