The Hour Of Temptation (1)

...Even though I have to rebuke some that are not lined up right. From time to time I have to rebuke them. But I still prefer to look at people that are trying to do the right thing and work with them, rather than find fault with the others. You keep your eyes on some old hypocrite all the time, or keep your mind on some old person that don't want to do right, that just wants to be a trouble maker, you know, that's just like putting a wad of chawing tobacco in your mouth and keeping that old spit in there all the time. People are strange. You might say, Why do you say strange? Well, they chaw to spit. They get a chaw of tobacco just so they can spit. To me that don't make sense, but to them they enjoy that, you know. Chaw so they can spit. Having an old dirty chaw of tobacco in your mouth, that's just like looking at somebody that's a hypocrite. Keeping you mind on them all the time, you've got your mind all dirtied up when you could just wash your mouth out and get rid of the chaw. I was thinking today about some folks that, I guess some of the finest folks in the world, in the family, is in the millions, but I can remember so well the man loved his chaw of tobacco, and the woman loved her dip of snuff. There was something missing if they didn't have their dip of snuff and chaw of tobacco. And I thought, Lord, how filthy. How dirty. How scummy. How filthy. Going around with a mouth full of spit, you know, all messed up with a chaw of tobacco, or dip of snuff. Have you ever seen that? How many have ever seen that? you know. I've seen it. Have you ever seen that, Clyde? I mean they felt right at home, and they didn't feel right if they didn't have it. That's people. People are funny. Strange, curious sort of creatures. Nothing that I know of that the Lord made, not anything that He made that He had trouble with except people. I want to read from chapter three of the book of Revelation. If you've got your Bibles you can read with me. "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (4) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (5) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angles. (6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (8) I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (9) Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (10) Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (11) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. (13) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The message here unto the churches, I want you to listen to this last one. "(14) And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. (16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of the nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (22) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." I want you to notice something here tonight as we talk about it just a little bit. It says here, The ones that overcome I will make them a pillar in the temple of my God. But He says before this in the tenth verse, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all of the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. The Bible speaks here of a certain time that will be an hour of temptation that is going to befall mankind. There is coming an hour that is going to be an hour of temptation. It's going to be such a thing in the earth, such an outstanding thing of trials and problems until it's going to be called the hour of temptation and He said, Because thou has kept the words of my patience I will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Not only does He indicate that in every man's life, as he goes through the transitional changes of life that there will be temptation. Not only does He indicate that, but that there is an hour that is to come upon the earth wherein man shall encounter a great hour and moment of temptation. He will keep you from every hour of temptation, no matter what it is during your lifetime. You can be tempted in every way, but God will with every temptation make a way of escape that you might be able to bear it. He will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able. A lot of times people misconstrue that thing. I tried to explain the other night some of this, because a Brother quoted this from the Sacred Desk and he kind of left it in the balances. It doesn't mean that people don't go through conflict and sicknesses, and even unto death. The Bible said, if ye be faithful even unto death I will give you a crown of life. Ye must be faithful unto death. So then, whatever happens to you could kill you. It could take your life. You could go on out. You need not get the idea that God is going to let something come on you and say, Well, praise God, He isn't going to suffer me be tempted above that that I'm able to bear. He's not going to let the devil kill me, or he's not going to let me die, because you just might die. Numbers of people down through the years have given their lives for Christ. They've died and they counted it a joy to die, but we're not speaking of that. See? We're speaking of temptation. So far as you being lost, so far as you being tempted above that that you are able to endure, so far as God letting any temptation come to you, you're not taken with any temptation except that which is common unto mankind. Every temptation that you have has been known to mankind ever since the world started. Jesus was tempted in every way the same as you are, and yet without sin. So all temptation that God speaks of, He makes a way of escape. The temptation is never to great for you to draw nigh to God and resist it and turn away from it. If you fall by means of that temptation it is because of your own evil doings, or the wretchedness of your own heart, because God did not suffer such a great temptation that you could not overcome it. You can over come it. You could overcome it. You