I hear people say again and again that they, don’t understand God. Why don’t they? God wants everyone to have understanding of Him. Consider how much time God spent to give us that understanding through His Word. The Bible was fifteen hundred years in the writing; God poured it through holy men of God. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (II Peter 1:21). Why would anyone think God doesn’t want people to have understanding of Him?

Man will never master God, yet He wants people to understand Him to the extent of their ability. For all eternity God will be beyond man in His greatness, His mighty works. But when God created man and woman and placed them in a beautiful Garden, He gave them minds of understanding like His, only in miniature.

God’s Thoughts Are Not Our Thoughts

Man and woman never were to have been separated from God, never to have sinned; for had no sin entered, there would not have been a separation. Had they not sinned, they would never have been sick; they would have lived forever and kept their youth: That shows the love of God. You can’t begin to understand God without considering His love. Isaiah the prophet tells us: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

Through Sin They Lost the Mind of God

Jesus came to Earth, took on the fashion of a man and then in His mind He took on the ingredients of Heaven that go with the mind of God. It was a mind like those of Adam and Eve before they sinned. Adam and Eve were free from all sin when they had the mind of the Lord. For you to have a mind to match God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost—only in miniature—you must live free from all sin.

In Eden, Adam and Eve were knowledgeable. They didn’t need to go to school; in fact, it was never intended that man would have to study and struggle to get an education. Knowledge was just handed to him. God didn’t name the animals; He brought them to Adam to name. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof (Genesis 2:19). God delighted in Adam using the mind that He had given him, a mind that was plugged into His mastermind.

After sin entered, man lost his way, no longer did he understand God. Losing his wonderful thought-life, the thoughts of God, man fell down to the low road. On that low road he was not going to understand God, understand how and why He works. Now discouragement and depression were man’s nagging companions.

Don’t Be a Target for the Devil

When something happens to you that you don’t understand, be careful it doesn’t turn you into a target for the devil. As long as the Lord lets you hold His hand, you don’t always have to understand. With your hand in His, it doesn’t matter whether or not you understand all about what you’re going through; He knows the way you’re to take; He knows how much you can bear, and He gives you this great promise: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13).

Why should you be cast down and in despair? When I’m going through a severe trial on this journey, sometimes I think: Lord, I can’t stand any more! But then I begin to look around even before the Lord answers, and if I don’t see a way of escape, I’ll tell Him, Lord, I can take some more. Why? He promised He would bring deliverance when I couldn’t bear any more.

If we love the Lord and are in His divine will, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Jesus was in the divine will of God; Adam and Eve were in the divine will before they fell into sin. When you know you’re in the divine will of God, your prayers are like the prayers of our Master in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father, not my will, but thine be done.

Use the Love God Gives You

It’s time to find out why you don’t have more understanding of God. Do you use the love that He has given to you? I say again, you can’t understand God without His love, and He has given you plenty of it. He is a God of supreme, everlasting love; He has always been and always will be. Depend on that love. Too many people receive salvation and then try to journey with God depending only on human love. In prayers they think God is no greater and no more able to work than the limitations of human love work. No wonder they don’t understand God.

Jesus could have spent His time saying He didn’t understand why His roads were so rocky, but He didn’t. He came to pave roads for our feet, yet some of these roads are rocky, too. Jesus warns us about tribulation: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

You Have a Measure of Faith

Faith is a gift from God. The Bible declares that God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Yet some children of God don’t think they have faith. To have God, you must have faith; God is a faith God. Live with that faith, by that faith, and in the Word of God if you want to understand God. Without faith you don’t have God no matter what you say.

When you carry grudges, hurts, complaints, and resentments, you don’t understand God. He doesn’t deal in those kinds of things; that’s what the devil deals in. If you find yourself understanding the devil better than you understand God, it’s time to change your way of thinking. Jesus made it possible for us to change. He spoke so plainly that even children can understand if they want to. Jesus didn’t use big words, just simple stories.

Some people complain that they’ve prayed, but don’t understand why God won’t move for them. Jesus said to ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). Jesus is there with your blessing, but you won’t go to the door.

Well, I don’t feel like it and, furthermore, I don’t know whether the Lord loves me or not.

Why don’t you get off that chair and go to the door and find out if He loves you? Throw the door of your heart wide open and say, “Come on in, Jesus, and dine with me today! I sure do need you! I’ve been waiting for you!”

Expect God’s Best

Do you come out of bed expecting the worst? If so, you get the day off to a bad start. Come out expecting God’s best, and the Lord will help you to make Him a good day. Some Christians are always planning to make self a good day. Never think about making a good day for self; plan to make every day a good day for God, and let Him decide what kind of day He wants to make for you. When whatever He wants is done, count that a perfect day.

