WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Today, you and I are going to have a little heart 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:05.860 -to -heart talk about something that's very close 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:11.439 to my own heart. And I want to read the first 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:16.699 six verses as found in the third chapter of Proverbs. 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:25.760 My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:30.399 keep my commandments. For length of days and 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:37.240 long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:42.340 not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:47.039 thy neck. Write them upon the table of thine 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:56.009 heart. So shalt thou find favor and good. understanding 00:00:56.009 --> 00:01:03.130 in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord 00:01:03.130 --> 00:01:09.370 with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:15.090 own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge 00:01:15.090 --> 00:01:23.530 him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise 00:01:23.530 --> 00:01:31.569 in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from 00:01:31.569 --> 00:01:39.209 evil. Oh, to me, that's a priceless portion of 00:01:39.209 --> 00:01:45.590 the Word of God. And how often we forget the 00:01:45.590 --> 00:01:50.510 truth that's found in just these six verses. 00:01:51.790 --> 00:01:55.150 But I want to repeat that fifth verse for you. 00:01:55.969 --> 00:02:02.390 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean 00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:10.349 not unto thine own understanding. It is my firm 00:02:10.349 --> 00:02:16.469 conviction that no man who has ever lived or 00:02:16.469 --> 00:02:20.379 is living today who has had a... greater spiritual 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:32.099 influence on Sweden or the country of Norway, 00:02:32.379 --> 00:02:37.620 the Scandinavian countries, than Pastor Petrus. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:43.419 Literally thousands and thousands and thousands, 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:49.419 only God knows. but thousands in the Scandinavian 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:51.680 countries who had been brought to the saving 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.280 knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through the 00:02:54.280 --> 00:03:00.699 life and the ministry of Pastor Petrus. He's 00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:06.000 known throughout the world as Mr. Pentecost, 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:07.919 and I think that's one of the greatest compliments 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:13.219 that can be paid to a human being. There's something 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:17.780 about that man of God special anointing. One 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:21.699 cannot be in his presence without feeling the 00:03:21.699 --> 00:03:25.419 wonderful power and presence of the Holy Spirit. 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:32.439 A saint of God who is past 80 years of age. And 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:37.340 I'm only sorry, I deeply regret that I was not 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:41.520 personally acquainted with him years and years 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.719 ago. I wonder how my own ministry might have 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:52.000 been affected had I known him when I was 16 years 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.879 of age. For I have never forgotten what another 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:02.080 saint of God said to me when I was just 16. So 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:06.120 young, so inexperienced, that saint of God who 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:13.300 is known as Brother McCloud, who one day... took 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:18.720 my hands in his bony hands. Oh, there was so 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:23.160 little flesh left on his hands. All I could feel 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:28.360 was the bones and the love. He was nearing the 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:33.959 sunset hour. He saw my zeal, acknowledged my 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:37.980 love for the Lord, and knew better than I knew 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:42.290 my lack of experience. And he gave me advice 00:04:42.290 --> 00:04:47.170 that day that I have never, never, never forgotten. 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:51.370 And I did not know the full impact of what he 00:04:51.370 --> 00:04:58.290 was saying to me when he said, Girl, never get 00:04:58.290 --> 00:05:06.490 out of the will of God. I did not know what dear 00:05:06.490 --> 00:05:10.139 old Brother McCloud... who went home to glory 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:15.959 soon after that, really meant, but he knew the 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:20.720 importance of those words from past experiences. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:26.959 And there is no substitute for experience. Well, 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:34.319 Pastor Petrus was here in the United States, 00:05:34.339 --> 00:05:38.410 and we were having dinner together. Oh, that 00:05:38.410 --> 00:05:41.170 mighty saint of God, just to be in his presence. 