should overcome it, or you should have over come it. See? Because God has made it so that you can overcome it. And this is what we have got to remember, that God has made the way for us to escape in every temptation. Every trial. Every heartache. God has made a way of escape that we can bear it. It's not above that that we can bear. And whatever has happened so has it happened to someone else the same way. We don't have any problems that is different from anybody's else's, as to the fact that somewhere down through life someone has encountered such a thing and still been victorious over it. So then we can truthfully say that God is our helper. That we are able to overcome every trial, every temptation and we're able to master the situation no matter what that situation might be. So then, I read to you here where it said, He that overcometh I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. You know, if you want to be someone that someone else can lean upon, if you want to be a pillar in the earth, in the temple of God, if you'd like to be a pillar in the earth that people can look toward, and people can lean upon, and people can search out so that they can find help in the time of need, then you've got to overcome. That's what makes you a pillar. You know, when the storms come and the hard winds come, when all the problems comes of the weather conditions, if something keeps standing it's a solid pillar. It's a sure leaning post. And so then, God wants you and I through all of our trials to master the situation, to overcome it that we might be a pillar in the temple of our God. Somebody might say, But, Brother Pike, just supposing that we die, then what? Well, you don't have to worry about it. You know, if you die that finishes the problem right there. You don't have to worry, someone else can be a pillar that someone else can lean upon. But in the event that you don't die, then you don't have to be a coward and run from the devil. In the event that you don't die you don't have to just wobble to and fro. You don't have to just fall over. You can stand. And the Bible said, having done all to stand, then stand therefore. Stand in the power and might and strength of Almighty God. Don't try to stand in your power and strength and might. Don't try to stand within your human reasoning, because sometimes you are pressed out of measure. Some times pain and misery gets so that you are pressed clear out of measure. There is no way to cope with it. There is no way to deal with it with your human understanding. You'll just scream and holler and go to pieces. There is no way for you to cope with it, see? So you've got to switch over into the mind of Christ like Jesus did when He received the nails in His hands and the thorns in His head, and when His feet was bruised and His back was bruised. You have to switch over into that mind that endured that pain. You have to switch over to that mind that was able to carry the load during the time of that pain. See? You've got to get in that mind. The Bible says, Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. See? You've got to get into that mind. There is no way that you can endure it. There is no way that you can cope with it. You've got to take the mind of Christ. The mind Christ can cope with it. The mind of Christ can hold the body. It can firmly hold the body until it breaths the last breath and still praise God down to the grave. The body has been held under severe penalty and pressures. There have been people that went through the dark ages, men and women alike, just little frail women like you, and men that are frail just like we people, but they went through the dark age and they died. They endured horrible things it wasn't possible for them to endure. They would have recanted in a minute but the great mind of Christ, right at the time it was needed, it ceased upon the body, and when they had gone as far as they could go the mind of Christ took that body and held it right there through the pain and the misery and still testified, I overcome. I overcome. I overcome. See? And right on down to the end. So these are the things that we have to cope with in life, and these are the things that we have to deal with and you can't do it unless you have the mind of Christ. I thank God for His blessings, and His strength, and His mind. In every trial and every temptation, and every problem, God has the answer. Christ Jesus is the answer to all of your problems and all of your situations. And if we take Christ, if we stay filled with the spirit, it's like Paul when he was on that island over there. While he was over there this snake bit him. The poison went into his veins, but the mind of Christ inside of that body held that body erect. Never let it get emotional. Never let it get disturbed. Never let fear get into it, and the virtue that was inside of the blood veins of Paul killed the poison. It completely eradicated the poison, for the Bible said, Greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world. And so then, the snake being in the world, but God being in Paul He just completely eradicated the poison. See? God has the answer. God will help you. God will bless you. It's like Mrs Grey. A few days ago they had her in the hospital. She had a brain hemorrhage. And of course, she was dying but we prayed for her, and no doubt but what she knew. She was calling on the Lord, and the others were praying for her, so she came through that. And when they looked at her they said, Did you know what was happening? Did you know what happened to you? And I understand that she told them, Sure, I was dying but God wasn't ready for me and God spared me. See? She gave God the glory in the presence of the medical world and the medical professional. And they said, well, you know, they thought it was a miracle. They said, We can't understand it. We don't understand it. They don't