Dear
Present Truth Magazine Subscriber:
We
are glad to have you as a subscriber to our Present Truth Magazine. Below
you will find articles from individual authors who have written for our
magazine. Our prayer for all who
receive read these articles is that the Lord "...may give to you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of
His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Upset Mind--Sick Body
by A. Wilson Phillips
I recently revisited a
fine book by Dr. S. I. McMillen, M.D., called None of these Diseases. The
chapter “Upset Mind—Sick Body” first caught my attention in about 1971, because
of my personal experience in violating the teachings of the Bible.
In 1965, while
employed with the Union Pacific Railroad in a managerial role, I overheard a
conversation between my doctor and his nurse about my physical condition. Their
suggestion was for me to see a psychiatrist because their medical prescriptions
had failed to cure my sick body. I was suffering from stomach ulcers, blackout
spells, and acute anxiety. These were serious issues that could not only further
injure me physically, but my condition could also bring pain and suffering to
others.
While sitting alone in
my living room one evening, I had a surprise visit from the God of all grace and
comfort. He softened my heart, drew me unto Himself, and breathed His life into
my sin-sick soul. He brought me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of
His marvelous light. I began to immediately feel a release in my sick body. In
the weeks and months that followed, through the indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit, God’s grace and healing came to my mind, emotions, and body as bad
habits were eliminated and negative relationships changed.
After about a year, in
1966 I had another surprise manifestation of the God of all comfort and grace.
Father God spoke clearly in my spirit that my calling and service in His kingdom
was going to change. I was to resign as an official with the Union Pacific
Railroad and pursue a calling as a pastor in my Father’s kingdom.
In 1967, I entered
Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, to get a bachelor of arts in
Bible. Upon completing my degree, I accepted a call to a pioneer church in
Sedalia, Missouri.
My wife and I worked
hard with a small group of people in Westside Assembly of God. We also had
ministry with troubled youth in a “coffee house” ministry.
After long hours of
work in a full-time effort in my pastoral and evangelistic service, I began to
feel great stress and depression. An upset mind and sick body began to reoccur
in my daily experience. I spent a great deal of time in prayer, Bible study, and
fasting. The symptoms grew worse. Then in the darkest hour of my anguish and
suffering, the God of all grace and comfort revealed to me my true spiritual
identity and self-worth in Christ. Through this experience, I learned that I was
a partaker of His divine nature. I was a joint heir with Jesus Christ, my elder
brother.
My spiritual
experience began to line up with Apostle Paul’s:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal.
2:20).
My upset mind became
peaceful. My depression lifted. My sick body became well again.
Enter Dr. McMillen’s
writings from his spiritual experience in theology and medicine. McMillen wrote
from many years of practicing medicine and his spiritual experience. I
immediately began to relate to McMillen’s conclusions of “sick mind—sick body.”
With my healing experience from God’s Word and Spirit, I continued to renew my
mind to know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2). I took
on a nonsectarian view of the kingdom of God and His saints. This cost me
friends that I love and care about.
A nonsectarian view of
God’s kingdom, and a nonpartisan political worldview, enabled me to live a life
of righteousness, peace, and joy in my Father God’s kingdom. I also
needed to repair a relationship with my daughter and son-in-law. After doing
so, I came to realize my spiritual union with God. I and my Father are one; He
has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please Him (John
8:29).
Like Apostle Paul and
Dr. S. I. McMillen, I will only speak of those things which Christ has
accomplished through me in word and deed. I continue to listen to the “speaking
voice” of Father God. There is always healing for the spirit, mind, emotions,
and body.
A. Wilson Phillips is the co-founding and senior
pastor of Abundant Life Covenant
Church.
CUT TO THE
HEART
By Richard K. Clark
Peter preached his
first sermon to a large, diverse multitude just moments after the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter
and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts
2:37)
Peter’s words were
more than just an intellectual exercise in persuasion; they were
Spirit-empowered words of life that motivated the heart to action. This was a
common experience for Jesus’ disciples as well—they had known “heart-burn” like
only God’s Word can bring.
And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He
talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
(Luke 24:32)
The Word of God was
and is Jesus Christ, and He’s alive. This living manifestation of God’s presence
cuts through the outer shells of our personality and reaches the depths of our
inner man.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
(Heb. 4:12).
God the Word can go
where no mere man can go. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s Word brings us alive
from sin-death and then sets about the process of transforming us into His
“living word” on this earth. He moves into all the rooms of our heart and begins
to do surgery. He discerns our secret hurts, fears, sins, faults, ambitions,
intentions, and attitudes… He flushes out the pride that so easily besets us and
empowers us to empty (humble) ourselves just as Jesus did.
…but
made Himself of no reputation (emptied Himself), taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as
a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross (Phil. 2:7-8).
