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CHAPTER

THE REASON
As a rule a man is a fool, When it is hot he wants it cool. When it is cool he wants it hot, He always wants something he "ain't" got. You meet a man and he says, "good morning." Then the very next words, he says, "Isn't this a sloppy day?" Just what does he mean? Does he mean it is a good morning or a bad morning? With his mouth he is following tradition, but in his heart he is murmuring against the weather. The weather is alright; if anything it wrong it is us. Many people talk about the weather, but none of them seem to do much about it. I have noticed so many people who sit down at the table and offer thanks. Then the very next words they say, "We don't have much to eat today." Which do they mean? With their mouth they follow custom, but in their heart they are full of ingratitude. And so it goes on all day. A woman grumbles because she does not have a washing machine; while there are thousands of people who wish they had something to put into a washing machine. Another woman grumbles at her husband because she does not have a new cook stove, but there are millions of women who need something to put on a cook stove. One man murmured because he had no shoes, until he met a man who had no feet. Then he was thankful that he had feet! For most people the weather is too hot or too cold, too muddy or too dry, too windy or too st ill. Inst.ead 1

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of being thankful they complain regardless of the weather. When it is winter, they shiver and say, "If it ever does come July I'm going to build a big fire and get warm for one time." When it is summer time they wipe sweat and murmur, "If it ever does come winter time again I'm going to turn on the fan and cool off for one time." I know one man who spent nearly all his time wondering and worrying if there would be a good crop next year. He was so taken up with that he forgot to talk about the good crop this year. When someone mentioned the good crop this year he would say, "Yes, but do you hear those frogs screaming down there in the woods? That means that we will have a late winter , which means that our crop will be ruined next year:' What is the use trying to cross the bridge before you reach it? One lady sees a lew dress and can't- be satisfied until she gets that pretty dress." Then when someone brags on that dress and says it is pretty she says, "I don't think so. I don't like it. I hate it." What did she buy it for if she did not think it was pretty? Of course, she thinks it is pretty or she would not have bought it. You hear someone playing music and say, "I really enjoyed that music." Before you get home you. are criticizing him for all his faults. So people go right on lying. God gives colored people curly hair. They put salve on it to straighten it out. The Lord gives white people straight hair. They spend millions of dollars to try to make it curly. Tl1ey don't seem to love natural affections. People spend most of their time complaining about the weather, the children, the school, the government, the city, the communist, the old house,. or a thousa~d more things; if they don't have something to complain about they will find something. Many people are 10 the manufacturini business today. They have some2

thing like a machine down in their soul. It manufactures dissatisfaction. Night and day it is ever at work. There is but one thing worse than a long-tongue gossiping woman; that is a gossiping man. The only thing worse than a "gossiper" is one who listens If there is no wood the fire goes out; where there are no listeners there are no gossipers. So you are to blame for listening. I know a man who was crying because his son in college sent for fifty dollars. His daughter told him he should not worry, for he had plenty of money. "I don't mind sending him money," said the old man, "but he didn't as much as thank me for the seventyfive dollars I sent him the other day." Can you imagine how the Lord feels when we keep asking Him for something and never say, "Thank You" for what He has already given to us?
I Have Met Complainers

When a chicken drinks it looks up each time. But a hog drinks and never looks up to see where it is coming from. Too many. people are like hogs. I have tried to rent houses and have been refused because I had one boy. They would stand and complain to me for an hour about a former renter's children. Many people won't rent their houses to people with children, but they will let people move in who have a poodle dog, even if they hug and kiss it, eat with it and sleep with it; even if they spend ten dollars for a permanent in the end of its tail and use God's money to pay for it! There are some folks I'll declare, Who take more time to fix their hair, Than they do to say their prayer. Well, that is the fashion. There are some folks in this place, Who take more time to dope their face, Than they do to grow in grace. Well, that is the fashion. A poodle dog they will keep ~ In their arms they will let him sleep;
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When he dies, oh how they weep. Well, that is the fashion. This Has Eft'ed On People It is a proven fact that murmuring, complaining, and worrying will cause cancer, goiter, ulcers, indigestion, nervousness, and heart trouble. In fact, death and life lie inthe power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). The tongue can defile the whole body (James 3 :6). When a doctor comes in he looks at your tongue. He knows when you have been eating too many green peaches. He tells you that you must stop eating trash, or you will never get well. The Lord can look at your tongue and tell when you have been complaining, whimpering, and whining. Complaining separates you from fellowship with God and God's people. Mur .. muring will shorten your life. It was in the newspaper a few years ago that an old wash woman, after she had worked hard until noon, sat down to eat. Just then someone told her about her husband who had just been killed. "Lord, have mercy," she says, "Erastus IS done died! Just want until I get my dinner eat, and you are going to hear some weeping and mourning." If you eat while you are excited, angry, worried, or tense, the food will not digest. No wonder so many people have ulcers! Never eat while you are mad. N ever let the sun go down on your wrath (Eph. 4 :26). They say Carnation milk comes from contented cows, and is better for us. That is what they say on their advertisement. I don't know about that, but I do know that contentment brings health and happiness. When you are mad you should try your best to relax. Sit down; open your hands wide; don't double up your fist. Don't grit your teeth. Don't be tense. Lie down if possible. Get your mouth full of cold water and hold it there until it boils! In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin (Prov. 10:19). That means one cannot talk long without sinning.