understand things like that. Said, Surely some phenomenal thing had taken place. So then, God is always with us. You know, I'm like this. I'm not against medical aide. I'm not against doing anything for yourself. I think it takes an ignorant person not to do anything for themselves when they need something done. As a matter of fact, the Bible said that the good Samaritan went by and poured in the oil and the wine in the wounds. It takes good common sense to bind up a wound and put something in there to keep infection down. But I still say that we've got to trust in God. See? The Bible said Asa being smitten in the feet sought the physicians rather than God and he died. See? So we've got to talk to God. We've got to believe in God. We've got to search after God. We've got to trust in God if we're going to have healing. If we're going to have salvation, if we're going to have the power of God and the knowledge of God, if we're going to be a soul winner we've got to trust in God. We've got to put our trust in God. Not a little bit of trust in God. Faith won't work by putting a little bit of trust in God. You've got to trust in God with all of your heart, with all of your might. You've got to come to the point to where you say, Dear God, if I die, if I die, if I die I'm still trusting You. If I die I'm still trusting You; I'm in Your hands. Jesus said, Father, let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless not what I will, but what You will. I know that You can do it, He said. Like the Hebrew children. They said, We know that God can deliver us from the fiery furnace. We know He can. If He wants to He can do it, but if doesn't do it, said, we'll trust Him right on down to the end. So then, to learn to trust in God. To learn to believe in God. Put your trust in God. Put all of your trust in God, to love Him with all of your heart, with all of your mind, with all of your strength, with all of your soul. Love the Lord God, and trust in Him. Believe in Him. Trust in Him. Believe in Him. He won't fail you. He'll bring it to pass. You must trust in Him. You must believe in Him, and He'll bring it to pass. So then, we believe in God. You might complain. You know, if a log falls on your head and you can still talk, you might complain. You're not going to feel too good about it. And if somebody stomps your big toe you're not going to feel too good about it, you know, and you might say something. But the thing is, though we're human beings and though this is normal for us, and we should do that. We should not try to be abnormal, you know, and be something that we're not. Because if we do that then the people can't trust us even if we're leaders, because they don't see in us the react of a human being. They'd say, Well, he's some supernatural human, you know. I know he can do it, but God doesn't expect it out of me. And a lot of people look at Jesus like that. But did you know that is the reason that God came down out of Heaven. God made Him a human body and God was tempted in every way like unto a man, and He suffered pain. And He shed tears. God did that through a human body so He could be relative to you and so He could relate to you, and so that you couldn't say, Well, You don't understand me, for the Bible said He was tempted in every way like as unto man, and yet He was without sin. So then there is not one pain. There is not one misery. There is not one torture. There is no one complex of life but what Jesus understands. He knows all about it. There is no need of saying, Lord, You don't understand, because He does understands. Very thoroughly He understands. But the thing to do, like I've heard my Dale and some of the children sing, Lord, I don't ask you to move my temptations, you know, just give me grace, Lord. Grace, that's all. I'm just asking for grace. You know, don't take away my cross. Somebody wrote a song, Don't take away my cross, Lord, but give me patience. Give me the ability to bear it. See? We're not asking God to take away our cross. We don't want God to take away our cross. Somebody said, Well, bless God, I wish He'd get rid of mine. Well, I don't want Him to get rid of my, because if He gets rid of mine that means I'm not going to have a crown. You'll be like the story about the man that came down to the river and kept trimming off the cross, trimming the cross off until there wasn't enough to get across. Couldn't span Jordan. So then, I don't want God to take away my cross. I'm not asking God to take away my temptation because it is by the cross, it is by suffering that I learn obedience. And I conform to Christ, and through this obedience I receive eternal life. And it's by my temptations that I can sharpen my wits against the devil, and by my temptations it is through these temptations that I develop wisdom and understanding and ability to be able to overcome. It's when you lay the axe to the stone it is the stone grinding against the axe that brings out the potential of the axe and brings out the ability to save a lot of your strength when you start to hew the tree. I know that from experience as a little boy. We always went by the shed and ground the axe before we went and laid the axe to the root of the tree. So then, I'm not asking God to take away the temptations. I need the grinding. I need those things. But I am asking God to do this: God lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from temptation. That is, give me the ability to overcome. And re-route my life, God, to that which is not Your pleasure for me to have. You know, I don't want to just be ground up like a piece of cheese. I want to do through life loving the Lord, but the Bible says here that there is an hour of temptation that is to come upon the world. The hour of temptation. It might be an hour of temptation in your own individual life. Something that you run across to where you can't get along with your