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CLINIC

Chapter I PREVENTION OF SIN Several years ago in the foothills of Arkansas a little girl was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. After attending prayer meetings for several nights she came home with her soul stirred. She was talking to me on the farm and she made the following remark: "I have heard old people who have been saved for years get up and testify they fail God every day. When I get old I want to get up and say that I have never failed the Lord." That girl was my sister. That has been twenty-nine years ago. The more I think about what she said the more reasonable it sounds. I see that the perfect will of the Lord is the prevention of sin and protection from evil. Is it Possible to Live Without Sin? Would the Lord tell us to do something that is not possible? No, God's Word says that it is our reasonable service. "I beseech you therefore, brethren that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom. 12:1). We know that the Lord will not demand the impossible. You would not ask your child to do the impossible and then whip him for not doing it. If we say that we know Him and do not keep His commandments we are a liar and the truth is not in us (1 John 2:4).His commandments are not grievous (I John 5 :3). He gives a direct commandment when He says, "Little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not" (1 John 2 :1). Paul asks a question and answers it 'by inspiration. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we -1-

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. . that are dead to sin, live any longer th erem 'I" (R om. 6:1). Does Not Every One Make Mistakes? Yes 1 will be the first to acknowledge that. But a mistake is not a sin. A sin is a willful transgression of the law. He that knows to do good and fails to do it, then he is sinning (James 4 :17). You don't sin without knowing it. At one time man could commit the sin of ignorance; that was when the law was written o.ntables of stone (II Cor. 3 :3). But now the law is Written on our hearts and in our minds (Heb. 10:16). If we walk in that light we have the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1 :7). If we fail to walk in the light we have, then we walk in darkness (I John 1 :6). There is no one in the world without fault as far as people are concerned. People found fault ~ith Jes~s; He was without sin. People found fault WIth Damel, but he was without fault before God (Dan. 6 :5). "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to .whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedIence unto ri<Thteousness?" (Rom. 6 :16). ~'Let not therefore sin reign in 'Your mortal bod~, that ye should obey the lust thereof." "For he that IS dead is freed from sin!" "Likewis~ reckon. ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sm, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." But Does The Bible Not Tell Us That There Are None Righteous'! Do you put yourself in that group? If yo~ ~o, re~d on down and see what group you belong to. 'Ihere IS none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; th~re is none that doet~ good, no not one. Their throat IS an ?pen sep~lchre, with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of

asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and miseny are in their ways: And the way of peace they have not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:11-18). You are putting yourself into an awful group of sinners who have never been saved. If you are in that group I advise you to get saved. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son clean seth us from ALL sin" (I John 1:7). The Scripture in Romans Three is speaking about infidels and fools. "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God" (Psalms 14 :1). Read all the references; then you will never want to put yourself into that group again! That is not !the overcoming life that Paul taught about. I don't believe that is the life you are living. Is It Not Pride for Us to Say We Live Without Sinning? Would it be pride for one to say he is a Christian? Not long ago I met a Christian man, who told me that he had been to a very wonderful service. "What happened that was so wonderful?" I asked. He told me that Brother Gardiner confessed to all the church that he had been failing God eveny day. Frankly I did not see anything so wonderful about that. He made that confession in almost all of his testimonies for about forty years. Honest confession is good for the soul if we stop doing wrong, but it is not good for the soul if we keep sinning each day. He that knows to do good and fails to do it, he is sinning (James 4:17). If we keep sinning all the time after God saves us our conscience may some day become seared (I Tim. 4 :2). Paul said he had fought a good fight and finished his course. I don't think that was pride. (II Tim. 4 :7). Hezekiah told the Lord he had obeyed Him (II Kings 20 :3). He then had faith to receive his healing when he was on his death bed. John said they received what -3-

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they asked, because they kept God's commandments and did what was pleasing in His 'sight (I John 3 :22). Enoch had this testimony that he had pleased God. He was caught up alive. Some people today think they can be caught up alive when they have this testimony, that they sin every day. Can a Human Being Live Righteously Without Sinning? Did you ever try it? If you did you found that you could not do it within your own power. But we do not depend on our righteousness. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags before the Lord (Isa, 64:6). We are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3: 3). There are two partitions between us and the devil. If you roll a dead man up the isle in the casket he will not sin. You can talk about him and he will not talk back. You can lie on him, but he will not say a word. Slap him and he will not fight back. Brag on him and he will not take the big head. He is dead. If you are saved the old man is dead (Rom. 8 :10). It is not I, but it is Christ that liveth in me (Gal. 2 :20). He can live it as well one place as He can another. A preacher told a girl he wanted her to get saved. She said she would like to get saved, but she could not give up her dancing. He said, "Come on and get saved, and you can go to all the dances you want." She came arid confessed her sins, and was forgiven. She became a new creature in Christ Jesus; old things passed away; all things became new. Then she said, as she rejoiced and smiled from behind her tears, "I understand now; I can go to all the dances I want to, but all the WANT TO is gone!" If you still have the "want to" you need to be born again and become naturalized for heaven. God will give you a new heart and turn you into another man (I Sam. 10 :6-9).

