We Are Saved By Christ's Obedience, Not Our Effort

Romans 5:19, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

The inspired King James Bible teaches that when Adam sinned, he opened the floodgate of sin and death upon the world. Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” This is why we live in a fallen world. This is why a drunk driver may swerve into your driver's lane and take your legs off in a crash. This is why things dry rot, wear out and break. This is why there is disease, pain and sickness, and then we grow old and die.

But thanks be to God the Father for sending His only begotten Son Jesus into the world to redeem humanity. Whereas mankind had utterly failed again and again to perfectly obey the law, Jesus did fulfill it perfectly. Therefore, Jesus Christ has become the end of the law to all who believe on His name. Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” That it, if you will put all of your trust (reliance, faith) in Jesus as your personal Savior, God will count your faith for righteousness.

Romans 4:4-5, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” I am surprised how many unlearned preachers foolishly teach that people were saved by works under the Mosaic law. Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) was the biggest purveyor of this terrible heresy. Consequently, Ruckmanites today like Robert Breaker, Gene Kim and William P. Grady still promote this unbiblical rubbish that people were saved by works in the Old Testament. Dear reader, don't you believe it!

Romans 4:4 plainly teaches that if salvation had ever been works, then God owed those sinners salvation, and it wasn't by grace. I hope you are not that gullible to believe them.

It was Christ's perfect obedience to God's Old Testament law that qualified Him to be “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b). To get saved, you simply need to believe that Jesus did it all for you. Simply by faith (taking God at His written Word) accept Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then resurrected three days later. The moment that you make this decision, God reads your mind and declarers you His redeemed child. You have been born again by the Holy Spirit of God in response to your faith in the Word of God (i.e., the Gospel).

God's Amazing Constellations

Psalm 147:4, “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”

I love astronomy. It's one of my hobbies. God's creative handiwork is more than amazing!

The Perseids meteor shower peaks in mid-August, with the peak night on 12–13 August and activity running about July 17th to August 24th. During the peak, the rate can reach up to around 150 meteors per hour (depending on location and conditions). I laid outside at 9 pm on August 12th for about 30 minutes, and then again after midnight around 1:30 am on August 13th for another half hour, watching for meteors. I saw a few slow moving shooting stars. 

Here's a quick astronomy lesson:

• Asteroids are rocks moving through space.
• Meteors are space rocks that have entered into earth's atmosphere.
• Meteorites are space rocks that survived entry and have hit the earth.

When I lived on Guam, where there is little light from the island to interfere with the view, I often saw shooting stars (meteors) in the night sky. Most move super fast across the sky.

The other evening during the meteor shower, I focused on the constellation Pegasus, simply because it was right in front of me as I laid in my lawn chair. I use a helpful program called SkyView, which tells me the distance of each individual star in light-years. I purchased the full-functioning program, which costs less than a one time $5 fee. 

Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the winged horse from Greek mythology. It is one of the 88 officially recognized constellations and is best known for the Great Square of Pegasus, which is formed by four bright stars. The constellation was upside down like this as I observed it. ...

The star Enif in the horse's mouth of the Pegasus constellation is 690 light-years from earth, which is a mind boggling 4,068,396,226,415,094 miles away! That's four quadrillion miles from earth! And I was laying in my backyard in my lawn chair looking at it. Wow!

The light that I was seeing started its long journey 690 years ago in 1336 AD. Light travels at 670 million mph. In 1336 AD, significant events happened, included the mass suicide of 4,000 defenders in Pilėnai, Lithuania to avoid capture by the Teutonic Knights, and the founding of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India by brothers Harihara and Bukka Raya. Additionally, the Italian poet Petrarch claimed to be the first to ascend Mount Ventoux. The light emitted from the star Enif took 690 years travelling at 670 million mph to reach my eyes this week. Wow!

I used to ignorantly think that all of the stars in a particular constellation were all close neighbours. Boy was I way wrong! Take for example the star 1 Peg in Pegasus, which is directly above Enif and slightly to the right, which is located 156 light-years from earth, 917,065,558,216,643 Miles. That's nearly one quadrillion miles! By the way, I use this handy-dandy web page to convert light-years to miles.

God is so astounding! And then I saw star Peg 9 just above Enif, which is 927 light-years from earth, or 5,449,485,720,941,204 Miles. Good night, that's over 5 quadrillion miles away. And I was looking at it in my backyard from Pensacola. As you can clearly see, the stars which comprise the constellations are often quadrillions of years apart in distance from each other. Remember, a “light-year” is a measurement of distance, not time. It is the distance that light travels in one year.