wife, or you can't get along with your husband. Or it might be a great temptation where there is some kind of thing that develops between you and your neighbor, or between you and your children and then you've got to learn to hold your temper, and you've got to learn to develop. It might be something between a Brother and a Sister that is in Christ. Satan might bring something in between them and then the temptation arises and you get to see that person display their character. You get to find out what is hid on the inside of that individual. The Bible said there is nothing hid that won't be brought to light. You see somebody get real snobbish like, you know, and they throw their heads back and they blast off and they tell you off, and down the hill they go. You know that person has got a devil. Or the devil has got that person. Or either you know there is something wrong with that person, or something is missing in the life of that individual because they don't have the goods. They might fire back at you. You know, they might fire back at you. They might say something bad about you. Might say a lot of things to you but you want to be loving. You want to be kind. See? No matter what you say to them kindly, they may fire back at you, but you want to be loving and kind to them. The Bible said overcome evil with good. Those demon powers you want to overcome with the love of God. And if that person does fire back like that, and that person does act like that, even though you're so kind to them, then you know that that person needs help. That person just hasn't got the goods. How many of you understand what I'm saying? That is an individual thing that may come to your life, but see? There is an hour of temptation that the Bible speaks about that is coming upon all humanity. Right now it's upon the church. It's falling on all humanity. Everywhere you go there is temptation. On the signboards along the roads there is temptation. Reading the newspapers there is temptation. In the magazines there is temptation. When you go to town to the store, you walk into any kind of store, there is all kind of ugly, filthy literature. There are all kind of people that are dressed in all kind of different ways. See? It's a constant temptation. Continually there is something. You walk by over here and this person is talking with such a filthy mouth you don't want to hear it. You don't want those kind of thoughts registering on your mind, but nevertheless, here they come into your mind. Like the devil when he got right up at Jesus and he said, If you be the Son of God. If you be the Son of God. And he kept putting these thoughts in the mind of Jesus. You know, Jesus just threw those things out in the hour of temptation. The Bible said for forty days and nights he was tempted of the devil, but through those temptations he constantly threw the temptation out and never one time did He question His Sonship. See? The devil will say, if you are a son of God. If you are a son of God why are you having the pain? Why are you having the misery? Why doesn't God heal you? Why doesn't God do something? Bless God, he'll say, there ain't no God. He'll say God don't keep His Word. You've ask Him ten times and He ain't done it yet. Look at them people out yonder, he'll say, everything is all right. Why didn't God give you a new car? you ask Him for one. Why didn't God help you to keep your nice home? Why didn't He give you a new home? Why didn't God bless you with all of this? he'll say. If you are a son of God why didn't He do that? But you just go on and say, Glory to God, I wasn't looking for that. Hallelujah! I wasn't looking for that. I wasn't look for that. Well, what are you looking for then? Say, I'm looking for that thing where He says, Take up your cross and follow Me. Hallelujah! He'll add all that you need, and He'll give all that you need. And He'll bless you with all that you need. And when you need strength He'll give you strength. And when you need to be healed He'll give you healing. And when you need rest He'll give you rest. And when you are a thirst He'll give you drink. And when you are hungry He'll give you food. Isn't that right? Doesn't the Bible say that if we should ask of our father, or our mother, if we should ask of them bread that they would not give us anything other than bread. They would not give us a stone. Or they would not give us a serpent. They would not give us something evil. He said if the earthly father and mother loved in that way so much that they would give to their children after that fashion, He said, how much more would your Heavenly Father give the good things to you that ask of Him. He said, ask that you might have your joy full. He said you've asked nothing, but ask so you can have your joy filled up. Somebody say hallelujah! See, God said, because you have kept the word of My patience. Because you have had faith in the Word, He said, this faith will become a shield to you, and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked and protect you in the hour of temptation that is to come upon the world to tempt and try all mankind. Folks, let me tell you something. Right now we're in the hour of temptation. The Bible speaks of the beginning of sorrows. Already sorrows have set in. And He spoke of the beginning of sorrows and enumerated numbers of things that would transpire that by this we could recognize the beginning of sorrows. And already those sorrows have begun. They have already begun. See? He spoke of them. I look around and I see all of these things of children leaving home, and the different things that would happen. This is what the Bible said would happen. See? And all of these sorrows have already begun. And now the hour of temptation is upon the world to try the world, and we're going though that hour. And let me tell you, many of you are guilty. Many of you are not resisting the