The “Book” of Romans is in fact a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to people in the church at Rome.  Notice that Paul identified spiritually with those people by using the word “we” numerous times in the letter.  By using the word “we” he was telling them, and us, that what he wrote applied to himself, his fellow apostles and to those in God’s church found in the various cities.  It was common for the letters the apostles wrote to the churches to be passed around from congregation to congregation, just as they are today.  The difference is that today they come bound together into a book known as the HOLY BIBLE.  I literally felt the Holy Spirit quickening me spiritually and physically as I wrote those words.  I cannot overemphasize the importance of studying that holy tome.

The Lord commands us to “redeem the time” He has allotted us in this life.  Turn off the radio; turn off the t.v.; put down the book; throw that idiot box into the nearest body of water and STUDY THE HOLY BIBLE.  YOUR ETERNITY DEPENDS ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S HOLY WORD, YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD’S HOLY WORD AND HOW YOU REACT TO HIS HOLY WORD–WHICH HE CALLS HIS TRUTH, HIS LIGHT, HIS WAY AND HIS GOSPEL.  The Almighty is speaking to you through me, which He does every time you read this website or hear me speak.

In Romans 8:28 Paul makes a profound statement that must be understood and embraced by salvation seekers.  Let us STUDY this passage and all related passages in order to glean the soul-saving message it contains.  Remember that Paul received his gospel directly from Jesus Christ through revelation (Gal. 1:12).  THIS IS EXACTLY HOW JESUS OF NAZARETH RECEIVED HIS GOSPEL, WHICH HE (JESUS) IN TURN RELATED TO PAUL AND HIS FELLOW APOSTLES.  JESUS KNEW ONLY WHAT GOD TOLD HIM.  PAUL KNEW ONLY WHAT JESUS TOLD HIM.  WE KNOW ONLY WHAT JESUS TOLD THE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES.  Read Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man or God-man?  Key word–God-man.  Now we will return to the focal passage.

Romans 8:28 reads: “And we know that ALL things work TOGETHER for the GOOD of those who LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.”  A more powerful and revealing statement does not exist.  Let us study it with hearts open to the Truth it embraces.

The Lord leads, guides, directs and orders His people in various ways, some of those ways are not pleasant, some are even deadly.  In the spirit of forthrightness, I want to make a confession.  For the past three days I have been in a spiritual funk.  I have been spiritually down–way down.  GOD HAD REMOVED HIS HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME.  And I did not know why.  I did not understand.  I am stubborn.  I must know why when a “thing” happens to me.  I know when God’s Spirit is within me and when it is not.  It was definitely not.  I must confess I was growing angry.  I told the Lord that I would not write or speak another Word in ministry until I knew what I had done wrong.  That is why there was no message yesterday.  This morning I was as down as I could be.  As the old saying goes, I had to look up to see the bottom.  I keep an open Bible on a stand next to where I normally sit.  In desperation I turned and looked at it.  My eyes just “happened” to fall on a verse that immediately opened my understanding as to what I had done.  Actually, it was something I had failed to do.  I immediately asked forgiveness and did what I had been failing to do.  I entered into a type of prayer that I had been neglecting.  Within a seconds the Holy Spirit flooded my being, the fire returned and I began to write this message.  MY SPIRITUAL MISERY WAS A MESSAGE FROM GOD.  IT WAS WORTH THE MISERY TO FINALLY HEAR HIS “VOICE” SPEAKING TO ME THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT.  LIKE A CAR THAT HAS RUN OUT OF FUEL, I HAD “RUN OUT OF” THE HOLY SPIRIT BECAUSE I HAD NOT PRAYED IN A CERTAIN WAY.  THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE “ALL THINGS” PAUL MENTIONED.  THIS “THING” WAS MISERY FOR NOT PRAYING “IN THE SPIRIT”–PRAYING IN TONGUES.  THE MOMENT I BEGAN TO PRAY THE HEAVINESS LIFTED AND THE HOLY SPIRIT FLOODED MY SOUL.  GOD’S SPIRITUAL POWER IS COURSING THROUGH MY BODY AND MIND AND I AM ONCE AGAIN READY TO WRITE AND SPEAK GOD’S WORD, HEAL THE SICK AND CAST OUT DEVILS.  HIS FULL POWER IS AT THE READY.  SO GIRD YOUR LOINS, HIS TRUTH IS ON THE WAY.