Many believers in
Christ use all their psychic energy to protect themselves from the heartache of
dying with Christ.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will find it (Matt. 16:25).
In fact, resisting the
living Word can have serious consequences.
And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it
will grind him to powder (Matt. 21:44).
According
to the Psalmist, we are blessed when we obey His testimonies and seek Him with
the whole heart (Ps. 119:2). Those of us that embrace God’s surgical Word
come to appreciate the freedom and healing that follow. Our most valuable
“medication” is “meditation” in His Word. Then we become God’s agents to speak
directly into the hearts of God’s chosen ones and look for the signs as our
words cut to the heart.
Richard K. Clark is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.
REDEEMING
HALLOWEEN
By Benjamin Davis
October brings us into the season when
Halloween is celebrated in America. Most historians agree that Halloween (short
for All Hallow Even) has its roots in Celtic thinking. For the Celts, it
was a day that marked the ending of one year and the beginning of a new. It also
marked the seasons. According to the Celtic pagan religion known as Druidism,
the spirits of those who had died in the preceding year roamed the earth on
“Samhain” evening. The Celts sought to ward off these spirits with offerings of
food and drink.
In the Middle Ages, when the church
evangelized the Celtic people, Pope Gregory IV simply changed the day of
“Samhain” to “All Saints Day” to honor and remember past saints. Halloween thus
became the eve of “All Saints Day.”
In America today, Halloween is often
associated with devils, ghosts, and witches and is considered by many a good
time to impart a little fearful fun with costumes, haunted houses, and scary
decorations. Many Christians have gotten into the act with Christian haunted
houses designed to “scare the hell” out of youth. These haunted houses often
take their viewers through visions of hell and human gore in order to prepare
them to “make a decision for Christ” at the end of the tour.
While recognizing the pagan and then
Catholic origins of Halloween, having a healthy past-fulfillment covenantal view
of Scripture provides the best perspective of how to best redeem Halloween for
the cause of Christ today.
Firstly, faith and fear are incompatible.
There is a healthy reverential fear of the Lord that is the beginning of
knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7, 9:10). However, “God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).
As believers in Christ, the spirit of fear has been replaced with “the Spirit
of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Rom. 8:15).
Secondly, a fear-based approach to
Halloween, whether from the Christian or secular haunted houses and decorations,
celebrates the myth that Satan is alive and well on planet earth.
However, the truth is that the devil and his demon forces were soundly defeated
at Calvary (Col. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8), and the nails were put in his coffin at
Christ’s return in 70 A.D. (Rev. 20). As Hebrews 2:14 states:
Inasmuch then as the children have
partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that
through death He might destroy (render useless, powerless) him who had
the power of death, that is, the devil...
Understanding
these truths removes the fear from Halloween. It should also remove fear from
the lives of believers. Through revelation knowledge of Scripture, Halloween
becomes a good time to celebrate Christ’s (and our) final victory over the
serpent, the devil, whose head has been crushed once and for all (Gen. 3:15). It
can also be a good occasion to dress up, fellowship with neighbors and friends,
and share the Christ who dwells within us. As St. Francis of Assisi is reported
to have said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
Benjamin Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church
ADDICTION, ABUSE, GRIEF
By Jonathan Clark
One morning, while I
was in my regular time of prayer, I was thanking God that He was omnipotent (all
powerful). My regular prayer path is to then go ahead and thank Him for also
being omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere present), but my
spirit stopped at omnipotent; I was spiritually quickened once again to the
reality of an all powerful God that lives inside of me:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us…(Eph. 3:20)
As my spirit continued
to mull over this incredible truth, I thought of acquaintances who live in
ongoing suffering because of addictions. Does the power of an unlimited God have
the ability to free them from their living hell? Medical scientists continue to
elucidate the physiological basis of addiction to alcohol, narcotics, and other
addictive substances. If they were to tell me that I have a genetic
predisposition toward being an addict, can God’s power override that biological
tendency?
I then thought of all
the people I know who have been abused by others. Can God’s unlimited power heal
someone’s memories (and body) of previous physical, mental, emotional,
religious, or sexual abuse? What about the really extreme cases of horrific
suffering inflicted upon children—can they ever be totally free from their
scars?
What about those who
are grieving? I considered whether God’s all powerfulness could truly console
one who continues to grieve the loss of a close relationship (either because of
death, divorce, or relational separation).
Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief (Prov.
14:13)
I then realized that
Jesus Himself had experienced grief:
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief…
Surely He has borne our griefs…(Is.
53:3-4)
In her book On
Death and Dying, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross explains her belief that there are
five stages of grief that one must go through after a loss or separation.
Firstly, she said that one must go through denial (“This isn’t happening to
me”). She then believed that one would experience anger (“Why is this happening
to me?”), followed by bargaining (“I promise I’ll be a better person if…”),
depression (“I don’t care anymore”), and finally acceptance (“I’m ready for
whatever comes”).