temptation. Many of you cannot resist it. Somebody says, Bless God, I can resist it. But you can't. See? It didn't say resist the devil and he will flee from you. That wasn't what the Bible said. The Bible didn't say resist the devil and he will flee from you. That wasn't what it said. You're trying to do that, that's why you can't do it. Somebody said, The Bible said resist the devil and he will flee from you. Bless God, I'll resist the devil. But it didn't say that. Though those words were with what He said, as to say draw nigh to God. That is, get some strength. Be filled with the Spirit. Get the power of God. Draw nigh to God. Get the faith of God. Get your mind on God. Get the spirit on the inside of you. Get the strength of God, then resist the devil and he'll flee from you. He's not going to flee from you as a man, but when you strengthen your faith in God then you turn around, he's afraid of you because he's afraid that you'll cast him out. Or he's afraid that you will hurt him. Like he said to Jesus, Art thou__ The demon said, Art thou come before our time to torment us? (Begin tape one, side two.) ...time for our torture, he said. Legion, the demons, cried out, it's not time for you to torment us. We know Thee, Thou Son of God Most High. We know that Thou hast the power to torment us, but it's not time for you to do that. Will You then torment us before our time? And when you turn around as a Son of God, they'll cry out. They've been known to scream out. You go to cast them out of people, you be filled with the Spirit. You have the power of God. You have faith and you'll hear them scream out. I've heard them scream out. I've gone to pray for people, I've gone to cast out devils and I've heard them scream out. You say, Well, I've never heard them. No doubt you have heard them and just didn't know it, but I've heard them scream out. Go to pray for somebody, see? they use the human's voice. That's where a lot of times you don't understand. That human being will scream out things. I've had them to jump up in my services and scream out. Jesus had them to do that. See? They'll scream out. It's demons crying out. And lot of times after that devil would cry out that person would never do that again, never say that again. A lot of times they don't even realize what they said. Sometimes they say some wild crazy things. But you've got power, see? And when you draw nigh to God, when you're filled with the Spirit, then you go out like the did in the early church. But you've got power, see? And when you draw nigh to God, when you are filled with the Spirit then you go out like they did in the early church. The Bible said they tarried until they were filled with the Spirit. All of them were filled with the Spirit then they went out. They went out and they preached and they sang and done the things, praying for the sick, that were necessary to drive the devil off, to heal the sick. And God was with them, and God blessed them. There is no difference today. Somebody said, Well, what happened to the church today, Brother Pike? Isn't it the very same church? It's absolutely the very same church. The same body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the same church. It's the same people. You've got the same rights, the same privileges. You are the same people. There is only one difference. That is you don't tarry in prayer. You don't stay until you are filled with the Spirit. You don't ban together and seek God. You seek the things of the world. Even the statement was made back there in the Bible saying that the Gentiles, riches, wealth, power, all of these things they seek after. You seek after those things. You want education. You want money. You want the powers of preeminence in the world. You want to be a celebrity. You want all of these things, whereas, if you wanted to be filled with the Spirit your life would be phenomenal for God. If the church of today would press in and talk to God and be filled with the Spirit they would be like a power house. A living dynamo for God. No matter where they went devils would just flee everywhere. You could go, just like we're going over to Jeffersonville, Indiana. You go in there praying and fasting and seeking God, you go in there studying, go in there filled up. Not with hamburgers, and going down to (?). Not that way. But you go in there filled up with the glory and blessings of God and devils and demons would just go every which way. And people are just drawn to you like bees to honey, because the closer they get to you the more they feel the fleeing from evil powers, and of oppression. The more they feel security. The more they feel separated from fears and anxieties. The more they feel comfortable. That's right. See? People get like that when demon spirits can't harass their minds. And the person that comes close to you, it's like they step out of the shadows into the light and they don't feel the weight and the oppressions of the things of this world, see? and they feel real good about it. You've got to remember this, folks, that sickness and sorrow and heartaches are the works of the devil. How many agree to that? See? It's the works of the devil. And wasn't Jesus manifested to destroy the works of the devil? Isn't that right? Don't they get hold of me, or take advantage of me in as much as I am subject to vanity? and I sin, so far as the natural person is concerned? But wasn't Jesus manifested to take away my sins? and in Him there is no sin? So they don't have occasion no more. And the only way they can get at me is for me to willingly give place to the devil. And the Bible tells me not to give place to the devil, but taking the shield of faith I can quench the fiery darts of the wicked. And that if I draw nigh to God then I can resist the devil and he will be afraid of me. He'll run from me, because I'll torment him. He'll run from me. Devils and demons will