All God’s ways are perfect ways; you must learn this. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him (II Samuel 22:31). Imperfections are not in God. If you start finding fault with God, you’re in trouble.

Talking doubt brings problems, for the Lord won’t accept doubt, only the love language, the faith language. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry (Psalm 34:15). The Lord has good hearing.

Call unto the Lord

Jeremiah the prophet said: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3). Are you about to pass out with fear, distress and despair? Are you so down and out that you don’t even know if the Lord loves you? If so, the devil has you on the low road and the Lord can’t reach you. I talk to some of you, try to get you to call on the Lord, but you won’t continue to call. By the time I get out of hearing distance you’ve stopped calling. All I can do is ask the Lord to help you and bless you.

Romans 8:31, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? It doesn’t matter about the storms or how much the devil comes against you; if God is for you, you’re a winner. Do you know you’re a winner, do you know God that well? Have you become acquainted with God as a winner, or do you picture a God who fails? Jesus never fails, but you must believe it, live it, sing it, pray it, and fast it.

There’s no need to open this Bible if you’re not going to believe it; the Bible isn’t man-talk, it’s God-talk. God said it, I believe it and that settles it.

Some of you doubt God’s Word and that’s the reason you’re depressed. Get off that chair of despair and answer His knock on the door of your heart. Call unto the Lord; He said He’d answer. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am (Isaiah 58:9). It’s amazing the things the Lord said He would do.

More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:35-37, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Some of you live in depression, thinking you’re mistreated, unloved. But the Lord said He loves you with an everlasting, unending, eternal love. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (Jeremiah 31:3).

In jeopardy of their lives, not knowing at what time they might be killed for the sake of Christ, they were counted as sheep for the slaughter, wrote Paul. But he went on to say in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Jesus paid the price so that we could have deliverance, strength, overcoming victory, and Heaven’s freedom while en route to Heaven.

It’s time for us to move, time for us to yield to God and give over to Him. Talk faith, not sickness; surely you can find a better subject than sickness. Everybody has had a pain, so you don’t have a new subject—and no one pays much attention to such talk. What good does it do to tell everyone about your pain? They could say they have one, too. Instead, why don’t you say, I’ve got the victory, and praise God! the Lord is going to get me well! I just know I’m getting a healing; I’m being delivered! You who are sick: Decide through the blood of Jesus you’re going to get well.

Claim the Fruits of the Spirit

With the knowledge of God, we know He’s a happy God and He wants us to be happy. Jesus brought “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” The nine fruits of the Spirit belong to the children of God; all His love, faith, goodness, mercy, gentleness, kindness and self-control are ours. Are you claiming them? Are you going to use them? Would you have used the good fruits in Eden or would you have reached over for the fruit of that forbidden tree the way Eve did? Be careful what you dine on. Make an Eden in your soul for the Lord, and the Holy Spirit will produce all nine fruits right on the inside of you. He has fruit aplenty and it’s time to dine with the Lord and rejoice in Him.

Understand God; understand what He has to say. If you had a godly mom and dad, understanding them made you love them. If you understand God, you’ll understand why He works like He works, why you have to go through certain trials and temptations, and you’ll love Him more.

Rejoice in Persecution

First Peter 4:12,13, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Peter didn’t say trials, he said fiery trials, trials when you don’t even feel like yourself. But he went on to say, Rejoice in as much as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings. Remember, the disciples rejoiced because they could take beatings for Christ, take them in His name. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name (Acts 5:41).

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Matthew 5:11).

The Lord said if we suffered for His name’s sake, we’d reign with Him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him (II Timothy 2:12). Jesus went through a lot, and you’re going to have to go through much whether you want to or not; it will be the making of you. He warns of persecutions ahead: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 10:34-39).

Let persecutions drive you closer to the Lord. I think of myself as a nail with that big hammer of persecution coming down. Every time it hits, it drives me deeper into grace, power, faith, love, and more understanding of what Jesus went through and the price He paid for me. The more I learn about the price, the more I love Him for paying that price. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved (Matthew 10:22). Oh, Hallelujah! Thank God Almighty we’re free!

The Son Sets You Free

You must know you’re free. The Bible tells us, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36). Are you struggling with bondage? You are if you don’t believe the Lord will make plain paths for your feet as He promised. Do you ask Him to make those plain paths? From the Psalmist in the early part of my Christian walk, I learned the Lord would make my paths plain. Down through the years I’ve prayed for those plain paths, and I find them. Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path (Psalm 27:11). He gives me grace to walk those paths and I rejoice to know I’m in step with Jesus.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (I Peter 2:21). If you don’t know Jesus, don’t understand Him, how are you going to know His steps, how He lived, how He believed, how He loved? If you don’t learn about God, how are you going to know about the Heaven He holds in store for you? How are you going to believe He made a great Heaven for you? How will you believe He’s sending you love every day?