Does Not Many Good People Say That They Sin Every Day? Do you need to say it because they say it? You should say what God says. He that is of God speaks God's words (John 3 :34). I know a woman who testified that she sinned every day. One time the preacher went to her and asked what she did that was a sin. She said that she could not think of anything she did that was a sin, but she believed that everyone sinned all the time, because she had been taught that all her life. If I had been taught all my life that a mule was a cow, when I grew up I would have seen a mule and called it a cow. Tradition of the elders makes the Word of God of none effect in your life (Mark 7: 13). If you don't know that you are sinning then you are not. Many people say they are failing God, but when you ask them what they are doing that is wrong they cannot tell you. If you testify that God kept you from sin all day, that gives more glory to His name than if you testify that-He could not keep you from sin, but forgave you after you had sinned. God says that sin shall not have dominion over you (Rom. 6 :14). You should say what God says. He is more powerful than the devil. ,If you sin every day and every hour you are not doing any better than the devil. But Have Not All Sinned and Come Short of the Glory of God? Is that past tense or present tense? When Adam sinned the whole human race fell and became under bondage to sin. Then the second Adam, who is Jesus, came to restore what the first Adam lost (Rom. 5 :12, 21). Jesus came to save us FROM sin and not in sin. If you still sin after you are converted then what are you saved from? If you have to sin every day then the devil has more power than God, and Jesus came to die

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in vain for 'Your sins. Any God who can save us from sin can keep us from sin. He is able to keep what we commit in His hands (II Tim. 1 :12). He is able to keep us from falling. Every man on the earth was born in sin; he is in sin until he is born again (John 3 :5). He that is born of God does not commit sin (I John 3 :9). The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1 :7). Does Not the Bible Say There Is None Good But God? Does that mean there is no one living right? Jesus Christ made the claim that He was God. The people denied it. As folk today, they said that He was a good man; but they did not believe that He was God. He let them know if He was a liar then He was not good. That is just what I am trying to tell you. If you do not have God, then you are not good. Many people say they have been good all their lives, that all their ancestors were good people. But it is not your family tree that saves you; it is He who was hanged on the tree of Calvary. You must confess that you are not good and depend on His goodness. You can't trust in your own righteousness, but in His righteousness. Your righteousness is as filthy rags in His sight (Isa. 64 :6). All of your goodness will never save you. Your heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17 :9). Man in his natural state is as a wild ass' colt (Job 11:12). You will have to repent and confess that you are no good before you can be saved and forgiven. The Bible says that Joseph was a good man. Simon was a good man. Barnabas and others, were good men, according to the Scripture. Then how can you explain there are none good? (Matt. 25 :21, John 10:11, II Tim. 3 :3, Titus 1 :8, Luke, 28 :50, Acts 11:24). The Bible teaches us to be dead and our life hid with Christ in God. It is not we that live the life, but Christ that lives in us. If you are dead and if you are full of God, then you are good, for God is good. God dwells in us and we are dead (John 14:23). Our

sufficiency is of God (II Cor. 3 :5). It is not we that doeth the works, but it is God that dwelleth in us (John 14:10). If you walk after the flesh you shall die. (Rom. 8 :13). To be carnal minded is death. Does Not Our Old Nature Get The Best of Us Sometimes? Do you blame your Irish nature for your wrong doing? Then you need a new nature. The old man must be crucified and killed. Both natures cannot remain alive in you at one time (Rom. 8:10, Rom. 6:16, Matt. 6:24). You must have the nature of Jesus Christ (Eph, 2:3, II Peter 1 :4). You are a new creature and all things have become new if you are in Jesus Christ (II Cor. 5:17). You must be born from above (I John 2:29). Then you will not commit sin (I John 5 :18). When the new man is alive the old man is dead. When the old man is alive the new man is dead (Rom. 6:11, 6:16). You can be filled with His nature and virtue (II Peter 1:3). He that is born of God does not commit sin. He cannot sin because he is born of God (I John 3.9). Of course, this does not mean that it is impossible for him to ever sin -again (I John 5 :16). That is talking about the present tense: As long as you are born of God you do not commit sin. If you are led by the Spirit of God th~n you are His children (Rom. 8:14). If you start being led by the devil you are one of his children (Rom. 6:16, Acts 13:10). You can't serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). How can you explain that you can't sin if you are born of God? Look at the word IS. Realize that means present tense. I might explain it this way: "He that is in the ice house does not get warm. For he remaineth in the ice house and he cannot get warm because he is in the ice house. That does not mean that you will be forced to stay in the ice house against your will.

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Is Not Sin More Powerful Than We Are? But sin is not more powerful than God, is it? The first thing that you must learn is this: You cannot live it yourself. You are a miserable failure as far as your power is concerned. The devil is more powerful than you. God is living this life in you. It is no harder for God to live it one place than it is another. God does not only ask us to live it, but He puts the "liver" in us. His grace is sufficient (II Cor. 12 :9). The harder the trial the more the grace. Grace is in proportion to the test. I go to all the dances, shows and hell-holes :that I want to, but all the "want to" is gone. I do not have to hold myself to keep myself from going into a nightdub, or drinking myself drunk. I care nothing for these things because I am born of the Spirit. I am a new creature. All things have become new. A king put a silk suit on a pig and let it eat at his table. He bathed it daily and fixed it up pretty on the outside; but just after it was bathed one day it jumped into another mudhole. Why? Because he was just cleaned up on the outside. On the inside he was still a pig. He still had the pig nature. He still loved mudholes. You must have your nature changed. You must be cleaned on the inside as well as the outside. Just joining a church won't do. You must be born from above (John 3 :3). You must trade your nature for His nature. You will not be allowed to be a citizen of the United States until you are naturalized for this country. You can't be a citizen for heaven until you are "spiritualized" for that country. If you bring a pig into your living room it will not respect your rug. You will not appreciate heaven if you still love the booze-dives of this earth. You must get some heaven in you before you ever get to heaven.