If you are in the throes of one or more of those “things,” touch the screen and God will tell you why you are suffering.  His power is all-inclusive.   Because I have asked Him to, He will tell you why you are experiencing whatever is affecting you.  What you do with what He tells you is up to you.  The majority of people who receive such blessings do not recognize God’s “voice” or recognize it and go back to church, thereby nullifying the blessing.  Your church is the last place you need to be.  Stay home.  Study the Bible.  Trust God to be the God of His Word.  Take Him at His Word, which is the definition of faith.  You do not hear God’s Word in church.  Your church rejects His Word and substitutes its own.   Reject the church.  AND BE READY TO BE REJECTED FOR DOING SO.  Satan hates it when he loses a disciple.  He will turn his faithful disciples against you.  Count the cost of obedience to God, then pay it with joy.  You can do without the acceptance of family and friends.  You must not do without God.  This life is but a whisp of time.  Look to eternity.  This life is where we EARN either eternity in the presence of the King or as ash upon which His true saints will walk (Mal. 4:3).  Bear with me as I relate such a miracle that took place when I was teaching at the local college.

One morning my student assistant told me that her baby had not slept well and, for the past three days, had prevented her from sleeping as she should.  Medicine had not helped.  I prayed over a piece of paper and told her to place it on the child’s chest.  The next morning she reported the the little girl had slept through the entire night.  Did she learn anything from this miracle?  No.  Some time later we were talking about Easter.  I asked her if she wanted to know where Easter originated and what it actually represented.  She said yes.  I gave her a report I had put together about Easter, its heathen origin and why God hated it.  She rejected it.  Her standing in her church meant more to her than the Word of God.  Read Passover versus Easter.  Key word–Passover.

“All things” covers a lot of territory.  They can include things that the Scripturally challenged cannot understand.  When things happen to those who are totally sold out to the Lord they automatically wonder “why?”  Since He opened my eyes to His Truth many years ago, I have asked that question many times, and have received the answer every time because He knows I want to know.  Those “things” usually come in the form of “curses” which can range from a minor inconvenience to a life-threatening illness, a natural disaster, financial problems, social problems, accidents, etc.  These “curses” always have a cause (Deut. 26:26,28/ Prov. 26:2).  God is not a prankster.  Everything He does has a purpose.  Everyone is subject to His Cause and Effect Law.  For “those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” the curses show him/her the problem which they immediately correct.  Those who are not His people deal with the curse as best they can and get ready for the next one because they do not hear His “voice” and therefore remain in their sins.

He wants His people to be always on-base so that He can bless us.  GOD WANTS TO BLESS HIS SAINTS.  Read Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26.  FIRST AND FOREMOST HE WANTS TO BLESS HIS SAINTS.  He will arrange “all things” in order to draw us into His Word so that we can learn why one (or more) of those “things” is upon us and is negatively affecting our lives.  THIS IS NOT GOD’S WILL FOR THOSE WHO “LOVE HIM.”  HE WANTS TO BLESS, NOT CURSE THEM.

There, dear reader, is the key to the entire situation called “life.”  “I love the Lord, but _____ happening to me.  I go to church three times a week, read my Bible every day, pray, tithe, etc., but _______ is happening to me” is a common refrain.  Satan has blinded church people’s eyes to God’s Truth so that THEY HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT “ALL THINGS” (“CURSES”) ARE GOD’S WILL FOR THEIR LIVES, THAT  “ALL THINGS” ARE WHAT GOD DOES TO THEM AS A MATTER OF COURSE.  LIKE SENDING SUNSHINE AND RAIN, THOSE “THINGS” ARE JUST PART OF A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE.  Their attitude is, “If something is going to happen to me, it is going to happen, no matter what I do.”  Is that what God says?  Do they know what God says?  The answer to both questions is “NO,”  Which reveals the power Satan has over the whole of professing Christendom.  Can that power be broken?  “Yes.”  In the following posting we will study God’s Word to learn how.  L.J.