Do people languishing
through the separation from a loved one have to go through these expected grief
stages if they are to be healed? Just as science discovers some of the human
body’s physiological responses to grieving, is it possible for someone to
literally die of a broken heart?
As I continued to
consider these questions, I began to gratefully and joyfully thank the Lord that
the blood of Jesus applied by the Holy Spirit had allowed the unlimited power of
an unlimited God to heal me of addictive tendencies, abusive hurt, and
pathological grief (without sequentially having to go through the five expected
stages of mourning).
Isaiah chapter 53 and
Romans chapters 6-8 are scriptural passages that will be beneficial to meditate
on by anyone experiencing addiction, abuse, or grief.
…our old man was crucified with Him… (Rom. 6:6).
Now if we died with Christ, we…shall also live with Him… (Rom. 6:8).
Reckon yourselves to be dead to (the power of) sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:11).
O
wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank
God— through Jesus Christ…There is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ…the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free
from the law of sin and death…(Rom. 7:24-8:2).
Jonathan Clark is an elder of Abundant Life Covenant Church and a physician in
Springfield, Missouri.
UNDENIABLE LOVE
by Linda Cowan
“I could have taken
him.”
God spoke those words
to me as I sat at the hospital talking to the surgeon who had just operated on
my husband John. He had been hospitalized for removal of a kidney stone that he
could not pass. When the surgeon went in to remove the kidney stone, he found a
cancerous tumor the size of a tennis ball in John’s bladder. The doctor
explained to me that had John passed the stone, the cancer would not have been
found, and he probably would have died. It was at that exact moment when God
whispered those words in my spirit, “I could have taken him.” God’s words did
not strike fear in me. To the contrary, my soul was flooded with peace. For the
first time in my life, it was abundantly clear to me that my heavenly Father
really loved me.
I grew up in a church
culture that essentially taught an angry God. For reasons I never understood, it
seemed God was always mad at me, and I never knew why. Heaven certainly held no
appeal to me. I only wanted to go to heaven because I didn’t want to go to hell.
Looking back, I
realize I was being taught that acceptance in God came by having a
performance-based lifestyle. Yet, I knew that it was impossible to please God in
the flesh.
But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
(Heb. 11:6).
…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified
by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; for by the works of the law no
flesh shall be justified (Gal. 2:16).
When I became a part
of the body of believers at Abundant Life Covenant Church, I began to hear a
different message—the truth about God and who I am in Christ:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
However, I continued
to struggle with the old mindset about God. It wasn’t until He spoke those words
to me sitting in the hospital, that I understood just how much He loved me and
how much He loved John. Our lives changed from that moment on, and we are
walking together in the light that God has called us to.
Linda Cowan is a legal secretary at Turner, Reid,
Duncan, Loomer & Patton, P.C,. in Springfield, Missouri.
CHECK OUT
YOUR MIND
By Paul Gabbert
Elevating the soldiers’ morale and
promoting unity and pride,
The value of cadence songs cannot be
denied.
One particular song I remember singing
Contained the following rhyme:
“Check out your mind. Check out your
mind.
It’s been with you all the time.”
Thinking is good, but what if our
thinking is wrong?
How can we sing a victorious song?
Words we speak daily, from where do they
come?
Are they words of life from the Holy
One?
Bringing every thought captive, does our
lives He control?
Are we completely yielded in spirit,
body, and soul?
Is our light His, and does any darkness
remain?
Do we truly reflect the glory from which
we came?
For us to succeed in warfare and
negotiate our terrain,
We must gather current intelligence from
Christ our King.
Whither swayed to the left or to the
right,
As we follow His Spirit, victory remains
in sight.
When the Spirit calls our cadence, we
always march in time.
Onward into battle, and no one’s left
behind.
In unity of purpose, we will have the
enemy on the run;
From early morning to his setting sun.
All kingdom commandos, please listen to
me.
Through the enemy’s smoke bombs, we all
must see.
Check out God’s mind. Check out God’s
mind.
He is in us and with us all the time.
Paul Gabbert runs
R & P Cleaning Service
NO GOD, NO
PEACE
KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE
By Raymond Krueger
One day on my journey
home from my workplace, I came up behind another vehicle and happened to notice
the license plate bracket holder. I’m not in the habit of reading messages on
car bumpers, but something directed my attention to this particular one. I read
these words, “No God, No Peace—Know God, Know Peace.” After reading it a second
time, I thought to myself how true these words are.
I started recalling
how God had allowed me to go through years of turmoil and stress when I was
trying to do things my own way without His direction. Then in His perfect
timing, He broke me and gave me the peace He wants all His children to have.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).
