The Letters

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. I John 5:4

I believe that one of the issues that has created a “disconnect” with those whom we minister to is a lack of transparency. This is also true in families between parents and children. 

The true testimony of the Kingdom is not a “polished image,” but rather a lifestyle of faith that overcomes adversity. It deals with the realities of human existence at the root, and gives effectual answers and solutions to real-life issues.  

The testimony of the kingdom is not perfect people, but rather the grace of God working in imperfect people. It magnifies the Lord rather than men. 

I believe it is important to demonstrate God’s grace working in our lives also when we make mistakes, not just in the ways in which it makes us look good. 

Last month, as some of you know, my truck caught fire. I was driving on I-22 in Mississippi, heading Eastbound, when my brakes locked up. As I glanced into my driver’s-side mirror, I observed fire shooting out from my drive-tires on the left-hand side. Immediately, I pulled the truck over on the side of the interstate, grabbed the fire extinguisher, and attempted to put the fire out, but it was too late. The entire tractor and half of the trailer was reduced to ashes in less than thirty minutes. I escaped with only my wallet, headset, and the clothes that I was wearing. Everything else was lost. The phone, computer, clothing, GPS, everything. 

I have enough understanding to know that these types of things do not just randomly happen. I have been avoiding major weather and many other things for over a decade. Psalms 91 and Isaiah 54:15-17, for example, do not fail, as do none of God’s promises, and so I have had questions before the Lord. 

Two days ago, approximately one month to-the-day after the incident, I received an answer. I wanted to share what He showed me in order to encourage and help others avoid unnecessary problems. 

I will not go into all the details, but Marsha and I have been moving forward in areas of ministry, finance, and in our personal lives. These are good things, but the attacks of the enemy have been more aggressive. 

A couple of months ago I was backing my tractor to hook up to a trailer at a company terminal. Another driver thought that he could “beat me” and squeeze through the narrowing space between my tractor and the trailer that I was about to hook up to. He did not make it, and the steel bracket on the back of my tractor ripped the side of his truck as he flew by, and took out two of his wheels. There was no damage whatsoever on my truck. Not even a scratch. I was not at fault and there were no repercussions against my safety points. 

Two days later, I was stopped at a traffic light in Pennsylvania and two cars collided in the intersection, causing one of the cars to ricochet and collide into the front of my truck. The car suffered major damage from hitting my truck but there was not a scratch on my truck. Again, there was no fault assessed on my part. 

My wife has seen the angels that travel with me. There are two, one on each side of my truck. They did their jobs very well in both of these incidents, and have been for years. So what happened on July 15th, 2023?

Approximately five days before this incident, and I will just call it for what it was, I had a bonafide temper-tantrum, a “blow-out” in the privacy of my truck while I was driving down the interstate. Everything had been coming against me from what seemed every direction and I just “lost it.” Do you know that whenever we “lose control,” we do not actually “lose it?” Nothing happens in a vacuum. We do not lose it, but rather give it up to someone or something else. We forfeit it to another. When we lose control we become controlled, and that is usually never a good thing. I had not had an episode like this for several years, but in the moment I was so fed up with the political arena, bad drivers on the road, the stock market (which was being “rebellious” at the moment), freight, and whatever else. I said a lot of things, and none of them were good, and they sure were not filled with faith. 

All the while, I knew better and the Spirit of God was almost yelling down in my spirit, “STOP IT NOW!!” I was so angry, and the more I said it the more I felt driven. I just kept going. 

I am sure that none of you have ever had a moment like this. Maybe none of you have ever been there, but a volatile temper is something that I have struggled with most of my life. By and large I have managed, by the grace and mercy of God, and through changing my thought processes, in overcoming this very well in recent years, and so the outburst actually surprised me. But then, not really, because I had been inwardly complaining most of the morning, rather than giving thanks and being grateful. 

I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. Psalms 77:2

I had left the issue regarding the fire incident with the Lord, knowing that in due time He would answer my questions.  

A couple of days ago, I felt impressed to go to Kenneth Copeland’s website and look for an excerpt from the 2023 Southwest Believers Convention. I felt very strongly that there was something specific that the Lord wanted me to hear. My initial thought was that there was a prophetic word for the country, and so that was what I was looking for. But I could not find anything along that line. However, I couldn’t get away from the first video message on the page, and the title was First Words Matter! I thought, Alright, I’ve come this far, I’ll see what it has to say. As I listened, the Lord began to speak very clearly to me about the incident the previous month. 

He asked me, Do you remember what you said?

I couldn’t remember, but suddenly I did remember. 

I don’t care what happens. Let the whole thing burn to the ground! Let it all burn to ashes. The truck, the stock market, the country, whatever! 

Yes, not pretty, I know. 

The Lord told me, Your angels had to stand down and allow that thing to happen because of your words. 

They could do nothing to stop it because I had authorized it, with full knowledge and consent, knowing how the spiritual world operates in regard to words, I chose to yield to that utter trash. Corrupt communication. Corrupt communication is the use of any words that are void of faith. 

I know these things. I have taught them for years, and yet I became careless. Foolish. Uncontrolled anger rests in the bosom of fools it says in Proverbs. 

Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. James‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭6‬

I always had an innate feeling that there was some kind of connection to what happened regarding the blowout in my truck, to the fire that happened a week later. I had repented for the outburst after it had happened, and felt horrible about it, and God had forgiven me, but what I missed was that I had also set something into motion. I should have canceled the words that I had released, and put them under the blood. We are not living in the days of Job. We have an advocate. Jesus, our eternal High Priest. We can cancel and negate words when we speak foolishly! 

The Lord was gracious afterward, and brought great restoration, financially, and in other ways, but there was nothing that He could have done to prevent what I had authorized through my own authority.

The power of life and death is in the tongue. Proverbs 18:21

It is easy to get weary, “fed-up,” and discouraged with all of the foolish and reprobate activity that is going on in the world right now, and even among God’s people. Someone recently said, I feel as though I am living in an insane asylum! I think this statement is true. However, the grace of God is sufficient to keep us in the love of God if we cooperate with His grace, and hold fast to the things that we have been taught and have known.