The CbUdren of Israel Murmured They complained because Moses was leading them out of bondage. They were afraid they would be killed by Pharaoh. They were afraid they would not get any more onions and garlic (Exodus 14:11). In three days after they crossed the Red Sea, shouted and danced, they were murmuring because they were afraid they would thirst to death for water. They did not seem to think a G9d who could divide the Red. Sea could supply them a drink of water. I've seen people who shouted the most at church grumble and murmur before they reached home. Even after the children of Israel had all the water they could drink they murmured because they had no meat. A God who can give us water can give us meat. They murmured against Moses, their leader. They blamed Moses with it. Moses said they were murmuring against the Lord. They had not thought about that (Ex. 16 :7). It is that way. Anytime you murmur against your leader you are murmuring against the Lord. When you murmur against the weather you are murmuring against the Lord. When you murmur against the deacon you are murmuring against the Lord. When you murmur against your food you are murmuring against the Lord. When you murmur against your weight, your height, the color of your hair, the size of your feet, you are murmuring against the Lord. Why? Because He says that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. When you murmur that shows you don't believe Him or don't love Him. You should pray about it .. Then if it goes wrong there is something wrong with your prayers, The children of Israel murmured about their enemies and thought they were not able to possess the land. They did not want to follow Joshua or. Gideon. God said let all the fearful and. afraid go back. They might discourage the hearts of others. Those complaining people caused Moses to have an early death. In fact, G(:rl sluyed all of them, fourteen thousand in one day. Why';' It was because they murmured and

grumbled. Human nature it was then.

is no different

today than some of the preaching also. She could not stand the idea of a woman keeping silent in church business. Moses did not call for a church trial. He did not call the officials clown. God had put him over the people and gave him authority. He knew it. She murmured and murmured and murmured some more. She told everyone she met how awful Moses was. She said that" she Lclieved the Lord was through with him. She said that if she were elected their leader she would run t hiligs differently. She said, "Bless God, it is the truth and I'm going to tell it. It is no harm to tell the truth." Now, I just suppose that is what she said, for human nature was the same as it is today, and that is the way people do in our day. Human nature has not changed. Sin has not changed. The devil has not changed. God is the same. Moses was meek. So he prayed to God. Suddenly God called Moses, Aaron, and Miriam off to one side and worked Miriam over. God told her if He called anyone to preach He would let him know. God said, " ... were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Do you know what happened? She soon discovered that she was afflicted! 1 t.old you that murmuring caused sickness. Yes, she became leprous. It is not always the leprosy, but something happens to everyone who murmurs against his pastor. Just as Miriam was separated from God's people and fellowship with God, so do murmurers and complainers lose fellowship with God and the Church in our day. Miriam was shut off from God's people seven days because she had leprosy. Murmuring is a form of leprosy which separates you. It is contagious as leprosy is contagious. When this happened to Miriam all the people of God journeyed until that thing was fixed up. We Moses ?" have murmurers today who hinder the progress of the church. I think we can pray as Moses did and God will tend to them, for lIe loks on murmuring today as He did in that day. He never changes.

They grumble if you speak to them, They grumble if you don't. They grumble if you visit them, They grumble if you won't. Oh, grumblers come to Jesus, And give to Him your will. I know you are tired of grumbling, You surely have your fill. This Is a Great Sin One of God's plainest commandments is "Do ALL thmgs without murmurings and disputmgs" (Phil. 2:15). Hatred, variance (discord), emulations (rivalry), wrath, strife, seditions, envyings and so forth are the fruit of the flesh. They are classed with adultery, fornication and murder. The Bible says plainly, "that they which do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:21). If people really believed that, many of them would live differently. If they don't believe it they make God a liar. God commands, "Let ALL bitterness, and wrath, and anger, arid clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." That is a commandment. He said if you say that you love Him, and don't keep His commandments, you are a liar and the truth is not in you (1 John 2 :4). All liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21 :8). Once Miriam, Moses' sister, you know the one who shouted the loudest during the revival as they crossed the Red Sea, became jealous of her sister-in-law. She also became jealous of her brother Moses. It seemed that she couldn't stand the thought of her young brother being her pastor and telling her what to do. You see she was older than he. She thought she and Aaron should help run the church. She wanted to do

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Miriam did not receive healing until her pastor prayed for her. She could have run to every healing campaign in the country, but she would have gone through the line and received nothing until she made things right at her home church. When she got right Moses did not beg God or pray very long. He just prayed a short prayer. It happened! When things were made right the church moved on! (Num. 12). This Did Not Cure Them The grace of God is sufficient, but they did not stay in grace. It was not long until they all murmured again. They were not even satisfied with manna. They wanted some onions and garlic. You can't satisfy people if they are in the manufacturing business, if they have a wheel down inside them that manufacturers dissatisfaction. They murmured against their pastor. They thought it was time for a change. Jesus is that Manna that came down from heaven (John 6). If people would eat of this Manria they would never hunger, but many of them stop feeding on Him and turn to the onions and garlic of wienerroasts, pie-suppers, hay-rides, skating-rinks, and rummage-sales in the church. God intended for the church to be supported one way; that is by tithes and o~erings. When people become too stingy to give offerings then they want the church to go into the rag business and sell worn out clothes and shoes. Cod does not punish people the same way every time. He does not always let you be struck with leprosy. This time He permitted the devil to send snakes and bite them. Many people today have been bitten by the serpent of murmuring and complaining. They need to be healed. After the children of Israel confessed their sins and asked for prayer all they needed to do then was, not to beg the Lord, but to only look at the serpent an the pole which was the type of Christ. There was life for a lock. They were healed by obedience without praying and begging. Today you may be healed by obedience. Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of thy heart (Ps. 37:4). 8