Even now, I sometimes
get caught up in the everyday hassles of life and fail to dial down, put my
problems in God’s hands, and allow Him to work them out. At times, pride may be
the issue, but other times I simply have a lack of trust in God (thinking I know
better).
I am so very grateful
for God’s mercy and do not want to go back to my old life of turmoil. The Lord
has delivered me from my old nature and its ways and has allowed me to “know
peace” as well as “know Him,” as He takes me down life’s path.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).
“No God, No Peace—Know
God, Know Peace.” Just a simple play on words, yet it carries a very powerful
message. Why did I end up behind that particular car that day? Because God
wanted to open up my mind to that important concept and help me better
understand that His way is the best way. All I have to do is listen and obey,
and He will take care of the rest.
Raymond Krueger is a finance manager at Roper KIA
in Joplin, Missouri.
A HEARING EAR, A CARING
HEART
By
Lori Whitten
Recently on a vacation
to visit my parents, I had the opportunity to talk to my three-year-old nephew
about his daddy’s “s’brban.” I was really tickled by his pronunciation and asked
him to repeat himself. What a joy little ones are as they learn to speak. As I
dwelt on this, I realized that I had the opportunity to correct him and say
“suburban” or enjoy the moment. I chose enjoyment.
A week later I was
back home sitting in church listening to my pastor as he spoke on “Faith at Work
in the Workplace.” He shared that we need to listen to not only what
people are saying but why they are saying it. In other words, not only do
we need to listen, but we need to hear.
My workplace is at
home with my four wonderful children. Sitting in that church service, Father God
showed me that sometimes I get so caught up with listening to the little things
my children say, and/or critiquing them, that I forget to hear their hearts. I
fail to see the bigger picture and all the goodness they hold. I forget to stop
and enjoy my children, so they can’t enjoy me.
Father God has given
us, as parents, not only great responsibility but great opportunity. If I am so
caught up in correcting my children’s speech, mannerisms, habits, etc., I may
miss many opportunities to touch their hearts. Not only does God provide
opportunities for me to help my children spiritually but also in social matters.
I also don’t need to try and get everything taught in one conversation.
I desire to
continually hear with spiritual ears what my children are saying and discern why
they are saying what they’re saying. Then I can speak life into their spirits.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of
such is the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14).
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you… (Ps. 34:11)
Lori Whitten is currently a stay-at-home mom.
TRUTH AND TRUST IN
RELATIONSHIPS
By A. Wilson Phillips
Sectarian Christianity
and partisan politics make our nation vulnerable to terrorists’ attacks. In our
democratic society, truth is up for grabs, and when truth is lost, distrustful
relationships develop. This lack of trust leads to weakness in our national and
international government and military operations.
Truth and trust are
twin pillars of faith on which strong relationships can be built.
When the world was
younger and smaller in population, Jesus Christ of Nazareth was born in the land
of Palestine. In regard to truth, He said to the infamous political Roman leader
Pilate:
…For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that
I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice
(John 18:37).
Apparently, Pilate was
not “of the truth,” for he responded to Jesus, “What is truth?”
A lot of water has
gone under the bridge since Jesus and Pilate had that conversation. Based on
various perceptions of truth, politicians and spiritual leaders have started
many military battles to support their causes.
Today, we have formed
international law and looked to the United Nations to help us find truth in the
international community. However, our values and priorities—based on cultural
and ideological beliefs—differ greatly. Truth and trust are lacking in the core
family values that hold societies and civilizations together.
History teaches us
that every nation experiences cycles of war and peace. Currently political,
spiritual, and military leaders offer their best guesses and opinions concerning
how, where, and when our American military should be operating. Intelligence
agencies seem to have a difficult time giving the political and military leaders
accurate truth so that they can make informed, moral decisions. Truth is still
hard to come by.
Jesus—who claimed to
be the way into the Almighty’s presence, the truth, and the life—said:
I am the light of the world, he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but
have the light of life (John 8:12b).
Since Jesus’ arrival
in the land of Palestine nearly two thousand years ago, the light and life have
been overtaking the darkness in human hearts worldwide. This light illuminates
the darkness and reveals the truth in any situation.
Truth and trust are
still the necessary twin pillars of faith to hold families and nations together.
So, how shall we live today in hope of a better world for ourselves and our
posterity?
God
is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear…
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the
earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in
two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth! (Ps.
46:1-2a, 8-10).
Regardless who goes
into the White House or Congress in January, those who will be still and listen
to and obey the Almighty can live in truth and trust relationships.
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths (Prov.
3:5-6).
We
must not let sectarian Christianity or partisan politics keep us from a life of
righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit!
“Marriage
is the most stressful relationship you will ever be in. God uses it as a
laboratory to grow you up.” These words spoken by our pastor during our
pre-marriage counseling were not exactly what I wanted to hear. I thought, “What
about the looooove?” He did add that marriage can have great rewards.
