In my own life it is during walks that God most often speaks to me. “You are selfish! How? By spending so much time thinking about yourself! But how? You are to set your mind on the things above. But you set your mind on the things below. The things below are not just sin. The things below include questioning past behaviors, decisions, wondering if you were a good father, a good husband, how much of the work was Mike-inspired and how much was God-inspired. These things come from below. And what are they to Me? If you did good in the morning, give God the glory. If you did bad, confess, but don’t bring it into the now. When your eyes are set above, you will be filled, and next your eyes will be on others. It is selfish to spend that much time on self.” Next a message came. Jesus is not a general with troops walking in lock step, fearful of making the wrong move. Jesus is the Shepherd, and He leads. He leads, and the sheep do what is natural. I had to ask myself the question, what do I do naturally? I disciple, lecture, and write. I could see that the sheep also eat the grass that looks good to them while the Shepherd leads. I am free to pick the grass while I am doing what I do naturally. What freedom! I can pick the grass I like; not all sheep pick the same grass. I can pick to go to Ukraine, Latvia, or anywhere if it looks good to me. For at the end of the day and the end of the year, I will have been led through what I do naturally to the exact spot I should be. Every believer is led to the exact spot. Now to receive freedom, we must have faith. Unbelief will always emphasize man’s role in getting to the right place in life by listening, plotting, seeking, trying to understand, and deciphering the signs. Is it good? Is it my wants or His wants? What will happen if I make a wrong move? It is bondage, but we think about it. Is it not truly simple because God is so big? As I finished my walk there was one more lesson. It glorifies God that we walk with Him because we want to. In that last day we will all stand before Him, and God can proclaim, “You chose to be here.” God does everything permissible to help us make the right choice. He will close all doors but one; however, ultimately walking through that one is our choice. He does everything He can to push us to the right place. I could see that all of creation had been stayed by the hand of God. Every tree and rock, if given the freedom to do so, would burst out with His praise. Jesus said the rocks were ready to shout, and David said the trees clap their hands. But God will only allow nature to whisper of its Creator, for any more would infringe on choice. But every created thing is proclaiming Jesus.

I Cor. 1: 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Sometimes it is comical to watch the world and its wisdom. Leaders sit in their meetings acting as though the weight of the world is on their shoulders and it will be their wisdom and cooperation that will make for a better world. They actually, in their pride, believe themselves to be the sharpest knives in the drawer. They never really help people, and the facts have proven it, for the issues with which man is haunted are not addressed. Nothing is said about relationships with God, with family, or with self. Since they have no insight into the important things of life, they try to convince us that what they do know are the real issues of life. It is folly, for the foolishness of God is much greater than the wisdom of man. Jesus has the answer, believers have the answer, and we must not allow ourselves to be brainwashed.

A lie can produce physical symptoms in a person.

“The father of lies”
I was being told of many people in Africa, believers and unbelievers alike, who suffered afflictions put on them by demons. I can understand a demon’s dwelling in an unbeliever; however, nowhere does any writer of the New Testament–despite dealing with a variety of sins, behaviors, and problems—refer to the casting out of demons as a way of deliverance for a believer. Paul had to deal with immorality, idol worship, and all the deeds of the flesh. His solution was to point people back to Jesus. Here there are visible signs of demonic attack among many of the believers: wounds, sores, and a variety of ailments that have beset them because of the demonic. However, I don’t think Satan is the primary cause of such oppression. Satan is the father of lies. When a father and mother divorce, the father is given a piece of paper that gives him the legal right to visit his children. A lie is Satan’s child; if you invite in a lie, Satan has the legal right to come and visit it. A lie can produce physical symptoms in a person. This is most obvious in the Aboriginal culture of Australia, wherein a witch doctor can “point the bone” at a man and the bone will start to grow in the man until it kills him. Doctors, though, have found a solution; they will give the man a local anesthesia, make a large cut, put on butterfly stitches, and give the man some unrelated random piece of bone as if it had been removed. At that the man gets well. The man had received a lie that manifested itself in physical symptoms that would lead to death. The same is taking place in Africa. Remove the lie and both Satan and the physical symptoms will leave. The lie that needs to be removed is that Satan has more power than God. The people have been taught this through parents, culture, and experience, and they have received it. Because of this false concept of God, the lie is received that Satan can harm the elect, a lie that is used by the enemy to steal joy, confidence, and victory. I would recommend that the focus on Satan might be removed and all such lies invited out, so the Christ within can flow freely to fill the void, and the father of lies can have no legal right to visit. Some believers focus on Satan and deliverance for the removal of the symptoms, and it is better to get deliverance from the source of all freedom, which is Christ. It is important that we all guard against any part of the lie that Christ is weak. Again, the revelation of the truth of Christ will fill the void left when the lie leaves, and the symptoms will go.

