Hello there. And have you been waiting for me?
Oh, that's so nice of you. And again, thanks.
You know I appreciate it too. And remember, no
matter what are the problems on that life of
yours today, no matter what the weather is like,
or how you feel, or how big the troubles are
at your house, as long as God is... Steal on
his throne and he is an answer's prayer. And
just so long as your faith in him is still intact,
everything will come out all right. I'm going
to do something today that I do not believe that
I have ever done since I've been coming into
your home. And that is that we're going to spend
the entire time In one of our heart -to -heart
talks. Now, I know that'll please some folk.
Because we're getting letters saying, Oh, Miss
Cooman, we just love your heart -to -heart talks.
More than anything else that you do in your broadcast.
We get most out of your talks. Well, here it
comes. I'm going to spend the whole time. You
asked for it. Now don't say anything that you
don't mean. Don't write and tell me how much
you enjoy something. Dear me, I always remember
what I did once when I was young. Of course,
it's been years ago. And the hostess cake people
put out a little cake. A coconut cake. Now, in
those days, you could get a pretty good -sized
cake for 25 cents. And I just loved it. Oh, I'll
tell you. Oh, that coconut cake that the hostess
company used to put out. Mmm, it was better to
me than any candy, and so one day... I liked
it so much. I was all by myself. I bought one
of those cakes. And believe it or not, I sat
down and ate the whole thing. Every crumb of
it. Every little piece of coconut. Do you want
to know something? To this day, I have never
liked coconut cake. I had my feel. I ate too
much at one time. I hope to goodness my little
heart -to -heart talk isn't going to end up like
that for you today. No music, no nothing. Sit
down. We're going to talk it over. I got a letter
from one of our listeners in New York State.
And this is just a part of his letter. He's never
written before. He's not contacted us before.
He's a perfect stranger. The letter is very well
written. My dear Miss Kuhlman, over the air you
recently stated how real God was in your life.
Please tell us how you acquired this reality.
How is it manifested? And what is one's reaction
when seemingly God withdraws himself? In the
Little Quaker book, A Guide to True Peace, there
is a chapter on spiritual dryness. I would believe
that upwards of 99 % of the professing Christians
and ministers do not experience the reality of
God in their lives. I thank you most sincerely.
And the gentleman from New York State signs his
full name. Evidently a businessman. You know,
this thing of God being real to an individual,
whether that one is a minister of the gospel
or a layman. He's one of the most important things
in the world. I've often said I can listen to
a minister pray, and within the first 30 seconds
of his prayer, I can tell you whether or not
God is real in his life. I can tell by his approach
to God. in that prayer. It makes all the difference
in the world. You can be with a professing Christian
a very short time. You may never have met them
before. But you will know what God really is
to that one. You just know when God is a reality.
When God is more than just the mighty creator
to one. When God is real. He is someone who is
personal. When you belong to him. When there
is that personal relationship between the heavenly
father. And his child. It's something that you
can't camouflage. It's something that is real.
As real as the air that you breathe. Because
he becomes a very vital, a very living thing
in that life of yours. In exactly the same way,
there's real victory and there's false. Real
victory and its counterfeit. Do you want to know
something? The victorious life is simply a life
that's fully surrendered to God with Christ dwelling
within. An incomplete... control of that life.
It's that simple. That's it. That's what the
victorious Christian life is. It's just a fully
surrendered life to God. You come to the place
where you surrender yourself completely to Him.
Your body. Yourself. You. That, of course, takes
care of the days. Today. Tomorrow. And all that
is involved in those days. That's living. That's
life. Being a Christian is something more than
just living. It's a life. In exactly the same
way, this thing of being a minister, it's not
just a profession. And yet with thousands, this
thing of being a pastor, this thing of being
an evangelist, of being a minister, is nothing
more or less than a profession with that one.
When, beloved, it should be... A life. A complete
dedication of one. It's being controlled completely
by God himself. A life in which the only desire
is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. And it's the
only truly happy life there is. I promise you
that. I tell you that. It is absolutely the only
truly happy life in the whole universe. That's
the reason. There are so many professing Christians
who are not really truly happy. Not really. Do
you know why? It's because their victory is false.
Their victory is counterfeit. The life that they
live is false. It's a counterfeit. Oh, and yet
they're so religious. Oh, they are so religious.
And they are constantly talking about their crosses.
Every time you're in contact with them, they
talk about their crosses. But let me ask you
something. Is a believer's life filled with crosses?
Is it Scripture? Now, that's the idea that many
Christians have. And where there's a choice between
things agreeable and disagreeable, the unpleasant
thing or the thing that is pleasant, they'll
always invariably choose the disagreeable, the
unpleasant thing. Why? Because somehow it gives
them such a satisfaction feeling that they are
a martyr to the cause. Just something about being
a martyr. Paul never tired of talking about the
joyful experiences of his life. The wonderful
joy of being a Christian. Joyce evermore. In
everything give thanks. And yet, what hardships,
what bitter persecutions were his lot. And if
you love God and fully trust him, the place in
which you are will be the happiest place in which
you can possibly be. And the work that you're
doing is the very best for you. It may not be
easy. I'm not saying that the place where you
are working or the circumstances under which
you are living are absolutely ideal and pleasant.
But if you are God's child, if your victory is
real and not a counterfeit, inside of you, you'll
be happy. You will. You can't help but be happy.
You know, you may be in a position where you
are working with folk who persecute you. They
don't agree with you when it comes to religious
things. And yet, if you are genuine, if you are
real, if your victory is genuine, You will be
happy in spite of. Not because of the circumstances,
but in spite of. But I'll tell you something.
