Page 6 - Good News April 2005 paper

BREAKING THE BARRENNESS
viction of sin (1 John 1:8).
Continued from p. 2 2. Confess fully
then let the plough go deep. Dwell on the The text says: "Seek the Lord." It is not
hardness of your heart until you are broken enough just to respond at a meeting. In
down to the depths of your being. The text prayer, confess your sins by name, going
says, "Break up" - this is an instruction, a over them one by one (1 John 1:9). Open
command, for you. Many people ask me to your life fully to the cleansing of His Blood
pray that God will deliver them from certain and the sweet influence of His Holy Spirit. If
sins but God wants them to "break up" the you are thorough, the ground will become
fallow ground. soft, receptive and productive; and the
Take time to discover what is wrong in your promise at the end of the text will apply to
life. Don't expect God to break up your you. Don't stop seeking until you find!
ground - you must do it! Take a good look at "Break up your fallow ground; for it is time
the fallowness of your life and do not stop to seek the Lord till He come and rain
seeking until you are under deep con- righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12).
H eaven can be entered only have never been Mine. Go away, for your
through the narrow
gate! The deeds are evil.'
highway to hell is broad,
and its All who listen to My instructions and
gate is wide enough for all the multitudes follow them are wise, like a man who
who choose its easy way. But the Gateway builds his house on solid rock. Though
to Life is small, and the road is narrow, the rain comes in torrents, and the floods
and only few ever find it. rise and the storm winds beat against his
Not all who sound religious are really house, it won't collapse, for it is built on
godly people. They may refer to Me as rock.
'Lord', but still won't get to heaven. For But those who hear My instructions and
the decisive question is whether they ignore them are foolish, like a man who
obey my Father in heaven. At the builds his house on sand. For when the
Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, rains and floods come, and storm winds
we told others about You and used Your beat against his house, it will fall with a
Name to cast out demons and to do many mighty crash. (Matthew 7:13,14,21-27 Life
other great miracles.' But I will reply, 'You Application Bible).
S c o t t i s h m i n i s t e r w a s and say, ‘My’.” “Oh!” exclaimed the
instructing a small boy in the little boy. “It’s ‘The Lord is MY
Ahome of one of his parishioners, shepherd!’”
and he was having him read the 23rd Not long afterward, the little boy
Psalm. “The Lord is my Shepherd,” followed the sheep out to pasture one
began the little boy, but he was morning, and later the broken little
interrupted by the old minister. “Nae, body was found at the foot of a steep
nae,” he said, “ye dinna read it richt.” cliff, over which he had evidently fallen
Again the little boy began, slowly and by accident. The life was gone, but the
earnestly, “The - Lord - is - my - grief-stricken parents saw one thing
Shepherd”. But again he was stopped. that cheered their hearts, for the little
“Nae, ye dinna read it richt yet,” the old right hand, though cold in death, was
minister said, shaking his head. “Now clasped firmly upon the fourth finger of
watch me -” and holding up his left the left, and they knew that their little
hand, he placed the forefinger of his laddie was safe in the arms of HIS
right hand on the thumb of the left and Shepherd. - From a radio program
said, “The” - then to the next finger, broadcast, Rev. Hilmore Cedarholm
“Lord” - and to the next, “is” - and then Sponsored by: Lemon Blossom Guest
grasping firmly the fourth finger, he House, 4 Kerk Street, Potchefstroom.
said, “You TAKE HOLD of the fourth one (018) 297 1137 / 082 803 3872 (Magda).
“There is hope in your future, says the LORD, Word offers comfort and hope
that your children shall come back to their own in this situation. He under-
border” (Jeremiah 31:17). stands. Much of the Old
One of the greatest heartaches of any believing Testament is the story of God's
parent occurs when one of their children has children straying. He knows
rebelled against the ways of the Lord. God's our heartaches. And He
promises to bring our children
back! He promises that
ultimately they will come back
to the ways they were taught as
children (Proverbs 22:6), that
peace will be their portion as
they encounter Him (Isaiah
54:13), and that He will fight for
us to see salvation come to
them (Isaiah 49:25). [New Spirit
Filled Life Bible, 2002].