The way to life is narrow and will take a narrow mind.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” –Jesus Christ, John 12:32
Isn’t it interesting that so many things are contagious rather than received because they inspire belief? If a church is having great success at bringing in believers from the other churches, pastors and committees flock there to discover and imitate the program. Sometimes the program is quite complex. Everything must be timed to the minute. Songs must be ordered in such a way as to lead people to worship. The facility must be user friendly, and the latest pet social ill must be addressed with the utmost sensitivity. Well, amen! An old friend of mine, whose pastor was on to a new church growth plan, stopped him by saying, “This plan costs too much and is too complex!” At that the pastor answered, “Don’t you see that both parking lots are full?” The old man responded, “The parking lot at Walmart is full every Sunday, too. Now here is my plan for growth. It is simple and doesn’t cost money. ‘If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me!’” The pastor shook his head and walked off, but what the old man said was true! We do so much work, when a focus on the crucified/resurrected Savior would ensure that He did the drawing. I am sick of the work of drawing. If God gets all the glory, then He does all the work. To hear many evangelists speak, you would think that they are doing the drawing. They have yet to learn the difference between a crowd and an audience. A fellow said to me the other day, “Wells, you know all the repetition of your message isn’t keeping people away; it’s why we come. I like hearing that Jesus is everything.” I know, then, that it is Jesus Who will draw the people. However, this simplicity takes faith; unbelief will always make things complex. The way to life is narrow and will take a narrow mind. Man will not enter in through the broad way or a broad mind. The narrow mind believes the simplest of things.

I John 1:22, “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” Every believer must be prepared for the day when they are accused of being a false teacher or a cult leader. It has happened to me. I have started nearly every conference with the admonition that everything I say is not true. I am a man in process and make mistakes. However, the one thing I always will say in a conference that is truth is that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As Ray says, “I know what I am saying, but I am never sure of what people are hearing.” Sometimes I say the wrong thing, sometimes I am wrong, and other times I am misunderstood. However, there are those with an agenda to discredit the message of abiding in Christ moment by moment by discrediting me. Each word written or uttered is examined to confirm a pre-established bias. These believers, like Saul, want to stir up the crowd, have them lay their robes at their feet, and stone any who don’t agree with them 100%. They throw around words such as cult, false teacher, and heretic. Honestly, that is a bit harsh an assessment of one who teaches there is nothing but Jesus that matters. I have often said to those who are looking for something with which to discredit me that if they will simply sit down with me, I would give them a list. I have been negative, I have not always abided in Christ, I have walked in the flesh, I have judged, I have been bitter, I have not walked in love, and the list goes on. But then again, knowing my own frailty is why there is no record of my ever trying to get anyone to follow me. My emphasis is consistently to follow Jesus. Well, amen, false judgments must come, and some with a vengeance.

There is a purpose in being judged falsely.

When someone you love is falsely accused, just respond by talking about Jesus.

What am I to do? First, I must see God in it. David looked at the man on the hill cursing and spitting and refused to allow the man to be harmed, because he wondered if God had not allowed it for a purpose. There is a purpose in being judged falsely. Again, I want to be able to love enemies, but I don’t want any enemies. I want to learn to bless those that curse me without ever having to be cursed. I want to rise above distraction and follow Jesus, but I never want the distractions. Just as Judas delivered up Jesus, and from that treacherous act Life was given to man, so God sends us our own Judas, who in ignorance delivers us up in order that we might discover that the Jesus within is greater than the slander without. If I am not preaching Christ crucified, then in all honesty I want God to remove me from the lives of others. But if I am preaching Christ, I will let God deal with the detractor on the hill. Second, I cannot allow the judgments of the carnal to become my focus. This is the most demonic side of accusations, that a hitherto unknown person might actually steal our focus away from Jesus. In a worse case scenario, assuming what is being said is true, health would come from a glance back to Jesus, not a prolonged look at and dialogue with the detractor. Therefore, when I am attacked, don’t be surprised if I go silent and start talking all the more about Jesus. I don’t want to waste time defending myself. All that we have done at ALMI has been in the open. To win the alliance of an accuser is not a victory! By attacking me and making me his focus, the accuser proves that he doesn’t agree with the message of keeping our focus on Jesus. Third, this is where those who love me come in. They can help by not defending me to anyone. I am God’s servant, so send those who accuse to the Master of the servant. The servant is not greater than the Master; the Master is all that matters. We defend the preaching of Jesus, always. We defend the messenger, never. When we start defending someone we love, our flesh is stirred, our focus moves from Jesus, our peace departs, and our accuser has accomplished the goal of the Accuser of the Brethren. This is the most difficult thing for me; I can stand to be slandered, but I can’t stand seeing those I love slandered. It is important that we do not defend men, for it is always a trap the enemy has set. When someone you love is falsely accused, just respond by talking about Jesus. Our goal is Jesus. Remember, a detractor’s job is to detract you from Jesus to a lesser issue. Fourth and finally, I want to have compassion for those who make false judgments. I have done it myself. I have gotten everything wrong. Having this in my past, I can say with complete confidence that I would rather be the one being judged than the one doing the judging. The one being judged can come away sweet, but the one involved with judging will always go away depleted and under the judgment of God.

