Archived Thoughts

16   Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.     17   Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.    18   She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.    19   The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. ~ PROVERBS 3:16-19

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“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her.” When you consider that Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the Branches”, it is clear that life must flow through Her to God’s creation. Solomon calls this wisdom, but he is describing Logos, the Word. The position of the Bride is the most important thing in this hour. The part of God that is the avenue of peace to the whole earth, must come to realization, or there is no peace.

5   Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:     6   And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. ~ MALACHI 4:5-6

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To have our heart turned is more than just a turning of our attention in another direction. The word “turn” means to “press toward your home”, or return to your original position. The redemptive act on the cross finished what was necessary for us to return to our origin, but for seven church ages the Temple had to be built. In the end, the turning of our hearts by the opening of the Seals sealed our position, revealed our origin, and made a reality the full effect of the reconciliation of all things. Have YOU been changed?

30    I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.   17    Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. ~ JOHN 5:30 & EPHESIANS 5:17

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Jesus came not to do His Own will but the will of the Father. He was conscious of the life that He was. He did not wake up each day hoping the Father would use Him that day. Every move was the life in Him. How about us? We desire that God use us for His glory, yet do not have a consciousness that it is His life and ONLY His life, that operates you if you are born again.

19   Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,     20   By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;     21   And having an high priest over the house of God;     22   Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. ~ HEBREWS 10:19-22

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What does it mean to have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience? Our conscience is our sense of right or wrong but it comes from being aware or a recognition of your surroundings or condition. An evil conscience would be an awareness of unrighteousness. A pure conscience would be an awareness of a state of redemption that is not yoked with this world. Recognizing what life you are living is required for an adoption.

5   Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:     6   From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;     7   Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. ~ I TIMOTHY 1:5-7

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Verse 5 is my favorite scripture, mainly because the final result of teaching should be charity out of a pure heart. It is the “good conscience” that I want to focus on in this thought. “Good conscience” is a state of being aware of something, in this case it is the knowledge of the teaching. This knowledge is not just human knowledge, but it is entering into something, mainly by experience. This word for “conscience” is equivalent to the Hebrew word Madda, which means knowledge, but more specifically means you have entered in through a door. True teaching should produce a transformation by realization, an awareness of some other state of things that you cannot see but know it’s there.

9   Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?     10   Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. ~ JOHN 14:9-10

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The Father was not a different Person living in Jesus. He said, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do.” (John 5:19) He had a consciousness of the life in Him. He knew that every action came by His life, not a different Person. I believe we have that same privilege, to know that our life is His life, and there is no separation. There is no authority without this consciousness, because the authority doesn’t come TO US, but BY US. God is glorified, made totally known, when that life is manifest in us. (John 15:8)

I'm just so sick and tired of seeing people thumbing their way to heaven. They just say, "You believe that?" “Uh-huh. You believe that.” “You believe that?” That’s a hitchhikers. Brother, God ain’t got such things as that. A man’s got to be borned of the Spirit of God a regenerated and made a new creature, or he’s lost. ~ 53-1111  PREPARATION

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When traveling today through west Texas I saw a sign that said, “Hitchhikers might be escaped prisoners.” It made me think of these quotes where Bro Branham referred to people who claim to be Christians but have no real experience as “hitchhikers”. If you think about redemption and the effect, it should make us people like we should be if the fall never happened. Jesus refers to truly being free, and that would be totally free of the curse. But, there are those who might think they are free, just like these hitchhiking escapees, who might seem to be free but they are not. Bro Branham also refers to them as “professors without a possession”. They only appear to be free but they still carry the burden of being imprisoned.

11   My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.     12   Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.    13   But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. ~ JOB 23:11-13

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“I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Wow! What a statement! Job recognized the sovereignty and authority of God’s Word and he was not even born-again. His Words are power. Who can tell Him what to do or how to do it? Nobody! BUT, that unchangeable, unmovable, sovereign God dwells in you, desiring to come to a preeminence that allows that Word to flow through you. You have the Word of a King!

18   Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.      19   Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?     20   Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?      21   Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? ~ ROMANS 9:18-21

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I think we are all familiar with this verse, but it can become so personal when you realize that this sovereign God dwells in you. We make our own way and ask God to bless it, but we are bought with a price and He is the One telling us what to do. It is always for either our own good or for others, but it is always perfectly right and on time. We may not understand, but we belong to Him and we cannot say, “Why hast thou made me thus?”

5   Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:     6   Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:     7   But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:     8   And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.      9   Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ~ PHILIPPIANS 2:5-9

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“Let this mind be in you.” The humility of Christ unto death, leading to the exaltation in eternal life. God is identified by His Own mind in you. Whatever He is you are by His Spirit that dwells in you. You do not operate yourself, but it is His Life. If He is King, then you are King, and your words are His words.