Did Not Solomon Say There Was No Man That Did Not Sin? Why do you remember this verse more than all the others? While Solomon was praying he made that statement. But that was hundreds of years before Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and give us power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10: 19). Jesus conquered Satan and gave us power over the devil and sin. The blood of bulls and goats could not. take away sin (Heb. 10:4). It only put the sin off from year to year until Jesus came to die for the sin of all the world. The people had to come the next ,year and offer the blood of animals for their sins (Heb. 10 :10-11). But Jesus does not need to be offered up every year. He died once for the sins of man to take away sin (Heb. 10:4). We should not go back into sin again, crucify the Son of man afresh and put Him to an open shame (Heb.6:6). Jesus came and gave us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness. We can now be made partakers of His divine nature (II Peter 1:4). Jesus set us an example that we should follow His steps (I Peter 2 :21). He did not sin. Guile was not found in His mouth. As He is so are we in this world (I John 4:17). He said as His Father sent Him so He is sending us the same way (John 20 :21). To be a Christian means that you are Christ-like. If you are sinning every day and every hour you are not Christlike. But Was Paul Not Carnal Sold Under Sin? Are you in that condition? To be carnally minded is death (Rom. 8 :6). If we walk after the flesh we shall die (Rom. 8: 13). He that is in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8 :8). If you have the fruit of the flesh, which is wrath, strife, sedition, anger, fornica-

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tion, etc. you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Gal. 5 :19-21). While Paul was sold under sin; while he was under the law, he was a wretched man. When he would do good evil was present with him. There was nothing good dwelling in him. Sin was dwelling in him. He asked who would deliver him from that death. He answered his own question by saying that Jesus delivered him. The next verse says that after he was in Christ Jesus there was no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). He said that he was free from the law of sin and death; then he walked not after the flesh but after the Spirit; that he was not in the flesh anymore after the Spirit came into him to DWELL; he was led by the Spirit; he was more than conqueror (Rom. 8). If your experience is in the seventh chapter of Romans you should move over into the eighth chapter and live there. Then you can remember some of those verses. You will be FREE from the law of sin and death. Sin will not have dominion over you anymore! You will have dominion over sin. Did Not Paul Say He Died Daily? Did you ever read the context? He is not talking about spiritual death, but he is speaking of natural death. The resurrection is his subject. His life was gradually wearing away. He labored more abundantly than them all (I Cor. 15:10). Paul did not let the old man resurrect every day and then kill him out each day. He did not preach that kind of a Christian life. Neither did he practice it. He lived an overcoming. life. He was led by the Spirit of God. He said all that were led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. No man can serve two masters. He loves the one and hates the other; he holds to one and despises the other (James 3:11). No fountain can send forth both

sweet and bitter water. A tree does not bear both bad and good fruit. You are either serving God or the devil. You are in or out. You are clean or dirty; you are either crooked or straight; you are a sinner or a saint; you are either "is" or "aint". If you steal you are a thief; if you lie you are a liar; if you kill someone you are a murderer; if you drink you are a drunkard; if you sin you're a sinner. I heard that some wicked boys slipped a pig out of a preacher's sack and put a pup in there; then the next day they slipped the pup out and put the pig back in the sack. After this happened several times the preacher became excited and said, "If you are going to be a pig I want you to be a pig; if you are going to be a pup I want you to be a pup". We should get on one side or the other. We either serve God or the devil. You should not try to hold to the Lord with one hand and the devil with the other. Be true to one or the other. Jesus said you should be either hot or cold; if you are lukewarm He will spue you 'Out. lt is Not Presumptuous to Say That You Can Live Right for Long At a Time? Is it presumptuous to say that you are a Christian? Is it pride to say that you can live without murder theft or rape? Is it pride to say you do not lie, steal: and commit adultery? That is no more than your duty. Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God. Would it be presumptuous for your child to attempt to do what you ask him to do? You don't ask your child to do something that he cannot do. To accuse God of doing so is to sey that He is worse than you. If we do what we can that is all a mule can do. That is all an angel can do. I say this so you will stop condemning yourself. Many times you are under condemnation because you

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condemn yourself. If you do this you are not happy (Rom. 14:22). That will hinder you from having faith (I John 3 :21). If the Lord forgives you then you should forgive yourself. God is reasonable (Rom. 12 :1, Isa. 1 :18). If He would ask me to do the impossible and then punish me because I didn't do it, I would not serve such a God! He is more merciful and compassionate than a mother! I heard that a certain boy was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost in Arkansas. When he came home and told his daddy he was told that he could not live it. "Can't I live right one day 1" he asked his daddy. "No," replied his daddy. "Can't I live right one hour?" he asked. But his daddy said, "No." "Can I live right a minute 1" he asked. "Well, I guess you can live right a minute", his daddy replied. "Then, I know what I'll do," said the boy, "I'll live this life minute by minute - just one minute at a time." If God can keep you a minute He can keep you an hour. If he can keep you an hour He can keep you a day. If I-Iecan keep you one day He can keep you every day. He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure (I John 3:3). We are commanded to be holy as He is holy (Lev. 20 :7). Without holiness no man can see the Lord (Heb. 12 :14). But it is His holiness that counts and not our own (Acts 3:12). Did Not the Lord Get Angry and Say That We Could Be Angry Also? Did you read all the verse where He commanded to "Sin Not" 1 That is a commandment. If you say you love Him and fail to keep His commandment are a liar (I John 4 :20). All liars shall have their in the lake (Rev. 21 :8). you that you part