The fear is simple, that we will preach one thing and then do another, and thus discredit our message.

I Cor 9: 27 “But I keep charge of my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
This is a beautiful, love-filled, strong warning by Paul, whose concern is legitimate. The fear is simple, that we will preach one thing and then do another, and thus discredit our message. As you know, we stand and fall on our definitions. The common definition given to that passage would lead one to believe that Paul was preaching law and judging his lack of hypocrisy by his ability to keep the law. I would be willing to assert that most who preach on this passage use it to set a standard that they don’t even keep, then draw the contrast between what the listeners do and what Paul did, and leave everyone bleeding on the ground as hopeless hypocrites. But what was Paul preaching that he didn’t want to go against? Are you preaching the same thing that Paul was preaching? Is your standard different from his? For Paul was preaching grace, love, mercy, hope, and, more than anything, a devotion to Jesus. I believe it is these things, being preached regularly, that he was afraid not to do and disqualify himself. Many preach grace, but then when they fail, they move farther away from Jesus. They have just disqualified themselves from the message they preach. When a Christian fails he must get up and move forward in the love of God. If he cannot, there is a big problem. In short, Christianity is different, much different.

Simply let the peace of God rule in your heart.

Matthew 5:27, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

If the message that you get from what I am about to say is that I am somehow justifying immorality, please reread the article. Immorality is sin. However, I would like to make one small point concerning the passage quoted: It is written to those who are married. A single person can commit fornication but not adultery. Fornication is prohibited for the single just as adultery is for the married. Why make a distinction? It is simply in order to recognize the fact of the hormones of youth. God has created men and women with a sex drive for attracting the opposite sex, for procreation. When the hormones are raging in a young man, it is impossible, in the power of self, not to look on a girl with lust, so the Lord can use the sex drive to reveal the weakness in a young person’s flesh. I have seen so many young men under condemnation because they had sexual thoughts about a young woman and applied the verse above to themselves. I don’t believe that is realistic, and it leads to condemnation. Is there any person dating or engaged that has not thought about the day, when married, they could be in bed together? Is this adultery? Are these thoughts fornication? I don’t believe so. Can such thoughts go too far and be sinful? Yes! How to tell the difference? Simply let the peace of God rule in your heart. He will tell you when you have moved out of the natural into the unnatural. However, remember, condemnation will not help you.

The fearful person is the perfect person in whom God can be creative.

Mark 2:22, No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.
God can only do something creative through a weak, unknowing person. Familiarity with a job encourages doing it the same way and not, in humility, seeking Him for His way. For example, a person with 50 years’ successful experience with missions, teaching, or church building will not, generally speaking, seek the Father for how He wants things done in a new place. It will be done the same way, without thought, and the person will find himself in a rut. The problem with many churches is that they either stay in a rut or go examine other people’s ruts instead of going to the Lord and discovering whether there is something new that He would do. I meet many people fearful to take up the call of God. They don’t know how to preach, they don’t know how to lead, and they don’t know enough about the topic. But here is a secret: water cannot be put in a full cup; new wine cannot be put in an old wineskin. The fearful person is the perfect person in whom God can be creative. If you can’t do something, admit it, and let Him do something new. This message of Christ in you is old, and yet with each generation God would make it fresh. In your weakness, allow Him to do just that, make it fresh.

Can someone really make you miserable?

John 8: 36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

How much power does man have over you? Do you surrender your peace to men? Can someone really make you miserable? As a slave was being beaten by his Hindu master for preaching, the master said, “Now what can Jesus do for you?” The slave quickly replied, “He can help me love you!” The slave never surrendered his peace to a person. When you are mad because someone has upset you, and then you vent your frustration on that person, you are venting in the wrong direction. It is impossible that someone upset you. What really happened is that you allowed yourself to be upset. You should be mad at yourself; however, in pride, it is much more pleasant to say that it is another person’s fault, though it simply isn’t. Many men are angry because their wives will not follow. In reality they are mad at themselves for not taking a stand and leading. Living in such a way—“I am mad at myself, but I will say I am mad at you and blame you”–yields any solution for happiness to the hand of another. That will double the anger, but remember, you gave the person this power over you.

