IN LOVING MEMORY

I grieve the loss of a loving friend; there’s sadness in my heart

And like all death it took its toll, and from me stole a part.

I wander to the telephone, then remember I can’t ring

I treasure memories in her house, of the songs we used to sing.

I long to sit with pen and write, open up my heart

To see her and embrace her, how it hurts to be apart.

Past are the times of tenderness, of the warmth and loving care

There’s a part of me that’s empty now; there’s sorrow that I bear.

Within the boundaries of my faults, I gave better than my best

I laboured well and gave my all, but now in death this rests.

Maybe it’s old fashioned, but I try to be committed

I’d do all I could to help a friend, say sorry when conflicted.

I have my ups and downs, but a deep love for my friends

Courses strongly through my heart, but in death my heart it rends.

It actually wouldn’t be so bad, if in glory they were waiting

But no, this death has come, in a letter laced with hating.

The grave is where I kneel; the flowers are my prayers

The pile of dirt: unchristian words; I wash them with my tears.

Harder than a fort with bars, to retrieve a friend offended

How can this be in Christ, to see a friendship ended?

Threatened with Jehovah’s wrath, though my heart is filled with love

But I pray that this same Jesus, will brood softly like the dove.

Love can resurrect the dead, love can still the storm

Love gives eyesight to the blind, and a cold heart love can warm.

In the Old Testament Christ the same, Christ the same in the New Testament, and Christ, the same, forevermore... Then if we can see what He was, then what He had been, and what He will be, then we've got it. Is that right?
Moses said, now, "He'll be like me, a Prophet like unto me." Then when He come, what Christ that was, He had to be what He... Then He had to be what He was before then. So now, let's start from right there, and then we'll see what He will be forever. That's the only way to make it.
Same yesterday, now here was, we find the Hebrew writer Paul, saying, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday," speaking to the Hebrews. And we all know that Jehovah of the Old Testament was Jesus of the New, and it's the Holy Spirit of today. It's just the same God just manifested in three different offices. And so, the same God... And all that God was, He poured into Christ, all Christ was He poured into the Church. So, see, you can find quickly what He is, "The same yesterday, today, and forever."

William Branham, We Would See Jesus, 62-07-04

TODAY WE FIND GREAT HEROES

Emperor Constantine with political motivation legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire in A.D. 320 to consolidate his power by bringing an ecumenical union between paganism and Christianity. He achieved this by dictating the decision to implement trinitarian doctrine at the First Council of Nicaea.  However, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who controlled the Eastern half of the empire, broke allegiance with the West and continued to suppress Christianity.

When Licinius demanded that every soldier under his command sacrifice to the Roman gods, the forty Christian men of the “Thundering Legion” refused. Their general, Lysias, had them whipped, torn with hooks, and then imprisoned in chains. When they still refused to bow down and give up their worship of God, he ordered them stripped of their clothing and left in the middle of a frozen lake until they relented.

A warm bath was poured for any who would give up their convictions. The men prayed together that their number would not be broken. However, as it grew dark, one could not bear the cold any longer and ran to the warm bath.

One of the guards who had watched the forty brave soldiers sing to Christ became angry that one would give in to Lysias’s orders. His anger turned to conviction, and then his conviction turned to faith. He tore off his clothes and ran out on the icy lake, fulfilling their promise to be “forty brave soldiers for Christ!”
The forty died together that day. The one who gave up his faith for a warm bath also died.

Today We Find Great Heroes

We’ve all heard the story

Of the soldiers 40 strong,

Who were put out on the ice to die

Because others thought they were wrong.

Valiantly they stood for Christ

Unbending with conviction.

In agony they froze to death

Because of interdiction.

In admiration we look back

But stop and think a while

Bring it forward to now

Apply it to your trial

Despite discomfort to the flesh

They knew exactly why they died,

But now we’re killed the whole day long

Not knowing why we’re tried.

To make amends unable

Disallowed to make defense.

Not sure why such small thing

Could make such great offense.

Apologies make no difference

And the good that you have done,

In their bitterness evaporates

Like water in hot sun.

To die upon the ice

Might be easier you’ll find,

Than to bear this persecution

And the battle of the mind.

So today we find great heroes

They lay their lives down for the Lord,

Crucified they bear the cross

But are faithful with the Sword.

For the Word they’ll stand regardless

Though they stand alone,

And pray God forgives their enemy

And that grace for sin atones.

LIFE'S TRAMP (HIKE)

Life is like a tramping trip and should everything go well

We’ll sit down at the end; share the stories we can tell.

We’ll remember all the hardship when we started on that day

Because we lost our map and couldn’t find our way.

Though there may be others, so we can laugh and talk

The things you suffer differ; it’s an individual walk.

Some can climb the mountain while others fall apart.

Some can’t handle mud and quickly they loose heart.

By far the hardest part is when you set off on up the track,

You’re unfit and inexperienced and there’s too much in your pack.

You haven’t learned the way to measure out your pace,

And instead of going steady you treat it like a race.

First up there’s the bluff that never seems to end,

And constantly you hope the top, is just around the bend.

There’s blisters, aching muscles and your shoulder straps give pain.

Uncomfortably the sweat runs down, and your back can feel the strain.

I’ve seen some turn around, to continue, unprepared,

They found the obstacles and risk, a challenge to be feared.

But worse still is the next day the price for missing training,

And not only that, the weather’s rough and raining.

It’s different now to starting, in all you gear impressing.

The third day’s muscle aches are really quite distressing.

There’re ravines that get your knees, and climbs that get your thighs,

Mostly you’re just puffing, though occasionally you sigh.