Righteous anger is permitted. You can get angry at the devil if you will not allow yourself to sin (Eph. 4 :26). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. (II Cor. 10 :4). It is the Spirit of God that casts out the devil. Satan does not cast out Satan. Jesus was under the anointing of the Holy Ghost when He was angry. He fought the devil with the anointing of the Spirit (Luke 4 :18). He was not anointed with anger which is the fruit of the flesh (Gal. 5 :20). The anger which is the fruit of the flesh must not be in Christians. He that has the fruit of the flesh shall not enter the kingdom of heaven (Gal. 5:21). If you live after the flesh you shall die (Rom. 8:13). There is a righteous jealousy; there is a righteous wrath; there is a righteous anger. But the devil will try to take advantage of you, give you an unholy attitude, and get you to fight against flesh and blood. We fight not against flesh and blood, but against wicked spirits (Eph. 6 :12). "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thes. 5 :23). Does Not the Old Man have to Sin Every Day? Is the old man still alive in you? Then you must continue to sin as long as he is alive. Some people say the old body must sin every day; but God says that every sin that we commit is without the body (I Cor. 6: 18). He tells us to present our body to him holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable service (Rom. 12 :1). Your body is the temple of God. It must be holy for God to dwell in (I Cor. 3:16-17). Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Cor. 6 :19-20). Jesus and the Father comes into our body to dwell (John 14:23). God says that your body must be sanctified wholly (I Thes. 5 :23). -13-

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I heard that a preacher was brought up before the judge for stealing chickens. He told the judge that it was not he that stole the chickens, but it was the old man. He said the new man was living right. "All right," said the judge, "we will lock the old man up thirty days and let the new man do what he wants to do". All the sins you do come from your heart (Mark 7: 18-19). If the heart did not give the old man permission to sin then he would not sin. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (II Cor. 7:1). Did Not Daniel Pray for God to Forgive His Sins? Did you read that Daniel was without fault before the throne of God? (Dan. 6 :4). At one time he prayed for God to forgive "our sins". He. was confessing the sins of the nation that had gone into bondage. He was praying for the Jewish nation. We are to do the same thing as the prayer the Lord prayed. We are. to say "forgive our sins". That is when we are praying for the people collectively (Luke 11 :4). The following scripture shows it is possible for a Christian to either sin or live without sin: "My litt~e children, these things I write unto you that s:ou sin not. And if any man sin we have an advocate WIth the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2 :1). If any man sin we are supposed to intercede for him. But in the same scripture we are COMMANDED not to sin. 1 ith If you would pray three times each day and rve WI out fault before the throne of God I don't believe you would go into sin. Even if we do not sin we are to pray for the sins of our nation. If we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from ALL sin" (I John 1 :7). It is a con-

tinual cleansing, just as the tears in your eyes cleanse your eyes all day, and keeps out the dust, so the blood protects us from sin as we walk in the light. Your car motor does not run dry and burn up While you are driving because the oil continually lubricates it as it goes. If we walk in the light we are cleansed continually. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Can a Mortal Man Live Right? Would God ask him to do the impossible? He cannot live right within himself. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8 :38-39). Nothing could separate the prodigal son, but he could deliberately walk off from his father. God's commandments are not grievous. One woman came to my house and told me she could not receive deliverance because she did not obey God. "What does God want you to do?" I asked. "He wants me to go across the water and preach", she said, "and I can't go". Then she told me many reasons why she could not go. After waiting a long time she asked if I was going to pray that she would be delivered. I told her I was not going to pray for her deliverance since she could not get delivered until she went across the water. She said she could not go. It was impossible. Then I told her she should be ashamed of herself, lying on God. That was an insult to the Lord for her to go about day after day telling people that God asked her to do the impossible, and then refused to heal her because she did not do it. No sinner would want to serve a God like that. She was sending more people to hell than she helped. She was making people think that God was a monster. That is tearing down faith and destroying confidence in the Lord. It is the trick of the devil to get you to say everyone must sin every day. Next, Satan will get you to say -15-

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that one sin is as bad as another. Then you will be a sinner and a hypocrite. The devil will have your faith. You can't believe God for anything. For faith is based on obedience (I John 3 :22, John 15 :7). Can't We Ask the Lord to Forgive Our Sins Each Nigh t Before We Retire? Do you do that ? Then you must be sinning each day. If you sin all the time you are a sinner. Some folk are afraid of the dark. When it comes night they pray. Suppose they would have a car wreck and get killed sometime in the afternoon. They would go straight to hell. If you would not then why ask for forgiveness? I believe in beginning twelve hours earlier and asking God to keep us from sin all through the day. Any God that can forgive sin has the power to keep us from sin. A stitch in time saves nine. The Lord would rather protect you from sin than to let you get defiled with sin and then forgive you. Of course, everyone is tempted each day. Even Jesus was tempted, but He did not yield to temptations. A temptation is not a sin. Sin is the yielding to temptaions. It is when lust is conceived in the heart that it becomes a sin (James 1 :15). If you are enticed to sin "consent thou not" (Prov. 1 :10). If it were not possible to refuse .to yield to sin, then God would not have commanded you to do so (Mark 9 :23, Matt. 19 :26, 17: 20). Is Not Man As Prone to Sin As the Sparks Fly Upward? Is that your condition? If it is you are not born again. Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. But man that is born of God will be delivered from trouble (Ps. 91 :5). The Lord has promised him long life. (Ps. 91:16). -16~