Believeth thou this? Jesus said just as people looked at the serpent on the pole and were healed so people can look to Him today and be delivered. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). Here Jesus preached a sermon on divine healing. I suppose many of the people died because they would not look. Maybe they thought Moses was trying to get them to join a church. I can almost hear them saying, "No sir, he need not think he is going to get me to go down and join that brazen serpent church. I just don't believe in it; and besides you can't find it in the Bible anywhere that people ever put a serpent on a pole anyway." So they just sat there and died. Why do I think this? Because that is' the way people think today. They would rather die than to go where a minister prays for the sick and be prayed for. Why did the serpents bite the people? Because they cursed, lied, chewed snuff, and guzzled beer? Was it because they robbed a bank or killed someone? No, it was because they murmured! Why did the people need to be healed? It was because they murmured against the church and their pastor. So they could have gone across the country and had every evangelist to pray for them, but it would not have helped until they made things right with their pastor (Numbers 21). The Deacons Rebelled Another time there were some men with influence that murmured against their leader. In fact it became so bad, that had they had an election, poor Moses would have been voted out. Moses knew He and God were the majority, so he just had a church trial and let the Lord sit as the judge. Two hunded and fifty princes, who were very famous in the congregation, men of renown, gathered a band

of the church people together and had a private meeting. It was held secretly. The pastor was not invited. You see, the meeting was concerning the pastor. They decided in this meeting that the pastor was no more holy than the rest of them, that he was certainly taking too much authority. They said that he had lifted up himself with pride and was trying to be bigger than they. They said that the Lord was using them also. Moses knew that the Lord would confirm his word. Had he called in church officials they no doubt would have advised him to go on and get another church in order to keep peace. He would have moved on to stay in good standing himself and keep the church from "pulling out." No, Brother Moses knew that the Lord had put him over that church, so he just believed that the Lord would work a miracle and confirm His word. He held his temper and humbled himself. He fell upon his face again! I suppose they accused him of being too demonstrative. Perhaps they wanted to vote in a more reserved pastor that wouldn't be so fanatic and fall on his face when he prayed. They wanted to take some of the work of the church off of Moses, but they were taking too much on themselves. Here is what Moses said, "Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you hear unto himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto him? And he bath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek YE THE PRIESTHOOD ALSO? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is .Aaron that ye murmur '. against him? Moses sent to call Dathon and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us

in the wilderness. except thou make thyself altogether ','a' prince over us? Summed UP. this is why they had the private meeting:
1. They wanted to take the preacher's place. 2. They were ministers in the church, but they .. '" , ~'arit~tct tfe promoted, ..' used their' influe~ce against the pastor: 3. 4. They rebelled against authority. 5, They really ga+hered against the Lord when they had their meeting. (i. Their murmuring displeased the Lord. 7. God would not accept their offering. 8. They were separated from God's blessings. 9. They wanted to throw Aaron out of office.

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Moses did not have an election. He did not have any voting. He turned this thing over to the God of miracles. He prayed. Moses had a good chance to prove that the Lord had sent him. Had he taken that Church on his own hands, without the leading of the Lord, it would have been too bad for Moses. He would have been hunting another church. Moses spoke the word and the earth opened up and swallowed all these men and their families. That group of deacons must have had a lot of influence on the people, for the rest of the church murmured about the miracle. I have seen the greatest miracle cause the most murmuring. Not long ago I prayed for a woman who had not walked in over sixteen years. She walked, and is still walking! That group of church members began to murmur, and wanted to close the reviv-al, because they were afraid the nominal church people would not believe in it, and quit coming to church. "But on the morrow the congregation of the children of Israel MURMURED against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord." (N-vmbers 16 :41),
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That proves one thing: You can't please the people all the time. This displeased the Lord. So He let a plague come and the church people all took a deadly disease. They, as usual, repented. The pastor, bless his shepherd heart, prayed for them; the Lord was merciful and healed them, after fourteen thousand of them died. I suppose they were too stubborn to confess their sin of murmuring and make it right with the pastor. Why did they die? Was it because they committed adultery? Was it because they murdered, lied, and fought? No, it was because they murmured against God's man. God does not always let the earth swallow the ones who .grurnble and growL He does not every time let them die who whimper and whine. But His attitude ever remains the same, It is yet a sin. And He will reckon with the complainers. "Now these things were our examples , .. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon which the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:10-12). The above commandment is in the New Testament. People Murmured Against Jesus You can well see that people do not have to have a reason to murmur. They only need some excuse, Jesus was a prophet like unto Moses and they murmured against Him. He said the servant is not above his Lord. So they will also mumur against any of God's servants. The Pharisees murmured against Jesus about most every good work He did, whether He healed or saved. They were members of the church. Being a church member will not keep you from murmuring. "The Jews murmured at him because he said, J. am the bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:41).

Even His disciples murmured against this. "When Jesus knew in himself that His disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?" (Verse 61). The Pharisees murmured against Jesus for eating with sinners. Even one of the officials amongst Jesus' own apostles murmured when the offering was taken. I think there were several more who took sides with him. "And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her" (Mark 14 :4-5). Mary had filled the house with a sweet smelling perfume, but the ones who murmured filled the house with a stench when they murmured. They did not care anything about the poor. They were just jealous. I would mention that some few people still murmur today when the offering is taken. Cause of Jesus' Death As murmuring caused Moses to have an early death so murmuring caused a very early death of Jesus. The followers of Jesus began to complain and growl amongst themselves. They were not thankfuL One day they were for Him and cried "Hosanna, hosanna." Another day the same group were crying, "Crucify him, crucify him." If our enemies can get us divided they can take us, They want us to start fighting among ourselves. "The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him" (John 7 :32). Just as the people complained about the miracles Jesus performed in His day, and said He did it by the power of the devil, so people are of the same nature today. They can't understand why the deaf hear and the blind see in our meetings. They murmur, fuss and fume!

