In this sermon, Dr. Bob Jones Sr. emphasizes the importance of staying faithful to God despite the difficulties and problems we may face. He encourages believers to persevere in the midst of struggles, temptations, and darkness, reminding them that God renews their strength and keeps them going. The psalmist's words in Psalm 140:7, "Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle," serve as a reminder that God is with us and protects us in times of conflict. Dr. Jones urges listeners to continue going God's way, even if it means overcoming obstacles or facing opposition from enemies.

We now present Dr. Bob Jones Sr., internationally known evangelist and founder of Bob Jones University, who during his earthly ministry was one of God's great warriors for the faith. I said to the Lord, Thou art my God. Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. O God, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. I want you to notice that little expression. Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. That's the seventh verse of the 140th Psalm. Now, you remember the story. The psalmist is talking about his enemies, and his enemies were God's enemies, and God's enemies were his enemies. The psalmist was talking about going God's way, his goings he was talking about. It wasn't so much personally about the psalmist. You know, the devil doesn't hate some good people personally any more than he hates other people. Even wicked men don't hate people personally. But all wicked men, fundamentally wicked men, hate people who are going God's way. They may like them personally. They may even like them socially. They may like them the business way. But the enemies of God are against God's people who are going God's way. Now, the psalmist knew that. Don't underestimate the sale resistance. We tell our students out here, don't think that folks are for you. Don't ever go at life like that. You'll make a mistake. Figure that if you're going out for God, you're going to have resistance. If you don't have resistance, you're not out for God. A man who is supposedly a Christian worker that has no resistance to overcome, is not a spiritual worker. The devil will get you to compromise so he can have peace. And that idea, peace at any price, we hear about it. Well, we've got that kind of peace. Peace and safety, they cry, the Bible says, and then sudden destruction cometh upon them. That's the condition we're facing now. We're saying, well, we think we can handle the situation in Russia. We think we can do that. And all the time we're going ahead, trying to coddle ourselves in the idea that we're safe. And then all at once a crisis comes. The Bible says that's where it's going to wind up, this age. And you Christian people, you can't have peace at any price. I remember one time a man said to me, one of the best friends I ever had, he wrote and said, I have been associated with you in a movement. I would regret very much to withdraw from this movement. But he said, if you're going to do a certain thing, I would regret very much to have to withdraw. I wrote this man. I said, I think a great deal of you, we are friends and have been for years. But if breaking my word and compromising my testimony is the price that I have to pay for your friendship and cooperation, you're asking me to pay too big a price. The biggest price you can pay for any thing in this world is the price of compromise. If you get peace by compromise, if you get ease by compromise, that's the biggest price you can possibly pay. There's nothing as bad as compromise. There's nothing more terrible. And it's the easiest thing to do. It's the hardest thing to keep from doing. There's scarcely a week that goes over our head out here at Bob Jones University that the temptation to compromise doesn't come up some way or other, some little something, doesn't make much difference. You say, people say this about you, they'll think we are narrow, they'll think we're peculiar. Always it's a temptation. And as a matter of fact, most people are compromising. That's the reason the church isn't such a mess. That's the reason people in such a bad fix this country. Now, God is for you and the devil's against you. And the devil creates resistance. And if the devil could hinder the apostle Paul, he can hinder all of us. But don't let him stop you. He may make it hard for you. And you may have to leap over some obstacles he puts in your way. Or you may have to stop to tear those obstacles down, then go ahead and waste a lot of strength doing it. But don't stop. Don't stop. If you're going God's way, keep going. Now he said down here, I said unto the Lord, thou art my God. Hear the voice of my Lord. He's crying out to God as he faces a resistance for help, any misery about him. Wicked men with wicked tongues, proud men setting traps for him. Wicked violent men trying to get hold of him. Figuratively speaking, of course. He's crying out to God. Now notice his voice. Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. When I read that few minutes ago before I came to the studio again and thought about it, I said to myself, that would be one of the greatest texts for a sermon if a man had time to preach on it. Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Now don't get shocked when I say something to you. All the trouble you're having comes from above you. Now wait a minute. Let me make that plain. The devil is not in hell. The devil is the prince of the power of the air. The atmosphere, the air above you, that's where the devil is now. He was cast out of heaven into the air. Now, of course, he has access to the earth. And someday he's going to be put in hell and chained. But the devil's not in hell now. That's all a mistake. That's not in the Bible. There's not one word there. People say that, but he isn't there. He's going to hell sometime, but he's not there now. Now he is in the air. And the very atmosphere above us, according to the Bible, is filled with evil spirits, great hosts of them. So your battle is from above your head. You need protection from above. Now, you need protection all around you, because it takes all about you. You need protection in front of you. Obstacles. You need protection from the fellow behind you. You need protection from the man that would ambush you. You need protection. But you need protection from above. But there's one above that's higher than the devil. Up beyond that, the one that inhabits eternity. So he says, this one has covered my head for battle. The one that's higher than the devil. The one that's higher overall, Lord God omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. He's up there. And he covers my head. He protects me from above. Many women listen to me. There isn't a living man big enough to protect himself from the satanic attacks. You can't do it. You haven't the wisdom. You haven't the strength. But there's somebody that