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You can have your old nature changed and become a new creature. The Lord will give you power over all the power of the devil. You will not desire what you used to desire. Sure the Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That is man in his natural state. If you are still prone to sin you are not born again. We try to get some folk to be born again. They say they are a good person, that they have been good all their life. They don't believe they were born in sin. They don't think they need to be born again. They say they have never sinned. Here is what I read to them: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." After they confess that they are sinners then I read the next verse: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness" (1 John 1 :9). All men are born sinners by nature, but when God changes our nature then, and only then, can we live an overcoming life. Jesus is coming for overcomers (Rev. 3: 5). If you do not overcome sin then sin will overcome you. If you overcome sin you have dominion over sin. Sin will not have anymore dominion over you. Then you can preach prevention of sin and expect protection from sin. You will look on sin as God does. He looks on sin as you would a rattle snake trying to get into the bed with your baby. God has given you power over that killer (Acts 1 :8). Will you accept what God has already given to you? (Luke 10 :19). He is offering you protection from sin and evil right now. You will receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1 :8).

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Chapter II. PROTECTION FROM DISEASE Would the Lord Rather Heal Me When I Am Sick or Keep Me from Sickness? Would you rather your little girl be sick for a long time and then get well, or would you rather she be kept well and happy? Everyone will quickly say they would rather their children be well and happy. The Lord feels the same way about you. There are many people in the doctor's office. Yet the doctors tell us that seventy per-cent will naturally get well if they will discard their troubles and worries. The Lord tells us that sickness is brought on people because they serve not the Lord with joyfulness (Deut. 28 :47). Many of them serve the Lord, but they do it with complaining and murmuring. The Lord says that the wicked will not touch us. (I John 5:18). He says that no plague shall corne near our dwelling. A thousand shall fall at our side, but it shall not corne nigh us (Ps. 91 :7). He will deliver us from the noisome pestilence (Ps. 91 :6-10). When He says that no plague shall come nigh our dwelling, that does not mean that He wants us to wait until we become sick, and then ask Him to heal us. He wants to prevent us from becoming sick. That is His highest will. He tells us in His Word that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine. A broken spirit drieth the bones (Prov. 17 :22). It is left up to us, whether we will be happy or not happy. It is a commandment to delight ourselves in the Lord. Can Man Have Divine Health? Did you ever read in the Bible, "If you ask anything in my name I will do it?" Would it be your will for your children to have health? -18-

Paul had so much divine nature in him that virtue went out of his body into handkerchiefs and aprons. People were healed at a distance and the devils cast out (Acts 19 :12). We never read of Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, or any of the major apostles being sick. Jesus set us an example that we should follow His steps (I Peter 2 :21). We would not think of Him as being sick. He said the works that He did we could do (John 14 :12). As He is so are we in this world. He said, "As my Father hath sent me even so I send you". Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost that dwells in you. You are not your own (I Cor. 6:19-20). He said for you to glorify God with your body. How can you glorify God with a sick body? If the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in us it will quicken our mortal body (Rom. 8 :11). That' brings life to our body. Do We Ever Have Positive Proof That God Has Prevented Disease? Have you ever read John G. Lake's experience in Africa? Here it is: . "I was ministering one time where the bubonic plague was raging. You could not hire people for a thousand dollars to bury the dead. At such times the government has to take hold of the situation. But I never took the disease. "And because we were in contact with the Spirit of life, I and a little Dutch fellow with me went out and buried many of the people who had died from the bubonic plague. We went into the homes and carried them out, dug the graves and put them in. Sometimes we would put three or four in one grave. "We never took the disease. Why? Because of the knowledge that the law of life in Christ Jesus protects us. That law was working. Because of the fact that a man by the action of his will, puts himself purposely in contact with God, faith takes possession of his heart,

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and the condition of his nature is changed. Instead of being fearful, he is full of faith. Instead of being absorbent and drawing everything to himself, his spirit repels sickness and disease. The Spirit of Christ Jesus flows through the whole being, and emanates through the hands, the heart, and from every pore of the body." "During that great plague that I mentioned, they sent a government ship with supplies and a corps of doctors. One of the doctors sent for me, and said, 'What have you been using to protect yourself?' Our corps has this preventative and that, which we use as protection, but we concluded that if a man could stay on the ground as you have and keep ministering to the sick and burying the <dead, you must have a secret. What is it?" "I answered, 'Brother, that is the (law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.) I believe that just as long as I keep my soul in contact with the living God so that His Spirit is flowing into my 'Soul and body, that no germ will ever attach itself to me, for the Spirit of God will kill it.' He asked, 'Don't you think that you had better use our preventatives?' I replied, 'No, but doctor I think that you would like to experiment with me. If you will go over to one of these dead people and take the foam that comes out of their lungs after death, then put it under the microscope you will see masses of living germs. You will find they are alive until a reasonable time after a man is dead. You can fill my hand with them and I will keep it under the microscope, and instead of these germs remaining alive, they will die instantly.' They tried it and found it was true. They questioned, 'What is that?' I replied, 'That is (the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.) When a man's spirit and a man's body are filled with the blessed presence of God, it oozes out of the pores of your flesh and kills the germs'." Did Not the Lord Give Us a Covenant of Healing? If the Lord wants to heal us don't you think that He