Psalm 34:19, Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. The Lord said He would deliver you, but the reason some of you don’t get delivered is that you don’t act right, don’t acknowledge God and His power, His promises. Because you don’t acknowledge Him as the great healer He can’t work for you; He’s waiting for you to get on receiving ground. The Lord has a place at His table for you and He’s saying, “Come and dine; I’ll spread you a table in the wilderness.” He’s just waiting for you to partake of His marvelous promises.

Do You Question God?

Mom put good food on the table, but she wasn’t going to carry it to us unless we were sick; it was: Come and get it! We would race in to get Mama’s good food, glad to be at the table. Sometimes we could hardly wait. How long is it going to be, Mama? Many times I asked my mama that, and I know she must have gotten tired of hearing me. It’s different with God: I’m not always questioning Him. Not asking Him a lot of questions, I spend more time with all His promises. I go to the Word of God, not people, to get my help. The Word gives me help, strength; I dine on His promises.

Do you get discouraged, depressed and then try to comfort yourself by eating, by spending your time with food? It doesn’t help to eat, eat, eat. The burden doesn’t become any easier, just harder to carry. Instead of trying to comfort yourself with food, look to the Lord and think of fasting. Sometimes a fast may go forty days, but when you get to that fortieth day you know you’ve won. Jesus fasted forty days and nights and He won. I imagine He fasted more than one forty-day fast.

Psalm 55:22, Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Do you think the Lord doesn’t love you? The Bible says He will never suffer you to be moved—if you’re righteous. Just throw your burden upon Him; you don’t have to be graceful about it. Use reckless faith: Cast those burdens. Cast means to throw. Throw that burden upon the Lord, your burden bearer. He’s the one who came to Earth, the Son of God. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, He said (Matthew 11:28). Rather than sitting around having a pity party, cry to the Lord saying, I believe! and come out of that despair.

Forget the Past

Some of you come from a troubled childhood. You’re grown now and God is good to you. Why keep looking back at what you didn’t have as a child? That has nothing to do with how God wants to bless you today. What you didn’t eat yesterday, don’t worry about. Don’t think about the problems of yesterday. Paul said to forget the things that are behind you. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13,14). Understand God, understand what He means, understand what He’s saying to you, and stay in the Bible until you do understand.

To Understand God Is to Love Him

Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Notice: You must love God. In fact, you can’t know God without loving Him. Not loving God with all your heart, you’re not going to understand Him with all your heart.

If you don’t understand why God doesn’t move for you, check first on the love in your heart and check second on the faith; divine faith and love are gifts from God. Then check to see if you’re in the will of God. Are you carrying the burden for lost souls? Are you putting souls first? Are you really looking to God? If you grumble and complain, you build walls. Jesus tore down the walls of partition that hedged us in from Him, and those walls remain down unless you rebuild them with your complaints, criticism, depression, and so forth. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Ephesians 2:14).

Count Your Blessings

Rise up and count your blessings. Rise up and know that God who gives you air to breathe has a Heaven for you to go to. Know that Jesus died for you so that you could have life and live forever in that wonderful Heaven. Praise God forevermore, we’re going to live on and on! You have a lot to be happy about. Count your blessings, not your troubles.

But, Preacher, you don’t know what I’m going through! Maybe I don’t need to know what you’re going through. If knowing is going to affect me like it does you, I know I don’t. But I try to drag you out of those pits of despair; it’s my business to try to help you out, to get you to stop talking about your aches and pains and to take healing.

If some people can’t tell you about a pain they had today, they’ll dig one up they had yesterday and tell you about it. I hear this kind of talk over and over again. I’ve told people that they were looking good and they’d exclaim, “Oh, you don’t know what I’ve been going through; I just about died yesterday!” They didn’t want to be told they looked good; they preferred sympathy. I like people to tell me that I look happy, full of joy and the picture of good health. Praise God, I thank the Lord for that; I love to be blessed of the Lord!

I am blessed, and you can be blessed, but some of you are depending on luck—no wonder you’re running behind and not receiving from God! In the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus never said, “Lucky are ye,” He said, “Blessed are ye.” Blessings come from God. Luck comes from the devil, not from God.

But I’m so unlucky, you protest. If you’re depending on luck, you ought to be unlucky. God wants to bless you with good health, good sleep, good food. He wants to bless you with answered prayer and to make you know He hears every word you speak.

Come Up to the High Road

You don’t have to struggle and struggle in prayer. God said His ears are open—don’t you think He has good hearing? You don’t have to beg Him to do anything. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry (Psalm 34:15).

Preacher, I don’t know about all of this.