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The Bible says that in the last days these thinge will happen just before His second coming. People will criticize. But as it was in the New Testament times, many of them will sec the point and believe the doctrine of the Lord. "And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book. and- the eyes, of the blind shall see out of o!)scuritYJ.ano 'out of. dCV"lrnt!S's~ Th.e,~a that erred. in 'spirit shall come to understantling, and they that MURMURED shall learn' doctrine" (.Isa. 29: 18, 24).
A Stiff Penalty

Just as the Lord will not let adultery, fornication, and murder go unpunished so He will not let the complainers go. In fact He puts the complainers in t~e same group with the adulterers; He says they WIll all be turned into hell. "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever . . . These are MURMURERS, complainers, walking after their own lust ... " (Jude 13:16). The Lord looks upon all this as He looks upon a rattlesnake. He knows that adultery and fault-finding both come from the evil one. He longs for your deliverance. To complain is to break a commandment. You will be shut without the camp. The Lord said that all the diseases that are written in the book and all the diseases which are not written in the book will come upon you. if you do n~t serve the Lord with joyfulness (Deut, 28). That mcl~d~s ALL the diseases. That includes blindness, arthr'itis, and consumption. "And they shall be upon thee for a sign and a wonder, and upon thy seed forever, because thou. serveth not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things." Then pecple still wonder why so many church p~p~e are afflicted today. The, Bible says a broken spirit drieth the bones. A merry heart doeth good like a 14

medicine (Prov. 17:22). Not long ago two blind men came for prayer. One was praising the Lord. The other one was complaining because he was in his condition. The first was healed, the next one was not. He had the wrong spirit. I said he was complaining because he was in that condition, but really he must have been in that condition because he had complained (Deut. 28). A lady came into the line. God helped me to discern her spirit. I saw she had a complaining spirit and had been murmuring. Suddenly I said, "What is your favorite song?" She looked down and said, "Tempted and tried, we're all made to wonder, Why it must be this way all day long, There are others living in sunshine, Never molested, though in the wrong. It seemed that she knew no song of praise and faith. She only knew a song of sympathy and self pity, which. said "It must be this way." Needless to say the murmuring song did not help her. It was not because of the song, but because of the spirit that prompted her to sing a song of self pity. IT WILL Affect Our Reward One time a householder agreed with some labourers to work for him for a penny a day .. He hired others and assured them' that he would pay them whatever was right. So they went and worked. When he started to pay them he paid them all a penny. "And when they received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day" (Matt. 20). So it will be when we receive our rewards. It ,will hot 'be according to the length of time we worked for the Lord, but it.will be according to thespirit.In which we worked. Some people work a lot for the Lord, but they murmur and complain about it. Others don't do a lot, but they do it with joyfulness. 15

I have even nearn some preachers in their sermons complain and arouse people's sympathy for them, because they sold their home and are in the vineyard working. They may be surprised when they come to receive their reward. It wiII be small because they had a murmuring spirit. ", . . for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief ... " (Heb. 13:17). The Habit Forms The first time a boy tells a lie it is not easy. His conscience smites him. The next time it is easier. It becomes easier until it becomes a habit and does not bother him. It is the same way with stealing, or even killing. It is like a car that slips off into a rut. After so many times you can't keep it out of the rut. A man told me that his wife murmured because they had just a two-room hut in which to live. He secured a three-room house, but she still complained. Then he bought a nice four-room house. The murmuring continued. Now they live in a large, modern brick structure. She still murmurs, for she did not get delivered from the murmuring spirit. I am thinking of an old woman about eighty years old. The last time I saw her she was complaining and griping. She had made a practice of it all her life. A leopard can't change his spots. Bring him into your nice living room and give him all the modern conveniences, yet he is a leopard. Straighten a little bush and it becomes a straight tree. Bend. a bush and it becomes a bent tree. If you growl all day you are dog tired by night. The Sin of Ingratitude I know a good preacher, that ruins his ministry because he makes it a habit of telling how awful people have treated him. If he would just recall he has been treated good one hundred times as much as he has been treated bad, but he thinks and talks of the bad. There is nothing so good or bad, but talking about it makes it more so.

One preacher was staying with Brother Gotcher. He stayed in all day and slept with his mouth open. That afternoon he was complaining because Brother Gotcher had a Sunday School of five hundred people and he could not find a church. He had been looking for a big church. But he did not stop to think that when Brother Gotcher took that church it only had about nine people. He worked and built the Sunday School while the other preacher murmured and complained. I know an employee who does nothing but murmur and keeps the other workers unhappy. Her wages have been raised several times until she draws twice as much money as she did. But she is just as much dissatisfied as she was if she drew ten dollars per hour, started at twelve o'clock and stopped at one o'clock, and had an hour for dinner, she would .still murmur and find fault. That is the spirit John the Baptist was preaching against when he said. "Be content with vour wages." (Luke 3:14). One woman said, "When I feci good I always feel bad, because I can't keep f rcm thinking of how bad I'll feel when I stop feeling good." The Greatest Sin I'd like to quote yr.u a few verses from Romans One: "Because that when they knew God. they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened ... Wherefcre God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lust of their own hearts .. For this cause God gave them lip to vile affections .. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind .. Being filled with all unrighteousness, f'ornication ... " These spirits took hold of them in this order: Ingratitude, vain imaginations, uncleanness, sex perverts, unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, 17

