Reasons for Resisting Not Evil

Let me tell you about a vision that Brother David Gibson had. In the vision, he was up high in the air over in the Middle East and he was looking down toward the ground at about a 45-degree angle through the sky, which had a brown haze. He saw an eagle on the ground in this valley and the eagle was bigger than a jumbo jet. It was lying on the ground, dead. He said it was like in 3D. He could see the feathers fluttering in the wind, just like he was there; it was that clear to him. He noticed that there were people all around this eagle and they were just awed by this eagle; he also knew what their thoughts were. Their thoughts were that they just couldn't believe that the eagle was dead - and these people around this eagle were Muslims. They couldn't believe that the eagle was dead. And with him being an American, he told me his thought was, "Why did we do this? Why did we do this?" He told me that about a year before Operation Desert Storm he kept hearing the sound of tanks, that rumble and clatter they make. He kept hearing this for a solid year before Desert Storm and when Desert Storm came, it stopped. He never heard it again and now he's had this vision. The eagle is dead.

We know that today the "eagle" is the United States because that's the symbol it uses, but the "eagle" was also the symbol for Babylon in the Bible. God is going to prove that in this present time the "eagle" is both the United States and Babylon. (Eze.17:3) ... Thus saith the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar. Now, without getting into everything Ezekiel is saying here, he starts giving the interpretation in verse 12. He tells us this "eagle" is Babylon. We already know that the symbol for Babylon in ancient times was a "lion with eagle's wings" and from Daniel 7 we discovered that it was the "bear" that was going to conquer the "lion with eagle's wings". And yet David saw this great eagle very clearly stretched out and it was dead, and these Muslims were awed. "How in the world did this happen?" In other words, they were just awed that this thing had come to pass. Dumitru Duduman also had a word from the Lord that war with Saddam Hussein was going to restart and the United States would be involved. God didn't say any more to him than that. He left a lot of holes in what He was saying, but He laid an outline. You ask, "Why would God do that? If God wants to tell you something, why wouldn't He just come out and tell you?" It's because He does not want to reveal to a lot of people. He wants to reveal to those who will pray and ask questions about this, and then God will reveal it to them. It's like when Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables (Matthew 13:3), but then He took the disciples aside and privately expounded all things (Matthew 13:11). But the disciples had this question, too: Why speakest thou unto them in parables (Mat.13:10)? He said, because unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given (11). God did not want to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom to the Pharisees, Sadducees or the religious leaders, and He doesn't want to do it today. He doesn't want to reveal this to a lot of people, so He gives us a little outline and when we pray about it, God speaks more to us about it. That's been His pattern since the beginning.

Also, the Lord told a man named Robert Delgado that America was going to lose a lot of troops over in the Middle East and there were a lot of confirmations of this prophecy. Well, I thought about that and I remembered what I had thought back in 1992 when Americans were first going over there: "This is a bad thing. This is not going to turn out well". I gave some reasons back then why I thought it wouldn't and those reasons are still true today. At the time, I thought America was going to go over there and get a great chastening. I was right but my timing about when it was going to happen wasn't right because I wasn't sure.

I remember Stuart Hunt's dream. Stuart had a very clear dream about the judgment that was going to happen over there and it came to pass perfectly in six months.

We know the Word of God cannot be broken (John 10:35). It will always come to pass. If God says something, it's going to happen that way. The Bible says, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Gal.6:7). In other words, we create our own tomorrow. We make our own future and God wants to show us how to sow a good seed so we'll have a good future and be blessed. But the world doesn't believe that and they don't know that. Jesus said, With what measure you mete it shall be measured unto you (Mar.4:24). He said the same thing in so many ways. (Luk.6:31) And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. In other words, however you want it to come back on you, that's the way you better put it out. Jesus just said the same thing over and over about sowing and reaping. Well, a country can't avoid reaping what they sow any easier than a man can. Countries reap what they sow. Look back at all the countries and all the world powers there have ever been. They lived by the sword and they died by the sword, every last one of them, because the Word of God cannot be broken. The corruption in them is what ultimately brought the sword to them. It was their internal corruption.

After Iraq had mutilated Kuwait, the coalition forces went in there and basically nuked Iraq. It wasn't a physical nuclear bomb, but what they did was equivalent to being nuked. They dropped tons and tons of bombs. I've heard different estimates of between 60,000 and 100,000 people the coalition forces killed in Iraq. That's a lot of people and in a very short time. Think about that. All those people had no better sense than to obey their government and go out there and fight for their country. Now they were killed mostly because of their leadership, but America came home rejoicing after killing 60,000 to 100,000 people. You know, God doesn't look on people as Americans or Iraqis. He looks on them as people. They are people. (1Sa.16:7) ... For man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart. People are people to God. The only separation in God is, "Are you born again or are you not born again?" He is a respecter of righteousness, but God is no respecter of persons (Act.10:34). He doesn't care if you're a Jew or if you're a Greek. He doesn't care if you're black or white. He doesn't care about any of that and He doesn't want you to care about it either. People are people. America shouldn't feel good and be rejoicing after killing 60,000 to 100,000 people. That's just not right. I don't care who they are. It wasn't 60,000 or 100,000 Saddam Husseins they were killing there. (Gen.9:4) But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (5) And surely your blood, [the blood] of your lives, will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it (In other words, if you're killed by an animal, He will require that blood.): and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. God has never changed this, folks. (6) Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (7) And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. There were rules laid down for this in the Scriptures. You may believe, "Well, David, that's just talking about Christians". Not so. Let me give you an example. (4:15) And God said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And God appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. The point here is that God separated the lineage of Cain from the lineage of Abel and Seth. He separated those two lineages and the Bible says Cain was the evil one. Cain was definitely a son of the devil. He was of the evil one, as the Scripture says he was (1 John 3:12). So God is pronouncing judgment here on the person who kills Cain, not the person who kills Abel or the person who kills Seth. He's pronouncing judgment on the person who kills Cain because Cain's life was valuable to God. Cain was put here for a purpose; he was put there to make a choice and God didn't want anybody taking away his choice. God put him here for that purpose and He pronounced judgment on the person who would kill Cain. Everybody has a purpose. Even the devil has a purpose.

I challenge you to search the New Testament. Now, religious folks justify war. They do it by using the Old Testament; but in the New Testament, God says wars are from your flesh (James 4:1). He never permits Christians to fight and to kill in a war. You will not find that in the New Testament. You won't find one verse. There isn't one. In every case, Jesus said, Resist not him that is evil (Mat.5:39). That's for the Christians. We are to "resist not". He was an example and all of His disciples were examples of that. God didn't call us to stand against war or to stand between the heathens when they want to go out and kill each other. He didn't call us to do that. He told us to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). All we have to do is look in the New Testament and see that there were wars going on in Jesus' time, but He didn't get involved in the pagans killing the pagans. He got involved with His people and He told them what to preach. He told them to go and preach the Gospel. You see, people are getting distracted from everything but what Jesus told them to preach. We don't want to be distracted with the militant Christians because they're not obeying the Scriptures. There's only one power of God unto salvation and that's the Gospel (Romans 1:16). It's no use starting with the wrong end of the stick by trying to moralize people. If a person doesn't have the Gospel, you can't give him any morality and you can't put him under law to be moral. It just won't work. The end that Jesus told us to start on is the Gospel. The Lord says, My kingdom is not of this world (Joh.18:36). You see, our Kingdom is not of this world. Our Kingdom is not the United States. It's just not and we're going to find that out because there's going to be persecution coming from the United States. He said, Ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake (Mat.24:9). We're going to find this out.

Now, we have rules according to the Law and I want to show you that there are two kinds of people who are actually under the curse of the Law. First, there's the world. They're under the curse of the Law. The Bible says so because they "go astray" of God's Law. They're under the curse of the Law since they're rebelling against God's Law.

(Psa.58:3) The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. (1Pe.2:25) For ye were going astray like sheep; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. When the lost are born, they are given a spirit and conscience from God, which they ignore to follow after the flesh; they eventually become spiritually dead.

