OUT OF THE BOX

“To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.”  Joshua 24: 4 If you were Esau you might think God loved you more since you were moving “up” the mountain (to your inheritance). If you were Jacob you might question why God was sending you “down” to Egypt (suffering, waiting, and hardship) rather than directly to your inheritance. The truth is the Lord was not pleased with Esau, and the Lord had a special plan for Jacob (Israel) and his descendants. That special plan required special attention and preparation. We often misinterpret God’s special attention and preparation in our lives. I was observing a roofing crew at work on a phone company facility that houses equipment that runs the phone system for the surrounding region. Because of the crucial nature of the equipment in this facility and the absolute need to insure no interruption of the phone service to customers, the contractor was required to have a man (the “spotter”) stand i...

When a land sins against God by persistent unfaithfulness and sin, He will bring the following judgments upon it. Famine:   There is already talk of food shortages coming. Pestilence: This speaks of contagious or infectious, epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating. This speaks for itself. Look at the pandemic and medical confusion that has plagued the nation over the last couple years. Sword: This refers to war and violence, whether war between nations or simply violence in the streets, coupled with general lawlessness. Wild Beasts: This country is seeing an invasion of killer bees, fire ants. The southeast is seeing a plague of wild hogs. The everglades in Florida are being over-run with large pythons and boas, snakes that are not native to the everglades and which are upsetting the ecology there. At this point, these animals are a nuisance and an annoyance. But these can be forerunners of greater problems. Do these sound familiar? Ezekiel 14: 13,21 “W...

  DON'T "SELL YOURSELF CHEAP." If you sell yourself cheap you will not be treated as valuable. Men subconsciously believe the old saying: “You get what you pay for.” If it costs nothing it must be worth little. The average fellow who has not committed himself to biblical morality will usually fall into the lifestyle governed by the crude maxim, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk free.” So don’t sell yourself cheap. Be the priceless treasure you are. Make some guy pay the price for you to be his. A man who is rich in character and integrity will be lavish in his love and commitment to a woman of virtue.  But a man who “buys” what is sold cheap is himself impoverished of character. If you sell yourself cheap, you will attract only the stingy, self-centered, selfish, and immature “buyer.” There was a country music song entitled “I like my women a little on the trashy side.” It is interesting that he said “women” —and not “wife.” The song sends the subconscious messag...

Quotes from Arthur Burt Arthur Burt was from North Wales, United Kingdom. He went home to be with the Lord in 2014 at the age of 102. Glenn Anderson, who pastored Forrest Drive Baptist Church in Columbia, SC, introduced me to Arthur Burt sometime in the late 70s. I later invited him up to Raleigh to speak to our church. He was a unique individual and his message was rich. Below are a few quotes from Arthur Burt’s message to us at that time.” “All men want progress; no man wants change.” “Grace is free, but you have to pay a price for truth. “The way has been strewn with ‘don’t wants.’” “Should you submit to a pastor who doesn’t believe the Bible?  You  can’t put a live chick under a dead hen.” “In the passage of years, time is on the side of truth.” “Jesus said, ‘I have much to say, but you are not able to bear it now.’ The need is to be able to bear the truth.” “Don’t be among those of the last wave who persecutes those of the next wave. Every wave upsets somebody.” “The last...

WHY THE BIBLE COMMANDS MODESTY People who are into porn and public nudity often proclaim that the human body is good and we should not be ashamed to show it. They also charge that Christians, because they believe in modesty, think the sexual aspect of the human body is evil. But to the contrary, Christians frown on public nudity and pornography because sex is sacred, not evil. After all, God created male and female, and said “it is good.” There are two things the scripture forbids us to flaunt in public—that which is evil and that which is sacred. The evil is forbidden because it is evil. The sacred is to be treasured. It is not for the public eye because it is precious and not to be treated as common. Sex should be reserved for the intimacy of a man and woman in marriage, and not displayed as a public spectacle. God is not an old fogy who sees sex as evil. A reading of Song of Solomon will show that the sexual aspect of marriage is God’s gift to mankind. Man did not create sex when G...

  False Promises 2 Peter 2: 18-19 These are wells without water (boasting of a false gift)…For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness…While they promise liberty, they themselves are the slaves of corruption. Idolatry (whether it be any philosophy or various forms of New Age influence, any idol of stone and wood or those hidden in the hearts of man, or even apostate Christianity that denies the testimony of Jesus Christ and the word of God) will lead to emptiness disillusionment, fear, confusion, bondage, darkness, oppression, and death. The writer of Ecclesiastes sought pleasures and delights, and pursued whatever his eyes desired. He did not withhold his heart from any pleasure. In the end and during the pursuits he found emptiness and vanity. His answer was, “I hated life.” How many well-known celebrities who had all the fame, wealth, and pleasures this life can offer ended up in an early grave throug...

MEANS OF DECEPTION Areas Where Christians Should Beware "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 Dear Friends I posted this article a couple years ago. I repeat it now because of the assault that is occurring against the Bible and the person and work of Jesus Christ in many "so called" Christian institutions. 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. I am not writing this article to debate the unbeliever nor to convince the skeptic. My purpose is to help Christians to be aware of these potential snares and pitfalls that are prevalent in our culture today....

  The New Testament Christians were as amazing in their suffering as they were in their power. Dear Friends Every Christian should read the Bible verses listed below. They describe how Christians should handle persecution, and they encourage us to to stand courageously in faith and love when we are reviled, falsely accused, and persecuted. We listen to the words of Jesus and follow the examples of those first believers who experienced extraordinary grace enabling them to display exemplary behavior in the face of great persecution. We see in them no signs of hate, bitterness, or even discouragement. They were as amazing in their suffering as they were in their power.  And in more recent history we have been encouraged by a great cloud of witnesses including people like Richard Wurmbrand who suffered at the hands of both the Nazis and the comunnists, and by the example of Corie Ten Boom who along with her family suffered under the Nasi invasion of Holland. They demonstrated grea...