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deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant bre~lkers, without natural affections, implacable, unmerciful. The one demon that opened the door for twentyseven more is the demon of ingratitude. When they knew God they were not thankful, so all these things came in. Had they been filled with praise there would have been no room for anything else in them; just as when a glass is full of water there is no room for any kerosene in it. But Jesus says when these unclean spirits come back and find the house empty, they will bring more spirits back with them, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Matt. 12 :44). Be sure and stay full of praises. Then the enemy can't come back. He hates praises. You are going to be full of something. All these things came into this group of people spoken of in Romans One, until, three times this Scripture says, God gave them up and let them go. Why? What caused it? Was it because they cursed, swore, murdered and committed adultery? No, it started because they failed to praise God for what He had done for them (Rom. 1 :21). Demon of Discouragement I would drive sixteen city blocks to keep from meeting anyone whe is filled with discouraging spirits. One man or woman (an discourage others. That is why Gideon would not let the fearful and afraid go with him. That is why those who were discouraged were net allowed to go to battle in the Old Testament days. I would drive sixteen blocks to meet a man who is encouraged, for he can encourage me. He can tell me the good that is in the church and never mention the bad .. He will not say "The church is not what it used to be; everyone is about to backslide, or everything surely is dry." He will not continually say that the hypocrites are taking over the church or the communists are taking over the country. 18

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Both. discouragement and encouragement are contagious. The people who are continually discouraged, and will not listen to you when you try to encourage them, should be forced to get off the streets. They should Dot be allowed to testify at church, fur the;' tcst ifv to. what the devil is doing for them. . , .: I: tvent '10. 000 church for a. revival. '/\ ladv arose and said, I'There is no lise to ever try' to have a re-' vival here as long as the church is the cndifion it is." "Sister, that is the ver .....time we need a revival." We stayed there 75 days and nights aile! could harrllv stop the meeting, there were so many people praying through! She was like the preacher who went to pray for rain, but then said, "There is no lise to pray for rain until the wind changes." People, like that ladv should be run off the streets. "That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no cemplaining in our streets" (Ps. 144:14). if a discouraging spirit hops on your shoulder whistle it off. Discourage it! Sing a song. Rejoice ever more. In everything give thanks. I was told that some employees planned to discourage an employer. Each hour they walked in, one at a time and told him how bad he looked and asked him if he were sick. At first he felt good. Finally he felt worse. Before noon he felt .so badly that he went home and went to bed. The Bible says that when everything was going wrong and the battle was on, David encouraged himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). If David did that you and I can do the same. God commanded Jcshua to be strong and of a good courage (Joshua 1 :6), Joshua's name went down in history. But we do not know the names of the ten spies who grumbled and brought back a negative report,

in

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Some people will cry on the pastor's shoulder and want pity, while others across the street, having just as much trouble, never murmur or complain; they even help others. If you want to know all about the faults of the church ask someone who has not been there in six months. An old maid that never raised any children can tell others how to raise children. A man who never taught Sunday School or pastored can tell others just how it is done. Amen! One lady said, "My son married a sorry girl. She stays in bed until noon each day and won't get up." "How is your daughter doing?," one asked. "She is doing wonderfully," said the mother, "She has the best husband you ever saw. He treats her so well. He helps with the house work, and she does not have to even get up until noon." One man put a black dot on a large piece of white paper and asked the audience what they saw. Most of them saw a black dot. But there were some of them who saw the white paper, which was a hundred times as large. Well, it depends on what you are looking for .. If you have a murmuring spirit you will find something to complain about. There Is a Cause We read with joy and amazement how the Lord sent a wonderful revival on the day of Pentecost. The revival grows. Three thousand are added to the church in one day and five thousand another. Then the Lord added to the church daily. We see miracles, signs, and wonders. It seems there is no stopping place. Then suddenly we read: "And in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring ... " (Acts 6:1). Then the church had to close down for spiritual repairs. They were murmuring about their widows. There is no telling how many they caused to be lost. 20

It is a note of pity! Murmuring stopped the revival! Since then we have seen hundreds of revivals stopped because people began to murmur and complain. The cause for murmuring is not that someone is being mistreated, but because someone has lost the victory. When you become dry in your soul you don't have to have a reason to murmur. You will find something to murmur about. When the people were all full of the Holy Spirit they spoke in a heavenly language; it sounded like they were saying, "Bar, bar, bar, bar." So the people who heard them called them barbarians. But is was a lot worse when the people began to say, "Mur, mur, mur, mur." That was called murmuring. It is not the unknown tongue that raises the devil all over town. It is the tongue that you can understand. I have never seen anyone full of the Holy Ghost going allover town criticizing their pastor, deacon, or old sister Whoopendidle. When the Holy Spirit checks many people and tells them to stop whispering and whimpering they will not obey the Holy Spirit. They walk over that conviction. Soon their conscience is seared. Then they have nothing to convict them. They don't feel condemned because there is nothing there to condemn them. Then the church becomes split and the preacher preaches down the split. Most churches are splits or splinters off of other churches. I heard of one church that was split wide open on a hair. The ladies of the church brought pies to the evangelist. He found a hair in one. All of them said that pie was brought by someone else. A hair started the split. The number one side says the number two side is wrong; the number two side says the number one side is wrong. They are both right. Don't Look For Trouble Some people are like a buzzard. The reason a buzzard finds a dead carcass is that is what he is searching for. That is what his appetite is calling for. He