Then there's the Christian who doesn't have faith. If he's not walking in faith, he's also under the Law. Jesus said, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29). People received healing. They came out from under the curse of the Law because they believed Jesus. People were delivered from their sins and came out from under the curse of the Law because they believed the Gospel and it's still that way today. There are a lot of people who don't believe God will heal them and so what do they have to do? They have to stay sick because faith is what delivers us from the curse of the Law. It's not an instant thing. When you come into the Kingdom, you're not delivered from all the curse of the Law. You're only delivered from different portions of the curse of the Law when you come into agreement with the promises to deliver you from that particular portion. It's not automatic and it's definitely not for the world.

Christians don't believe in capital punishment, but God didn't tell you to put that law, which He wrote on your heart, on the world. That's for you. You're not to kill anybody. If they're going to kill people, let them kill them according to the Law. There will be a lot less wickedness around. The Bible talks about the different ways that people get killed and the motives. (Num.35:16) But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. (17) And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. (18) Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. (19) The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. (20) And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died, (21) or in enmity smote him with his hand, so that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meeteth him. (33) So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are (In other words, if you put the murderer to death, you won't pollute the land where you are.): for blood, it polluteth the land (Remember when it talked about how Abel's blood cried unto God from the ground, in Genesis 4:10?); and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. (34) And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, the Lord, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel. There's only one way to expiate the land whereon the blood is shed and that's through the blood of the one who shed it. That's what God said.

There are a lot of places in this world where they still believe this and they have a lot less crime than we have in a so-called "Christian" country. You go to some of these Muslim countries and they have less crime than we have here. They have fewer murders. They have less stealing. They have less drunkenness. Why? Because they don't deal lightly with them. People pay for these things. After a few examples of people getting their hands cut off for stealing, a lot of people would be afraid to steal. And after a few examples of people being put to death because they killed somebody through anger and wrath, a lot of people would turn away from committing murder. Today, you get to go to a country club for the rest of your life if you kill somebody. Some of the prisons are a little harder than others, but they feed you for the rest of your life and take good care of you. God didn't put up with that. You know, I had a neighbor one time who told me that he had lived in Saudi Arabia. He said there were more people killed in his area of Florida than there were killed in all of Saudi Arabia the whole year he was there, and he said the reason for that was they dealt so harshly with it. No, I'm not putting my law on the pagans. The pagans can go to war. They're going to do that but when we study the Scriptures, we're studying the Scriptures to find out what we're supposed to do in the midst of the pagans. Let the pagans go kill the pagans. Let the pagans fulfill the Law. If they want to roll the heads of the people that are wicked, the land will be cleansed.

Stop and think about these wars that are going on in the Middle East. There are an awful lot of people being killed and God says the only way to cleanse the land is with the blood of the people who killed them. (Gen.9:6) Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed ... Even "at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother". The avenger of death was, in many cases, the brother of the man who had been killed. He was to be the avenger of death. He'd go put the murderer to death. I'm not trying to get us back to this law. I'm just saying the law is there and the Bible says the curse of the Law is still there. I had a sister one time who had a dream over in Louisiana. She saw the United States and sticking up through the middle of the United States was a great big thermometer. This thermometer was filled with blood and the blood in this thermometer was getting higher and higher. And you know what? The Lord spoke to her. He said, "When that reaches the top, judgment is going to fall" because the United States is guilty of a lot of blood. I'm not talking just about abortion. A lot of people cry out about abortion and it's true that's innocent blood that this country has shed, and they are guilty. And there's only one way to cleanse the land and that's with the life of the people who have done that. Abortion is murder, but that's not the only kind of murder this country and every country is guilty of. I'm not picking only on America. Some of the more patriotic folks don't like my stand on this but Jesus was not patriotic. He was on God's side against Israel when God was against Israel. He prophesied in Matthew 24 against His own country because they were so wicked. We're not on America's side. We have to be on God's side. If we are going to be Christians, we have to be on God's side.

God tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. I don't see anywhere the Bible tells you to take up your cross and go fight wars for the pagans. Let the pagans fight their own wars. There is a curse. They are guilty under the Law. I'm not going to be out there picketing with the people who are against capital punishment. And I'm not going to be the one who throws the switch because God never called me to do that. Neither did He call you to do that. Read the New Testament. Read Matthew 5. It's very clear. Jesus would never have any of His people do such a thing and He would never have you go over there and shoot somebody for land or for any other reason either. (Mat.5:39) But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. He said, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you (Luk.6:27). (28) Bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. That's the Christians' job. You don't hear this in a lot of churches, but it's the Bible. You won't find what they say in the Bible because it's not there. In every country that's ever fought against another country, the apostate church in each country has sided with their nation. Did you know that the overwhelming majority of the church in Germany sided with Hitler? Do you know why? It's because the church is not the Church. We only have one side we can live on. That's the side of the Lord and the Lord will never have us side with the pagans against the pagans. We're on God's side. Period. We aren't going to kill anybody and we're not going to endorse killing. It's not our business. But look what it says in Scripture. (1Ti.1:9) As knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, (10) for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for menstealers, for liars, for false swearers, and if there be any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine; (11) according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. Whom did he say was under the Law and under the curse of the Law? It's the wicked world and the wicked "Christians", too, if you can call them "Christians", who are under the Law and under the curse of the Law. They're not "Christians" and it doesn't make any difference if you call them "Christians". Christians who do these things are still under the Law. They haven't come under grace. Grace is something we come under and live under by faith in Jesus Christ, but the world is not under that. Why do you think there's so much killing out there?

Iraq invaded Kuwait. They murdered, plundered, killed and raped. That's Stuart's dream. Six months later, they were getting payback. It was payback time. Blood was being taken care of right there. The land was being cleansed and America went in there and slaughtered them. But now, it's payback time for somebody else. It doesn't matter who does it. It doesn't matter if it's your country that does it. It doesn't make any difference. God didn't make any distinction when He said, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed (Gen.9:6). You know what? It's payback time and it's also a warning time because when the Muslims get through doing this to the "eagle", they are going to have all kinds of faith. They're going to think, "Look what Allah did for us!" That's what they're going to be thinking. They're going to be really bold and the United States, I believe, is going to get a lesson in what it's like to be nuked through this thing. They're going to get an idea of what it's all about. This is a terrible thing that's going to happen in the United States. And looking in the Scriptures, we know that Joseph said, And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass (41:32). So when the dream is doubled, that means it's surely going to come to pass. If you remember when Joseph was talking about the doubling of the dream, he was talking about two separate dreams that Pharaoh had. One was about the seven cows (Genesis 41:17-21) and the other was about the seven ears of corn (Genesis 41:22-24). The dreams were not the same but they meant the same. Well, here we also have these dreams by the brethren that are not the same but they mean the same thing. God never changed the principle of sowing and reaping, and the wicked are under the Law. Why do you think every country that's conquered another country was conquered itself? It just keeps on. There's no end to this cycle. It just keeps on going and going. The only thing we can do, as Christians, to stop the curse of the Law is to start sowing a good seed so that we reap a good harvest. If you sow an evil seed, you're going to reap an evil harvest. The Lord said that (Galatians 6:7). He never changed that principle. It's Old Testament. It's New Testament. He never changed it.

The Bible tells us, Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new (2Co.5:17). And the reason is because we don't have to reap the harvest from the past. We are now a new creation. We are not guilty of that blood. The one point that I want to make is that if you don't live under the New Testament, if you don't live under grace by faith in Jesus Christ, you fall right back under the Law. A person who is not under grace through faith in the promises of God is under the Law. Many Christians are under the Law in some parts of their life because they don't believe the Gospel in that part, but they're out from under the Law in other parts of their life because they do believe the Gospel there. The Gospel is very big. It's the Good News of the promises of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, when we're ignorant, God lets us get away with a lot of things because of our understanding, but the Bible says, To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (Jas.4:17). There are an awful lot of Christians in this country and in the history of this country who have never been told or have never studied or have never looked at the Scriptures. If they had, they would have found out that there is not one command to go and fight for an evil nation and I say it's an evil nation because the Bible says it's an evil nation.

