The Field Peas and the Johnson Grass

The Field Peas and the Johnson Grass

by Tommy Tyson

Transcribed from the original recording; may contain errors.

As I said yesterday morning, Jesus Christ is the new species of mankind. He’s the new order. He’s the first fruit of those who would come after Him. And when the Father lifted Him to the throne of the universe, and He was given all power both in heaven and on earth, this included the power to reproduce Himself.

You know, the power of reproduction is one of the true marks of maturity. This is true on the level of the laws of life. Wouldn’t there be a tragic blunder in the universe if birds could reproduce birds? Seagulls reproduce seagulls, you know. These bass and trout reproduce themselves. Cows and all that reproduce themselves. You and I could reproduce ourselves. And the high seed of all did not have the privilege of reproduction. Wouldn’t there be a tragic blunder if the lower order could reproduce and the higher order could cut? But you see, in the resurrection, the perfect one, the new order, is given that power of reproduction, so that He comes by the Spirit not in order to make us a little better, but in order to give us Himself and identify Himself with us in such a way that becoming one with us, mind, spirit, and body, we are to be conformed to His image. This is why the Scripture says that we shall have a body changed to the likeness of His own glorious body. This is why it says, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” And since the ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the work of our Father through the Spirit has been and is to bring all mankind into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

That’s the yearning of the heart of God. And you’ll find everything in heaven and on earth yields in your favor when you give yourself to accommodate the reproduction of Jesus. When you want to have His thoughts working through you. Oh, how the Holy Spirit is quite willing to reproduce the thoughts of Jesus even if He has to use your mind. You know? He’s able and willing to reproduce the love of Jesus even in spirits like us. He’s wonderfully able and willing to reproduce the righteousness of Jesus even in people like us. See, it’s wonderful, this identification that He makes. So by the Spirit, the resurrected Lord comes making Himself known not only to us, not only with us, not only within us, but, hold on to, you see, making Himself known as us.

You see, He accommodates Himself to our own uniqueness. David Hawkins, who some of you know, who used to be pastor of St. Paul’s in Walla, they had a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit there. It was just wonderful. And I was with Dave once and he was giving a report. And in fact, he was down with us at Oral Roberts University. And, you know, this was just a little bit back before the Holy Spirit became respectable.

And Dave got up and said, “We have had a great manifestation of the Holy Spirit at St. Paul’s.” But he said, “I want to tell you, when the Holy Spirit came to St. Paul’s, He behaved like an Episcopalian.”

And that’s so beautiful when the Holy Spirit comes to you. He’s not trying to reproduce my experience in you. God is not a repeater. He’s a creator. And He has enough experiences to go around. Get some of your own. Glory to God. The Holy Spirit is able to accommodate Himself to the vessel into which He flows. To use an analogy that was given to me through Rufus Moseley. Jesus said, you know, pour water out of a pitcher. And likened the Holy Spirit to water. And if you put water in a foot tub, it doesn’t fight and say, “Why aren’t you a quart jar?” It just accommodates the foot tub. If you put it in a quart jar, it doesn’t say, “Why aren’t you a gallon jug?” It accommodates the vessel into which it flows. It’s that way with the Holy Spirit. He comes into Betty’s shirt. He doesn’t say, “Betty, why aren’t you like Nora?” Or is it Nora?

Or why aren’t you like… No, He’s got all the Betty’s shirt as He wants. That’s just one. Hallelujah. And so He accommodates Himself to Betty. Accommodates Himself to Joyful. Accommodates Himself to me. To you. And so to realize this, Jesus comes by the Spirit. Now, let me share with you an experience I had as a little boy. And I, you know, some of the greatest lessons we learn, we don’t know we’re learning them. Isn’t that wonderful? And I think the greatest teachers in the world are not obvious in their teaching.