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digs up that carcass and drags it allover' town. If some people don't have anything to murmur-about they wilt- find something. I heard that one woman was worrying. Someone asked what she was worrying about. She said, "I was ..just thinking -, What if a ham, of meal were .hanging . Itn>tn the c.i1m~ and a )it)iel'baby w'a:..~Uing on the. ~ ft0M"1~arl('f that ~ or''fheat weold'fflr on tW: P~r" little baby and 'kill it l . The two Marys on the resurrection morning were still crying and wondering who would roll away the stone. Brother, it was already rolled away! They were worrying about something not even in existence. Too many people are like David was when he sai.l : "I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed.' (Ps. 77 :3). If you have no rule over your own spirit you are like a city with the walls broken down .. The enemy comes in and takes control (Prov. 25:28). Therefore it pays to keep your spirit up high. Don't be like a drowning man. Don't drown your spirit under gossiping and complaining. . In some of the best revivals, when we were doing our very best, when many people were being saved, filled and healed; when hundreds of people were happy and rejoicing, then some old "kill joy" would say, "That is nothing, you. should have been here fifteen. years ago. We had a time."' Someone else would say, "Oh it's a good revival, but it won't last." A shave doesn't last, but you need one sometimes." CHAPTER II

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'0#

THE REMED-Y
On Sunday I am happy, on Monday, full of joy; On Tuesday I have peace within, that the devil can't destroy. On Wed~s_~ and on Thursday, I'm walking .in the ~ight; . 22

Friday is a heavenly day, and Saturday is always bright. Is it possible for anyone to be happy in all circumstances? It is not only possible, but it is God's commandment. "Rejoice ever more." "In everything give thanks" (1 Thes. 5:16-18) . But how can I be happy when people are talking about me and telling lies on me? Well, half of the lies they tell on you are not true. Here is what Jesus says: "Blessed (happy) are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven ... " "Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy ,," (Luke 6:23). You say, "I don't have any joy," Jesus says to leap for joy. You say, "How can I rejoice when people try me to the breaking point?" Peter says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some -etrange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suff'erings : that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be' glad also with 'exceeding joy. If'.ye are reproached for the name of Christ, 'happy are ye; for the spirit of ~lory 'and of God resteth upon you, . , (1 Peter '4:12-14). Peter practiced what he preached, When he .was locked in prison; when .his back was bruised and bleeding he rejoiced that he was counted worthy 'to suffr-r for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41~, How can one be happy when hI' is tempted to the breaking point? "My brethren; count it all joy when you fan into divers temptations" (James 1 :2), Paul said that h~ even gloried in tribulations and would g-lory in the cross. He finished his course with joy. J~;ms rejoiced in the "Spirit and thanked God 23

while Lazarus was yet in the grave. He sang a hymn just before He went to the cross. You say, "Well, I'm not happy; how can I praise the Lord?" God says, "Delight THYSELF in the Lord." Did you ever read what Habakkuk said? "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet ... " (Hab. 3 :17-19). A hind can jump twenty-one feet. If you don't jump farther than that you are alright. Sister, if the children are fighting, the baby is crying, your husband is angry, the cow is out with the calf, the chickens are in the garden, the cows are in the corn, the bread burns, the school bus is late, the stove wood is wet, and your nerves are near the edge, be sure and don't get angry. Don't say, "I swannie," "You bet you" or "John Brown it," but just start in to praise the Lord, and everything will come out alright. Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37 :4). My Court Case I remember a few years ago -when I want to Nashville, Arkansas, for a revival. They had a new church in a new place. No one had ever received the Holy Ghost there. When they began to receive the Holy Ghost it reminded me of the day of Pentecost. They were praising the Lord. The people of the town thought the people were drunk so they gathered on the outs~de of that church until it was said that half of Nashville was there on the outside. They had never seen anything like it! They took us to court for disturbing the peace. They had three lawyers, the city attorney, and the judge against us.

I did not know what I should do, but I took my Bible to court with me. We had no lawyer, but a millionaire carne in and brought his lawyer to help us, free of charge. His lawyer was a fine Church of Christ man. He had never pleaded a case like that before, so I helped him. I showed him Scriptures he did not know were in the Bible. Here is one he read to that court. He took it and really preached a sermon to that judge. The church house was new and hardly finished, so this Scripture fitted in: "And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord. after the ordinance of David king of Israel." "And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel. And ALL THE PEOPLE shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord ... But many ... wept with a loud voice; and many shouted ALOUD for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a LOUD shout, and the noise was heard AFAR OFF" (Ezra 3:10-13). They praised the Lord after the ordinance of King David. In the book of Psalms you will see that David commanded the people to praise the Lord with a dance, to clap their hands for joy, to praise the Lord with a loud voice, to praise Him on string instruments, organs, harps, and upon the high sounding cymbals. Tradition tells us that they could be heard twenty miles away! One time David pulled off his coat and danced before the Lord with all his might. His "stuck-up" wife, from the royal family, was ashamed of him. He told her that he would do worse than that next time (2 Sam. 6). Paul said for us to praise the Lord with our body and our spirit (i Cor. 6 :20). To look at some people 25