Over the course of the years I have attended, witnessed, and been told of a variety of meetings and experiences that simply cannot be witnessed to from the Scriptures. Attempts to verify and legitimize them through the Scriptures are made; however, most often this ends in a distortion of the Bible. So what about such meetings and experiences? Those that have such experiences will vehemently fight for them as valid experiences of the Spirit. Though the expressions are not consistent around the world, “other” type experiences are. Some witness to having teeth turn gold, others to a cross turning to gold, uncontrolled laughter, pictures of saints that exude a fragrant aroma that heals, falling down and passing out, prophecies, people turning to pigs through prayer, and much, much more. I have heard many accounts, all told with sincerity and conviction. Again, what about such meetings and experiences? First, I must keep it all in perspective. In short, I really don’t care. Why? Not because I don’t care for the people, but because even if the experience and meeting were legitimate, it wasn’t my meeting or my experience, so why would I argue a position? It is too easy for all of us to move into pride. While Jesus was with the disciples, they were one. Take Jesus out of the center of any conversation and there will be division. I wouldn’t sacrifice my relationship with Christians over an experience that someone else had. Therefore, we approach such experiences without an agenda. I am not trying to prove or disprove. In comparison with my fellowship with a believer, I don’t care. Therefore, I will often go quiet if I see that my observations would cause a division. This approach won’t satisfy those that want to fight for the truth. However, the truth is not any experience, but Jesus. This brings me to the second point: a meeting or an experience does not create a heart for Jesus, but it does reveal one. Camping on this point has helped me, for I see both types of people attending such meetings. One person goes for the spectacular, for the seeking of the experience, all in the hope of creating a heart for God or obtaining a shred of proof that he is acceptable to God. This person is most open to deception. Some with this attitude are even leading the meetings. Perhaps we could liken it to “Christian pornography.” The purpose of pornography is to stimulate the fleshly body, albeit unnaturally. The body is to be stimulated by one’s mate, not another in the form of a picture. In the same way, the mind, will, and emotions belong to God and are to be stimulated by His Spirit. However, Christian pornography would be allowing something other than God to stimulate the soul. Many in seminaries are addicted to “intellectual pornography,” for they are always looking for the thing that will stimulate the mind. Many organizations are driven by men who have their wills stimulated through fantasizing about great works, or “pornography for the will power.” Others are into “emotional pornography” through the stirring of the emotions in a meeting or an experience. It is unnatural to go to a meeting seeking something to stir the soul other than Jesus. When those with such a heart are describing the experience and are questioned, they will immediately shift course and say that it is all about Jesus. However, His name was never mentioned in the course of the description. Instead there was a forceful presentation of the experience and the meeting. This is a revelation of the heart. Remember that Jesus did miracles and generally told the people to be quiet about them. He didn’t want to attract people who were attracted by miracles. Actually, I believe that a false teacher is used of God to reveal false hearts. I don’t mind if people go running to them, for they are seeking something other Jesus. Christian pornography, those things that stir the soul, are like the picture; they are a substitute for the real Person. In talking to a Pentecostal Pastor and a Baptist Pastor, I asked the same question. “Go back 20 years and think of the people in your church. Where are they today? How many are still moving forward?” Both pastors gave the same percentage; both have the same “results.” One can only conclude that it is not doctrine that allows for forward movement, but the grace of God and the choice of man. Therefore, the doctrine of a meeting can be completely wrong, but we must not neglect those that attend such meetings, for the revelation of the motives of their hearts. Faith is an amazing thing. If you believe that God will meet you at the Baptist church, will He? If you believe that God will meet you at the Pentecostal church, will He? If you believe that you will meet Him in the mountains, will you? He is everywhere. He can be found in any place at any time. Therefore, good-hearted people go to strange meetings and meet Jesus. Their hearts are revealed. The proof is in their lives. I have known those that have had very abnormal experiences, and yet it is obvious they are moving up in Jesus, talking more about Jesus, promoting Jesus, and not pushing the experience. What do we say to such things? Well, amen! I don’t have to understand it to witness to it. I know people personally that were, outwardly, going nowhere until the experience came and something changed. They became Christ-centered. In conclusion, meetings do not create hearts, they reveal them. Go to any meeting with the right heart, and your heart will be revealed. Go to the weird meeting wanting to create some kind of heart, and any manner of thing can happen. That is why people with a right heart come away from really strange things blessed, and those with a wrong heart are led further astray.