And I lived with my granddaddy Tyson when I was a little boy as much as I could. I just worshipped him because he worshipped me. He was a father. I went with him one day to the store to buy watermelon seed, and if you really want to have a good experience, take a little boy to buy watermelon seed. And, you know, they’re one of the most beautiful photographs in the world. I mean, it’s superb photography. On one side of the package, you know, would be that picture of the whole melon. Some were long and oblong, you know, some were big and stout like some folks.

Some were dark green, some, all colors, you know. And on the other side was a cross-section of that melon. Beautiful, bright red. Great big black eyes popping out. You know, it was so, you know, it was just beautiful. “Granddaddy, let’s get this one. Granddaddy, let’s get this one.” And I’m sure he guided me, but he made me think I was getting them all, you know. And so going back to the farm, somehow in my, in my boyish mind, I knew that on the inside of the package were miniature watermelons. You know, I knew there were miniature expressions of the picture on the package. I could hardly wait. We got down to the field where we were going to plant these seed. And, “Granddaddy, can I open you?” “Well, be careful, son.” And I opened up that package of watermelon seed.

There weren’t watermelons in there. Little old shriveled-up seed. I was so disappointed. I really felt as if God had played a joke on me. I mean, what’s all this picture business about? If you’ve got to deal with shriveled-up seed. And my Granddaddy, you know, he didn’t say, “Now, son, I’m going to get religious.” He just sat me down and began to talk with me about except a seed dropping to the ground and die.

“Now,” he said, “son, we’re going to plant these seed in here.” We plant them. And then he took that package and put it on a little stake, you know, and put it at the end of the road. “Now,” he said, “son, you keep your eye on the picture. Yeah. You needn’t worry. When this seed process gets through, we’re going to have a watermelon that looks like the picture.”

You get the picture, don’t you? So, Jesus comes, and He comes by the Spirit, and we accept Him. And lo and behold, we think somehow, hocus pocus, tomcat possum, I’m a little Jesus. I’ve got news for you, you ain’t made it yet.

You know, you just, you know, your own humanity starts popping up at you. You’ve never been so aware of your humanity as when Jesus came in. You might, you know, look way off, y’all, to look real spiritual. But that’s just play. You know, you’re not that way. You’re really you. And you know, this was a great lesson for me to have to learn. I didn’t like it. Clay is the stuff that saints are made out of.

God has chosen clay as the soil into which to plant the seed. And so, Jesus comes by the Spirit and He comes into you as a human being, not as an angel, as a human being. And by the Spirit begins to die out to you. And by the Spirit let you die out to Him. And there, as the two orders die out to one another, just as the vegetable and chemical in the watermelon deal die out to one another. A seed is not just planted. A seed has to die. And as it dies out, it comes forth in new dimensions. Now, it’s this way with Jesus. When He gets on the inside of you, He doesn’t jump up and down and say, “Hey, this is me.”

The more you walk with Him, the more He drops His voice on you. The more He stays hidden in the soil, so that the more mature you become as a Christian, the more time you have to spend alone with Him.

And getting down into that dying out place, Lord, let me submit myself to You. Let the sun of Your love penetrate the deep places within me that will cause this seed to germinate. And you hold your mind before Him. You hold your spirit and body before Him. Lord Jesus Christ, You’re my life. You’re my Lord. Manifest, Lord. Manifest, Jesus. And so we begin to give ourselves for the manifestation. And you will find that it’s through thought, it’s through word, it’s through deed, it’s through acts of receptivity and response. All the while, Jesus is there. And then, you know, you’ll get an experience where you have the assurance. Oh, Lord. I’m baptized with the Holy Spirit. I’ve got all nine gifts. Hallelujah. You know. Lord, thank You. Lord, thank You. You’ve done a perfect job. Pickle me and preserve me.

Seal me right here and I’ll see You in about a thousand years. And we really feel like we’ve got it made. And you know, you go home just dedicated to be the best wife your husband ever dreamed of having. You’ve repented of all your fussing with your children. You’ll last just about three hours.

