Cultivating Forgiveness

I found this and I thought it might be a blessing to you. Especially if you have experienced being hurt in your life. We have a Saviour who is greater than all our hurts, who was hurt more than we can imagine...just for us! Here's the text I'd like you to read:

Roy L. Smith says that the art of forgiving is a spiritual grace every Christian should develop. Because this is so difficult to put into practice, he offers the following suggestions:

1) Begin by assuring yourself that compared to Christ's suffering you haven't been seriously wronged at all.

2) Recall the many kind deeds that have been shown to you, perhaps even by the person who has harmed you.

3) List the benefits you have received from the Lord.

4) Thank Him for blessing you with His love and forgiveness each day.

5) Make an honest effort to pray for the one who has injured you.

6) Go even further by looking for an opportunity to help him.

7) If the offense is especially hard to forget, try to erase the memory by thinking gracious and generous thoughts.

8) Finally, before you fall asleep at night, repeat slowly and thoughtfully that phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Are You Humble Enough?

In the sermon "Humble Thyself" from july 1963, Brother Branham talks about how we should ignore the negative things and pray for those who (in our eyes) have wronged us or others. I think that's a real, godly attitude. Don't you? Here's the quote:

"Don't forget, this Tabernacle will lose its strength. Remember that this is the target where Satan's got every gun in hell trained on it. He'll cause one person to do something that's contrary to what the other one thinks.

He's doing that. That's his business, if he can get somebody to say something, somebody to talk about another, say, "Well, listen, did you know so-and-so did?"

Don't you listen to it at all. That's the devil. See, it's Satan.

If there's anything that somebody's done wrong, pray for them. And don't pray in a selfish way, say, "I know it's my duty, I've got to pray for that brother." You take it to your heart, really down for that sister.

And just talk and be real sweet, and the first thing you know, you find them right back in the service again. 'Cause after all, we're headed towards the setting of the
sun."

I "amen" that! Do you? Please comment by clicking "comments" below. God bless you!

The Free Word

NEWS: A new website now offers ALL of the late Rev. William Marrion Branham's sermons for free download. You can download pdf files of written transcripts (letter or book format) or the mp3 sound file.

One neat and very useful feature is the Scripture reference after each paragraph. That way you can check what Brother Branham says with the Bible easily, which must be great news for eager students of Brother Branham's Bible teachings.

www.thefreeword.com

Ps: You can still get access to both text and audio files via other sources, like Cloverdale Bibleway (mp3, word, pdf - translates into several languages), Bethel Tabernacle (mp3) and Voice of God Recordings (text search). Faith Tabernacle offers sermons translated into Norwegian.

You Are Omnipotent!

We had a wonderful service in church today. My pastor, Brother William Reiersen, preached a sermon on "Becoming Partakers of Divine Nature". It's actually a great and precious promise, also preached by Brother Peter in the Bible.



I believe that Jesus Christ is the model example of a real Christian. Do you? And an example is supposed to be followed, right? After all, Jesus said, "the things that I do, shall you do also!" We sing the song "To be like Jesus", but do we really believe it? Read this mindblowing statement by Brother Branham, where he actually says that you can be just like Jesus, if you surrender your all to Him:

"Amen. Cut every obstacle from human beings, that they might be connected like in the garden of Eden. Now, man... I was going to choke it, but I'm going to say it. Man is omnipotent. You don't believe that, but he is. A man that's fully surrendered to God is omnipotent. Did not He say in Mark 11:22, "Whatsoever things you say and don't doubt in your heart, it'll come to pass. You can have what you've said"?

What happens when two omnipotence meet? When God and man comes together through omnipotence, something's got to shake. Some... Whatsoever you'd say with that creative power of omnipotence of God, knowing that He's promised it, and He said it in His Word, it creates a power that goes out yonder and brings things to pass; things that is not, it makes them as though they are, because two omnipotence have met. There He stands. Oh, isn't He wonderful."

(Patmos Vision, 1960)

Are You Really Prepared?

As Christians we believe we are living in the End Time.

Since Israel, the fig tree, became a nation in 1946 and started to bloom, God has done mighty things! He sent us a prophet with a Message of preparation for the Rapture, and at the same time sent judgement to those who rejected this Message.

The Message is the Coming of the Lord, and how the Bride must prepare herself. She must be filled with the Holy Ghost and get faith for the great Rapture that according to 1.Thessalonians 4:16 will translate her into Glory, leaving the world in a tribulation period where the Antichrist will persecute and kill the remnant, who refuse to take the Mark of the Beast, which means bowing down to the established religious system.