Over the course of the years I have attended, witnessed, and been told of a variety of meetings and experiences that simply cannot be witnessed to from the Scriptures. Attempts to verify and legitimize them through the Scriptures are made; however, most often this ends in a distortion of the Bible. So what about such meetings and experiences? Those that have such experiences will vehemently fight for them as valid experiences of the Spirit. Though the expressions are not consistent around the world, “other” type experiences are. Some witness to having teeth turn gold, others to a cross turning to gold, uncontrolled laughter, pictures of saints that exude a fragrant aroma that heals, falling down and passing out, prophecies, people turning to pigs through prayer, and much, much more. I have heard many accounts, all told with sincerity and conviction. Again, what about such meetings and experiences? First, I must keep it all in perspective. In short, I really don’t care. Why? Not because I don’t care for the people, but because even if the experience and meeting were legitimate, it wasn’t my meeting or my experience, so why would I argue a position? It is too easy for all of us to move into pride. While Jesus was with the disciples, they were one. Take Jesus out of the center of any conversation and there will be division. I wouldn’t sacrifice my relationship with Christians over an experience that someone else had. Therefore, we approach such experiences without an agenda. I am not trying to prove or disprove. In comparison with my fellowship with a believer, I don’t care. Therefore, I will often go quiet if I see that my observations would cause a division. This approach won’t satisfy those that want to fight for the truth. However, the truth is not any experience, but Jesus. This brings me to the second point: a meeting or an experience does not create a heart for Jesus, but it does reveal one. Camping on this point has helped me, for I see both types of people attending such meetings. One person goes for the spectacular, for the seeking of the experience, all in the hope of creating a heart for God or obtaining a shred of proof that he is acceptable to God. This person is most open to deception. Some with this attitude are even leading the meetings. Perhaps we could liken it to “Christian pornography.” The purpose of pornography is to stimulate the fleshly body, albeit unnaturally. The body is to be stimulated by one’s mate, not another in the form of a picture. In the same way, the mind, will, and emotions belong to God and are to be stimulated by His Spirit. However, Christian pornography would be allowing something other than God to stimulate the soul. Many in seminaries are addicted to “intellectual pornography,” for they are always looking for the thing that will stimulate the mind. Many organizations are driven by men who have their wills stimulated through fantasizing about great works, or “pornography for the will power.” Others are into “emotional pornography” through the stirring of the emotions in a meeting or an experience. It is unnatural to go to a meeting seeking something to stir the soul other than Jesus. When those with such a heart are describing the experience and are questioned, they will immediately shift course and say that it is all about Jesus. However, His name was never mentioned in the course of the description. Instead there was a forceful presentation of the experience and the meeting. This is a revelation of the heart. Remember that Jesus did miracles and generally told the people to be quiet about them. He didn’t want to attract people who were attracted by miracles. Actually, I believe that a false teacher is used of God to reveal false hearts. I don’t mind if people go running to them, for they are seeking something other Jesus. Christian pornography, those things that stir the soul, are like the picture; they are a substitute for the real Person. In talking to a Pentecostal Pastor and a Baptist Pastor, I asked the same question. “Go back 20 years and think of the people in your church. Where are they today? How many are still moving forward?” Both pastors gave the same percentage; both have the same “results.” One can only conclude that it is not doctrine that allows for forward movement, but the grace of God and the choice of man. Therefore, the doctrine of a meeting can be completely wrong, but we must not neglect those that attend such meetings, for the revelation of the motives of their hearts. Faith is an amazing thing. If you believe that God will meet you at the Baptist church, will He? If you believe that God will meet you at the Pentecostal church, will He? If you believe that you will meet Him in the mountains, will you? He is everywhere. He can be found in any place at any time. Therefore, good-hearted people go to strange meetings and meet Jesus. Their hearts are revealed. The proof is in their lives. I have known those that have had very abnormal experiences, and yet it is obvious they are moving up in Jesus, talking more about Jesus, promoting Jesus, and not pushing the experience. What do we say to such things? Well, amen! I don’t have to understand it to witness to it. I know people personally that were, outwardly, going nowhere until the experience came and something changed. They became Christ-centered. In conclusion, meetings do not create hearts, they reveal them. Go to any meeting with the right heart, and your heart will be revealed. Go to the weird meeting wanting to create some kind of heart, and any manner of thing can happen. That is why people with a right heart come away from really strange things blessed, and those with a wrong heart are led further astray.