also wants us to live without sickness? He actually gave us a covenant of health, but many people never see it. "If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee ... " (Ex. 15 :26). Brother that is a covenant of divine health. The Lord called that a statute and an ordinance (verse 25). That means it is a law that is as binding as any other law. It is as binding on the church as communion service or water baptism. That is God's will for His children, but you can't blame them too much for not accepting it, when they have been told the opposite by many of their leaders. It is never the will of God for any of His children to be sick. Some say they can serve God better with a sick body. If you will not serve God with a well body, and have to be sick before you pray, then when you become well again you will be likely to forsake the Lord. Why don't you pray tonight and say, "Lord I won't serve you unless you put cancer on me. So please zive me cancer and let me be sick so I can serve you ?" That is not a good prayer; that is not a good testimony. It is not God's will for you to have a testimony like this. Would It E-ver Be Possible for God's Children to' Live Without Sickness? Did you ever read that all things are possible with God? Adam and Eve lived in the garden with perfect health, with no sickness. Sickness came only as the result of the fall. Sin came at the same time. You can prove that God wants us to live in sin as easily as you can prove that He wants us to be sick. The same redemption that redeems us from sin also redeems us from the result of sin - which is sickness. God give us a double cure for a double curse. When Moses had the Children of Israel to put the

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blood over the door post, that kept the death angel from coming through. He did not wait until the sickness and death came and then ask for deliverance. God delights in prevention of destruction. Even before this the Children of Israel were healthy. When the midwives came to deliver a child, they found the baby already born. It was because they were so healthy (Ex. 1 :19). Even there God had redeemed them from the curse of the law. The man I sold my business to had fourteen children. He delivered all of them but one by himself, through prayer and faith. When the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea there was not a feeble person among their tribes. Three million of them marched across the Sea without a sick person. That is God's highest will for us (Ps. 105 :37). What is the Lord's will for you this year? "Beloved, J wish ABOVE ALL THINGS that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (III John 2). He did not say His highest will is to heal you when you are sick. His highest will is to prevent you from being sick. "And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee" (Ex. 23:25). His highest will is that you will never need a wheel-chair, crutch, brace, cane, pills, doctors, nurse, or hospital. His will is to keep you well. His will is to protect you from the dirty, filthy, killing disease. How Can a Man Have Power Over Sickness? Do you believe that God gave man dominion over all the earth? Everything on the earth was under man's authority (Gen. 1 :26-28). It was lost by the fall of man. But Jesus came to restore what Adam lost. He restores us to our rightful place. It is up to us to refuse to let sickness win the battle. We do our fighting not in our own name, but in the name of Jesus. We have power over all the power of the devil (Luke 10:19). Nothing shall BY ANY MEANS hurt us. If

that is not protection from sickness I don't know what else to call it. According to God's Word we can resist t.he enemy and he will flee from us (James 4 :7). We have power to bind and loose. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 16: 19). It is up to us to refuse to let sickness win the battle. If we only could realize the power God has given to us there would be no question about this tremendous truth! The lord shall fight for us. The battle is His (II Chron. 20:15). The main thing is this: When sickness comes we must not let fear enter. We shall fear no evil (Ps. 23 :4). Caleb said, "Give me this mountain". When he was eighty years old he could fight as well as he could at forty. He wanted the giants. It was because he had wholly followed the Lord (Deut. 1 :36). When Moses was one hundred and twenty years old his eye sight had not grown dim; his natural forces were not abated (Deut. 34 :7). That is divine health! Peter and John did not pray for the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. They realized the authority that God had given to them. They spoke the word and used the authority. That is what God likes for us to do. He has given us dominion. In fact he commands us to use this authority. He says, " ... concerning the work of my hands COMMAND ye me" (Isa. 45 :11). Here is God's intentions for us: "And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick ... " (Isa, 33 :24). That does not mean that God wants you to first get sick and then heal you. He will be glad to heal you if you get sick; but He would rather you take dominion over sickness and not allow it under your roof. Amen! Is the Responsibility on Man to Take Dominion Over Sickness? Don't you think the Lord has done His part already? He has borne our sickness (Matt. 8: 16-17). He has given to us healing and deliverance (I Peter 1 :3). He -23-

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has (past tense) given us power over all the power of t.he devil (Luke 10 :19). He commands us to believe that we receive them and we shall have them (Mark 11 :24). It is up to us to accept what He has already given us. The Lord told Abraham that he could have all the territory that he put his foot on. It was up to him to put his foot in it. But there was some of the land that the Children of Israel failed to put their foot on and possess, although they had a title deed to it. Adam failed to take dominion over everything that he was given because he became fearful and hid himself. If we become fearful we will lose the victory. The curse came because Adam did not resist the enemy. It is left up to you and me to resist the devil and conquer the curse in His name. Man was rightfully the master of creation. But he forfeited that right. Jesus purchased that right and redeemed it for us. Man was made in the image of God (Gen. 1 :26-28). Jesus gave us back the image of God if we only knew it. We must take this dominion, not in our own name, but in His name, on the merits of Calvary. How Does Man Take Dominion Over the Enemy? Why do you want dominion? You must do it for His glory, His name. You must have a conscience void of offense (Acts 24:16). You must say what God says. If He says, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee," then you must say the same thing. You must not say, "God wants me to first get sick and then get my healing" (Ex. 15:26). If God says "Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done", then you must will divine health instead of healing after you yield to the enemy (John 15 :7). If God says, "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health", then you must not say, "God wants me to be on a sick bed for months and then heal me". Make your words