I’ll have to tell Alberta Lunger’s story at this point. Alberta came home from a retreat. They live down out from Fort Worth now and her husband teaches there at Brite Divinity School in theology. And so, she went about just singing and, you know, praying for her while he was at school. She went down to the grocery store and bought a beautiful pineapple because that’s what Harold likes. She sliced the pineapple and cut out all those spots. Then she diced this pineapple just right. She got the most beautiful glass, cut glass bowl she had. I put that pineapple in the refrigerator to get cool so Harold could just, you know, have an expression of love when he came home. Well, she was getting dressed. Harold came in, went to the refrigerator to get a glass of water, and as he pulled the jar of water out his cufflinks caught that glass bowl. Pulled it right out, splattered it on the floor, glass, and pineapple. Alberta hurtage.

And in that beautifully wifely way she told him what a clumsy artist she had married. While Harold was picking up pineapple and glass he looked up at her and said, “I don’t believe the retreat did you too much good.”

Now, I’ve come through so much of this mess that I’m beginning to realize for myself that Jesus Christ has me on His hands just like I am, and He’s going to have to do the job. I’ve just about stopped claiming any goodness for myself and I don’t claim much more for you.

It’s Jesus in us. He is our righteousness, and He knows all that stuff is there before He ever called you. See, He bought you like you are, lock, stock, and barrel. And God has assumed full responsibility for you. And He’s faithful and He’s going to complete the work that He’s begun. Now, you can just act pious, you know, or act remorseful and live in self-pity. “Lord, after You bless me all that much, Lord, I lose my temper.” Well, of course you lose your temper.

And if you haven’t yet, you will. And you know, and if you don’t, they’ll lock you up. You know, because you’ll break some other way. If you don’t let that humanity… You know, God is in this humanity business. That’s what I’m saying. And Jesus is the Word incarnate. And as the new humanity, He marries Himself to the old. Doesn’t fight with the old. But lives within the old and the old dies out. I’ll have to give you this illustration. I was living in this place once where we had a large lot out back. And my backdoor neighbor and I decided we’d have a garden together. And so we were out there breaking up the ground one day and another neighbor said, “Tommy, you’re going to try to have a garden here? Well, there’s been nothing but Johnson grass.” Politics notwithstanding.

I’ve been nothing but Johnson grass here for years. And you can’t have a garden. That grass will just tear you. But he said, “Do you like field peas?” And I said, “Yes, we like field peas very much.” “Well,” he said, “now, the field pea grows very rapidly.” And he said, “If you’ll just broadcast field peas in this ground, those field peas will grow. And the leaves will overshadow the roots of the grass, and the roots of the grass will die out and become fertilizer for the peas. And two or three years of that, you’ll have good peas. And then you can have anything you want to out here.” Boy, that made such good sense, farm-wise. And I was broadcasting field peas, just having a good time. And Lord Jesus whispered my heart. Said, “Don’t you realize this is what’s happening in you?

I’m the real seed. I’m the seed of life. I’ve been planted in your soul. And I’m going to overshadow everything else that wants to grow in you. And I’m going to turn all that negative weed and grass into fertilizer.

You just keep your mind on Me. You just stay in consciousness of Me. You learn to respond to Me. And I’ll take you through these processes where the old life is brought forth under the shadow of the Almighty.” Isn’t that where you’re supposed to live? Under the shadow of the Almighty. Glory to God. And that in the shadow is Him. That’s you, of the hidden life. He’s the Sun of Righteousness. We live in the shadow of His presence. And there within. So Jesus is in our midst saying, “I have the power to reproduce Myself in you, through you, as you.” Now, this is real elementary. But you need it and I do too. Now, I want to get to a real basic level of response here to the presence of the Lord. And I want to use one of Mary Welch’s stories. One of the finest stories I’ve ever heard. Mary, I think I can tell this just right.