And just to amaze you further dear reader, the next time that you gaze up into the evening sky, remember that the closest star to the earth (after our own sun which is 93 million miles away), is a shocking 4.24 light-years away, or 25 trillion miles from earth! That star is Alpha Centauri. That's right, the nearest star in the night sky is at least 25,000,000,000,000 miles away. Most of the stars we see in the night sky are quadrillions of miles away.

And another interesting fact to remember is that every star you can see with the naked human eye is contained within our own Milky Way Galaxy. With the naked eye humans cannot see stars in other galaxies. And there are at least TWO TRILLION galaxies in the known universe! 

The Andromeda Galaxy can be seen with the unaided eye on clear, dark nights as a faint, fuzzy smudge between the constellations Andromeda and Cassiopeia. It is the most distant object visible to the naked eye, located about 2.5 million light-years away. Are you ready for this? The Andromeda Galaxy is a shocking 14.7 quintillion miles away from earth! And it is still possible to see it at the right time in the right place.

NASA's astronomers now tell us there are at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the known universe. That's one septillion stars!!! I need to go take a long walk. Wowza!

Psalm 147:4, “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”

Did you know that it would take someone 31,710 years just to count to one trillion? It's true. If you counted one number every second without stopping, it would take you 31,710 years to count to one trillion. No human has ever done it, and no human ever will. But the inspired Holy Bible says God knows the exact number of stars, and He calls each star by their unique individual name. Our faithful, good, merciful and omnipotent Creator is truly more than amazing! Psalm 145:3, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”

The Incredible Human Body Disproves Evolution

Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

I was thinking today about how amazing the human body is, and that it proves the existence of a divine Creator:

1. I thought about how God put hair in our nose to block bugs and debris from going up our nostrils. Evolution wouldn't do that!
2. I thought about how God designed the human ears to collect sound. Evolution wouldn't do that!
3. I thought about how God put that little cleft above the buttocks that prevents running sweat. Evolution wouldn't do that!
4. I thought about our fingerprints for enhanced grip and dexterity, particularly for climbing and manipulating objects. Evolution wouldn't do that!
5. I thought about our eye's built in windshield wiper blades called eyelids. Evolution wouldn't do that!
6. I thought about the cleverly designed male external urethral orifice where urine comes out. If this feature didn't exist urine would spray all over the place instead of stream. Evolution wouldn't do that
7. I thought about the human brain, which is a supercomputer. Evolution wouldn't do that!
8. I thought about the enjoyment of cracking one's knuckles, which is caused by gas bubbles in the synovial fluid collapsing or bursting when the joint is stretched. Evolution wouldn't do that!
9. I thought about hiccups, which is the body's natural defense to slow us down from eating too fast and choking. It's the body's way of saying, "Whoa! Slow down fella!" Evolution wouldn't do that!
10. I thought about the body's ability to cry tears, which feature nature would have no purpose for creating. Evolution wouldn't do that!

I am confident that if we put our minds together that we could come up with several dozen more amazing features of the human body.

The  human body has a marvellous design to it that a natural evolutionary process simply could not (and would not) have accomplished. The universe around us has a grand intelligent design to it, which shouts and testifies to the existence of a brilliant, omniscient and omnipotent divine Creator. God is good.

No One Can Escape God's Judgment Or Fool Him

Proverbs 24:11-12, “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”

Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1961) has this to comment about Proverbs 24:11-12...

These verses seem to refer to a mode of execution once prevalent in Syria and Palestine. Muenscher says, “When a criminal was anciently led to execution, a crier went before, who proclaimed the crime of which he had been convicted, and called upon any one who could say anything in behalf of the condemned culprit, to come forward; in which case, he was led back to the tribunal and the cause was re-heard.” To selfishly withhold information that could save the condemned man's life, would be to stand with Cain and ask, “Am I my brother's keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) But the great Judge of all who ponders the heart would be witness against the one who acted so perfidiously and would assuredly render judgment. SOURCE

“Perfidiously” means to act in a treacherous or disloyal manner, often involving deceit or betrayal. It is derived from the word “perfidious,” which implies a lack of faithfulness or reliability. To fail to speak up when you posses information that could exonerate an accused person is a grave sin in God's sight. That is what the Bible means in Proverbs 24:11-12.

Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” We all have an appointment with death, and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Nothing can be hid from God's eyes. Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” Whether it be the sordid sins that someone commits in privacy, or laboring diligently on social media for Jesus' and the Gospel's sake at 3 am in the morning, God sees it all. Nothing can be hidden from God!