run from us. I've told this a number of times, and I think I'll tell it again. I'll let you go in a few minutes. I though I'd just exhort you a little tonight. But you've heard me tell about my little Danny numbers of times. My little Danny laying in there on the bed one night. I'm up all during the night, you know. Just me, I do that. But, anyway, I was up checking around and my little Danny was groaning in his sleep and going on, you know, and I thought, Lord, that's a devil. He was groaning and moaning and then after awhile he'd be just as peaceful as he could be, and then after awhile he'd groan and moan. And I said, Lord, that's a devil. I discerned it as a devil. So I said, Lord, I want you to deliver Danny, and I went to praying. I cast the devil out and I went into a vision and when I went into the vision I saw, as I've related to you before, I saw a little hunched down fellow, a real decrepit looking kind of a freak, and he was all hunched down like that and I saw him jump to where Danny was and run away from Danny, like that. And as he ran, strangely enough, in the vision I looked and he ran right straight to my prayer chair, right where I pray through the night. He ran right to it and it was just like a scalded dog, just whoof, like that and away from there he went and into the television he went. Like that. Are you listening? But as he came by my prayer chair I heard a voice and the voice said, Call him Lobo. Said, His name is Lobo. And in the vision I screamed out, Get out of here, Lobo. And off he went from my prayer chair. And, you know, Danny came out of that thing. Danny got fine. Danny got where he would sleep, rest. Everything was just fine for a long, long time. And then one day I was telling this and somebody said, Lobo? I said, Yeah. They said, Well, there's a program on t.v. called Lobo. Maybe it's Sheriff Lobo. I've never seen it. But, anyway, this proves, see? that devils can come through the television, as we say. They're in the world, is where they're at, but through the means of the television stars, through those people that are doing those evil things those demons could come into your heart, and into your mind. And they've been known to come into the mind of little children, and also of people that were babysitting. People that were babysitting that killed little children. And come into the minds of little children and cause them to kill one another. The Bible said the spirit of foolishness is bound in the heart of the child. It takes the rod of correction to mold the mind of the child, and to drive the demon far from him while he's in his childhood way of life. So demon spirits, see? that's the work of the devil. Those demon spirits find a man and they cause the man to drink himself to death. He becomes a drunkard, a fine looking healthy young man that could be successful in the world, that would love his little family, never mistreat them, they turn him into an old filthy dog, and just cause him to roam and ramble until he is nothing but just filth. And then a lot of times they're left out on the ways around skid row and different places for rats to eat their face and ears and noses off. This has been known to happen. Lawyers. I've met lawyers. I've met doctors. I've met professional men. I've met great men, contractors. I've met great women. People that were barflies. People that were just filthy, just the scum of the earth because the devils and demons had pulled them down to those low place of degree seeking after the world, and through the thing of movie stars, dope addicts, great celebrities, dope addicts. Elvis Presley died a dope addict. See? Devils, demons, possess those human bodies. And demons and devils taking control of those human bodies live in those human bodies. It is said that Elvis Presley, before he died, to get his place of fame and popularity, that he promised the devil he would give him his soul if he would do that; if he would give him that place. And I know you might think, Well, that can't be. But if you remember, Satan came to Jesus and Satan said unto the Lord Jesus, If you will serve me I will give you all the riches and fame and popularity of the world. And he showed all of the wealth of the world unto Him and said, this is delivered into my hands to give to whomsoever I will. And that is true. That is true. But Jesus didn't deny that, that God had allow Lucifer to do that, and suffered Lucifer to have control as the prince of this world, and the prince of the powers of the air, but he just said to him, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. See? So then, I'm saying all of that to say this. Devils and demons fill human bodies. They plague human minds. You get oppressed. You get cast down. You just can't get any relief of any kind. Seems like all the day long you're depressed. All of your joy is gone. No matter what you do. No matter where you go, everything seems to go wrong for you. Devils and demons harassing your minds. You can't rest. But, you know, if you listen for the voice of God you can hear it. As a matter of fact, that brings something to my mind. I believe it was this morning, a man by the name of Frank pulled up in a Ford, sit there and talked with me for quit a long time, and he said, I heard you over the radio. Atlantic Beacon, I believe it was, or something. Said, I heard you and I knew you were one of those fish that would swim upstream and not one of them old dead fish that just floats down stream with the water. He said, I knew that was the voice of God. He said, I came over here. And he came over. Drove, my! I think he was from the Carolina's or somewhere. Anyway, traveling all over. Going to California, everywhere. A veteran that had an income and he said he was going down to rebuke Jimmy Swaggart now for what he was doing. But, anyway, he was going everywhere and he came by, and to wanted to give me a hundred