Mary, like me, grew up in the country. She was over in East Texas, and they had an old mama cat that found some kittens back up under the barn where no one could get to them. And as mama cats do sometimes, this old mama cat ran off and left the kittens. And day by day, Mary realized those kittens were dying. And there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t get to them. One day, she came out the back door and she saw the last little cat that was left coming out from under the barn.

And Mary went into the kitchen, poured a saucer of milk, and came out very carefully, slowly, toward this little kitten. And there, as she came with life-giving substance in her hand, she approached this little cat. And the cat, almost getting to her, looked up, having never seen a human being before, and not knowing that its salvation was in that hand, out of fright and fear, dashed back to its nest and died.

We’re doing this. Jesus is the hand of God extended. He’s been waiting for us to come out of our nest. And He stands offering us whatever it is and whatever it needs and takes for us. But somehow, we’re afraid. We’re afraid to trust Him. We’re afraid to give ourselves to Him completely. “Why, if I start living like that, it’d kill me. Why, if I start preaching that way, I couldn’t be first church. I might not be patient.” You know? “Why, if I, if we start praying and loving that way, the communists would come over here in a moment.”

We wouldn’t, we wouldn’t have a chance if we started loving like Jesus talked about. And look, “if I start submitting myself to my husband like the Bible said, I’d be nothing but a doormat.” You know? We don’t dare believe. And so Jesus stands waiting for us. And so He works through even our fears. And in any area of our life where we’ll open the door and let Him manifest Himself, He’ll do such a good job in that area that He’ll win our response in other areas. And so it’s usually, though He uses our wills to choose to respond to Him, the work of the Spirit within us in reproducing Jesus is usually through these areas of need where we get desperate enough to realize, “I can’t handle it.”

And that area where you can’t handle it. I want to tell you something. That makes you a first class candidate. I hope you’ve got something that you can’t handle. You know? That makes you a candidate. “Lord Jesus, here’s something I can’t handle. Would You come in and really be the Lord in this area?” And as you learn to surrender step by step, and you know usually He deals with me at least where I fear most. One of my great fears has been the fear of public opinion. This is one reason I have such a good personality.

I cod people with it. You know? It represents hidden insecurities. I know this now. You know, there’s been a time when I didn’t think that was true. And I don’t say it judgmentally. I say it, you know, very descriptively. It’s just the way I am. But I’ve learned to live that way, you know. And when I started the school, boy, I was the president of every class. I just had to be. I was every teacher’s pet. I fell in love with every teacher I ever had. That’s the way to get them to fall in love with you. And boy, I just learned to get along with people. And you know, because of such insecurity. And when I came into the pastor out of deep dedication, I had a conversion. I was going to be the very best pastor that church ever had. And I didn’t come to that church and say, “People, I’m sorry you have such a poor prospect for a pastor. And if you don’t pray for me, you’re goners.” No, I preached great sermons. I know they were great. I got them out of great books.

I practiced and boy, I polished. And it takes five and a half pages, legal size, double top for a 23-minute sermon, southern drawl. And you know, it’s amazing what people brag on. And boy, before I knew it, we were just taking in members right and left. The first year, I think we took in 160-something members. One by conversion.

Others by transfer. Some people call it stealing sheep. The budget just increased. We went into a big building program. For us, it was a big building program. And in three years, I was convinced who one of the young bishops would be.

I was just really, I had a ride in the crest. And then it began to dawn on me that I was becoming a professional. I was judging people by the way they fitted into a church program. And when this dawned on me, it frightened me. I didn’t know the way out of it. And I went to different people that I’d gone for guidance. And they just said, “Tommy, you’re pushing too hard. Look how God has blessed you.” My district superintendent said to me, “Tommy, just look how God has blessed you, boy. Stay here and grow with this church for ten years. And you can just name your appointment.” And you know, that invaded my ego. I still remember it. But it didn’t satisfy that sense of real betrayal within me. And I didn’t know how I could get out of it. And then I began to hear Starr and Rufus and Glenn, but especially Rufus, mostly. And little old Rufus, though he turned me off intellectually, he set me on fire in my heart. I argued with him and about him, but go to hear him every time. And that little old man would talk about Jesus as if Jesus was really alive. I believe Jesus would go to heaven and hope He’d stay there.