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:50.110 Just to sit at his feet, I mean that. And we 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:53.269 were talking about the things of God and especially 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:58.110 the Holy Spirit. He'd been in the service of 00:05:58.110 --> 00:06:02.029 the Shrine of the Torium in Los Angeles, enjoying 00:06:02.029 --> 00:06:06.319 the presence of the Holy Spirit. and the manifestation 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:09.300 of the power of God more than perhaps anyone 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:18.319 else there. And then, as we sat and were eating 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:22.680 our dinner, he said, you know, Miss Kuhlman, 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:27.839 he's always very definite in everything that 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:35.480 he says. You know, Miss Kuhlman, I have watched 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:38.240 you very closely since we have become friends. 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:43.579 I was in those services when you were in Sweden. 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:51.779 I've watched your every movement and analyzed 00:06:51.779 --> 00:06:56.139 you very closely. And he said, you want to know 00:06:56.139 --> 00:07:01.759 something? Of course we know that the secret... 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:05.560 The success of your ministry is the power and 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:09.319 the presence of the Holy Spirit. But he said, 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:15.980 your own personal success is found in one thing. 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:24.220 One. I sat there, wondering what this saint of 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:29.639 God was going to say. Waiting almost breathlessly 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:34.730 for his next word. And this is what he said. 00:07:37.069 --> 00:07:43.050 You may talk things over with other folk. I have 00:07:43.050 --> 00:07:48.110 heard you. As you have said now, what would you 00:07:48.110 --> 00:07:52.470 do? It was almost as though you were getting 00:07:52.470 --> 00:07:58.810 the idea of someone else. But in the final analysis, 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:06.879 always did what the Holy Spirit told you to do. 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:14.279 You never accepted the advice of some man or 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:18.980 some woman just because they had given that advice. 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:30.540 In every instance, I have seen you turn. And 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:34.899 before you made any decision, you got the mind 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:41.360 of God on that thing. And oftentimes, and usually, 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:46.779 it was contrary to the advice that some man or 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:54.000 some woman had given you. Perhaps he was the 00:08:54.000 --> 00:09:00.259 only one who recognized that in my life. In me. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:05.220 I could have wept. I could have broken forth 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:13.440 in tears. For, beloved, I tell you frankly, I 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.299 have learned the importance of this portion of 00:09:17.299 --> 00:09:22.899 the Word of God. Trust in the Lord with all thine 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:29.379 heart and lean... not unto thine own understanding. 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:40.559 Be not wise in thine own eyes. Let me repeat 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:49.500 it again. Be not wise in thine own eyes. The 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:53.080 very moment that I become wise in my own eyes 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:57.419 and think that I am smart, that is the day when 00:09:57.419 --> 00:10:04.179 I start down the skids. That's the very hour 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:09.960 when I am doomed eventually to spiritual failure. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:15.580 That's the moment. If only I could get good understanders. 00:10:16.580 --> 00:10:21.659 If... Only that man or that woman who is leaning 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:29.600 on his own understanding. Lean. Oh, that's a 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:37.179 good word. Lean. Lean not unto your own understanding. 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:42.179 That is, do not put too much dependence upon 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:47.610 your own wisdom. Do not lean too heavily upon 00:10:47.610 --> 00:10:52.690 your own wisdom because it simply will not support 00:10:52.690 --> 00:10:58.470 you. The plain honest fact is, I'm sorry to say, 00:10:58.610 --> 00:11:06.950 is that really none of us is wise enough to get 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:09.710 through this world by depending upon his own 00:11:09.710 --> 00:11:14.289 wisdom and knowledge. God is perfect wisdom. 00:11:15.980 --> 00:11:20.059 A thousand times a day I am mindful of the fact 00:11:20.059 --> 00:11:27.659 that God is perfect wisdom. Our wisdom is imperfect 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:31.320 wisdom. Then I would be a very foolish person 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:36.559 to lean upon my own wisdom knowing that my wisdom 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:42.149 is imperfect. But when I lean on the wisdom of 00:11:42.149 --> 00:11:46.429 God, I am leaning on a wisdom that is perfect. 