dollar offering. He had a whole bunch of bills and he__ I guess he wanted me to know that he wasn't on the beggar's list. He had plenty of money. He pulled out a hundred dollar bill and he tried to give it to me. And when he couldn't give it to me he acted like it bothered him. He told me he was serious, he wanted me to have it, you know. He'd been listening to me on the radio, and then when he found out I wouldn't take it, you know, he said, Well, that's right. That's right. He said, You can't buy this, can you? Said, You can't buy it. Said, No. But, anyway, I said that to say this. There is all kind of voices that comes through the radio. There are all kinds of voices that comes through the television and it's up to you and I to be able to differentiate and be able to discern between these voices, to know what is the voice of God, and what is not the voice of God. I want to say this in closing. This is the hour of temptation. The Lord said, And there shall come the hour of temptation. It shall grow greater, even to the extent that AntiChrist will come, Satan in a personification, and there will be tried to the degree and to the extent that they will have to deny God or take the mark. And there will be people that will take it, and there will be people that will not take it. So the great hour of temptation is ready to come upon the world. It's already moving in. It's already here, and you can't hardly go anywhere without being tempted. Whereas, years ago you might have things to flash across your mind, might have problems. You could be out in the field plowing, you could stay there around the old home place, you could have peace of mind, but not anymore. It is a continual warfare. A continual warfare. Always something happening to mind. Always something coming before you. Always something to disturb you, or to try to hurt you, or your loved ones, to tear your home up, or to do something. It is always something. It never stops day nor night. See? The hour of temptation. But the good thing is that the Lord promised that they that would keep the word of His patience, the Word of God, that He would keep them from the hour of temptation that was to come upon the world to try all of them that dwell upon the earth. I want you to stand with me. I just thought I'd talk with you a little bit tonight. Remember, God loves you. You don't have to go wrong if you don't want to. You're not tempted to the extent that you can't overcome. So when you see people that are doing the things of the world and they try to get you to believe that it's such a horrible situation that they can't overcome, you tell them with all love and respect, say, My Bible tells me that nothing has happened to you but has happened to someone else, and where you did not make the effort to overcome, to have the strength of God, and to be a testimony I can tell you of somebody that did. Let's sing a little chorus together, can we? (Singing) Can you sing it with me? (Singing) Do you love Jesus? Do you love Jesus? On the cross. It's by the cross that people are saved. The Bible said that when Zion travailed she brought forth her sons and her daughters. Not very many people are born into the church today, because there is not very much fasting and praying. Not very much travailing today, so there is not much revival, so far as children of God that is being born into the Kingdom. A lot of folks protracted meetings, lot of showmanship, and it appears to be something, but it said when Zion travailed then sons and daughters were born into the Kingdom. At Calvary there came a travail. People in that day that loved Jesus, that banded themselves together with Him, they sought salvation for themselves and for others. The Bible speaks like this: We say we love our brothers and sisters, our mothers, our daddies, and yet we don't travail for them. For the Bible enumerated some things and said if you do these things you shall be saved, ye and your whole household. Said, by doing this your loved ones also shall be saved. If they see something in your life then, as I said earlier, they'll be drawn to it, because people are looking for a way of escape and Jesus is the answer. But unless you do that no one is going to follow you. You can be__ You know, you can have a life of glamour. You can be a dignitary. You can be a celebrity. But nobody is really going to have any confidence in you. Like the President. Everybody says, all hail, Reagan. But let him make a mistake and they'll chop him down like a tree. I heard somebody chopping on him today. But if you've got God, and they really see God in your life, they're going to have confidence. They may get critical. People are prone to say things. They'll say things, but deep down in their heart they fear God on the inside, and they admire God on the inside, and they're looking for the security that can come from Christ out of your heart to them. That angel on the inside. You know, man is an angelic being dwelling in a little tabernacle of clay. He's an angelic being. He lives in a little house of clay. And that angelic being sometimes gets real affrighted, gets real nervous, afraid and starts seeking shelter. It feels that great distant thing, that great beyond. It feels the power of terror and of darkness that's rising up to envelope it. And it's looking, it's seeking a way of escape. And if we be filled with the Spirit, if we'll go to Calvary for Christ, then it can happen. See? They see God in your life. They see God in your life when we travail. They see God in your life. Let's sing another chorus. We talk about Calvary and at the cross. Let's sing that, At The Cross. (Singing) Sing it with me, folks. (Singing) You know, folks, we want to go anywhere but to the cross. We don't like the idea of going to the cross, but there is room at the cross for you. There is room for you to suffer. There is room for you to bleed. There is