I had no problem with the creed. You know, Jesus was in His proper place. And I had a God consciousness. I didn’t break in on the level of Jesus. I broke in on the level of a God consciousness that came out of a Christ consciousness. And the person of Jesus was not real to me in my early experience.

And I was called to preach on this level. And this is why I know some of these things I’ve been talking about. And so I began to hear about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord began to create a hunger within me. Oh, I can’t tell you how hungry I got. And Rufus wouldn’t pray for me. And I didn’t understand it. Now I know now, you know why? Because I admired Rufus so much that if he had prayed for me and the Lord had baptized me through Rufus, I would have thought Rufus did it. And Rufus loved me enough, not let me get too bound to him. You know, that’s great love. Sometimes it’s more love to say no than it is yes. And it might take more love to say no sometimes. We don’t just pray indiscriminately, and the fact that you know something within itself is not a license. Tell it.

We need to be led of the Lord in these things. And so I got so desperate, I even went to Holy Roller meetings. You know, I’m Methodist. I’m Duke. I don’t know what you all think about that, but that’s back home, that’s the stuff.

That’s like a Presbyterian being Princeton. You know, and I, you know, I was mainstream. My daddy was a preacher, five brothers preaching, granddaddy a preacher, all that stuff. And here I was running around these tent meetings, and these little old, you know, off-brand churches, with my heart burning within me. And these preachers were giving all the calls, you would have laughed. I went with all sincerity. I’d guilt those altars. And boy, they’d slap my pockets, you know. And the minute I smoked at that time, the minute they’d feel my cigarettes, they’d say, “Son, you need never expect God to baptize you with that.”

Of course, they were working at a cigarette factory. So I’ve repented, so I left some many packages of cigarettes on altars. And I at least last till I got home. I’ve gone through all kinds of stuff like that. The Lord helped me everywhere, but satisfied me nowhere. You know why? He knew my fear of public opinion. And one morning in the men’s Bible class of the church I pastored, the lesson was on the second chapter of Acts. The teacher, I’ll never forget him, we called him Pop saw. I got through teaching the lesson. He didn’t know much more about it than I did. And then he turned to me and said, “Pastor, don’t you have something you’d like to add to this lesson?” And I heard on the inside of me, now this is unfolding in a moment, but this is the way it happened, “Why don’t you stand and tell this group of men how desperately you need and desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit?” Lord, I thought back, “Lord, these men are members of this church. They love me. And if they ever discover how inadequate I am, they’ll lose their respect for me. And I’ll not have a ministry.” And the question came back, “Do you want a ministry or do you want to be filled with the Holy Ghost?”

Boy, it was a moment of decision for me. And I’m so glad that before I thought I came, I gripped that lectern and I began to talk to these men about this hunger and desire in my heart. And while I was discussing and confessing my need and desire to be filled, the Lord began to baptize me. I had never been with anyone at the time they were baptized. I had no precedent established. I was so grateful for that. That I was just free for the Lord to do it any way He wanted to do. And for me, it was wave on wave on wave of holy love and joy. I never knew there was so much love in the universe. I didn’t want to impress anybody with my sermon. I wanted to hug everybody’s neck.

Oh, it was just powerful. And you know, that afternoon I went to the study to pray and up to this time my prayers had been meditation and silence mostly, listening. This time deep from within, but just rivers of praise. Now, I want to tell you something. I really believe that tongues can often be in English as well as any other language. I don’t think the Holy Spirit is prejudiced toward English.

I don’t think He’s limited to it. But that afternoon, I’m sure it was as much inspired praying as I’ve ever done. But it was all in English. Now, if I had known anything about it, if there had been a Pentecostal with me, it would have turned to tongues. Because I’d have to have done it to satisfy him.