Did you know that there are at least 28 serial killers who've never been caught? Did you know there have been over 352,390 unsolved homicides in the United States from 1965 to 2024, according to FBI data? Additionally, only about half of the murders that occur each year are solved. Thankfully, God knows exactly who committed each murder, where the bodies are buried, and He will execute justice and vengeance (Luke 8:17; Romans 12:19-21; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Hebrews 4:13, 10:31).

Save The Birds, Kill The Children

Judges 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Kindly said, we've lost our minds in the United States. There has been much talk in the news and on social media all week about a bald-headed eagle in California. Today, people were weeping and mourning that Jackie the eagle died...

Celebrity bald eagle Jackie has died after weeks of deteriorating health

WPTZ | August 10, 2026 - BIG BEAR, California 

Jackie the bald eagle, who became famous for raising several eaglets in Big Bear, California, with her partner Shadow, has died following weeks of deteriorating health.

The eagle pair became internet favorites thanks to a live nest camera operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, which allows people around the world to watch their daily lives.

Jackie had been nesting in the Big Bear area for years, where she and Shadow have raised eaglets together. Their nest sat high in a Jeffrey pine tree near Big Bear Lake, more than 7,000 feet above sea level.

Jackie became especially popular for her dedicated parenting, dramatic interactions with Shadow and the challenges she faced protecting eggs and chicks from harsh mountain weather. READ MORE

I couldn't help but cringe as a God-fearing Christian, and a father of four children myself, to consider the millions of babies that Americans continue to abort every year.

Guttmacher Releases Full-Year 2025 Abortion Incidence and Travel Data 

March 24, 2026

Today the Guttmacher Institute released new data from the Monthly Abortion Provision Study, showing that there were an estimated 1,126,000 clinician-provided abortions in the United States in 2025. For the first time, these estimates include telehealth provision to residents of states with total bans, as well as updates to prior year estimates to include these states. SOURCE

Something is very wrong morally, ethically and spiritually with a broken society that mourns the death of its birds, while totally ignoring the murder of its human children. Last year alone, there were 1,126,000 babies murdered in their mother's womb at an abortuary. For the longest time Americans have had their priorities wrong. Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.”

In the Old Testament time of the judges in Israel, there were no magistrates to uphold law and order, so people did whatever they thought was right to do in their own eyes. There was no king in the land. Judges 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” They wanted to do the right thing, but they wanted to decide what was right. It was a dire time for the children of Israel.

Obviously, the people didn't always do what was right, even though they thought they were. That is what the disturbing book of Judges is all about, full of atrocities. But we do have a U.S. President, leaders and magistrates today. So what's our excuse?

Abortion is premeditated, first-degree, cold-blooded murder!

There Is Forgiveness In Christ

That being said, if you have had an abortion I didn't write this blog to berate you, God forbid. My ministry is not here to bash sinners; but rather, hopefully to inspire others to think differently God (repent) to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26); and then a second decision to serve the LORD as His child (Romans 12:1). Lest we pervert the Gospel, we must always keep salvation completely separate from service.

It was Jesus Himself who said in John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” I think we sometimes forget the purpose of Christ's mission to earth, and what the faithful Lord expects from us as redeemed saints. Jesus came to save sinners! We're not here to condemn sinners, but to lead them to the Savior.

I love everyone unconditionally with Christ's love, whoever you may be. In the next verse we see that Jesus and God the Father love us. 2nd Thessalonians 2:16, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.” By the way, this Bible verse refutes the heresy of modalism (the false teaching that God goes into different “modes,” and that Jesus the Son does not have a separate body from the Father). This verse plainly teaches that God the Son, and God the Father, are two different persons with their own bodies.

So, if you have had an abortion I do not condemn you friend. God loves you and so do I. I wrote this article because we have a serious problem in our country with wrong priorities. Genesis 6:5, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” I cannot even grasp a society so wicked that over one million parents every year kill their own biological child, legally. Oh, America, repent!

I love animals and birds. I have a bird feeder about 12 feet high on a big thick pole in my yard. The neighborhood birds love me. I have several beautiful red cardinals that drop in for frequent meals. I saw three squirrels enjoying lunch yesterday at the feeder, I put round seed and fruit cakes in the side compartments on the feeder. Come one, come all!

Point being, I love animals. The bald eagle population is estimated to be 316,700 individual bald eagles, including about 71,400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states as of 2020. This marks a significant recovery from a low of only 417 nesting pairs in 1963. Many people feel sad that Jackie the bald-headed eagle died, our nation's chosen symbol of American independence and patriotism, but all the eagles on the planet aren't equal in value to just one human being!