The majority of professing Christians, under
those circumstances, become the martyr and say,
Oh, the place where I work is so hard. I'm the
only Christian there. Those around me say such
ugly things. And inside of you, you're getting
the greatest satisfaction in the world out of
being a martyr. And you say it's one of those
crosses that I must bear for the sake of that
which I believe. Crosses? Nowhere in the Bible
do we read of crosses. And yet, every time our
plans are upset, or if the weather spoils our
day, Or if the circumstances aren't agreeable.
Or if the sickness or bereavement that alters
our prospects. We're so apt to say, well, I suppose
that's just one of my crosses for today. And
then we put the morning veil on. And then we'd
draw our faces a little longer. And then now
and then you hear that deep sigh. And it's so
wonderful to shed tears under those circumstances.
And it isn't long before you get a feeling of
superiority, spiritual superiority. You're so
righteous. Oh, it's just one of those crosses.
You cannot find Paul saying one word about his
crosses. No man, and if ever there was a man
who had cause for complaint, if ever... There
was a man who could have had self -pity. It was
Paul. Look what that man went through. And yet
he constantly, constantly spoke of rejoice evermore.
Be glad. Be happy. Oh, I tell you, I believe
that when you walk into Paul's... presence. Even
while he was in the dungeon, right in the midst
of his persecution, there radiated from him a
joy. It was a delight to be in his presence.
He never once thought of himself as being a martyr.
A martyr to the cause. I know. And you didn't
think that I'd remember. It was the very first
scripture that you thought of when I said that
you could search the word of God and not find
a place where it talked about our crosses. Jesus
spoke of one cross. For you, one cross for me.
This is what Jesus said. If any man would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. That's the 16th chapter
of Matthew, the 24th verse. He says nothing about
crosses. There is one cross. You are absolutely
not scriptural. When something disagreeable happens,
your plans are upset, and you say, well, I suppose
this is my cross for today. Or if you are a precious...
And you are taking care of your mother -in -law.
How often I've heard a daughter -in -law saying,
well, my mother -in -law is my cross. She's old.
She's ill. And there just isn't anything I can
do but bring her in the house and take... care
of her. She's John's mother. That's my cross
to take care of her now as long as she lives.
If you'd only analyze your feelings, you are
absolutely immersed with self -pity. Uh -huh.
Every day of your life, you complain to somebody
that that mother -in -law is your cross. Beloved,
that is not scriptural. That mother -in -law
is not the cross that Jesus is talking about.
When he said, if any man would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me. Taking care of your mother -in -law
under those circumstances is nothing more or
less than the Christian thing to do. And if you
are a real Christian and your victory is real,
if your experience is real and not counterfeit
because of your Christian love, because of the
love of Christ that you have in your heart. You'll
take that mother -in -law in your home and you'll
enjoy doing it. It'll be a pleasure. You'll only
think of it in terms of being a cross. If your
victory is counterfeit, if your experience with
God is counterfeit, the thing that makes all
the difference in the world is the love of God
that's in your heart. All right? Oh, somebody
says, I liked her heart -to -heart talks, but
this one's going a little too far. You ask for
it. I'm giving it to you. All right? And you
don't dare turn me off because you're afraid
you're going to miss something. And you will.
So see me on through now. Let's go back to this
scripture in the 16th chapter of Matthew. Jesus
himself said it. If any man would come after
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. Again in the 14th chapter of Luke.
Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after
me cannot be my disciple. Did you get it? It
is then our duty to take up the cross, but not
to carry crosses. What you're trying to do is
carry crosses. I've seen people professing Christians
who day after day, they get up in the morning,
in fact, before their body has gotten out of
bed. They have already taken up the cross for
the day. Oh, and try to live with somebody like
that. Just try living with somebody like that.
I'm telling you, it's hell on earth. Some man
is saying, uh -huh, that's my wife, Miss Kuhlman,
that. And some of you wives are living with husbands
like that. And that's how it goes. Person is
the hardest person in the world to live with.
And a person like that will drive more people
from God than they will ever win to God. Every
morning, even before they know whether it's a
rainy day or a sunshiny day, before they have
their breakfast cereal. They have already taken
up their cross for that day. And they just carry
it all day long, I'll tell you. Oh, no wonder
their faces look so miserable. I always think,
you know, oh, it's an old, old story. I heard
it when I was very young. of a gloomy, miserable
-looking Christian who was standing outside of
one of the little missions. And as folk would
pass by, he'd try to get them to come in. And
one man passed by, and the Christian worker said,
Sir, will you come in to our service tonight?
And the stranger gave... The man just one swift
glance, that's all. Just one look at the Christian
worker who was standing on the outside of the
mission trying to get him to come in, and he
said, Oh, no thank you. Oh, no thanks. I've got
troubles enough my own. And kept right on going.
It was like that. Yeah? A life of victory is
a life of trust. And a life of trust will always
be a life that's full of joy. And such a life
glorifies Christ. Now, don't get me wrong. Everything
will not always be as you wish it. But in spite
of the circumstances, in spite of the condition,
In spite of the mother -in -law, in spite of
the old reprobate of a husband that you have
to live with, in spite of the disappointments
that might come into your life, there will still
be happiness. And you can still and you will
be a happy person because your victory is not
counterfeit. It's genuine. It's genuine and will
only be genuine if God is real in your life.
Real as a Heavenly Father. If there is that relationship.
You as the child and He as your Heavenly Father.
A life of victory is a life of perfect trust
in Him. only have that experience of reality
as you die to self on that pulse that Jesus spoke
of when he said, take up your cross and follow
me. The death to self. Amen.