room for you to cry, and weep, feel sad, be chastened. There is room at the cross for you. And the way of the cross leads home. The way of the cross leads home. Brother Clyde fell the other day from a ladder trying to do something for God. He was out on the job. He told me, he said, Brother Pike. I believe he made the statement, he said, I'm so miserable. More than I've ever been in my life. You know why? He was feeling some of the cross. I said, Brother Clyde, I said, it's just that thing of being crucified, that's all. Just that thing of being crucified. And you know that helped Clyde. He knew that. But when a man is in misery it's hard for him to think that way. But he knew that. He's made sacrifices. He's gone through sufferings. See? But all of a sudden it gave him a new lease on life. Momentarily he gripped something. I spoke to him about this mind that I spoke to you about tonight. I said, You've got to have that mind of Christ in you, Clyde. That mind of Christ. I said, that mind that can grip that body. That life that's more forcible. That like that's more powerful. I said, You've got to have that life on the inside of you. Have that life to rise up more forcibly than this body, the things that are in the body. The Bible said, Greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world. And that life, that life is so mighty. And Clyde said, I see that. He said, It's like working a muscle, building the muscle. I said, That's exactly right. See? Your resistance. You're building that strength. That inner man, the power. The Bible speaks of the power and the might, the inner man. You've got power. You've got might in the inner man. You've got to build that thing. You've got to work with the power and might of the inner man to bring it up into the heart to where you can have the mind of Christ and let that mind of Christ grip you, that when all these things assail you overcome. You overcome. Let's sing that chorus, can we? Give me another key. Sing this with me. (Singing) Sing it again. (Singing) Sing it with me again. (Singing) Somebody say praise the Lord. Let's give him a hand. (Singing) You know, when we talk about this and we sing this song, I know that a lot of you have got problems, and I know that you're really up against it. I know that. Have all kind of problems with your children. Brother Larry Keys is going through an excruciating experience right now. I know that. A lot of you are having problems. Brother James just lost a darling son. Heart broken. Something that only God can deal with. Brother James Isaac. See? But the thing is we're still overcoming. We're still overcoming. It's still going to work out right. The devil says, There ain't no way; God didn't answer your prayer. You prayed but He didn't answer your prayer. But, folks, He did. He did. You're going to find out down at the end of the trail it came out right. You might say no. I tell you in the name of the Lord it's got to come out right. The Bible said all things work together for good to them that love the Lord, and those that are the called according to His purpose. How many of you are called according to your purpose? All right, let's sing that again. (Begin tape two, side one. Singing) Somebody say hallelujah! A lot of times, you know, I'll go around back of the building, and maybe I'm coming in down at the printing office, and I'll look and little Missy, she'll be way up on the hilltop, her an Joshua, and Missy will start hollering Brother Pike, Brother Pike, or I'll come around the front, you know, and maybe some of the little children in the cars they'll see me and they'll start hollering, you know, and that makes you feel real good. Real good to know those little children are here at Bethlehem and they're safe, to see little Missy and Joshua playing and hollering and screaming like wild Indians, you know, and they're having themselves a time. And you Brethren and you Sisters are looking after them. Ya'll are helping to keep the camp grounds a place for these little ones to play. Let's lift our hands up, close our eyes tonight. I'm going to ask Brother Osborn if he'll come up here and pray with you tonight. Brother Osborn has preached for us in the past. Brother Osborn has learned, he has had to learn what it means to overcome. He came here with his precious wife and little family. Was in the ministry and then Satan struck. He lost his wife. She passed away, a young woman. A very fine woman. They've been in our home, fellowshipped. And the little children were taken from him. The wife's parents rose up in court and took the little children, and he gets to see them every once in awhile but he learned what heartaches and sorrows was. Still a young man, but he's learned what heartaches and sorrows are. And he's had to learn that he can overcome. But he'll tell you tonight that in all of it the Lord has not forsaken him one time. The consolation of the Heavenly Father has been there and protected and watched after him. And it appears that his wife went on into glory, and that his little children are well taken care of, so far as the people loving them and giving them the very best. And he alone has had to bear the heartache. He alone. The wife apparently went into glory, and he was left to face the heartache while the little children feast and eat. You know, God makes everything work out right, doesn't He? He always does. Everything works out right when Jesus is on board. So as Brother Osborn comes to pray with you think these things over. Pray for me and my family. Pray for our ministry, and as Paul says, that doors will be opened to us around the world that we might do something for the Lord Jesus. When you don't have anything else to do, anybody else to pray for, as Joseph said, remember me. Brother Osborn.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christs Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord