The Bible and Life

Friday, October 31, 2025

Reverence

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is an important message about giving God the reverence that He deserves.

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Reverence

As Jesus was discussing the subject of clapping and raising of the hands in praise to Him, He made this statement: "When you really learn to praise and worship Me in the right way, you'll find a stronger anointing and a greater move of the Holy Spirit in your midst.

We need to learn that when the Presence of the Lord is in a place, we should not dissipate that Presence, that power. Be quiet and reverent and then you'll see the manifestation of the Holy Ghost that your heart has longed for.

You haven't see anything like what we will see when the Body of Christ gets to that place of worship. We were in that kind of atmosphere worshipping God in one of our crusades, and there were five people sitting in wheelchairs. Three of them just got up and walked off. No one laid a hand on them. But for that to happen, we have to begin to get into the flow of the Holy Spirit.

When you get in an atmosphere of true worship, and God begins to move by His Spirit, you can just reach out and take what belongs to you in Christ. The Bible teaches laying on of hands, but you really don't have to have hands laid on you when the Presence of God is so strongly in manifestation.

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In Charismatic Movement. There's been a lightness in Charismatic services: a "hip-hip-hooray" type of atmosphere. Ohhhh! But in times past, I've seen the Presence of God come in and fill the temple! When I say "the temple, " I mean a body of believers.

During those times when the Presence of God came into our services, no one moved; an awesome Presence filled the room. I wish I could describe that awesome Presence to you. Some things are just too reverent to talk about and it's hard to find words to describe them. But I've seen the awesome Presence of God come in and fill the temple. I long to see the Body of Christ experience that Presence on a continual basis!

At this writing, it has been almost a year since Jesus' 1987 visitation with me. In our own ministry, we have been experiencing the deeper move of the Spirit of God among us which Jesus promised. Just a short while after the summer Campmeeting, our crusade team was in Detroit. One of our singers was singing a song of the Spirit, fresh from Heaven, given by the inspiration of the Spirit in that moment. Upon hearing one of the lines of the song, the crowd began to clap. The singer stopped and exhorted the congregation, "Please don't clap anymore."

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They received the instruction and listened to what the Spirit was saying as he went on with the spiritual song. A depth, an indescribable Presence like a cloud filled the auditorium. We had no preaching that night. The Holy Spirit came upon me in a greater measure to minister by the Spirit in healings and in other ways. Afterwards, I asked those seated in the minister's' section if they had noticed how the anointing increased.

But when people begin to demonstrate in the flesh, the anointing lifts -it flies away like a bird taking flight because it grieves the Spirit. I wish I could get that over to people. I've been in meetings of several thousand where the Holy Spirit was moving, and suddenly, I knew by the Holy Spirit when the anointing came upon me to stand over in the office of the prophet and minister to the people. I was just ready to call out certain people, to point to them right where they stood, and say, "The Spirit of God just showed me this is what is wrong with you." I've ministered that way many times through the years, and every time, the people have been healed.

When I've ministered under that kind of an anointing, I've never had one person fail to get healed. I could tell you about thousands of people who were healed that way through the many years of my ministry. However, sometimes when the anointing has come to minister in that office, people in the congregation have gotten up and started moving about. The lack of reverence for God moving in the service grieved the Spirit and He left; the anointing lifted from me. I mean,

just like a bird sitting on your shoulder, it flew away- the anointing left.

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And those people didn't even know it; they went out talking and whispering. Maybe they were in a hurry to leave and get something to eat, but they didn't know that they had just hindered some dear sick people from being healed-sometimes people with terminal cases.

During this visitation before Campmeeting '87, the Lord dealt with me very strongly about the fact that He's trying to get the Body of Christ to the place where He can move by His Spirit in our midst. I'm gradually seeing that come to pass. The Body of Christ is finally coming to the place where God can move in our services like He wants to. This is the time!

The Body of Christ has finally come to that time now, and is getting ready for the move that God wants in the earth, glory to God! Several years ago, the Lord said to me, "There is a move of the Spirit of God that will be lost to this present generation unless they are taught and led into it."

I don't know that we have been successful at this yet. But we're finally coming to the place where we can begin to teach this. The Lord went on to say to me, "Some of the old- time Pentecostals knew something about that deeper move of the Spirit. The new generation of Charismatics know little or nothing about it. Charismatics know little or nothing about the move of My Spirit. Charismatics know a little about praising Me, but they know nothing at all about true worship.".

- Kenneth E Hagin ( Purpose, Plan,Pursuits )

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Members, Citizens, Sons

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

THIS IS WHY YOU’RE BURNED OUT

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Most churches never get past Membership. They focus on drawing crowds instead of raising sons. But if you’re building for the Kingdom, you can’t stop at inspiration—you must cultivate transformation.

MEMBERS consume. They come for a good word, a great atmosphere, and personal encouragement. They are present, but not planted.

CITIZENS commit. They move beyond “church as usual” and embrace discipleship. They want to grow, be equipped, and understand Kingdom culture.

SONS carry weight. They don’t just attend—they invest, serve, protect, and advance the vision. They don’t need to be entertained because they’re too busy building.

The problem? Most pastors are pouring their hearts into Members instead of Sons.

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Here’s the hard truth:

➡️ If you treat Members like Sons, you will burn out trying to carry people who were never called to carry weight.

➡️ If you treat Sons like Members, you will frustrate the ones who were called to build with you.

➡️ If you treat Citizens like outsiders, they’ll never grow into their full potential.

This is why discernment is critical in leadership. Not everyone who comes is called to stay. Not everyone who stays is called to build. And not everyone who builds is called to lead.

I want to see you finish strong and not burn out.

By an Unknown Source

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Friday, October 24, 2025

Nothing Left But Jesus

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is something that I found that I wanted to share. It's short but I really loved the sentiment involved. People should see Jesus in all of us.

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One day God spoke to Smith Wigglesworth in Rev. George Stormont's house.

God said, " I'm going to burn you all up Wigglesworth until there's nothing left but only Jesus!"

With tears streaming down Wigglesworth's face he replied,

"Come and do it Lord! I don't want them ever to see me again, I only want them to see Jesus!"

May this always be our prayer as well!

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Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Carrie Judd Montgomery

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Carrie Judd Montgomery

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I first met Carrie Judd Montgomery in 1934 at her Home of Peace in Oakland, California. I spoke at a couple of her Friday healing meetings in a downtown auditorium and prayed for the sick. Her husband had passed away some years before, and she ran her home for missionaries by herself.

She had people from all continents staying at her home at one time or another. A member of her family would make wooden crates in which the missionaries could pack their belongings for shipping overseas. He also would haul the crates down to the ships for the people and make sure they were shipped correctly to the right countries.

One morning when I stayed at her home as I passed through the San Francisco area headed out on the mission field, we were at prayer together. She turned to me and said, "All the money God gives me today, I will give to you, because you are a missionary." I thought, "Boy, I've got it made today."

However, all that was collected was $12, so I did not get much. But with the little money I did have, I bought some necessities for traveling and, when I started off on the boat, I still had $12.1 suppose you could call them "Carrie Judd Montgomery" dollars.

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She was more advanced in the knowledge and exercise of faith than many Christians in those days. Missionaries on furlough stayed with her to rest in a spiritual atmosphere, as well as missionaries enroute overseas. Somehow, through faith, she was able to support this work, even after her husband, a successful businessman, died.

Many people have asked me how she was accepted among male ministers. As far as I can tell, there was no sense of competition with her, mostly because of the home that she kept. In the earlier days, however, women on the average were not very well-accepted. However, Carrie Judd was like a mother to young ministers. She was a true "mama" to those around her.

When I was there once, she said, "Come into my room, young man." So I went into her private room, which was very large. It had its own fireplace and a sitting area, as well as her bed.

She said, "Now, you're going to take a journey of faith. I know Howard Carter. You had better be going in real faith, not hope. You get faith by studying the Word. You get in there and study that Word until something in you 'knows that you know' and that you do not just hope that you know."

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I think she was trying to find out what was in me, what kind of backbone I had, and if I would quit and run home under difficult circumstances or go forward as God led. Later, my wife and I and our children stayed with her on our way to The Philippines to build a new church in Manila. The children enjoyed the freedom and joy of her home. And we appreciated her so much.

She was everyone's friend in the ministry. Sometimes, she might have twenty different missionaries staying in her home at one time. And each one felt he, or she, had all of her attention. No one felt belittled or left out. Making everyone feel welcome is a special gift.

At that time, you could just give her whatever money you wanted to, or not give her anything, when you stayed at her home. It seldom made a difference to her anyway. She trusted God to meet her needs. I usually tried to pay my own way there so that we would not be a liability to her.

- Dr. Lester Sumrall ( The Pioneers Of Faith )

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Friday, October 17, 2025

The World Is Not A Playground

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a story from a book that I wanted to share.

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THE WORLD IS NOT A PLAYGROUND

Men think of the world as a playground. But militant Christians know otherwise. This world isn't a playground, it's a battleground. We're not here to fight, the world says, we are here to frolic. Sadly, even many Christians have adopted that attitude. Oh, they wouldn't say that in so many words, but their lifestyles and their conduct gives them away. Careless, carnal "Christianity."

You don't have to delve too far back into history to see that things are far different today than they were for our founding fathers and the early development of our country. There is a wide gulf between our attitudes and that of those forefathers. There was a time when Christianity exercised a dominant influence over American thinking. What made the difference?

These people knew the world was a battleground. They believed in sin, the devil, and hell as constituting one force; with God, righteousness, heaven and God's people. They recognized that in this battle you can't be neutral. It's life or death, heaven or hell, and if a man is to come out on the winning side, he can expect to do war with God's enemies. The fight is real, long and deadly, and it lasts as long as life continues here below. Heaven is home where the soldier enjoys the peace God has prepared for those who love Him, who serve Him, and are faithful to the end. The end counts.

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In heaven we won't need our armor. We can shed it as we enter its portals. There we will be given the victor's crown and robe of righteousness reserved for the stalwart (Rev. 6:11; 7:9-17).

But in the meantime, tremendous spiritual forces are present in the world, and we are caught in the middle. Evil powers are intent on destroying the godly; but arrayed against these demonic forces, are the heavenly hosts helping God's faithful people. This is war. It requires militancy on the part of Christians. This book is a call to those who name the Name of Christ to put on their armor and to advance against the devil. It is an urgent plea for Christians to recognize that this is war, to take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and to use it with Holy Spirit empowerment.

- Lester Sumrall ( The Militant Church )

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Tuesday, October 14, 2025

How Demons Possess People

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

HOW DEMONS POSSESS PEOPLE.

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Jesus then told me he was going to show me how demons get hold of people, even believers, if they will let them. He showed me a man in a vision. I didn't recognize the man. I saw an evil spirit come and sit on his right shoulder. (There's no significance to the right shoulder at all. If there had been, the Lord would have told me.) The evil spirit began to whisper in this man's ear, and the man began to entertain its thoughts.

Then in the vision the man became as transparent as if he were made of glass. Something seemed to go into his head. It looked like a black dot and it was almost as large as a baseball. Jesus told me that this thing first came from the outside to attack the man, but because he had listened to it and had opened his mind to it, it had entered his thinking. He had become obsessed!

Then I saw this black dot go from the man's head down into his spirit. He told me that it now possessed him wholly. Then I saw a whole group of evil spirits come in. I saw the first spirit holding a door open, as it were, for all these other spirits who were swarming in. There were so many I couldn't count them all. They looked like big flies. The first one looked like a little monkey or elf.

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Jesus talked to me about that. He reminded me of the Bible account in Matthew 12:24 which tells how Jesus was accused of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the lord of flies. He said these spirits were lower classes of spirits. The higher class demon got in there first and got control and then let the others in.

Remember the man whose house was swept clean but the evil spirit came back with seven others and they all entered into him (Matt. 12:44,45)? The one spirit knew how to get in, and he took the others with him. Jesus told me this man was possessed of the first spirit which went into him, and then he let the others in. All of them were in there, but only one fully possessed him. He then told me the madman of Gadara had a legion of demons.

Jesus told me in the vision to walk up to the man I saw in the vision. I walked up to him, and the Lord told me that from that night on, when I was in the presence of one who was fully possessed, these spirits would recognize me. They would recognize that I had power over them.

He said when a person is fully demon possessed, the demon can use his voice and state that he knows who you are. The demons will know you as much as they knew who Jesus was.

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He said that through discerning of spirits, which is an inward revelation, I would know what kind of a spirit possesses a person. He told me that if the spirit did not come out when commanded to, I should ask what his name is and how many there are within. Some won't come out until you do this.

Then Jesus showed me some things I hadn't understood before. He talked to me about the man who came out of the tombs at Gadara. (Mark 5). Jesus said if I had been there that day I would have heard, with my physical ears, this man talking. But it was really the demon who possessed the man doing the talking. (A person present wouldn't have heard all the demons speaking unless he had discerning of spirits.) This was what Jesus told me. He said because I had this gift, at times I would see and hear into the realm of spirits. That scares some people; I'd be lying if I said it weren't so.

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Sometimes I've had spirits speak to me before I've ever said a word. I hear them. People can hear me telling them to leave, but no one else hears them talking. Sometimes they say to me very emphatically, "I don't intend to go." I say, "Yes you do, and out you go in the Name of Jesus." I've seen them go. People will be delivered. I've seen too much of it not to believe it, and I know it works.

I don't just run and jump into something. I stop and think it over for a long time before I start using it. The Lord told me one time when He appeared to me in a vision that He would rather I be too slow than too fast. He said some people receive a little revelation, and they grab it and run. They usually end up with everything messed up. It's better to be careful.

I do not believe that God is going to take novices and new Christians who know little or nothing, equip them with these things, and send them out to turn the world upside down. That's out of line with His program.

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So Jesus told me to walk up to this man. When I walked up to him, the man immediately spoke out loud and said, "I know you; I know who you are." Without thinking I told him to shut up in the Name of Jesus. He hushed. Then on the inside of me I knew what kind of spirit was talking to me. It was a deceiving spirit.

I said, "You foul deceiving spirit, I command you to come out of the man in the Name of Jesus!" Nothing happened! So then I asked the name and how many there were in there. (Deceiving isn't a name, it's just a kind.) He said there were 19 more in there besides him. That was all I needed to know. I then commanded him and all 19 to come out in the Name of Jesus. And they came out!

- Kenneth E Hagin ( MINISTERING TO THE OPPRESSED )

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