Newsletter

Albania	Chile	Ghana	Lebanon	Philippines	Tunisia
Antigua and Barbuda	China	Greece	Lithuania	Poland	Turkey
Argentina	Colombia	Guatemala	Luxembourg	Portugal	Tuvalu
Aruba	Costa Rica	Honduras	Macedonia	Qatar	Ukraine
Australia	Croatia	Hong Kong	Malaysia	Romania	United Arab Emirates
Austria	Cyprus	Hungary	Mexico	Russia	United Kingdom
Azerbaidjan	Czech Republic	India	Moldavia	Saudia Arabia	United States
Bahrain	Denmark	Indonesia	Mongolia	Singapore	Uruguay
Belarus	Dominican Republic	Ireland	Morocco	Slovak Republic	USA Governament
Belgium	Ecuador	Israel	Namibia	Slovenia	USA Military
Belize	Egypt	Italy	Nepal	South Africa	USSR
Bolivia	El Salvador	Ivory Coast	Netherlands	South Korea	Venezuela
Botswana	Estonia	Japan	New Zealand	Spain	Vietnam
Brazil	Finland	Jordan	Nicaragua	Sri Lanka	Yugoslavia
Bulgaria	France	Kazakhstan	Norway	Sweden
Burkina Faso	French New Caledonia	Kenya	Oman	Switzerland
Cambodia	French Polynesia	Kuwait	Pakistan	Taiwan
Canada	Georgia	Kyrgyzstan	Paraguay	Thailand
Cayman Island	Germany	Latvia	Peru	Trinidad and Tobago

Rank	Pastor	Church	Prev Rank
1	Jim Norman	Northside Baptist Church, Eden NC	1
2	Ralph Sexton Jr.	Trinity Baptist Church, Asheville NC	2
3	Joe Myers	Kerwin Baptist Church, Kernersville NC	5
4	Bobby Roberson	Gospel Light Baptist Church, Walkertown NC	6
5	Ron Baity	Berean Baptist Church, Winston-Salem NC	3
6	Maze Jackson	Pastor/Evangelist <Deceased>	4
7	Mike Manuel	True Gospel Baptist Church , Madison, NC	8
8	Tim Gammons	Woodland Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC	7
9	Harold Sightler	Pastor/Evangelist <Deceased>	9
10	B.R. Lakin	Pastor/Evangelist <Deceased>	10

I remember as a kid when mom and dad would tell my sister and I that our vacation this year would be at the beach, we would be excited. As the days passed it seemed as though the day would never arrive when we would see the rolling surf and the white sands of the beach. During the days of waiting we would talk about times past when we were at the beach, hoping that this year would be our greatest trip ever.
Well, the day finally arrived, we are all packed and ready to go. We now begin our journey. After an hour or so on the road, we begin to grow restless and the questions start, " Mom, how much longer?" "Are we there yet, dad." "No son, we are not there yet", would be the answer from the front seat of the car.
So, as you can imagine, the trip grew longer and longer. We grew wearier and wearier during our journey. As a child, it is easy for exciting anticipation of the destination to turn to discouragement, during the journey.
Our study of discouragement brings us to the Biblical recording of the journey of God's people. Join me in Numbers 21.

Num 21:1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

Num 21:2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver, this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

Num 21:3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

Num 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor, by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

Num 21:5 And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people,and they bit the people; and much people of Israel, died.

Num 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from, us. And Moses prayed for the people.

Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man,when he beheld, the serpent of brass, he lived.

>> The world seems to have you as a prisoner, but Jesus has set us free. How often we forget this during our journey in this realm of life. Dont allow the world to hold you prisoner to its ways and lusts. Claim the victory that Jesus gives you.

>> Vows, how often do we proposition God? Lord, if you will just get me through this, I will.......Well, when God delivers, do you remember.

>> Hormah means 'devoted' do you remember your Hormah. That time in your life where circumstances in life caused your devotion to God to be strong. God answered your prayer and delivered you and you celebrated the victory God gave. During discouragement we long for this place again. God, get me back to Hormah. As the old preachers use to say, That'll PREACH.

>>Now discouragement arises when the 'way' gets rough. 'Compass the land of Edom' , Edom would not allow them to go through, so they went around Edom. Chapter 20 shows that Gods people cannot negotiate with the world. God just delivered you out of a circumstance or situation, how quickly we forget to turn to God during our discouraging times. Did God promise you the 'way' would be easy? This world is not the friend of Gods people.

>> Now the people attack God and Gods man. Here Gods people are stating, life back in Egypt would be better than this. How many times do you hear that from Chrisitians that become discouraged. My friends in the 'world' treated me better than my Christian friends. The 'world' has a drawing power that indeed troubles Christian folk. Realize this, the trip from Hormah back to Egypt may SEEM attractive, but for Gods people it's back to slavery.

>>Gods anger caused Him to send judgement. I am tired of the liberal crowd talking about 'he is a loving God, how can he send storms.....' God is a God of Blessing and He is a God of Judgement.

>> Repentance - music to God's Ear. Just as a child comes to the parent after a spanking and says ' Mom I'm sorry I talked back to you'.
God loves his people and wants the best for them. Just as parents want the best for their children.

>> I want you to get this point - God will take that very thing that he used for judgement and use it for good. Think about it! Storms come, judgement comes, but on the other side of repentance their is reunion. Reunion between God and His people is a wonderful thing to behold, some call it Revival.

>>When Gods people have been bitten and infected by this 'world' Look to Jesus! God has lifted him up above all, to be the Saviour of All that will look to him. Notice that looking to the world would not save them, looking to Moses would not save them, any religious practice would not save them. You MUST look to Jesus. He is the only way of Salvation.