But since I didn’t know anything about it, it came out as English at praise and thanksgiving. And I spent the whole afternoon in prayer and thought it was about an hour. Well, I’ll not describe the other experiences. Tongues did come and still come. And other gifts too. But it focalized or crystallized about three weeks later as I was sitting with a friend of mine in the parsonage. And we were sharing together. And I just sitting there. And without any kind of precognition or warning or anything, it was as if in the deepest level of my consciousness, very quietly, very unemotionally, it just opened up. And in the deepest level, there was Jesus, the resurrected Lord, on the inside of me. And I knew Him.

I can’t tell you what that meant and means. And when I knew Him, I knew He was God. I knew He’d been with me all my life. He’d been the one up and down those little eastern rural roads in Carolina. Caused my heart to leap up and dreams to well up and make me want to be more than I was. He’d been the one who’d been directing my way and closing doors and opening doors, and I never knew who He was. He’d been the one who’d make my heart burn within me and cause me to want to do something to help others. And I didn’t know it. But when I met Jesus, I realized He’d been with me all the while. And now He was on the inside of me. And I fell in love with Him.

And from that moment to this, life for me is learning to live in a love union with Jesus. I didn’t become bishop. Thank God. Now, I’m going to take you into one more story and then close. I’ve just got a minute. You see, and that’s how… the church did reject me. Now, a lot of it was cause of zeal. I thought at the time it was cause of righteousness. But you learn a lot in retrospect. I didn’t know how to witness. I didn’t know how to minister at this level. And I don’t know why the Lord gives us things we, you know, don’t quite know how to handle. This is why I love to see it happen in small groups where we can, you know, really help and instruct one another. And if I’d have had a small group, you know, I could have had a much more helpful ministry. But I do now. But anyway, the church was beginning to react, and I left the church in the middle of the conference here. They didn’t run me off. I realized they were reacting and we might have had a split. And so I resigned in the middle of the conference here to keep from having a split. And if any of you are Methodists, you know that to leave a church in the middle of the conference here is a scandal.

Regardless of what reason it’s done for. And I became the off-scouring of the conference. I became a tongue-talking, I’m an oil-toting fanatic. That’s what they call it back on. I’m naughty with oil. So I was a tongue-talking, oil-toting fanatic.

You know, me, I’m a Duke boy. I play golf, even. You know, I love folks. And here they were rejecting me. And boy, I went through all these negative emotions of resentment, anger. I call it righteous indignation. That’s a preacher’s word for temper.

But I learned more in six months than I would have learned in 60 years. Oh, how the Lord knows how to put us in the testing ground. And so I had no salary. And another big fear I’d have that’s still with me a little bit is in this money business. I grew up with great poverty. If you ever meet a Tyson with money, he’s another crowd.

So I grew up with a lot of fear along that line. Even after I became a pastor. I never had the courage to tell the official board, you know, how much I thought I should have. But while they were discussing finances, I was sitting off in the corner, hoping they’d realize what a jewel they had.

And this was another area of big argument for me. And I’m the best husband any wife ever had, as long as the bills are paid. But when a bill comes in and I don’t have money enough to pay it, it’s amazing how extravagant Francis gets. You know, all that had been bugging me. And so here the Lord put me in a position where I had no salary, no job, no nothing. We rented a little duplex apartment. We had two children. Paying monthly car payments. And I said, “Lord, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be a layman. Just help me get a job somewhere where I can witness for You, Lord.” You’d all this self-pity deal. And I heard Him whisper in my heart, “You stay here where I have you. I’ll overcome any barrier to prove to you that I’m able to take care of your needs.” And I’d get up in the morning and I’d say, “Jesus, I’m Your boy. I have nothing to do but what You tell me to do.” Sometimes it would come, you know, from within. “Stay here and study.” I’d stay there and study and pray. Sometimes it’d go down to the jail. Sometimes walk up and down the street. Sometimes… Well, you know… How do you get paid for that? Money just came in.