God uses us as vessels and He uses the religions out there, even though religion itself is not Scriptural. God has used every one of us in different religions. Even though religion itself is wrong and our understanding might be wrong, when we get understanding, then we're held responsible. The Bible says He has vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20). We're all somewhere in between there. We're somewhere in that category. You don't have to worry about God using you. He's always going to use you. That's not the question. The question is, "How will He use you?" Is He going to use you for good or is He going to use you like, for instance, when He used the people to crucify Jesus? God always uses people. As He said, He uses vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. He used Pontius Pilate. The Bible says so in Acts 2 and in Acts 4. He used Pontius Pilate and the people of Israel to crucify the Lord. You see, that wasn't man's plan. That was God's plan to put Jesus on the cross and on the exact day that it was prophesied for it to happen, on the Day of Atonement. If Jesus truly is the Lamb of God Who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29), obviously He'd be slain on the Day of Atonement. Who's plan was that? It was God's plan. God used vessels to bring this to pass. And although I'm convinced George Washington was a Christian and that God used him as a vessel of honor, if you'll study your Bible, you'll find out that God wants you to Resist not him that is evil (Mat.5:39). Look in Foxe's Book of Martyrs, for example, and you won't see any one of them raise their hand to come against or kill the people who were killing them. Jesus said, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves (10:16). What does a sheep do when a wolf grabs it? It resists not the evil. Did you know that a sheep does that? It resists not the evil. It just hunkers down and dies right there. It was a command, not a request. (5:39) But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (40) And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. (41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. (Rom.12:21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jesus never commands us to do what the worldly church is telling us. See, the worldly church is saying Christians should fight for a worldly kingdom and they say that because they're halfway somewhere between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. All you have to do is agree with what God says and you can never come up with this doctrine that you would go out with the pagans to fight with the pagans and kill other pagans. That's just an unscriptural doctrine. The Law was for sinners. (Gal.3:19) What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made... Who was that seed? Jesus Christ. And whosoever abides in Jesus, they're a partaker of that promise. If you don't abide in Jesus, you are not a partaker of that promise. God didn't change the Law. It's what you sow that you reap and all things are going to ultimately work out that way. If only the world knew that what they do to others is going to come back on their heads, they'd think twice about it. If Christians knew it, they'd think twice about what they're doing, but even Christians don't believe that. It's one thing for a doctrine to be in your head, but when you're out there living your life, that's when you have to believe it. It's not just a doctrine; it's what Jesus said would happen. Jesus said, With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you (Mat.7:2). Let me give you an example from when Babylon was destroyed. When Babylon was destroyed, they had a "tongue" (Acts 2:4) and an interpretation, didn't they? Remember when a hand appeared and wrote on the wall? (Dan.5:25) And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. And then there was an interpretation because nobody knew what it said (Daniel 5:8). It obviously wasn't a language that any of these people who were in Babylon knew. It was a "tongue" and they had to get an interpreter (1 Corinthians 12:10), so they got Daniel and he gave the interpretation. (26) This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end. (27) TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. (28) PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. In other words, "You were weighed in the balances and you're found wanting, so the kingdom has been taken out of your hands". And the point is, that was Babylon there He was talking about. He said, "You didn't measure up. What you measured out was not enough on the scales and so I'm taking the kingdom away from you". And, sure enough, they were conquered that very same night. That night they were having a big party (Daniel 5:1) and the Medes and Persians came in underneath the wall and conquered them without even a fight (Daniel 5:30). History records that they just came in and took the place. That's what's going to happen to America, folks, because Babylon in the Scriptures is a type of America and America is going to fall the same way. It isn't going to be a fight, not on this side. I think that's what these dreams and visions are; they're the "handwriting on the wall". God is warning and I believe that some of God's people are getting the interpretation, but that's not going to save Babylon. The king of Babylon wasn't getting it and when he did get it, it was too late. Babylon is going down, folks. It's going down and so is the king of Babylon.

Isaiah 13 talks about the destruction of Babylon. If you go back and read this chapter, you can even see nuclear war in it. You can see the shaking of the earth and the heavens. You can see the sun and the moon growing dark from a nuclear war (Isaiah 13:10). Everything is there, this great destruction, but there's something else there, too. Isaiah tells us that God is going to save His people. While chapter 13 talks about the destruction of Babylon, chapter 14 talks about the Lord having compassion on Jacob. God is going to save His people. (Isa.14:1) For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the sojourner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. (2) And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and for handmaids: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

God is going to give such an anointing power to His people. They're going to make it through this destruction. The Bible says, Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come (1Co.10:11). If you don't make an end-time application to what you see, it's not worth much. It's just history or maybe you can get some moral lessons there. But He's talking to us and we have to see that He's talking to us. There's a "great Babylon" that's going to be destroyed, which I think is the whole world, but from what God has said to so many people, America is, obviously, a Babylon. Everybody needs to understand that Scripture doesn't teach us to go out and war for the world. If you are knowledgeable about God and you serve God based on what the Bible tells you to do, you don't have to worry about going out and doing that because God is going to carry that out with somebody else. If He has vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor, would He use the vessels of honor to go kill people, contrary to Jesus' command? Or would He use the vessels of dishonor to do that? Many Christians are being used as vessels of dishonor. I'm not saying that they're going to be lost. I'm saying they're being used as vessels of dishonor because of their foolish leaders who have not told them the Word of God. Jesus didn't tell us to do this. Jesus didn't give us permission to get distracted. If the Gospel is the power of God to save people and, if, unless you're saved, you're going to keep on following the world, then the first thing that you need is the Gospel. If we're not giving people the Gospel, we're not obeying Jesus. He did not tell us to get mixed up in politics. Jesus didn't do that. He said that God put the government in there in Romans 13 and guess what government was over Him in that day? The Roman beast was over Him in that day and Jesus said the Lord put the Roman beast in there. It's very plain. He was talking about the Caesars. He was talking about the Neros. He was talking about the Roman government that was ruling over God's people. He said God put them in there and God will take them out.

The problem today is nobody is preaching the Gospel. The world needs to hear the Gospel because, without it, they cannot change their mind. They are in bondage to the devil. We're not wrestling with flesh and blood and the Bible says we're not supposed to wrestle with flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). So, if you can't wrestle with flesh and blood, can you war? Can you kill? Can you pick up weapons? Jesus said, All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Mat.26:52). (Joh.10:35) ... Scripture cannot be broken. (Rev.13:10) ... If any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed ... These religions are telling you to be patriotic, but think about it. There are brothers and sisters who are listening to the same ignorant stuff in other lands who you're going to go and shoot if you listen to these apostate preachers. I'm talking about brothers and sisters in the Lord who are in other lands. They're fighting for their land because they're ignorant, too. God is going to prove there are no guns that are going to keep you out of captivity. God is going to prove that. All the nuclear missiles around this country are going to be conquered and fall back onto their own launch silos. They're not going to go anywhere. (10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. When God says "must", you'd better believe it. It's going to happen. In fact, if you have a gun and you don't use it for hunting, and if you're going to be tempted to use it for "self-defense" or for anything other than hunting game, you'd better get it out of your house. We have a power. We have a power on our side that is stronger than any baseball bat, gun or nuclear missile. We have a power on our side and it's the Lord. One word out of the mouth of a Christian can do more than any physical weapon or anything else. Just one word of faith is all it takes.

If you attempt to save your life, you lose your life. (Mat.16:25) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. The Bible says to be ready to lose your life. Many of God's people have lost their lives. Can you lose your life outside the sovereignty of God? No, you can't. It's not possible. If you study the sovereignty of God, you'll find out that God is ruling over this earth and A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven (Joh.3:27). It all comes from God. Do you know what Jesus did when they were going to put Him on the cross? He had ample opportunity to say, "I'm not guilty". He wouldn't even open His mouth to defend Himself (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:14). He was like a sheep led to slaughter. And to us He says, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves (Mat.10:16). God never makes "holy wars". There's no such thing in the Bible as a "holy war". He did not give you permission to wrestle with flesh and blood - ever. He gave us permission to wrestle with the principalities and powers only. (Eph.6:12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].

Countries are killing other countries. People are killing people in other countries because of lust. That's the only reason. (Jas.4:1) Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. People are not content with what they have. They are not content with the rights that God gives them, so they're demanding more. Look at what James says: "You have not because you ask not". In other words, if people would just pray, they would get their needs met. They don't have to go and rob and plunder their neighbor. (3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures. (4) Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. Do you understand what God is saying here? If you are going to go and unite with the wicked world and there's no country that is a good country, then you are God's enemy. He's says ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake (Mat.24:9). There's no "moral majority" in the United States and that means that America is going to hate you, too. Do they hate you now? Yes. He says if you go and fight with the world, you're an enemy of God. You're an "adulteress". There's not one verse in this Bible that tells you to do what these false religious leaders are telling you to do. If you take just what the Bible says, you have to turn to him the other cheek (5:39). You have to resist not him that is evil (39). You have to love your enemies (44). Don't worry about the average Joe America doing that. They'll defend this country, if God wants it defended. Let them fight. You say, "But you're abdicating all our rights to the pagans!" No, I'm just saying let God use the vessels of dishonor to fight with the vessels of dishonor. He never called us to do that. It's not Biblical. In the Old Testament, they wrestled with flesh and blood. What were the types and shadows there? That's what you have to look at. When they wrestled with the Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, etc., they were actually wrestling with the principalities and powers. That's the type and shadow, if you look up the names of the Girgashites, Hittites and all the others. Each one of them represents a lust of the flesh. That's what the demons represent. They're the ones that prey upon the lusts of the flesh. God tells us in the New Testament that we are to fight in the spirit, the way that they fought physically in the Old Testament. You wrestle with the principalities and the powers. He never gave us permission to wrestle with flesh and blood.

If you're under the Law, you're not under grace. Let me give you an example. Matthew tells us that if you don't forgive your brother, then you're not forgiven (Matthew 6:15). If you're not forgiven, are you under grace or under the Law? Of course, you're under the Law because you're not reconciled (Matthew 5:24). You're not accounted righteous. You're not forgiving and you have no forgiveness from God. That's what Jesus Christ said. The Bible tells us this over and over. (18:21) Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. (5:23) If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, (24) leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (Eph.4:32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. (Col.3:13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: (14) and above all these things [put on] love, which is the bond of perfectness. (15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. There are ways for Christians to get out from under grace and one of them is to not forgive everybody. Can you go and kill somebody and forgive them? Can you go and kill somebody and resist not him that is evil? Can you go and kill somebody and not wrestle with flesh and blood? You have to disobey an awful lot of God's Word to go and fight for this country. When God decides to bring this country down, whose side are you going to be on? When God decides to bring this country down, are you going to fight to keep the country up? God is going to bring it down. The Bible says very plainly in Jeremiah 50 and 51 that everybody who fights against the army that He's bringing against this country is going to lose. He's talking about the fall of Babylon, the fall of America.

The armies that fight against this army that God is bringing are going to lose because God has decided He's going to bring this country down, but not the Christians, not what is in this country that is of Him. He's going to bring them up. He's going to cause them to come to know God. I would not side with the world through fear of death. Those people who have a fear of denying self, who fear dying to self, are the people who are agreeing with the world. That's the whole problem with Christianity. They get on the world's side against God. I don't want to be found on the world's side. It's better to die on God's side than live and be on the world's side because you're not going to be there long. You're going to die anyway. As we've already seen, according to the Bible, if you take the sword, you will die. There's promise after promise of that, but the preachers haven't been reading these promises to the people. God says, if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. If you take the sword, you will die with the sword. If you kill, you must be killed. That's what it says. It's very plain. I'm not talking about going out there and offending everybody. I'm just saying that being a Christian is radically different than the worldly church has told us. We have to find out what it is to be a Christian and we can only find it out in one place, which is the Bible. When apostate church leadership teaches something that's adding to the Word or taking away from the Word (Revelation 22:18-19), then you have to go with the Bible. And, believe me, you can't find their doctrine in the New Testament. You can't find their teaching that God blesses you so that you can kill the enemies of America. You can't find that doctrine in the Bible. It's not the enemies of America we have to worry about; it's the enemies of God. And the enemies of God are in America and they're in every other land, too.

The Bible says very plainly that you are a holy nation. (1Pe.2:9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. He was talking about Christianity. He wasn't talking about America. He wasn't even talking about Israel. He was talking about Christianity worldwide. You are a holy nation. That means the people who are in the Kingdom I'm in are all over this world. (Joh.18:36) ... My kingdom is not of this world... My Kingdom is not America. Your Kingdom is not America. Our Kingdom is Christianity and it's worldwide. We recognize no geographic boundaries. We recognize no racial boundaries. We recognize no national boundaries. We don't recognize any of that. Christians do not recognize any of that and, if you do, do you know what you are? You're a respecter of persons. The Bible commands that you cannot be a respecter of persons (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17, 16:19; Acts 10:34; etc.) That means that you cannot recognize a man because he's in your country or not in your country, if he's of your race or not of your race. We're commanded by God Almighty not to be a respecter of persons. He's not a respecter of persons. Our first brothers and sisters were in Israel. Now we have brothers and sisters in the Muslim countries. And do you know we have more brothers and sisters in Russia than we have in the United States? Russia had such a great revival because it was an underground church that was persecuted by the aboveground church and by the government, and that church grew and grew. It grew underground. There are a lot of Christians in Russia. Are you going to tell me that you're going to take up arms for the pagans of the United States and go over there so you can shoot Russian Christians? Because they're just as ignorant as the Christians over here. They're going to be out there fighting. That doesn't make any sense. Stop and think about it. We don't have any command to do what the worldly church tells us to do. We have a command to resist not him that is evil, to turn the other cheek, and to obey God's Word. (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Well, that's what the apostates teach: 'Take your gun and go out and shoot the guy who's going to shoot at you.'): (39) but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil... So what are the preachers saying that are pushing this doctrine? They're saying, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". "They've done it to us, we're going to do it to them". "Do unto others before they get to do it unto you". That's the world. Lord, help us!

We're commanded to follow Jesus' example (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:28-30; Mark 15:17-19; Luke 22:63; John 18:22). Did He ever raise His hand to anybody that raised a hand to Him? They slapped Him. They spit on Him. They pulled out His beard. Does the Bible tell us to just put up with this garbage? Yes, it does. I've heard Christians say that God didn't call us to be a doormat, but they haven't read the Bible. Instead of the doctrine of the Scriptures, they have their own reasoning. People come up with these verses that, "God didn't call me to be a doormat". What kind of a verse is that? I challenge you to find me even one verse like that. Instead, the Bible says of Jesus, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously (1Pe.2:23). In other words, "I'm in your hands, God. You take care of me". He wouldn't revile. He wouldn't strike back. He wouldn't resist. And you know what? The Bible says He's telling us to do the same thing. You know what He's talking about when He says, don't resist? He's talking about not resisting him who is evil and that means when the wicked come against you. It doesn't matter whether it's your country or another country. It doesn't make a difference. "Resist not". Who is that law for? It's only for a small minority of people whom the Bible calls "Christians". The world is never going to obey that. Don't worry that if you don't defend this country, this country won't be defended. There are plenty of pagans and even pagan "Christians" who will go out there and fight for this country. Let them go. You don't have to straighten them out in their doctrine. They'll call you crazy and that's alright. We're supposed to be crazy. We're supposed to be peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9) and, if you obey His Word, you will be peculiar. The church doesn't want to be peculiar because they make up their own doctrine. They make up a worldly doctrine so they won't be peculiar. They don't want to be on the "outs" with the world. But the doctrine Jesus gave is always going to make us on the "outs" with the world. You're going to be on the outside looking in. This doctrine is going to make you peculiar. (Jas.5:6) Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous [one]; he doth not resist you. And Jesus made us a promise in this other verse: (Mat.26:52) Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Do you think God wanted to defend Jesus? If there's anything in this world worth defending, it would have been Jesus, and here's a guy who wanted to defend Jesus with the sword. Jesus said, "Don't you do that. Everybody who takes the sword is going to die with the sword. Put up your sword". (53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? In other words, "Put-up your puny sword". You know, just one angel killed 185,000 men (2 Kings 19:35). Just one angel. And here Jesus is talking about 12 legions, approximately 72,000 angels. Wow! What do you have a sword for? What do you want a gun for?