agree with God's Word and you shall have it (Mark 11 :23). You can have a testimony like Enoch, Paul, John, and Hezekiah. You must not condemn yourself. You can also say, "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing to His sight (I John 3 :21-22). Bring all the tithes into the storehouse and then vou can be sure that God will rebuke the devourer and keep back the curse (Mal. 3 :8-11). That does not mean that you will first get sick and then get healed. Make yourself say that. You will be blest and not cursed. The words "even so" in Hebrews 7:R shows plainly that Cod expects the same thing today. You can't find a dispensation that God did not expect the first fruits, even before the law, under the law, or after the law. (Gen. 14 :20, Matt. 23 :23). If you rob a bank you will expect to go to prison. If you rob God you expect a penalty, or His laws would be of no effect. Don't be cursed with a curse (Deut. 28 :27-28, 5960). God won't curse you, but you are automatically cursed if you are not protected by the Lord. The Lord will protect you from the curse if you bring your tithes to Him (Mal. 3 :11). Remember Judas who sold the Lord for money. Remember Achan who kept the first fruit that belonged to God and was cursed (Joshua 7 :21). Remember Saul who kept the first fruits and withheld God's part and was cursed. God answered him no more (I Sam. 28:6). Honor the Lord with thy substance (Prov, 3: 9) . Can Just Anybody Take Dominion Over the Devil? Does everyone mean anybody? God says that everyone that asketh receiveth. You cannot have power over the devil if you don't stay full of God. We can't meet the devil in our own power. If you are full of God there is no room for the enemy to come in. If you are full -25-

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of faith there is no room for doubts. If a glass is full of water there is no room for kerosene to come in. When the devil returns and finds you empty he will bring impurities with him (Matt. 12:44). You should stay refilled with the Holy Ghost and put up a sign, "no vacancy:" If you are not full of the Holy Ghost there is a vacuum that actually invites Satan to return. That is as if you would put up a sign "Welcome in Satan". God declares if Satan finds your house empty he will return. Fill your house with the Spirit, with the Word of God and prayer. Your house is your body (I Cor. 6 :19). Your body is a house for God to dwell in (I Cor. 3: 16) . He does not want His tabernacle full of sickness. Go to church and witness to people. You overcome by the blood and the word of your testimony (Rev. 12 :11). God does not give you health to serve yourself. His glory He will not give to another. Glorify God with your body which is God's (I Cor. 6 :20) . Realize your need of the Lord. If you hunger and thirst after righteousness you SHALL BE FILLED. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your mind and strength. The greatest sin is to break the greatest commandment. To a man who had been healed Jesus said, "Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14). He came back to church for that instruction. The nine lepers did not return to worship God. Job had a hedge built around him. You can build a hedge of faith about your home. The angels will encamp around about you. Job became fearful and let sickness break through the hedge (Job. 3 :25). But when He saw Jesus in His resurrection he received healing and evidently lived one hundred and forty years without sickness (Job 9 :25-27). Keep up the hedge. A man with fear; a man with a broken spirit is like a city with the walls broken down; the enemy can come in (Prov. 25 :28). Soul disease and body disease

are related. 103:1-3).

They go hand in hand

(III John 2, Ps. Strike?

What Must I Do When Symptoms

You don't think you are any better than Jesus do you? He said, "It is written" (Matt. 4 :7). You can't fight the devil without the Word. I asked one lady what verse she was standing on. She said, "In my Father's house are many mansions". Evidently she expected to go there. Keep your mind on God's Word rather than the winds and waves of symptoms. Reject symptoms that do not agree with God's holy Word. Do as Peter did as he walked on the water. He called out to Jesus. He did not sink. Look at the atonement rather than your own effort. A sinner believes in the finished work of Calvary rather than symptoms that may come and go. The one who sincerely relies on the work that Jesus did will keep saved. If you sincerely rely on His finished work you may stay healed. A Christian does not expect to go into sin one day and get forgiveness the next. We must not expect to be sick one day and well the next. If you rely on the atonement you are saved as far as God is concerned, for He purchased your salvation. Realize that you are healed as for as God is concerned, for He said, "It is finished". He has given you power over all the power of the devil. Take what He gave you (Luke 10 :19). If you give Satan an inch, he will take a mile. Don't budge an inch! Believe your beliefs; doubt your doubts! Suppose some baby chickens are sent to you through the mail. If you sign for them you are expected to pay for them. When Satan sends you a package do not sign for it. Don't claim it. Say, "I did not order that". Just as Peter almost lost the miracle as he walked

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on the water, so remember it is possible for you to lose a miracle if you get your eyes off of the Master. Why Can't One Stay Healed When He Is Healed? Why can't you believe that God wants you to stay healed? It is still according to your faith. You will not have faith to believe you will stay healed until you know God wants you to do so. You must abolish ~nxiety, worry and fear. Even if you get into a prayer ~me and a~e healed, yet fear ~nd anger will hinder you . rom staying healed. In quietness and confidence is your strength. You must have as much confidence in the Lord as your baby has in you. The curse will not come without a cause. (Prov. 26 :2). Fear and doubt may cause the disease to return, rather than rank sin. Certain poisons come into your body when your glands become excited by anger, excitement, and emotion. Fear drives out faith if you deliberately let it in. ~t ~s no wonder that Jesus said, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid". That is what He is saying to you. Here is a commandment: "Be careful for n.othing; but in everything by prayer and supplicabon With thanksgiving let your request be made known ~nto God" (Phil. 4 :6). Yet many people pray with fear and worry. When the Holy Ghost prays through us we know that all things work together for good. (Rom. 8:28). He will keep what we commit into His hands; we must not take it back into our hands. The moment w~ die we must trust it all with God anyway; we might as well do it now. Seek ye first the kingdom of. God and His righteousness and ALL these things will be added to you. Put God first and He will put you first. Is God Concerned About Our Health? Are you concerned about your child's health? God was so concerned that He set aside the seventh day for man to have as a rest day. He wants you to rest

