WHAT CAN YOU BELIEVE ?

WHAT CAN YOU BELIEVE ?: The natural mind, is for the natural man ! And your natural mind wants to hold you in the realm of the natural. A fellow who was struck with leprosy in the Old Testament wasn't any different from one struck with leprosy in the New Testament. And if a man stole something in the Old Testament times, his sin was no different from that of the man who stole under the New Testament. God is the same God now that He was then. He never changes. And his Word never changes. And if you would get the Word of God on the inside of you, it will absolutely change the way you see and think. The Bible says He never changes. Let's examine the case of King Hezekiah, and Old Testament figure who believed that all things are possible with God. (Isaiah 38:1-3). "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amos came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore." Did you notice Hezekiah didn't say he had been perfect ? Reading about him, we readily see he wasn't perfect. But he said he had served God by walking "in truth and with a perfect heart." And that's of utmost importance. His heart was right towards God. Many years ago I was holding a meeting in Houston, one afternoon I went to the building to prepare for the evening service. I was praying, and I got to talking to the Lord about the past. I could see some places where I had missed it. At the time I thought I had done very well. But when I looked back, I could see some glaring mistakes, and I felt bad about them. The Lord puts our mistakes under the blood when we ask Him to. Not only that, He said He hides our sins in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). And like Corrie ten Boom said, we ought to go fishing for them ! But, being human, we sometimes do. So I went fishing for some of those things hidden in the sea of God's forgetfulness --- things that can affect your faith and hinder you from obeying God and being an effective minister or witness of the gospel if you get to thinking about them. I remember how the Lord help me that day. While I was praying, the Lord reminded me of what He said the time Saul went down to Jess's house to anoint one of his sons keying in Saul's stead. Sandra didn't know which young man it was to be. Naturally they brought the oldest son, Eliab, our first. When Samuel saw him, he said --- evidently to himself and maybe to the Lord --- "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him" (1 Samuel 16:6 ). Eliab was of a beautiful countenance; he was of a fine stature. He must have looked like a king. Surely it must be he, Samuel thought. It is strange how God selects some of the most unlikely prospects and make kings out of them when they don't even look like kings. (You know, you're a king or queen). The Lord said to Samuel, "He's not the one." He said, "look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord see it not as men see; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). We are not the Lord. All we can see of a person is the outward appearance unless God gives us discerning of spirits to look into a human spirit. That's the reason we can't judge others. That's the reason the Bible says "judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). However, you can discern where a person is by what comes out of their mouth. Because from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks ! Therefore you can make a righteous judgment. (Luke 6:43-45).