I’d get it through the mail. Francis and I had come in and found money on the table in the hall. Not knowing where it came from. And every need began to be met. And I discovered a real key. I’ve heard Mary Welch say this. And the way Mary puts it is this. God assumes full responsibility to supply every need that you have that it takes for you to do what He asks you to do. If you’ll… Mary, I think I quoted you right on that. If you’ll find what God wants you to do and give yourself to a bed, He’ll supply everything it takes to do it. And so I began to live in this commitment to the Lord of seeking His kingdom first. And then the Lord began to meet my needs. And then let me have two more wonderful pastors. And then called me into evangelism. And I still had this fear of money. And the evangelist, you know, doesn’t get a salary. It’s a good appointment. Just no salary, no parsonage, no pension, no retirement.

You just have to trust the Lord. Isn’t that terrible? I was praying about it. Didn’t want to do it. So I got to the Sermon on the Mount. And I read where Jesus said, “Consider the birds of the air. They have no seed to sow. Nor barns in which to reap. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.” And all of that. And read on your note, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things, you’ll learn to do without them.”

It doesn’t say that. “All these things will be added unto you.” It made me so mad. I closed that book, you know. Did you ever have the Bible to make you mad? Have you read it lately? It’s a disturbing book. I closed that book and I said, “Lord, that doesn’t make sense. You don’t mean that. You can’t live that way in a world like this.”

I got through… You know, the Lord’s never fussed back at me. He just waits till I get through. And so I got through fussing and I peeped at it, you know. And He hadn’t changed the word of it.

And I said, “Lord, I’m going to come into this calling on the basis of Your Word. I don’t believe it. I must confess that. But I’m going to do it anyhow. Just because You’re telling me to do it. I’m never going to let a human being know my needs. And Lord, these Christians are not going to get a bunch of poor mouth begging out of me. If You’re going to supply my needs, then I’m going to look to You. And if You don’t supply my needs, it’s going to be a testimony against You and not me.” And I found this, when you walk straight, you can talk straight.

That’s why I had Miss Sanford praise with power. You notice how she talks right straight to God. It’s not a bunch of religious mess. She’s talking straight because she’s walking straight. It’s on the line. I intend to do that. Hallelujah. And so I gave myself to the Lord and came into this ministry on those bases. And that’s been 14 years ago. And I just have one stop question I’d like to ask you.

Have any of you seen a robin as plump as me? Where are your fears? Where are your needs? Here stands the Lord of the universe saying, “I want to enter in and identify with you in such a way that I can manifest Myself not only to you and not only within you, but as you. I in you and thou in Me, and by My Spirit reproduce Myself, mind, spirit, and body.”

Let’s bow before Him. It may be that there are those here this morning who need to really make a commitment of your life to the Lord. And you know that He’s standing here and He’s saying, “I love you. And I want to come in and take over.” And right where you are in any and every area that you know where you need to come in, and you’d like to say, “Lord Jesus, let this be an open door. I use my need as a means of giving myself to You. And I’m surrendering to You. Come in and take over. And I’m going to trust You to do it, Lord. By Your Spirit. You’re my Savior.”

You’re my Healer. You’re my Lord. You’re my life. You’re the one who will redeem this life from destruction. Lord, I’m going to trust You now. And I want to confess my faith in You. And if you’d like to do that by standing right where you are. Stand.

Praise God. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Father in heaven, thank You that this is a new day. And that we can come offering ourselves afresh and anew in the power of Your Spirit. Knowing that You by Your mercy take us as we are. And by Your power make us what we ought to be. Glory to God. We submit ourselves for the operation of the Holy Spirit to learn of You in all things. In the deep hidden places. In those areas that have caused us anxiety, and those relationships that have been broken. We’re willing for You to guide us step by step in manifesting Your fulfillment. Thank You, Lord.