Well, listen to what the Word says: As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him (Psalm 18:30). Can you top that? The way of the Lord is perfect! Jesus said: Follow thou me (John 21:22). He’s laid out the path for you; stay off that low road and come His way, come on up to the high road. Jesus’ purpose is to bring man back to the high road where God walks, talks, works, and blesses.

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it (Isaiah 35:8). That high road is the way of believers, praise God forevermore! The holy and righteous walk the high road.

Take control of yourself. Understand God and you’ll know you don’t have to be in despair or be depressed and burdened down with unnecessary burdens. The Lord will let you know the burdens that are His for you to carry, so you won’t be going into unnecessary valleys. If you don’t find the footprints of Jesus in a valley, His grace and love, then beat a path out of there; that’s not a valley the Lord wills for you to be in. In every valley the Lord sends you, His grace will go ahead and already be in that valley.

Use the Faith You Have

Wilt thou be made whole? One day Jesus met people who were in great despair. He found Mary and Martha weeping, and Martha said, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died (John 11:21). He tried to lift her up to the high road by saying, Thy brother shall rise again (John 11:23). If you’ll believe now, you’ll see the glory. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24). She had faith; you can have faith but not use it at the right time, not use it for what you need. You can have love and not use it when you need to use it. But Jesus was there with resurrection power that brought brother Lazarus out of the grave. It was an astounding miracle, one that Martha had not expected.

The Comforter Will Come

The Lord said if He went away, the Father would send another Comforter, the Holy Ghost. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). The Holy Ghost would be the Spirit of truth. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come (John 16:13). There’s nothing false in you if you’re led by the Spirit of truth, for you have the great teacher, the Holy Ghost.

Don’t say you don’t understand God; do everything you know to do and then you’ll find you have a beautiful understanding of Him.

Know God from the Inside

When at eighteen I came up from the altar, born-new, a new creature, I had a totally new outlook on God. I’d been taught about God, but suddenly I knew Him from the inside. You can’t know God just outside, you have to know Him from the heart, understand Him. His ways are not your ways and His thoughts are not your thoughts, so you must let the Holy Spirit give you understanding.

In the fourth chapter of Philippians are six things to think on: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8).

Oh, Neighbor, do you know God? Do you know God’s healing power, or do you say it can’t be? If you doubt His miracles, it’s because you don’t know the God who spoke this universe into existence and hung it upon nothing. He threw out the stars, filled the skies with them, commanded there to be a moon to shine at night, and the sun in day. He is the great Creator.

Man thought when he got to the moon that he’d accomplished the spectacular. Compared with God’s works it was nothing. God probably didn’t take ten minutes to make the moon; He just spoke it into existence and it was there.

Some people want to make a trip to the moon. Not me. I’ve seen enough desolation as I look into the souls of people down here. I see emptiness, barrenness, and I try to get them to yield to God so they can have the fertile souls the Lord wants them to have. No, I want to go far beyond the moon; I want to go to Heaven.

The high road, Heaven, is just ahead. Come on, let’s go. Why be in despair when in a short while you could be in gloryland, praise God! Do you already have that eternal life inside right now? You won’t have any more eternal life when you get to Heaven than you have here on Earth. When you take Jesus into your life, He saves your soul and gives you Heaven’s eternal life. However, you don’t have eternal claim on Heaven unless you treat salvation right and live free from sin to keep that claim.

God Saves and Heals

Do you know God? Seek to know Him. If you’re a backslider or if you’ve never known the Lord: Come home. Give your heart to God right now by saying the sinners’ prayer: Oh, God, save my soul. I’m so sorry I sinned against you, but I’ve come home and I’m going to serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in, Jesus!

If you meant that prayer, now you can say, Hallelujah! Jesus is mine. Hallelujah! His shed blood on Calvary has washed all my sins away, made me brand-new!

You who are sick and afflicted: Jesus said that healing is the children’s bread. Know God and you’ll know that when He says, I am the LORD that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26), He means it. You can be healed of HIV/AIDS, cancer, leprosy. You who have suffered a stroke or been crippled for years can be healed. If you have a deformed or crippled child, that child can be made well. I agree with you for your child’s body to come to normal and for you to be healed of any death disease. In the name of Jesus I come, in that all-powerful name. I come with the knowledge of His great love, His great faith, and I curse all the diseases in your body. I come with the knowledge of His wonderful miracles and healings. I come with the knowledge of His divine blood, and call life to you who have death working in you, destroying your body. Heal! Heal! in the blood name of Jesus. In the all-powerful blood name I command it done! Amen.

Now watch yourself get well and that little one get well. Write and tell me about it. Serve the Lord and learn more and more about Him daily.

Why don’t people understand God? Because they don’t know His love, don’t know His promises and don’t know He will fulfill all those promises in the Word of God through His great blood love. Learn to understand God, to depend on Him and trust Him daily. God wants you to understand Him.