You know, if a man walks after the flesh, he's going to be ruled by his carnal senses; in other words, ruled by the old man (Romans 6:6), and the old man is like a giant in the land. So what are you going to slay him with? Well, the Bible tells us we are to have our senses exercised to discern good and evil (Heb.5:14). When Jesus talked to the crowds, He said, He that hath ears, let him hear (Mat.13:9). (13) Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. They all had eyes and ears, but they didn't have the kind of eyes and ears that Jesus was talking about. He was talking about those senses that are polished (Isaiah 49:2; 1 Samuel 17:40) by the Word of God to see the way the Bible tells you to see and to hear the way the Bible tells you to hear. If you do that, you're going to kill the giant in your life.

The story of David killing Goliath is a parable from beginning to end, and it's a parable about putting to death the old man. He tells you how to do it there. It's very clear. When the Israelites went into the Promised Land, there were five kings who ruled over the Promised Land. What is the "Promised Land"? (Heb.6:7) For the land (This is talking about the Christian who has turned away from God and was reprobated.) which hath drunk the rain (The Word of God is the rain.) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. He's talking about people. He's not talking about physical land. And the Israelites were told to go into their Promised Land and put to death the Canaanites and the Hittites and so on, which represented the lusts of the flesh. He said, "You kill them" (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). "You live in their house" (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). That's what God told them. The man who is supposed to rule this house is the spiritual man, but there's only one way he can do it: he has to put to death the old man. So when they went into the Promised Land, the first thing the Israelites did was to capture the five kings. Those five kings who ruled over the Promised Land represented the senses. And when they caught them, Joshua took those kings and put them in a cave in the earth and put rocks in front of that cave. Do you know what the cave and the earth represent? Where did your flesh come from? It came from the earth. The Bible says so. (Gen.2:7) And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. He made Adam from the dust of the earth. And there's a cave. There's an opening in this earth right here, which is the mouth. Joshua would not let those five kings come out of that cave, that opening. He put the rocks in front to seal them in the cave. What are the rocks? They are the Word of God. The Word of God would not permit those five kings to come out of that cave.

When the Israelites came back after conquering their enemies, they took those five kings out of the cave and they laid them on the ground. Then Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chiefs of the men of war that went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings (Jos.10:24). Do you know why they put their foot right there on their necks so the kings couldn't speak? It's because the Bible tells us that we're not to be ruled by these carnal senses. The carnal man is ruled by the carnal senses. The man who has "eyes to see and ears to hear" Kingdom-wise is a person who has his senses exercised to discern good and evil (Heb.5:14). In other words, he understands what is good and what is evil. We've been told in the church that it's alright to go and do these things, but we're understanding from the Bible that it's not alright to go and do these things. You see, you don't have ears to hear until you get your ears from God. The "five kings" that used to rule the "promised land" can't be permitted to speak out of your mouth. If they're permitted to speak, they'll keep on ruling your land. You cannot permit them to speak. The Israelites wouldn't let them speak. They put them on the ground. They put their foot on their necks and wouldn't let them speak. Then they picked them up and hanged them on a cross, a tree (Joshua 10:26). Why? Because on the cross, our carnal man and our carnal senses were put to death. (Rom.6:6) Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.

David picked up five smooth stones (1 Samuel 17:40) that represented the polished senses of the Christian. David used to be ruled by the five senses, but now David speaks faith from God. (1Sa.17:46) This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Nobody in their right mind would have said what he said to that giant, but he spoke in faith. And I think the "stone" he was talking about was his mouth because he did exactly what he said he was going to do. We have to be just as bold to say we can take down this giant right here. This "giant" in the "promised land" represents the "old man". We can take him down.

Remember the dream I had about going through the woods? I had a dream that the Lord was showing me I was going through the woods and I had captured this enemy, and I had him in a neck-lock. And as I was going through these woods, I came around this curve and there was a giant standing there. Even though the giant was my size, I knew he was a giant. Then, all of a sudden, this guy whom I had in a neck-lock, said, "Bigger, bigger, bigger!" And I turned and I chopped him in the Adam's apple and I said, "No! Smaller, smaller, smaller!" God let me know from this dream that if I let the old man speak out of my mouth, he had the authority to make the giant bigger, but if I spoke according to the Word of God and didn't let the old man speak, it just whittled him down to size. God showed me this giant I had captured was my old man. We make our own giants because we disagree with the Word of God. We're not in bondage to sin. We're not in bondage to the old man. We've been made free from sin (Romans 6:18,22; 8:2). That's why we have to say what the Bible says.

If we look at the types and shadows in the Old Testament but we don't see them as types and shadows, if we see them literally, then the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2Co.3:6). If you bring the types and shadows over literally into the New Testament, it's going to give you permission to go kill a giant, but you'll have to go find one first. So, you see, if you're going to take it physically and literally, you have to take it physically and literally all the way and then it doesn't make sense. What we have to see is what God saying to us in the types and shadows. If you go back to the Old Testament and understand the types and shadows, you never see this doctrine that you have a right to go and fight against other people and kill other people and take the sword and all these things. That's flesh. That's all that is, is flesh. There are a lot of teachers who haven't read the Word. They haven't read their Bible. We just don't have that kind of permission to fight in the flesh. Instead, Jesus tells us this: (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smitteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (40) And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. (41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. (42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. (Rom.12:14) Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not. (15) Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep. (16) Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits. In other words, if you have a doctrine that's different from the Scriptures, you must think you know more than God. So this doctrine that people have, they must think they know more than God because the Bible commands them against it. Here's what it says: (17) Render to no man evil for evil. Why did God design this doctrine? He designed this doctrine to crucify your flesh. Take thought for things honorable in the sigh of all men. (18) If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. (19) Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath (Whoa! You mean you can't fight back? That's exactly what it says.) [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me: I will recompense, saith the Lord. God doesn't want us to pay back or take vengeance. He wants to do it. If we don't do it, He'll do it.

Well, you won't die if you won't do what He said. All the commands of Jesus are pointed in one direction, which is death to self. If you don't obey them, you won't die. If you don't obey them, you won't grow. If you don't obey them, you won't bear fruit. It's really simple. I'm saying we shouldn't defend self. The example that Jesus and His disciples gave was that when they brought something from the Old Testament into the New Testament, they translated it every time. Did you ever notice that? Every time they brought something out of the Old Testament into the New Testament, they always translated it from the letter to the Spirit. Always. That's why we study the principles of Jesus. Sometimes we want to stick up for our rights, but dead men don't have rights. You can slap a dead man. You can slap him on both cheeks and he won't bother you. You can shoot him and he won't shoot back. Dead men don't have rights.

When you resist not him that is evil, you're cooperating with what the Lord is doing in you and there are rewards for us when we do that. A really good example is in David's life. To give a little history, David was on the run from Absalom, his son, after Absalom had usurped the throne (2 Samuel 15). But just after David had escaped out of Jerusalem, he ran into another trial. (2Sa.16:5) And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came. (6) And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. A nervy fellow, wasn't he? (7) And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow: (8) the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned... Of course, that was a lie because David had nothing to do with the blood of the house of Saul. He even promised Saul one time that he wouldn't kill Saul or his seed. Saul knew that David was going to take over and Saul made him promise that he wouldn't kill his family. (8) The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art [taken] in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood. (9) Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. (10) And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David; who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so? (11) And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more [may] this Benjamite now [do it]? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. I wonder, when someone comes against us and when somebody around us is a curse to us, I wonder how many of us have stopped to consider this. It's the Lord Who sent that person. It's the last thing that we want to believe, but this is what we need to think.

If you want to go through the trial correctly, the first thing that you have to think is that the Lord has sent this person for one reason or another. The Bible says, A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven (Joh.3:27). We know that God has vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor, and that He uses His vessels of dishonor to crucify us and to put to death our old man. (Act.4:27) For of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, (28) to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel foreordained to come to pass. God's counsel foreordained to use the Gentiles, Herod and Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus and, of course, we're no different. We're here to follow in His footsteps. We're here to take up our cross and follow Him, and God is going to use the same method. The Lord said, I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men (2Sa.7:14). God's method of bringing us into holiness and into purity is by using the children of men. God has created everything for His own purpose. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. God has made the wicked. Some people don't like that. They say, "Now you're getting into predestination". Well, it doesn't matter. Scripture says what it says. For His own purpose, it says, and "even the wicked for the day of evil". God uses them. And every time one of them comes to us and is a curse to us in one way or another, whether it's in speech or whether it's in actions, it will help us in that instance to consider that the Lord has sent this person. David did that. David was a very spiritual and understanding man. To me, he's the most spiritual man in the Old Testament, aside from what Jesus said about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). I don't think that Moses understood some of the things that David understood. He said, "The Lord hath bidden him". "Let him alone and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him". (2Sa.16:12) It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done unto me, and that the Lord will requite me good for [his] cursing of me this day. (13) So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. Shimei was a nervy fellow with all of David's armies standing there. He was either demon-possessed or just very nervy, considering the power that David had and that he could go over there and take off his head.