00:11:47.549 --> 00:11:52.889 So this is the advice. Do not lean on your own 00:11:52.889 --> 00:11:57.590 poor understanding, for it will not take you 00:11:57.590 --> 00:12:01.850 where you want to go. Trust the Lord with all 00:12:01.850 --> 00:12:05.970 of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. 00:12:06.710 --> 00:12:12.019 It's imperfect. It will fail in all of your ways, 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:16.799 in everything you do. Acknowledge him as your 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:22.159 guide. Build all of your thinking around him. 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:27.519 Oh, that's such a wonderful life to live. If 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:33.419 somehow I had the vocabulary to tell you, to 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:37.740 get it through to you, to get it across to you, 00:12:38.279 --> 00:12:42.860 that this can be such a wonderful life. When 00:12:42.860 --> 00:12:48.059 you build all of your thinking around him, you'll 00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:52.559 not be a frustrated person. How in the world 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:55.480 could you be a frustrated person? How in the 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:59.179 world could you have a nervous breakdown? How 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:04.080 in the world could you know failure if you were 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:07.360 building all of your thinking and building your 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:14.159 life around the Lord Jesus Christ. Solve every 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:20.139 problem around Him. He's the center. And everything 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:27.659 that concerns you concerns Him also. Therefore, 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:31.139 every problem, no matter what that problem is, 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:37.500 is solved around Him. Never make a decision without 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:43.019 consulting him. And when you consult him, he'll 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:46.840 direct your path. If I go to someone else for 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:51.580 advice, because they're as human as I am, and 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:55.139 their wisdom is as imperfect as my wisdom is, 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:59.840 therefore, I might just as well lean on my own 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:02.539 understanding and my wisdom as to ask someone 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:05.700 else. Sometimes one just does it as a matter 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:10.240 of courtesy. Now that's being brutally frank, 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:15.980 you know. But it is that way. Because their wisdom 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:21.899 is just as imperfect as my wisdom. But there 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:26.879 is one who has perfect wisdom. Therefore, I'm 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:32.559 very foolish if I do not go to the one who can 00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:39.580 Direct my path. A perfect path. I know very well 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:43.159 that there are people, including myself, who 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:47.039 try to decide a great many questions without 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:50.340 any thought of God whatsoever. And consequently, 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:54.580 we get ourselves into trouble. We're not using 00:14:54.580 --> 00:14:59.200 the world's greatest sources of wisdom. Just 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.620 start using this portion of the Word of God. 00:15:02.909 --> 00:15:06.370 When you apply this portion of God's Word, remember 00:15:06.370 --> 00:15:10.289 that every disappointment can be a message from 00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:15.269 God. He has to give you His advice in one way 00:15:15.269 --> 00:15:18.029 or another. And sometimes He gives it to you 00:15:18.029 --> 00:15:20.889 through a bitter disappointment. I'm not telling 00:15:20.889 --> 00:15:25.169 you that your pathway is going to be rosy. I'm 00:15:25.169 --> 00:15:27.129 not going to tell you that there will not be 00:15:27.129 --> 00:15:33.470 any heartaches or any trials. perfect wisdom, 00:15:33.690 --> 00:15:37.370 knowing that which is best for us. He knows that 00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:42.629 through that trial, through that heartache, we 00:15:42.629 --> 00:15:47.529 will become a better and bigger person and we'll 00:15:47.529 --> 00:15:52.250 always come out on the winning side. Always, 00:15:52.350 --> 00:15:56.289 I promise you that. If you have a thought about 00:15:56.289 --> 00:15:59.389 a matter and if you've done all that you can 00:15:59.389 --> 00:16:03.460 about it, You're disappointed. It seems to me 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:07.220 you must believe the disappointment as a message 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:10.059 from God telling you perhaps that you were not 00:16:10.059 --> 00:16:14.159 going about the affair in the right manner or 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:20.240 that the idea was faulty. I've come to the conclusion 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:26.820 that the simpler you are in your relationship 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:32.200 to God, the more effective or your daily experiences. 