OUT OF THE BOX

  “Desire” is a morally neutral and innocent term. However, a desire that is strong, ungodly, and evil is called “lust.” Most people associate lust with sex, but it can refer to strong desire for anything. This post is written to encourage Christians to be alert and aware of the enemy’s schemes, especially in the area of temptation. Ephesians 4: 22.  Lusts are deceitful. They lie to you. Whenever you face temptation, you must remember that you are being lied to. The alluring and attractive bait hides a trap or noose that will seize and destroy you. The photo is not of some science fiction Hollywood creation but is an actual angler fish. The anglerfish is a deep-sea fish. It lures its prey with a glowing appendage that looks and wiggles like a worm. A passing fish will be enticed by the lure, thinking he is about to have dinner, but soon finds he is the dinner. The victim wants what he sees, but steps into something he did not see…and did not want. The writer of Proverbs warns ...

  “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...

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   God is the Righteous Judge. Christians often have difficulty with the fact that God seems to delay in punishing those who hurt and offend us. We are glad for Him to be patient and merciful...

I could write a book listing the miracles I have witnessed and the ones I have been a part of. Reading it you would be pressed to believe in God and His desire to work intimately in the lives of people. But then I could also write another book about the times I was in “the deep” about to be swallowed up and close to losing everything. Reading this list of my failures and struggles, you might then say, “Where is your  God?”   I could tell you of friends being healed through prayer and also of others dying in spite of it. I have friends who have experienced miraculous healings and friends who have been raised from the dead. Some have received immediate response to prayer, and others have suffered what seems an interminable wait as they call on the Lord daily for healing, help, or an “open door.”   I have experienced the church in its glory as the people of God abounded in their love for one another with the presence of God among them so real it was like heaven itself. Then ...

Dear Friends, Our culture of information overload, special effects, fast food, and everything geared to entertain has created a generation of people with short attention spans. People don’t read like they used to…especially if a post or article is long. For that reason, I usually try to make my posts to be relatively short and easy reading. This one, however, is a bit longer and is more of a Bible study or a teaching tool.  As you read keep in mind that in addition to wood and stone idols, there are also idols of the heart (Ezekiel 14:3). Covetousness is also a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5).   One purpose of this post is to show the foolishness of mankind in his attempts to avoid the God of the Bible. These paragraphs contain some very good lessons and speak to our current generation which is being flooded with New Age philosophy that is infiltrating the church and causing many to go astray. I encourage you to read the whole thing. Billy Long “You Might Be an Ido...

You need to read this article if you’ve ever been tempted to think that God is not treating you fairly. Looking through the veil of our flesh we often mistakenly question God’s goodness, and we especially question or doubt His wisdom. One of the foundation blocks for our faith is knowing that God is not only all-powerful and good, but that He has made His redemption and grace abound to us in all wisdom and understanding. He is all-wise and righteous in all His judgments. And that applies to how he deals with us individually. The verses below express God’s right of ownership and decision-making over our lives as His servants. The example of the complaining servants warns us of the spiritual danger of envy and the error of comparing ourselves with others and making negative value judgments against the Lord based on our limited and finite knowledge. We must trust not only the goodness of God but also the wisdom of God. He is not unrighteous to forget our labor and our obedience. This post...

  A cat who sits on a hot stove will not sit on a hot stove again; but by the same token, he will never sit on a cold one either. He assumes all stoves will hurt him. This seems to be the way many people respond to bad experiences and bad relationships. They get wounded, hurt, disillusioned, and derailed. Their experience of pain and hurt causes them to be "burnt stones" with distorted perspective, withdrawn. and hobbled by unbelief. The following article is meant to help us to keep a right perspective. ----Billy Long BLINDED BY YOUR LIMITED NOW MOMENT 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. True disillusionment means to be free from illusion, but disillusionment with God and Christianity is in itself a delusion. Disillusionment comes from a narrow and self-centered perspective, from making judgments based on ones limited ...