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in church they must think they are at the cemetery. A~.von~ will be quiet and respect a corpse, but our G()(] IS alivc ' Some people at church look like a statue in a st()~(>window. They are afraid to say glory, afraid t hev will have to fix their face again! David said 10 let everything that has breath praise t he Lord. H you have praised Him until you are out of urea t h then you can stop. On the day of Pentecost they were ALL in one accord praising the Lord at one time. They had returned to Jerusalem with GREAT JOY. They had been there ten days continually praising and blessing Goo: When Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto them after they were delivered from devils, there was GREAT JOY in the city (Acts 8). We Need a Revival Just before the great revival spoken of in Joel the people were in an awful condition. "T~e field is wasted, the land mourneth ; for the corn IS wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil Ianguisheth." The ~arvest was perished, the trees died, the fruit trees withered, the seed was rotten under the clods the garners laid waste, barns were broken down the com withered, the beast groaned, the cattle were' perplexed, the sheep were desolate, the waters were dried up, a fifire burned up the pastures, trees, and woods. That was a dry time. Why? ."Because joy is withered away from the sons of men" (Joel 1:12). "The joy and gladness from the house of our God" (v. 16). Many churches are just that dry. .They have let their church houses go to the bats and owls. Fifteen hundred country churches close each year in one denomination. Brother, people used to shout in all churches. But now parties and dances have taken their place ill many churches. The members go to football games and xhout, but they never get a thrill at church. The Bible says for us t come into His presence with

thanksgiving. Some people come into His presence looking down their nose, afraid to praise the Lord! A Foretaste of Heaven The Lord said that we are made to sit together in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). We have a little heaven to go to heaven in. We pray the Lord's prayer and ask that His will be done on earth as in heaven. In heaven there arc ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels saying over and over, all at once "Hallelujah, hallelujah!" The creatures fall down on their f'aces saying over and over, all at once, "Holy, holy, holy." If we don't love praiuing the Lord we would not like heaven. We would not be satisfied up there. When Jesus was here the Pharisees did not lilfor all the people at one time to say the same word over and over, "Hosanna, hosanna" (Matt. 21 :9). Jesus commended his disciples for it. When people almost receive the Holy Ghost they are not putting their heads under the bench and saying, "Poor Me." They are looking up saying, "Praise God." If you really believe God to answer your prayer you rio like Peter; before he saw the answer he rejoiced with joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1 :8). Before Abraham saw Isaac he was strong in faith, !{iving glory to God (Rom. 4 :20). Before the walls fell at. Jericho all the people shouted. Praises brought the walls down! Before Lazarus came out of the grave Jesus looked up and praised God for hearing Him. Should I give you a deed to a home, if you believed the deed, even before you saw the home, you would be happy and thank me. If you really believe God you will look up, before you see your healing and say, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all my iniquities; who healet h all my diseases." Where Are the Nine? Once there were ten lepers who came to the Lord 27

for healing. As they obeyed the Lord they were cleansed. But only one of them came back and thanked the Lord for what he received. Nine of them were guilty of the sin of ingratitude. Many people want to receive healing to serve themselves instead of the Lord. Only about one out of ten today return and fall on their face and give the Lord the praise. But when they do they are made whole. They receive the whole armour of God, which we must have to overcome the wiles of the devil (Luke 17). I heard that a boy started to backslide. Someone told him that he should not leave the Lord without saying a word to Him, or even telling Him that He was leaving, or how he appreciated the blessings he had received. So he went down into the woods and fell on his knees and said, "Dear Lord, I am going to backslide and go back into the world, but I did not want to be ungrateful. I want to tell you before I backslide that I certainly do appreciate what you have done for me while J served you. You saved me from lots of trouble. You blessed me financially. You gave me the Holy Ghost. You healed me when I was sick. Best of all you forgave me of my sins and saved me from a devil's hell. You are wonderful, glory to God l I don't believe I'll backslide." Health and Healing The blessings of God maketh. rich. He adds no sorrow (Prov. 10 :22). The joy of the Lord is .health to all thy bones. A merry heart maketh a cheerfulcountenance (PIUV. 15: 13; Prov. 17 :22). A broken spirit drieth the bones. That means that you may have arthritis and rheumast im when you have a broken spirit. It will show in your countenance. Some folk say, "1 ha H' a sad expression becau se I have arthritis. But it muv be that you have arthritis because you were lirst sad. )'~\'ei1 s inner physicians will tell you that people become \\'('11faster when they are free f'rom worry and fell'. Cluistiun Scieut isl have learned that nature :28

will automatically heal you if you think good thoughts, and quite your murmuring (That is natural healing). "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Prov. 17:22). That is why they have learned to play cheerful music in hospitals. The Lord said for us to let our request be made known with thanksgiving (Phil. 4 :6). Many people let their request be made known with murmuring and complaining. They tell the Lord how awful' they have been treated, how the devil has been after them all day. They tell all their troubles to the Lord, If they believed God for the answer they would be happy. Before Job was healed he complained to the Lord (Job 7:11). When he stopped complaining he was healed. "Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord" (Ps. 105 :3). I was told wher, I was young, "If you whistle at the table and sing ill bed, the devil would get you before you were dead." But read this: "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds" (Ps. 149:5). If you whistle while you eat, your food will digest better than it would should you murmur and complain. At least you should not have baked pastor for dinner and roast deacon for lunch. Change Churches One time Isaiah felt undone. He was a man with unclean lips, dwelling amongst people with unclean lips, Then he saw Jesus high and lifted up. The Lord sent an seraphim with a live coal in his hand. which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. He laid it on Isaiah's mouth, and said. "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." Then Isaiah said, "Here am I, send me" (Isa, 6). Brother, do you have unclean lips? Remember that death and life lie in the power of the tongue. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin. You can't talk very long without sinning (Prov. 10:19), By your