Brother Branham called this age "the beginning of sorrows". It has been a gradual change, where the world opinion has moved farther and farther away from the Word of God, which NEVER changes. It was bad enough in '65, but what about today? I can mention events like September 11th, the great tsunami that killed over 300,000 people... they are the beginning of sorrows, the beginning of the End. Even in the recent weeks two great hurricanes have striked southern USA, causing both social and economical problems that will affect, and does affect the whole world.

The world has surely become a different place to live in. In a believer's eyes there is no doubt the End Time IS here, and the wise virgins are making themselves ready, with oil (the Holy Ghost) on their lamps.

I want to be in THAT number, I want to be a wise virgin that day, with Holy Ghost oil in my lamp. A virgin is a sanctified believer, who is living in purity. Even the foolish virgins were holy people, but they'll go through the tribulation. What about you? Are you ready to go? Read the following quote from a sermon by William Branham and see if your life matches God's standard:

"That is husband and wife, which is type of Christ and His Church. And when you go to your church, you may have the best pews in the city; you may have the highest steeple there is in the city; you may have the best pipe organ; you may dress the best; you may sing like a mockingbird;

but all of that, if you're kissing and flirting with the world, that kiss on the cheeks of Christ is a Judatarian kiss. He doesn't want nothing to do with you. He looks upon your wedding engagement ring, and He finds the tablet moved; He finds love has gone; it's a form. He finds loyalty is gone. You've committed fornications with the world.

You go to dances, and boogie-woogie parties, and watch old dirty television programs. You are committing adultery with Christ, on Him, as calling Him your Husband. The Bible said, "You say, 'I am rich, I have need of nothing.'" But He said, "You don't know that you are naked, miserable, blind, poor, and don't know it." It's time we lit a candle and swept the house. The coming of the Lord is at hand."

(Second Coming of The Lord, 1957)

A Challenge To Your Pride

A man that can't take criticism, there's something wrong with his experience. You see? 'Cause God sends criticism to us to correct us, to make us see our bad points. I've been helped so much by criticism, that's friendly criticism, just not get nasty, and angry, but just friendly criticism. (Path of Life, 1962)

Setting Captives Free

Every Christian is a soldier for the Lord. The battlefield we fight on is our mind. The weapon we use is the Word of God and the Mind of Christ gives us our orders.

Like Paul said, we're pressing toward the perfection, seeking to throw off every weight that's hindering a closer walk with God.

Besetting sins
Some believers have problems with giving up evil habits. These evil habits can be besetting sins such as smoking, drinking, sexual addiction (pornography), gambling etc.

It could be anything that hinders you from spiritual progression. And that "anything" is your enemy.

Satan can be defeated
Perhaps you find yourself fighting an enemy that you cannot defeat? Perhaps you're into any of these habits? If you are, Jesus Christ is always there to help you.

Sometimes by sending someone with an encouraging word, and other times by directing you to someone who can be an accountability partner.

Be sure. The enemy is defeatable.

Jesus Christ is setting captives free
I have come across a site on the internet that is run by volunteers who offer help and guidance to people who are bound by besetting sins such as I have mentioned above. On their homepage www.settingcaptivesfree.com they write:

Are you captive? We are here to help you find freedom by God's grace.

They offer many testimonies from people who have found freedom in Christ by doing lessons online and committing to a personal mentor.

The main point they try to get across is: "You cannot do it in your own strength and will power, but only by leaving it in the hands of Jesus Christ."

God bless you all.

Giving Up & Being Given To

I was thinking about it. Is it possible to believe in someone else's place for their healing? You have probably read about the Roman centurion who had faith for his servant. But what about today? Read when Brother Branham discerns a man in the congregation:

"You setting there, sir, looking at me so sincerely, back there in that second row. You've got somebody on your mind, a man with a blue-looking shirt on, his collar open. You're studying about somebody.

It's a--it's about a brother, and a brother is a... stand up. There's another man standing in front of you. A vision is... It's--it's a brother that's blind and you got a mother. She has heart trouble. Is that right?

Isn't that them setting right next to you?

And in the vision when I seen you at your house, before you left, isn't that your wife setting right next to you there? Is that right?

Will you with that much faith, you know what I'd do if I was in your place?

I'd give up that habit of smoking cigarettes and accept their healing. Will you do it? God bless you. Amen.

Let's say, "Praise God."

Quote: William Marrion Branham
"Faith Without Works Is Dead", 09.05.1953

Isn't it wonderful? Here God is telling the man everything that is on his mind, his problem and the SOLUTION to it. What was it? Have faith in God and give up your evil habit... then your loved ones will be healed.

Like Bro Byskal said: "God is a businessman" and you can take Him at His Word. Let's all take God at His Word starting TODAY for the glory of God!