Cross or Crosses? Part 1 Kathryn Kuhlman

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.