Desperation, Resignation - Part 7

A man said to me one day here in America, when I first started coming over here, he said to me, Keith, my boy, and I think all of you will know this man, a great man of wisdom, you want to be used of God as very few men, but listen carefully to me, if the devil sees he can't get you, Keith, he's going to aim at your children. Now that you've made a desire to serve God like this, now that you have this desire to make a mark for God in this world, Keith, I guarantee you the devil is going to come against your children, he can't get you, but he sees what you're wanting to do, what you're wanting to let God do, and my boy, you can be sure the devil's going to aim at your children a million times more than what he does in other Christians' homes, because if he can get one of your children, Keith, he'll have you in the dust. So much of your time will be in the dust, Keith, if that happens.

Grow only before God. Oh, when that man said that, you know what I did? I started daily, including today, brother, a few times through the day, today, and every day since that man, walking down the street while I'm preparing or praying, suddenly I diverge from everything, and I cry out to God with such a growl, God, whatever the devil is doing, to try and put a seed in my children's hearts that might bring forth a hatred of God and God's ways and a love for the world, God, undo it now by the blood of Jesus. Undo that, that nothing will bear of the devil's efforts, Lord.

Whatever he's doing, whoever he's influencing my children through, people, other Christian children who are just playing the fool with God, who could influence my boy, God, protect anything the devil is doing, any seed, any word, anything. Oh, God, undo it by the blood of Jesus and mercy. I am in warfare for my children daily since that man said that to me.

I have said to God, oh God, if the devil gets my children, I will curl up and die. I will die right then if the devil gets one of my children. God knows I mean, but when it happens, God allows it.

Don't think it's going to destroy you. It will destroy me. That's why God hasn't allowed it.

I'm too weak. The man's enemies are the members of his own household. And the children don't want to follow God.

They want the world. Oh, that can drive a man into the dust. It can drive a man into the dust.

To some, the thorn in the flesh can be a weakness. That could lead to some moral failure, a weakness you can't understand why God hasn't dealt with young boy, young girl, married man, preacher. To some, it can be a weakness that you cannot understand, though you've pled with God, though you've despaired, though you've begged God, dear, with this God, I want to serve you, but this thing is hitting me back.

This is holding me back, God. It can be the thorn in the flesh, but this is a weakness that could lead to some moral failure or that has caused moral failure in the past, but that God can give you total victory over it, and he reveals that to you as long as you draw grace from him and strength daily. You find a man with this in his life or a young boy who really means business with God, he spends more time with God than anyone else.

He means the name of Jesus. He doesn't play the fool with his quiet time because he knows, I can get up from my knees and through that time, because in no hurry, just drawing strength, communing with God, something happens that makes me, in spite of this weakness, say no to the devil when he comes and tries to beat me. You will have total victory, child, but I'm leaving that weakness to make you become someone who spends time with God more than others, way more than others because of that weakness.

Greatness is going to come into your life through that weakness if you let God have his way. If you don't, it could destroy you. Sent by the devil to destroy you, allowed by God to make you.

There is nothing that will come in your life when you name the name of Jesus that isn't intended by God, meant by God, allowed by God to make greatness in your life, though you despair about it, no matter who you are. To some, the thorn in the flesh could be something in your past that the devil accuses you of and puts fear in your heart about again and again. I want to repeat that.

To some, it may be something happened in your past that you're so scared will be brought out and destroy your home, destroy people's respect of you. And how many have that? In a weak moment like day, even the man after God's heart, God's own heart can have something in his past that he's so ashamed about. Something in your past that the devil continually accuses you of and puts fear in your heart again and again.

Now, beloved, if that is the thorn in the flesh, God knows. But watch that man and that woman. Watch the brokenness in their lives.

Brother Don was asking me about how many people I know that in the ministry fell into sin and yet were restored and given the right. Brother, I didn't tell you fully that many were given the right to get back in the pulpit, but every one of them, including some of the leaders, people who knew of this, and they made those men the leaders of the whole mission, of the J.E.B., the largest missionary society in Japan. The leader had a time when one day he fell into sin, terrible sin.

And all the reverence of the Japanese bowing to him because of the impact of his life in that town, suddenly they laughed and said, people are great, until one day he met with God again. He got restored. Eventually he found a walk with God that he had never known before because there was something that wasn't there before.

There was a brokenness, a brokenness of self. And so did he walk with God that eventually his life found more impact for God than before the fall. They made him the leader, the president of the J.E.B., the Japan Evangelical Bank.

And they didn't make a mistake. Many people, there's things in your past that haunt you and you have fear of repercussions that are going to go on until your dying day about, even if you're true. But listen, heaven help the man that accuses you of something in your past.

Heaven help the man that touches you. Who is he that condemneth? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies it. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather than is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Beloved, when God forgives a man, no man dares not forgive him because then God will deal with a man or woman that doesn't forgive someone or something in their past. Be careful. Be careful.

I have seen God deal with men who rose up who would not forgive somebody who God wanted to restore because of something bad in their past. They wouldn't give mercy and when they fell, no one wanted to give them mercy. Be careful.

It'll come back with you on you like a vengeance if you are going to play upon somebody's past and think you can haunt them. God will wipe you out. He will wipe you out if you dare to do that.

So you people with something in your past, it's Christ that died. No one else has the right to condemn you. When you get restored to God, that is.

When you get restored to God, rather most of them got restored to God, before ministers, some leaders, but oh, did God use them for men.