So one reason David handled it that way was because It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done unto me, and that the Lord will requite me good for [his] cursing of me this day (12). In other words, "The Lord will pay me back good for his cursing of me this day". Now, four times in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, a whole chapter was given to David's experiences with resisting not evil or not taking vengeance himself (1 Samuel 24-26; 2 Samuel 16); therefore, it must be very important. In fact, David wrote several Psalms (Psalms 7:4; 15:3; 34:14; 35:12; etc.) teaching us to resist not him that is evil and to turn the other cheek. (Mat.5:40) And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. (41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. This is a teaching that, if you haven't read some of David's history or Psalms, you wouldn't have found anywhere else in the Old Testament. It's very rare, except in some of David's writings, but it's definitely a New Testament doctrine. Jesus recalled it over and over. Unless you are resisting not evil in the form of people, you are not walking the crucified life. You're not manifesting the life of Christ. You will not be an overcomer. You will not bear fruit that you need to bear. I think understanding this principle will enable you to go through a trial in the correct way. If you don't understand what God is doing, you may fail. What has helped me deal with people gracefully is to understand why these people were sent and why God was doing this to me. Many times people come against you when you're in the right and you haven't done anything wrong, and you really want to stick up for yourself. Isn't that what Jesus' situation was? Peter thought he had a right to take care of Jesus and whip out his sword and lop off the servant's ear, but Jesus said that all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (26:52). He said, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves (10:16). A few verses later, Jesus said, When they persecute you in this city, flee into the next (23). He didn't say "fight". He said "flee into the next". He said, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come (23). In other words, if you have to keep on running until you go to every city, do it. That's what He said. You're thinking, "Well, that comes against my pride". That's right. It does come against your pride and that's the point. "The Lord will requite me good for his cursing of me this day".

On one particular occasion, David had the opportunity to be avenged of his adversary, who was Saul (1 Samuel 24). David was in the wilderness hiding in a cave when Saul was chasing him and Saul just happened to stop at the same cave and take a nap in it. David's men pointed Saul out to him and he went out there and cut off the hem of Saul's garment. When Saul got up and left, David cried after him and pointed out to him that he could have taken off his head just as easily, but he didn't. David didn't avenge himself. (1Sa.24:12) The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. Now I want you to notice what Saul said. You'll notice there was a blessing pronounced on David in all four chapters. This time it came out of the mouth of Saul and the one that we just read about Shimei came out of David's mouth. (16) And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David: And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. I want you to notice there is another reason for resisting not evil because the Bible says, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head (Rom.12:20). Saul was convicted of his sinfulness here. Even though he was demon-possessed, he was convicted of his sinfulness. (1Sa.24:16) And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David: And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. (17) And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. (18) And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me up into thy hand, thou killedst me not. (19) For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. (20) And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. (21) Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. That's the promise I mentioned. David swore unto Saul. But Saul, his enemy, the one who was chasing him to kill him, pronounced this blessing that David would be the one to inherit the throne.

Another example is the story of Nabal, which means "fool" (1 Samuel 25:25). Nabal was a very rich man who was very great. He had 3000 sheep and 1000 goats. Now, David's men had protected Nabal's shepherds in the wilderness and taken good care of them. David was living off the land in the wilderness and he sent some of his men to Nabal when he was shearing sheep (1 Samuel 25:24), hoping that Nabal would supply some of his needs out there. David had 600 men out there to feed and care for. The Bible says that Nabal was churlish (1 Samuel 25:3). Nabal rebuked David as a runaway servant to his master and sent away David's young men who came to pick up the sacrifice (1 Samuel 25:10-11). However, Nabal's wife was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance (1 Samuel 25:3), and she had learned from Nabal's servants what had happened (1 Samuel 25:14-16), so she sent after David. She sent a peace offering after him (1 Samuel 25:18-19) and she followed after him to turn away his wrath (1 Samuel 25:22) because David had decided that he was going to kill Nabal and his entire house. (1Sa.25:22) God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child. He said there wouldn't be left one man-child by morning. That's what David said. He was going to take care of all of them. (23) And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. (24) And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. (25) Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. (26) Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand ... He would have been guilty of blood for avenging himself with his own hand, but the Lord kept him from doing it. The Lord's grace kept him from doing that and this is what she was saying. (26) Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. (27) And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. (28) Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.

Has the Lord ever stopped you from doing evil? You were about to do something that wasn't right and later you saw that the Lord stepped in and stopped you from doing it so you wouldn't be guilty. Have you ever had that happen? I've had that happen to me. This is happening here. (29) And though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. (30) And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel, (31) that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord (In other words, that he had done wrong because he avenged himself.), either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid. (32) And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me: (33) and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. She pronounced a blessing upon him because he did that. That's the second time that happened and because he didn't avenge himself, the Lord did. (Rom.12:19) ... Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. The Lord will repay. You need to feel sorry for the people who come against you. Pity them. Don't allow yourself to be angry with them. Pity them because the Lord will repay. I've seen it over and over. The Lord will repay. He smote Nabal and it seems that he went into a coma (1 Samuel 25:37); and 10 days later, the Lord smote him so that he died (1 Samuel 25:38). (1Sa.25:39) ... And the evil-doing of Nabal hath the Lord returned upon his own head.

One time a neighbor boy stood in front of my lawn and just cursed me up one side and down the other and his dad was there with him. The boy was very vulgar and his dad didn't do anything. The next day his dad died right out in that street where his son cursed me. The Lord spoke to me then and said, "I'm going to bless them that bless you and I'm going to curse them that curse you". Now, I know this boy was cursing because that's what his dad put into him. The boy was cursed because his dad died but his dad was the real culprit. The dad was the one who sowed that seed of cursing into that boy.

God will bless those who bless you. He'll curse those who curse you. You don't have to curse them. In fact, if you curse them, if you chasten them, if you return evil for evil, then God doesn't have to do it. You've already done it. God's not going to chasten them twice. The whole point is that we want to be blessed. You know, we need to see people who come against us as victims. We need to stop seeing ourselves as victims. You tend to wallow in self-pity and see yourself as a victim. You think, "They're doing this to me and I don't deserve it and I didn't do this. I was kind to them and look how they returned the kindness". You see yourself as a victim. What you need to do is see them as a victim and then you'll be able to handle it correctly. You should see them as a victim, a victim of the devil, someone whom the Lord is going to pay back for what they have done. If you see them in that way, then you'll much more likely have pity on them.

In 1 Samuel 26, David again had an opportunity to kill Saul. He and Abishai went down into the camp of Saul when Saul was chasing him in the wilderness and the Lord made everybody sleep. David walked right up to Saul and Abishai wanted to pierce Saul through with his sword that was setting right at his head (1 Samuel 26:7), but David didn't allow that. He took Saul's sword and his water pitcher (1 Samuel 26:11). Abishai even said the same thing as the men said before, when Saul was in the cave. (26:8) ... God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time. The men before said, Behold, the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee (24:4). Well, the Lord did obviously deliver Saul into his hands two times. He gave the opportunity for David to pay back. Did you ever get into a situation like that, where there was a big opportunity to get payback? The Lord gave that opportunity to David. In other words, the Lord gave this trial for David and David's men pointed this out to him both times. "Look, the Lord delivered him into your hands. Let me smite him". David wouldn't let him do it. He wouldn't let him do it because the trial was for David and David's conscience wouldn't let him do it. When he cut off the skirt of Saul's robe, the spirit of his heart smote him. The conscience of the Lord in David would not let him smite Saul. (26:10) And David said, As the Lord liveth, the Lord will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle, and perish. (11) The Lord forbid that I should put forth my hand against the Lord's anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go. After David had left him and he had gotten over on the hill, he called out to Saul. He said, And the Lord will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as the Lord delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against the Lord's anointed (23). David said, "The Lord will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness because I didn't kill you when I could have". He, himself, pronounced that the Lord was going to bless him because he didn't kill Saul when he could have. (24) And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. So there were situations where David had an opportunity to pay back but he passed them up and, in every case, it was pointed out that he was going to be blessed by that situation. When the Spirit of the Lord left Saul (1 Samuel 16:14) and came upon David (1 Samuel 16:13), the Lord's anointed was David, but because Saul was in the position of king, David called him "the Lord's anointed". In other words, David wasn't going to be the one to take Saul out of that position. The Lord was the one to take him out of that position.