The slogan “Save the Whales!” became popular in the 1970s, particularly after the launch of the campaign in 1971, which aimed to protect whale populations and end commercial whaling practices. The movement gained significant traction and public support throughout that decade. Dear reader, what is wrong with us? Save the whales? Save the eagles? How about, Save the children!

Seeing Him Who Is Invisible

Hebrews 11:24-29, “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.”

The inspired Holy Bible remarkably has much to say about God being invisible, which encourages me. It encourages me because I have oftentimes felt alone, like God was nowhere to be found. I have received thousands of emails from fellow believers over the years, who told me that God doesn't answer their prayers. They say God ignores them. I have learned that this is a very normal feeling. God is invisible!

Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

1st Peter 1:7-8, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Dear reader, God has not abandoned us. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The good Lord intentionally stepped into the background to test out faith.

We read the parable of The Unjust Judge in Luke 18:1-8. The judge was cold-hearted and didn't want to avenge the widow. But she persistently kept coming to the judge until he couldn't take it anymore, so he gave her justice just to get rid of her. The key verse is Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Jesus tells us why He is telling this parable, so that we won't quit praying. Just as the judge ignored the widow, even so will it seem like God is ignoring us when we pray. The Lord Himself encourages us to be persistent in importunity to keep praying to our heavenly Father.

All of these Scripture passages plainly teach us that God is invisible, so it is normal to feel like God is ignoring us, not listening, and perhaps even at times that He doesn't exist. But we can never trust our human feelings. Romans 1:20 plainly says, Romans 1:20a, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made...” Everyone knows that God exists. Atheists spend their lives hating a God that they deny exists. Biblically, according to the Romans 1:20-21, there is no such thing as a true atheist.

In the Old Testament book of Esther we see the omnipotent hand of God at work, but you won't find any mention of “God” or “Lord” in the entire book. This teaches us the truth that when you cannot see the hand of God, trust the great heart of God.

God is invisible to mankind, and He fully intended for it to be that way. So the next time you feel discouraged when God doesn't seem to care, or that He isn't listening, just remember these helpful passages of Scripture which remind us that God deliberately chose to step into the background. God does care (1st Peter 5:7). God is listening (Psalm 139:1-4). God is faithful (1st Corinthians 1:9). Moses fled Egypt in faith, seeing God who is invisible.

Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles

1st Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles

The following in chapter 22 from Pastor Jack Hyles helpful 1982 book titled: “Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles.”

Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

Notice the words, "Rejoice evermore," of I Thessalonians 5:16 are yoked with the words, "Pray without ceasing." God is saying, the more praying, the more rejoicing! The less praying, the less rejoicing! Then note the statement in the next verse, "In every thing gives thanks." Ah, how sweet! When joy and prayer are married, their firstborn child is gratitude.

Now what does it mean, "Pray without ceasing"? Does it mean we are to be speaking words constantly? Of course not! Does it mean that the Christian should stay on his knees every moment of every day? This is impossible. Does it mean that there is a certain place where we must go and stay in order to pray? No, it does not. There are several things meant by our Lord when He says we are to pray without ceasing.

1. There is no time when the Christian should not pray. There is not one unholy second in a minute. There is no one unholy minute of the day. There is not one unholy day of the week. There is not one unholy week of the year. There is not one unholy year of our lives. From January 1 through December 31, all days are red-letter days. Every day is a sabbath day and every moment is a sacred moment. There is not time when a Christian should not pray.

How wonderful are the early morning hours when the Christian steals away alone with his God and prays with a choir of birds, the humming of the cricket, the amen of a rooster, a chandelier made of the rising sun, a congregation of trees, a chancel made of a cluster of daffodils! Ah, how wonderful are the early morning hours for prayer! When a Christian neglects the early morning prayer watch, he is robbing himself not only of a mighty power but of blessed fellowship.

How sacred are the closing hours of the day when God's rheostat has slowly dimmed the chandelier, and the peaceful tranquility of the sunset and the evening darkness make God seem even nearer and dearer!

How powerful then is the midnight hour as the servant of God wrestles, pleading with God for power, for provision, for blessing!

How strengthening then is the noontime when the Christian may attach his cable to God's booster for help during the day's toil!

2. There is no place where the Christian should not pray. Every place is holy ground. Every bush is a burning bush. Every hill is an alter. Every valley is a sanctuary. You can come to the mercyseat from where you are. As someone has said, "It is only a knee away."

Kings hold their levees on appointed days. The Kings of kings holds a constant levee. Those under King Ahasuerus were slain who approached him when he was not holding out his scepter. The King of kings is always holding out His scepter. The dead of night is not too late; the morning's break is not too early; at eventide He is not too weary. The kitchen sink can be an alter, the work bench can be a chancel, the school room can be a sanctuary, the sofa can be a mourner's bench, even the rest room can be a prayer closet!