can. There's somebody that can give orders to your enemies. There's somebody that can tell him when to stop. You need protection. Now, I said, I got a covering. I have a covering. The Lord covers me and protects me all the time. I want to tell you something. If in your heart, you really sincerely mean it, and you're not fooling, you're not putting on, you're not just going along saying, I'm doing this for the glory of God, when you're not. If you're really right, and your supreme desire is to do the will of God, and you're going God's way, you have all the protection you need. Wait a minute. You will get where God sends you, if you are going his way sincerely. There is no power above you or about you, or no power underneath you that can keep you from going to the place God sends you to, if you're faithful and sincere. Now, nothing could stop Paul. No power, no influence, nothing. Nothing could be done to him that could stop it, until he finished the job and said to Timothy, I finished the course. I've been doing a lot of thinking about this year lately. The strain's been so heavy. The burden's been so heavy. So much to carry. I've been thinking sometimes, what a wonderful, wonderful thing it must be, must have been to Paul, when the journey was ended, and the struggles were all over, to go home and be with the Lord, whom he loved. You know, he'd been up there before. He said he'd been caught up to Third Hedman, saw things that were not wise to tell. What a wonderful thing it must be, because Paul knew more about Hedman than anybody on earth. He'd had an invitation to come up and visit for a while, and said, I saw things that wouldn't be even wise, I couldn't tell you. I thought about how much he must have felt when he said, I desired the part to be with Christ, which is far better. But you know, at the right moment, when he finished the job, God took him home. I've said to myself, oh God, keep me faithful. Don't let me trim. Don't let me soften up. Don't let me pull back. And someday, when the job's done, and then once where I want to go, when the job's done, if the Lord tarries, I want to go home. Christians, listen. What God wants in this country is for his people to be faithful. Faithful. Faithful to the trust. Never mind what comes. Never mind the opposition. Never mind the difficulties. Never mind the temptations. Be faithful. Some of you young folks listening to me. You know, a lot of young people this day and time are falling for all the temptations. Going the way of the world. Going the devil's way, and saying, well, I'll go along, everybody else is going. And they're going along. You better stop. You better go along with God. It's the only way. I told somebody today, maybe you're in Christian work, and you've just been going along. I heard something the other day that a fellow said about advertising a Christian program. And he's a nice fellow too. He's a friend of mine. He didn't tell me, but I heard it. This man said, you know, I can't say much about Christianity in my advertisements. And he had a program that's supposed to be a Christian program. He said, if you advertise it Christian, really, you won't get anybody. Except get a few, but not many. Now think of it. Think of it. You know, it's the business of a Christian institution to tell the world what it stands for. To challenge the thing immediately. You know, the greatest safety you have in this world, humanly speaking, is to stand with a holy bull. That's when you're under fire. When you're under attack. Don't take the cover then. Don't tremble then. Stand up with a holy bull is when you're under attack. That's the way to stand. Having done all to stand, you don't have anything to fear. If you are going God's way, in the will of God, you've got his help. You have his help when the wicked tongues will speak against you. You have his help when wise men set a trap for you. You have his help when you can't see the road you're going. It's all dark. He has a light for you. And when there's a little dark, dangerous place, he'll be there to watch your step. He'll take you over the rough roads, and someday he'll take you home. You know, I'm wondering how many of you folks listening to me today could honestly and truthfully say, Lord, I want, I will in my life. Thy will. Thy will. What you want for me, I want for myself. You know, I'd like for you to do a little searching now. Don't get away from this thing. Now wait a minute. You're all there alone, some of you. Your family may be around you, but you're alone in your heart with God. Are you willing to do the will of God, regardless of the cause? Are you willing to go his road, regardless of what men may say, what men may do? Are you sure that you have faith that'll hold you steady? Do you realize today, and God help you to realize it, that you have protection from above? Devil's above you with his forces and his army. Oh, what an army he has. But the big guns, bound on the battlements of eternity, are commanded and fired by God's omnipotence. So why do you worry? Say, if the big guns, God's guns, the omnipotent guns, the high-explosive judgments of Almighty God, they're guns mounted higher than devil can mount here. And all his little guns amount to nothing. He's already licked. He was defeated in the battle with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when Jesus was meeting him in temptation. He's a defeated person, and the Bible tells you to resist him. Resist him, and you'll flee from him. He is afraid of the name of Jesus. Jesus's name high over all, in heaven and earth and sky. He's afraid of that name. There's no name with a charm. There's no name with such power. There's no name that makes evil spirits tremble like the name of the Son of God. Look up. Lift up. Keep your eye on heaven. Never mind the difficulties and the problems. Go through with God, our Heavenly Father. We come to thee weary and worn from the battles, tired sometimes and estranged. But we thank thee that thou dost renew our strength and keep us going. We thank thee for thy grace. Help us to be faithful in the midst of all the struggles and temptations and darkness and battle of this terrible world, with wars and rumors of wars, with all sorts of upheavals, with the hearts of men failing because of fear of what's coming upon them. Keep us fearless and bold. Help us to remember that the God who made us and creates all things commands all the big guns, and the devil can produce no gun equal to his gun, the gun of omnipotence in the hands of a great and wonderful God. Keep us faithful in everything until it works done. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. You have just heard Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., internationally known evangelist and founder of Bob Jones University, who during his earthly ministry was one of God's great warriors for the faith. This program is sponsored by Bob Jones University.