and relax and worship Him. He had a man put to death for breaking the sabbath (Num. 15 :32-36). Many people today die before their time because they ignore God's laws and fail to give their body rest. There is a penalty for breaking this law, even if it is for a good cause. Many ministers are on the shelf today because they ignored this law. If Jesus rested, then He is our example. Jesus commanded his disciples to come apart and rest (Mark 6 :31). You will come apart and rest or you will come apart. Epaphroditus was sick because he overworked, even doing God's . work (Phil 2 :26-30). Then I suppose he wondered why. We should live moderately and eat temperately. Over eating and under dressing will shorten your life. You can't be fat and fit. You must not dig your grave with your teeth. Balanced diet and self control is a necessity. God proved His children with manna. But they lusted after certain flesh. They wanted flesh at every meal. God knew best. This tempted God (Ps. 78 :18). Many of them died before their time because of this (Verses 30-31). Many people eat themselves to death. The insurance companies know this. Over one-third of the people in this country are over weight. Most diseases come because people over eat. The things that happened to the Children of Israel were for our examples (I Cor. 10:11). If we want to prevent disease we must not be of the mixed multitude. Some crippled people could not walk if God would heal them, they are over weight. About three-fourths of the deaths in this country come because of over eating. Why do Americans commit suicide? Daniel is a good example. He refused to defile himself. IJe had a much better countenance after he ate

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vegetables. He lived a longtime and was trusted his wisdom.

for

Does God Teach That Health or Healing Is in the Atonement? Do you know anything we receive that is not in the atonement? When the Children of Israel came to the bitter water they did not drink it. God showed them a tree which made the water sweet. That tree was a type of Christ, who made atonement for us. God does not want us to drink of the bitter water. When the blood was put over the door post the death angel passed over. Christ is our passover (I Cor. 5:7). Danger will pass over us. Himself took our infirmities and bare our sickness(Matt. 8:16-17). He bore them that we will not need to bear them. If we ask anything according to HIS will He hears us (I John 3 :22). His will is that we prosper and be in health. Then ask for health. If we do that which is right in his sight He hears us (Ex. 15 :26, I John 3 :22). If we do what is right in His sight we will obey the laws of health. IN the time of the judges the people did what was right in their own sight. If we keep his commandments He will not let these diseases come on us (Ex. 15 :26). His commandments are not grievous (I John 5 :3). God will send angels before us. Do you believe this? "And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness , 'and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knoweth, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee" (Deut. 7: 15). That does not say that He wants you to get sick and then heal you. How Do We Know That the Curse Includes Disease? How do you read it in Deuteronomy 28? God made a Jist of every disease you can think. He said all that were listed and all that are not listed were brought on by the curse. Then, He made a list of many blessings and said they are given through obedience.

Did it work for them? Yes, for there was not a feeble person among them (Ps. 105 :37). God did not heal any of them, for there was no one sick. God says as your days are so shall your strength be. Caleb brought back a good report and he was strong at eighty-five years old. The ten spies that were fearful and afraid died in the wilderness. The Lord said that He would renew our youth as the eagles (Ps. 103 :5). He tells us to forget not His benefits. Too many people forget that God does not want us to get sick in the first place. He comes to redeem our life FROM destruction (Ps. 103 :4). It is Satan that comes to kill and destroy (John 10:10). The reason that many Christians are sick is they do not rightly discern the Lord's body (I Cor. 11 :2930). As often as you partake of the Communion supper the more healthy you are likely to be. I know one dear man of God who took communion in his home about every day. When he was eighty-seven years old he was healthy and strong. He had not lost any of his teeth. We received health as well as healing through the atonement. There should be no schisms in the body (I. Cor. 15 :25), We would not think of Jesus' body being sick (I Cor. 12 :26). The mystical body should not be. You are a member of His body. Is Health a Blessing Instead of Sickness Being a Blessing? Do you think sickness is a blessing? Then why don't you ask God to bless all your children with sickness? Why do you go to the hospital to have your blessing removed? The Bible teaches that sickness is the work of the devil (Acts 10 :38 Luke 13: 16) Divine health is not for the careless and disobedient children. It is for the prosperous in soul. (III John 2). Soul disease and body disease are closely related. A merry heart deeth good as a medicine. -31-

Paul considered blindness a curse; he placed this curse on the enemy of the gospel. Paul was healed of blindness when he was converted. There is no space here for divine healing; I discuss that truth fully in my commentary on divine healing, which has eleven volumes for $5.00. God is mostly concerned in keeping you where you will never need to be healed. But IF some of His people become sick then, as an emergency measure, He has it fixed so they can call for the elders of the church. The prayer of faith shall save the sick and IF they have sinned He will forgive them. But He would rather you not need healing or forgiveness. He would rather KEEP you protected from both the killers, sin and sickness. Read III John 2 until you believe it. Memorize it. Quote it each day. And say, "That is God's wish for me this year". When I was pastoring a church God gave me a message on Psalms 91, "No plague shall come nigh thy dwelling." When I was through preaching Sister Morris came to the front and said, "If that is true you can pray for my baby and God will keep it from taking the measles." I prayed for it. Weeks later she returned and said, "All my neighbors' children were given shots so they would not have the measles. But when you prayed, God gave my baby a shot and it never took the measles. It looks reasonable to believe that any God who can heal a disease can also prevent you from .taking that disease if you come to Him in time. NO weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.

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