Your lungs just stress to get some air though it’s everywhere around

So you focus on the end, of the journey that you’re bound.

It’s not all bad; you’ll climb the heights of rapture as you view,

Amazing panoramas only seen by just a few.

Waterfalls and mossy banks, as the sunshine filters through,

Mountains, streams and gentle glades and coves of glistening blue.

Towering cliffs and thundering seas, cloud swirling on the tops,

Valley mists, and rapids, and impressive rock outcrops.

Sometimes you’re damaged by a fall, and hope that some ones near,

So you can ask for help and comfort, and ease the burden that you bear.

You’d gladly lend a hand, to pull them up a bank,

Or warn them of the bog, and the mud where you just sank.

Is it easy? No!  There’re troubles on the way,

But it’s a journey you must make, at the start you just can’t stay.

Be encouraged it does ease up, as your body slowly strengthens,

You can enjoy the view, as you speed the pace and your stride begins to lengthen.

It’s only towering mountains, and cliffs that seem to fall,

That cause you now to strain and make you give your all.

One day upon the mountain top will be the finished story,

As we step off into Jesus arms and He takes us into glory.

THE SIGN OF TRUE INTELLEGENCE

Recently I realized, how clever I really am

With intelligence exceeding, so much more than average man.

Forget about great scholars, they don’t compare my level.

They got all their intelligence from some one called the devil.

Yes I know the scripture says, that children of the light,

Compared to children of the darkness really aren’t that bright.

But here it is, the secret, that only intelligence can know

That I actually don’t know anything so can let my thinking go.

Those who think they know something are truly self deluded.

The sign of true intelligence, is when my thinking is excluded.

For all the learning that most know, they’ll mess up with their life,

They’ll mess up with their children; they’ll mess up with their wife.

They can’t control desires, they know will cause destruction,

And can’t submit to God, and the prophets clear instruction.

To be exalted, be abased, the way up is truly down,

Though with no acclaim on earth, you’ll wear God’s glory as a crown.

  

  That line of Seth, it come down a humble, righteous men; on down through Enoch; on down to Noah, to the end of the antediluvian destruction.
Look at Cain's line: become smart people, educated, science.  Did not Jesus say that the children of this world are wiser than the children of the Kingdom? Look at the side of Cain yet today: smart, educated, skeptic, very religious (See?), very religious; but scientists, builders, great men.
Take great men. Look at Thomas Edison. Many great men, look at Einstein, the brains of the world, so-called today, the brains of the world. But we don't try to use brains. We let the mind that was in Christ be in us, and look to this Word and call That so.
Medical doctors, though we salute them with whatever we have, but the most of those are skeptics, agnostics. Look at the smart, intelligent people today. They're on that side over there, the Cain side.
But look at the humble and meek. There's your resurrection again.
William Branham, Hebrews Chapter 1, 57-08-21

JUST HOLD ON AND GRIT IT OUT

When willfully we do things wrong

There’s a price we have to pay.

It’s never very comfortable

And for a long time it could stay.

God doesn’t take too kindly

To iniquity,

As you walked across the sacrifice

He gave to set you free.

Just hold on and grit it out

For you’re the one to blame

Now you know the devil’s not so cute

Where there’s sin there’s also pain.

We’ve all been there and done it

For none there’s been exemption,

But see it as it is

In this trial there’s redemption.

Choose the harder way

Was the prophets urging.

There’ll be victory in the love divine

For in this trial there’s a purging.

It seemed nothing and so lightly

You gave in to your desire,

But now you turn around

Temptation burns like fire.

The lessons that you don’t forget

Are the hardest that you learnt.

But just thank God He’s saved you

Though you got your fingers burnt.

 

IS EVERY WORD AMEN?

Are you staunchly a believer? Is every word Amen?

Your walk with God a love affair; beyond the thoughts of men?

Is this Message precious, as it gives illumination?

In the scriptures verse by verse with precise interpretation.

With revelations stimulation, the love defies description

With bursting heart that overflows as it reads Gods Life’s inscription.

There’s nothing greater and more sublime or more profound you’ll see

I hear a deep that’s calling, and feel a deep respond in me.

But God knows what He's doing as long as He's a leading. You see, you must always go by the Spirit, and the Spirit will always agree with the Word. Now, if the Spirit leads you contrary to the Word, then it's not the Spirit of God. Now, if the Holy Spirit is leading you, It'll say, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
If it's a religious spirit, or some other type of spirit that isn't the Spirit of God, it'll say, "It was for a day gone by, not now." How could you make that act right? Because it said He is the same. 

William Branham, Looking At The Unseen 59-04-10

I John 5:7 said, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (which is the Son), and the Holy Ghost: these three are one. There are three that bear record in earth, the water, the blood, and the Spirit: and these three agree in one."
You cannot have the Father without the Son. You cannot have the Holy Ghost without having both Father and Son. But you can be justified without being sanctified. And you can be sanctified without having the Holy Ghost. They agree in one. But Father, Son, Holy Ghost are one.
You can be in one court justified, by faith believing. You can be in another cleaned up from a life of sin and sanctified.

William Branham, Church Dedication 59-07-08

READ THE WORD AND PRAY

Don’t call yourself a Christian if you don’t read the Word each day

To get closer to the Lord you must read the Word and Pray.

To keep contact with His Spirit Jesus often prayed

This is our example and how a Christian's made.

 


How can a Christian get deeper in the love of God?
Read the Word and pray. Read the Word of God and pray.
William Branham, Questions and Answers, 64-08-30