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words you are justified and by your words you are condemned. Are you hanging around a group of people with unclean lips'! Get out of that group of people. Get a coal of fire from heaven touched to your mouth. Quite the habit of murmuring. Join a group of people who have clean lips and a clean tongue, who spend their time praising God! God commands to "be filled with the spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ,.;illging and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Paul said that he would sing with the spirit and with the understanding. "Godliness with eontentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6 :(;). Godliness without eontentment is not so much gain. God sa~'s ... "be content with such things as ve have . , ." Heb. 13 :5). "And having food and raiment let us therewith bl' con tent" (Heb. 6:8). You van see dearly why so many millions of people in this count}'," cannot sleep without sedatives, why the," are having mental crack-ups and nervous breakin whathe was in to be content. If You Relieve the Bible You will be happy. You will read, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Psalms 34:1). ThatIs a deed. You will look at it and say, "Thank you, God, 'you do it now." I asked one lady, who had a frown on her face, what verse she was sta ndinv on for her healing. She looked out into space, with a blank look, .and said. "In my Father's house are many mansions." If that is all she knew she may go there soon. The prison door will open if you praise the Lord. The walls will fall. In the middle of the night, in the dark inner prison, with his feet in the stocks, Paul practiced what he preached. He looked up and praised the Lord at midnight! (Ads 16). The prison came ever stale 30
downs. Pa u I lea rued a good lesson when he learned

open! They had a revival! People were saved and were baptized. A healing service followed! That is not all! When the prisoners heard them praising the Lord their hands were loosed! They were set free! If we praise the Lord we will not only set ourselves free, but other people who hear us will be set at liberty from their sickness. sin and disease. The reason many pastors have a breakdown-trying to pastor a church, is that they are too much burdened down. God said that they should watch over the sheep with joy (Heb. 13:17). Paul had more trouble than any pastor, yet he finished his course with joy (Acts 20:24). A Continual Incense went up to the Lord every day and every night for many years during the Old Testament times. They burnt the incense each morning; it ascended as a sweet smell all day. Each night they burnt it, which ascended as a sweet smell all night. It never stopped. In this dispensation we are to continually send up a sweet smelling incense with the fruit of our lips, as we offer praise to God (Eph. 5:2, 2 Cor. 2:14-15). In the Bible we see where the incense is offered with the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:1-10). An angel in heaven, filled the cup with the praise. He mixed it with fire from heaven and threw it back to earth; which brought a revival. as it 'did at Pentecost! Many people grumble and complain. which is a stink before God (Eccl, 10:1). Another angel is holding out a cup. When it is full of bad odors this angel wiII tnrow it back to earth, which will bring the seven last plagues (Rev. chapters 15 and 16).. The people will then have blood I()drink in ret .... for their murrn muring and cornplaining.. Everyone is filling one cup or the other. Praise Brings the Vidory One big juicy hallelujah will kill more devils than a dozen dried up amens! When I go into a new town I hunt for the church house. People in a block of it don't know where it is. At one time you did not have

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to hunt so long. You could listen and hear people praising God! At one time you could walk out on the street and say "G lory." Someone across the street would say "Hallelujah." They knew each other! John the Baptist believed in shouting. He even shouted before he was born (Luke 41 :44). One time four nations marched against Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah. He was outnumbered about ten to one. He did not know what to do! God showed him what to do. He and his people just marched out in front of the thousands of troops and said, "Praise the Lord." The enemy became frightened and ran over each other! The battle was won by "Praise the Lord," which was more powerful than many troops! Try it. Mix half of your prayers with praises, as you would mix sugar into your cake. Season your prayers, Do a~ David : mount up with the wings of praise; flv over everv obstacle. A bird with either wing cut ofl' will go uJ:ound in one place all the time, Use both t he wing of prayer and t he wing of praise. It really works. ", , , \\'ith joy we draw waters out of the wells of sal vat ion, VI) you want to be strong in the Lord in spi rit , soul. and bodv '? Do you want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might'? Remember this: "Th joy of till' Lord is your strength" (Neh, S: 10), The Billie is right af't er all. It works. Tr," it, "~(Jl;'a" i JIg to yuu rsel "es in psal ms, and hymns and spiritual SI);lgS. singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord : g iving thanks always for all things . , ." t Eph. f>:19-20), I)ELIGHT THYSELF ALSO Ii\' THE LORD AND lIE SHALL Gl\'E YOU THE DESIRES OF THY HEART" (Ps, 37 A),

SPIi.AK CRIi.ATIVE H'ORIJS OCRE A THI,vC

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Dear Brother Grant: DYou may enroll me in the TVD biBLE COllEGE. Send 64 titles of your faith books on Bible Deliverance with true and false tests, Ol'm saved and over 15 years old, I'm willing to send tuition of $1.00 per week. DAfter I send tuition for 16 months, I may keep all the text books that I may use them in the ministry. .:J I'll receive a purple and gold certificate after I finish the first course, D I'll receive a license to preach after I finish the second course. D I'll be ordained after I finish the third course . DAfter I finish the seventh course, the Kingsway Bible College will give me an Honorary Doctor's Degree. DThe Kingsway Bible College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Speclallzed Colleges and American Association for Specia!.ized Colleges.

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