No one is given power over you unless God gives it to them. Romans 12 says that. Romans 13 says that. They could be somebody who has power and authority over you, like your boss at work, to make you do something they want, or they could be someone who has you over a difficult circumstance. There isn't anybody in that position whom the Lord hasn't sent. It's important you see that it's the Lord behind the circumstance, instead of falling into a pity party.

Back when a brother and I were ministering at a mission, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do about a man who was in sin. The man was sneaking around and he didn't seem to want to get out of his sin. He just wanted to sneak around and keep on doing what he was doing. I'll never forget what the Lord said to me. He said, "Let the Philistines take him out", and immediately in my mind, I knew what He was talking about. He was talking about David and Saul. I didn't tell this to anybody at the time, but the man told me on three different occasions, "The Lord told me that I'm Saul and you're David". He confessed to be a prophet and he prophesied about some things correctly but some things incorrectly. He said the Lord told him three times that I was David and he was Saul. And the Lord told me to let the Philistines take him out. Well, how many times have we had an opportunity to do something militant to help the Lord's Kingdom? David obviously could have helped the Lord's Kingdom. If you had been one of David's men out there, would you have told him to do the same thing? Obviously, there was no anointing on Saul. He was evil. He was wicked. David had the anointing by Samuel to be the king over Israel. It must have seemed like this was the perfect opportunity for him to go over Saul's head and right on in to power. Many times we may be in the same situation, one where an opportunity arises for us to fulfill the Lord's Will but not the Lord's principles. The only reason for resisting not him who is evil is because God promised a reward. It brings a reward to resist not evil.

I once got a phone call from a man who told me that he'd loaned a fairly large sum of money to a friend, but the friend wasn't going to pay it back. The issue was that the friend didn't use the money for what he said he was going to use it for. The friend said he was going to start a business but he didn't; he just spent the money. The man was asking me if he should call the police over there and have them handle the situation. Now, tell me if this isn't something that burns you up. People lie to you to get money out of you. Has it ever happened to you? Well, it's happened to me quite a few times but I've learned that this is God's opportunity to bless you, if you handle it correctly. (Psa.37:21) The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth. My advice to him was to just give it. I told him to forget about the money and just give it. You'll be blessed more by giving it than if you get your money back. The Scripture teaches that (Acts 20:35).

If you have to get your payback here on earth, don't expect it in Heaven. There's a good principle in Luke that covers that. (Luk.14:12) And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. In other words, don't invite somebody who can pay you back. (13) But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: (14) and thou shalt be blessed (Here's the blessing and the blessing is when men can't pay you back.); because they have not [wherewith] to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just. God's reward is an eternal reward and it's a reward where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal (Mat.6:20). The interest that you're going to get there is much higher and He says it's an eternal reward, if you don't get paid back. If you do it to get paid back, you have your reward; so it's better to not get paid back. The Lord sends these people to bless us and we don't realize it. These people who are coming to us are actually coming for us to store up treasures in Heaven. We think that if we just give it to somebody out of our heart that we have a treasure in Heaven, and that's true. But suppose somebody steals it from you and you ask it not again; you still get a treasure. The first advantage to giving when people steal from you by borrowing and not paying back is you get to be called the righteous. They're the wicked. This is identifying the wicked. I've given to people whom I thought were Christians and they turned out to be the wicked. They had no intention to pay back. It was the Lord Who got me into those situations. He was the one Who told me to give it to them. I remember many, many times when I bought something for somebody where they promised they were going to pay me back little-by-little and they never did. It's a blessing. You have to see it as a blessing before you get all worked up and demand your rights.

There was a double-trial that hit me one time, right before I came to Pensacola. There was a lady who was actually out on the street and she was in the mission with her son. They came to live with us for a little while. The Lord impressed me to buy her a trailer; however, this time He told me to make her pay it back because she needed to pay it back. Usually the Lord tells me to give it outright. I wasn't sure I understood that, but I knew that this particular person had a problem with money in her life and this was a trial for her to see if she would be diligent to do what she was supposed to do with money. I got a super deal on a travel trailer and she lived in it for a while. She came to the Bible study for a while, too, and she was just rejoicing in the Lord. Well, she became kind of cold one day and I went over there to find out what was going on. It turns out she had sold this $2500 trailer for $1700 and had taken the money and bought some tickets to go up north. She told me, "Don't worry. You'll get your money", but I knew the Lord was telling me that I'd never see it again. It was something that I had to overcome. I had to overcome what rises up inside you when people take advantage of you. When I look back on it now, the Lord really set me up. I feel satisfied and joyous that I was able to go through it graciously and the Lord blessed me. Well, lo and behold, another lady, who knew this lady really well, said, "I just couldn't believe so-and-so did that to you!" Anyway, with this particular lady, I transferred a trailer and a station wagon I had into her name with complete trust before I received any money. I didn't want her to think I didn't trust her, so I put the title in her name. There was no way that I could get it back legally, but the Lord had impressed me that I wasn't to try anyway. This lady, who said, "I just couldn't believe she did that to you", turned around and paid me one note on that car and that was the last I ever heard from her. She had defrauded me with the car. Well, I was using the car money to help people from the mission, so it wasn't for me. I was using the money that she was giving me for the car to help people at the mission. So I got defrauded twice in a row. You can say I made a mistake but I didn't make a mistake. It was the Lord blessing me. You're looking at it from a carnal viewpoint, if you think I made a mistake and didn't hear from the Lord.

Well, I did hear from the Lord. The Lord impressed me to do that. You don't lose anything by doing that. You're blessed by doing that. If you don't go after recompense, you're going to get that reward, which is an eternal reward in Heaven. (Luk.6:30) Give to every one that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. (31) And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (32) And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? If you love only the people who can pay you back, you have no reward. "What thank have ye?" God is not going to thank you for loving somebody who loves you because it's easy. Even the sinners can do that. When you get a reward is when you love somebody who can't love you and they can't return the favor. (32) And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. (33) And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. In other words, He wants you to do good to people who are not going to do good to you. You're going to run into people who are not going to do good to you when you do good to them. He said very clearly that you're going to get a reward for running into these people. The thing that's going to give you a reward is dealing with people that do you "dirty" when you do them good. That's when you get a reward. (34) And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much. The idea of lending means you're going to get it back, but He's telling you that's not the Christian mindset at all. You lend to somebody and kiss it goodbye when you lend it. If they give it back, then they're going to be blessed. (35) But love your enemies, and do [them] good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Notice "the unthankful and evil". You're sons of the Most High, if you're kind to the unthankful and evil. He says to lend, never despairing, because you're going to get it back. It may not be from them, but you're going to get it back in a much greater blessing. (36) Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (37) And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall be released: (38) give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. God is going to reward you, if you give unto people who are evil and unthankful. You'll get a reward for people taking advantage of you! If you think you're going to be at the mercy of these people and they're going to be at your door every day, remember that the Lord is not going to allow you to be tried beyond what you're able. (1Co.10:13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it. He has a way of stopping people from taking advantage of you; but they're going to take advantage of you for a while because God is interested in something more important, which is delivering us from sin. Understanding this will help you be motivated correctly when you get into that kind of situation.