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:40.200 After all, it is a child and a parent relationship. 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:50.740 Oh, just to be simple in your relationship. That's 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:55.980 right. And the simpler you and I are in our relationship 00:16:55.980 --> 00:17:02.409 to God, the more effective are our daily experiences 00:17:02.409 --> 00:17:10.630 and the less complicated living becomes. You 00:17:10.630 --> 00:17:13.109 know, we've gotten this whole thing so complicated 00:17:13.109 --> 00:17:17.190 when it comes to living that most people are 00:17:17.190 --> 00:17:20.950 in a state of frustration and confusion. They 00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:22.410 don't know where they're coming, where they're 00:17:22.410 --> 00:17:27.890 going. They don't know the sky is... Up or down, 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:33.809 most of them do not even have their feet on the 00:17:33.809 --> 00:17:41.329 ground. So unstable. Let's get back to the simple 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:45.990 way of living again. Let's get back to our simple 00:17:45.990 --> 00:17:54.529 relationship with God. It's just like that. Ask 00:17:54.529 --> 00:18:01.430 the Lord. His advice on things. He'll give it 00:18:01.430 --> 00:18:07.049 to you. I promise you. I promise you with all 00:18:07.049 --> 00:18:12.630 my heart. He'll show you. If you really want 00:18:12.630 --> 00:18:18.470 to know. If you take your disappointments. And 00:18:18.470 --> 00:18:22.750 do not whine and complain about them. But say, 00:18:22.890 --> 00:18:29.079 Lord. What are you trying to show me? Perhaps 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:32.759 he'll lead you to something far greater than 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:39.720 you had imagined. That's right. Remember, your 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:47.599 disappointments may be his appointment. At that 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:50.440 moment, it may seem like a disappointment to 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:57.539 you. Through that disappointment, after the moment, 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:02.599 he may have spared you from a great tragedy. 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:12.299 Our eyesight is far too short. Our eyesight is 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:19.140 so dimmed sometimes. We can only see just a step 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:24.440 or two ahead. when God sees the whole thing, 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:31.380 the beginning to the end. Now, the second technique 00:19:31.380 --> 00:19:34.160 in handling the disappointment skillfully is 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:38.519 that when you're sure that what you wanted is 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.740 not going to happen, then you must develop the 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:44.019 art of being able to walk away from the matter 00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:47.880 and forget it. The longer I live and the more 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:51.400 I stay, study human nature, the more I am convinced 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:55.920 that a great deal of unhappiness in the world 00:19:55.920 --> 00:20:01.059 today comes out of not freeing ourselves from 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:07.980 old, unhappy past events. If you've committed 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:11.740 a sin, for example, don't drag it along with 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:15.680 you for the rest of your life. If you've confessed 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.059 it to God, Get it forgiven and leave it behind. 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:27.180 Don't think about it anymore. Don't think about 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:32.460 it. Don't bring it up. If you've asked forgiveness 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:39.740 for that sin and God's forgiven you, don't drag 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:43.420 the old carcass around anymore. Leave it. Forget 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:47.400 it. If someone... Doesn't mean thing to you. 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:53.480 Don't carry it around with you. Forgive it and 00:20:53.480 --> 00:21:00.059 forget it. You cannot carry all this excess weight. 00:21:00.579 --> 00:21:05.740 Walk away from the thing. It's under the blood. 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:12.700 Remember that. You must remember that. All these 00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:16.400 things are so simple. These things are so wonderful. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:23.759 Yes, beloved, if somehow in just this second 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:32.660 I could get you to not lean on your own understanding. 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:39.140 When temptations come, when disappointments come, 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:44.720 when death comes, when trials come, Trust in 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:50.619 the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:56.819 thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge 00:21:56.819 --> 00:22:04.460 him, and he shall direct thy path. Beloved, be 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:15.420 not wise in thine own eyes. He is perfect wisdom.