3. The Christian should be in conversation with God all the time. There are several ways this can be done. For example, I have on my desk in my office a piece of wood about three feet long on which are burned the words, "Pray for power." In every Bible that I own I have the words, "Pray for power." On my office door are the words, "pray for power." Inside my briefcase are the words, "Pray for power." At the mirror where I shave at home are the words, "pray for power." The mirror in my washroom at church has written on it the words, "pray for power." Hundreds of times a day I pray for the power of God. This perhaps is at least a part of what God meant when He admonished us to pray without ceasing.

The Christian should be constantly sending out little darts of prayer. When the cares of this life, the daily work and toil of life make us unable to load the furnace, we can send little sparks rising in the form of words, thoughts and even looks to our Heavenly father.

For years I spent many hours a month with Dr. John R. Rice. For over 22 years I shared pulpits and platforms across America with him. Over 2200 times he and I have preached on the same program. I have stayed with him in motel rooms, eaten with him in restaurants, prayed with him in classrooms. Many times when nothing was being said I would see his lips moving. I would hear a mumble just above a whisper. What was he doing? He was praying! He was sending up brief messages. I can remember that when we would be driving to the service at night I would overhear him saying just above a whisper, "Lord, help me. Lord, give me power. Lord, bless the service, help us."

The Christian's magnetized needle should always be pointing north toward his God. Years ago the marvelous Christian and great preacher Evangelist Lester Roloff preacher for me on a Wednesday night. The next night he was to preach in Canton, Ohio, and I was to preach in Akron, Ohio. He suggested that I fly with him in his private plane to the Akron-Canton airport. I agree to do so. What a wonderful time of fellowship we had until suddenly Brother Roloff looked at me and through pale lips said, "Brother Jack, we are lost! The compass is broken! We are over Lake Erie and we don't have much gasoline left! Unless this compass is repaired quickly, we may have to crash land in the lake! Both of us were, to say the least, apprehensive. I nervously reached up on the dash of the airplane and took the can of pecans down and ate a few. When I removed the pecan can, the compass went back to perfect operation. One little can of pecans at the wrong place had gotten us off course. When the child of God has something between him and his God and between him and his prayer life, he will soon be off course.

I am alone very much. Fifty weeks a year, I fly on Monday from O'Hare Field in Chicago to some place in America where I preach on Monday night and Tuesday. I fly over 200,000 miles a year. I spend hundreds of hours a year in motel rooms. I try to keep in constant contact with Heaven. I often sing those beautiful words, "Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." There is no burden so great that God doesn't want to help us bear it. There is no burden so small but that God wants to help us solve it. There is no problem so great but that God wants to help us solve it. There is no problems so small that does not attract the attention of our God, and He wants to help us find a solution. There is no question so hard but that God can answer it. There is no question so simple but that God wants to help us find the answer. God is interested in your shopping; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your work; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your school; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your housekeeping; talk to Him about it. There is no area of life that should be kept from God, and we should be in constant touch with Heaven presenting our petitions and finding grace to help in time of need.

One Sunday night I was leaving my study to walk down the alley behind the church on my way to the evening service. As I left the office, I had a funny taste in my mouth. I said, "Dear Lord, some peppermint sure would taste good right now." As I was walking through the door, one of our fine deacons walked up, reached in his pocket and took out a little piece of peppermint candy and said, "Pastor, would you like to have a piece of candy before you preach?" My heart leaped with joy. I said, "Thank You, Lord." Sometimes the sweetest answers to prayer are the smallest ones when God is mindful of our little needs in the commonplace events of our life.

One day I didn't have time to go out for lunch, but I was so hungry! I said, "Lord, I sure would like something to eat." Within a few seconds I heard someone knocking at the door of my study. I went to the door. Someone had left a cheese quarter-pounder and some French fries outside my door. I smiled and said, "Thank You, Lord," and enjoyed my lunch.

God wants us to abide in Him. He wants us to abide in prayer. He wants us to walk in prayer. Mrs. Billy Sunday ("Ma" Sunday) was a dear friend of mine during her latter years. Though I never met her husband, I got to know Ma very well. On several occasions she would tell me some things about her husband. One day she talked to me about his prayer life. She told me how she and her husband would be walking down the street, and Billy Sunday would talk to her awhile and then to God awhile, to her awhile and then to God awhile. She said it was often difficult for her to know to which one he was talking. He had learned to pray without ceasing!