If you have an earthly, fleshy recompense made to you, you don't have a reward. (Mat.6:1) Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. (2) When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. In other words, if you are recompensed by the glory of men, that's the only reward you're going to get. It doesn't have to be a physical recompense either. It can be, "Oh, you're such a great person! You're such a great philanthropist! You're so wonderful to people!" There is your reward. If you're doing it for that purpose, there's your reward. You received your earthly payback, so you're not going to get God's reward. (3) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: (4) that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. If it's in secret, then there's no ulterior motive behind it. There's no let-me-have-the-glory-of-men behind it because if it's in secret, God will pay you back. You can't always be in secret but, if it's possible, it should be. The main point behind it is the motive. If someone finds out that you gave something to somebody, is that your purpose, to get glory out of it? I've had the Lord impress me to share an example from my life, not for me to get glory but to use an example to help them understand something, but the purpose should not be that I want glory for what I've done. If I did, I don't get a reward for it. (5) And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. (6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.

Another reason why God puts you in a situation with obnoxious people who want to take advantage of you, who want to steal from you and who want to say things about you that are unjust, is to deliver us from sin. The main reward that I can see, looking back at all I've gone through, is to deliver me from sin. The Bible says, If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1Jn.1:7). In other words, "walking in the light" is obedience to the Word and obeying the Word cleanses you from sin. Now, we've seen that God, in His Word in Matthew 5 and Luke 6, has told us to resist not him who is evil. If he slaps you on one cheek, turn your cheek and let him have the other one. Let him take your cloak. Walk two miles, if they want you to walk one mile. That's really against your nature, but to obey that, is to be cleansed from sin. What is it that comes up in you when that situation happens? Think about it and meditate on it.

What comes up in you when that happens is anger, wrath, revenge, anxiety, pride, a competitive spirit, factions, envying, etc. Think of all the lusts of the flesh. This is one particular kind of trial that covers all of that. When it comes up in you, yet you obey what God has said, what do you think He's cleansing? He's cleansing the thing that's coming up because when you deny the flesh its right to live, it dies. When you give flesh its right to live, what comes out of your mouth is envying, striving, anger and wrath. It will come out of your mouth or it will be in your actions. But when you stop that because you know why you're going through this trial, then God takes that out of your heart. That's His method. There's no other method. Trials are God's method of perfecting us. This is just one kind of a trial that covers so much and that's why it's so important to me. It's so important to have the love that Jesus had, to be like Jesus was to other people, to be taken advantage of, to go to that cross without opening His mouth, to know He could have called 12 legions of angels, instead of going to that cross ... but He didn't because He knew what it was all about. We go to much smaller crosses than His, many times, and fail because we don't see the purpose. Seeing the purpose helps 100%. Seeing the purpose is most useful.

I can think of so many instances when I've been in situations like that, where the Lord brought around really obnoxious people. Remember what happened to Saul when David didn't resist? He was convicted. Those "coals of fire" from Romans 12 came down on Saul's head. Has that ever happened to you when you treated someone decently and they didn't deserve it, and they were convicted? Well, that's happened to me. It's happened to me quite a few times. I remember this guy named Norman. I went through this apprentice program down at Exxon and we got off the night shift, which was 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. So we went to this cafe to eat breakfast in the morning and I remember he said something to me and I shoved him up against a wall. I think I even hit him, but I'm not sure. That was before I was a Christian. I think he said something about Mary and at the time I was dating her. After that, he didn't have any use for me for a long, long time. I was out of the apprentice program and I was in supervision years later, and Norman was working for me but he was suspicious of everything that I did. Even though I had become a Christian at the time, he was just suspicious of everything I did. This guy had been raised in a Baptist church, too. He would get alone with the other guys and they would talk about me. Well, I knew they were talking about me and saying things about me since I was a supervisor, and that was only natural. They were talking about me and one time Norman was on this big boring mill. It's a big unit that you can clamp something to and base it off with a turning tool, and they had one that was based off that was running here, and it was a big one. He loved it because it was all computerized. You could just sit in your chair and run this computer, and the machine did all the work, so he loved this boring mill. I forget the exact situation but I was going to have to take Norman off of that boring mill and put him on something he didn't like. He was tall and he had bright red hair. Everybody would call him Flare Speck because his temperament kind of fit that, too. Norman came storming up to me when I took him off of that boring mill and began cussing me out and talking ugly about me. It was like the grace of the Lord was just on me and I said, "Norman, I'm not the man I used to be. I did what I did because I love you". His jaw just dropped and I started explaining to him the reason I had to take him off the boring mill was for his good and not for mine. I wasn't doing it to spite him. That's the reason I told him that I was not the man I used to be, that I had nothing in my heart against him, but I just loved him. I don't know at that time whether Norman was a Christian or not. I don't think he was. I think he was just religious but he had enough religious training to know what I was talking about when I said that and to know that I had a conversion. They all knew that I had a conversion of some kind. After I told him that, his heart was completely changed toward me from then on. He was my best friend. If I would come into that shop, he'd come over there and talk to me. He would do anything for me and he quit talking about me. It preaches a good story but it just changed the man's heart toward me.

There was another guy named Neal. I went through the apprentice program with him, too, and Neal had been a Christian. In fact, he almost was a minister when I went through that apprentice program. He became a union representative while I was in supervision. Well, there was this other guy whom everybody loved but for selfish reasons. His name was Hurley and he was a welder. He'd do all kinds of jobs on the sly for people. They would bring in their broken lawn mower parts or whatever and he'd fix them at the plant. He was a "government-job man". That's what they called him out there. Hurley was working 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for me and I caught him at the other end of the shop with a bunch of newspapers stretched over his face, sound asleep, after I had been looking for him for an hour. He had this certain job to do and it was an overtime job. He was getting paid overtime on my shift to do this job. I caught him an hour or two later and he was sound asleep. I said, "Hurley, I really can't sign your pay slip as though you had worked for eight hours because I'd be lying. I'd be stealing. I'd be doing what you're doing. You're stealing". So he called Neal and Neal was somewhat of a friend of mine, but Neal came over there and he was just storming. He said, "Look, David, if you do this thing, I'm going to use every power I can. I'm going to carry you right up to the top". I just looked at him and said, "Well, Neal, you're just going to have to do what you feel is right. If you feel it's right to crucify me (I don't remember the exact words) for not paying a man who is not working, then you need to do that". The Bible says a soft answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). That's the truth and that's the way he was. He was storming and I was giving him a soft answer. I didn't sign the man's paycheck but there was such a system of dishonesty there. Rather than offend anybody, my supervisor signed it. I told him I wasn't going to sign it because I wasn't going to lie and I wasn't going to steal, and for me to sign that was to say this man worked such-and-such hours. I told him, "I'm not signing it. You can do what you want to do". He signed it and turned it in, and that was the end of it. Neal came back to me a year or so later and said, "The Lord just talked to me over and over". He spent time away from the Lord and now he was coming back to the Lord. Basically, what he was telling me was that the Lord really heaped coals on his head because he was coming against me and I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. He repented and asked for my forgiveness. There are reasons beyond just delivering us from sin. It's to deliver other people from sin. The reason why we shouldn't resist him who is evil and why we shouldn't take vengeance ourselves is to be a witness for other people's sake, to deliver them from sin. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. If you don't avenge yourself, the Lord will do it.

After I got out of supervision, I worked in the machine shop and there was this guy who worked in the motor shop. He was against me. You realize people will come against you, not because of any evil that you've done, but just because you're a Christian. They persecute you just because you're a Christian and they have a different spirit. Well, that was this situation. This particular fellow was an avid Baptist deacon and he would persecute me. He'd talk about me. He'd tell lies about me. He'd do things against me continuously. It was getting to be a pain to live. I was crying out to the Lord, "Get me out of this mess, Lord! Move me or do something!" I was praying for him. I was praying that the Lord would save him and deliver him in my own self-defense. I prayed to the Lord to save this guy. "Please deliver me from this guy". I wouldn't hit back and I wouldn't talk back, and I wouldn't do what he was doing. One day he was particularly mean to me. When I came back to work the next day, both his eyes were black and his face was a mess. What had happened was he decided he was going to go after somebody who owed him money. Well, that guy whipped him something terrible. I knew what the Lord was showing me: "Look, you don't avenge yourself. I'll take care of it". I didn't do anything to the guy but the Lord did. The Lord whipped him. I don't think he took it as a lesson from the Lord but it doesn't matter whether they understand it's a lesson or not. They are still going to receive vengeance from the Lord. That's why you need to pity them because the Lord can get pretty rough. You don't wish it on them but, unless people are chastened, they have no reason to turn to the Lord.

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