On the Victory Side — Manley Beasley

To be able to come to you again this month. It's been such an exciting past few months in my own personal life that when it comes to sharing with you, many of you that I have seen in the last few months along the way, many of you have been with me on the tape club many years, many of you so close to us, and yet I do not keep up with the names of the people specifically who are on the tape club because there's so many, and yet there's not that many, but there's so many that I really do not keep up with everyone that's on the tape club, so sometimes I'm shocked when I'm off in meetings and someone walks up and says, you know, I really appreciate the tape.

And I tell you, I think what blesses me most is when I hear from people and I realize that they have stayed involved in the tape ministry not because of the contribution they make financially by sending financial help, but by the contribution they make by knowing what's going on and praying for us.

Personal Providence and the Ministry of Prayer

You know, my life has been quite a unique life, and I would expect yours to be. You're the object of God's love, and he wants to make each and every one of us a very unique person. I praise God for the fact that he allows us our individuality, and, you know, it's such a joy to be able to allow God to deal with your heart and allow God to bring you through life and have friends like you that stand by and pray and make sacrifices, make contributions, and so on, to keep a fellow like myself going.

And I wish I could call your names as I talk to you. This happened to be Sunday afternoon, and Martha and I have been off for two and a half weeks, just honestly just resting. We have traveled around.

We've traveled around down to my mother's and spent some time with her, and she's very low, but she's ready to go home, and she is being taken care of by my three sisters. God has been so uniquely blessing.

He sent my brother, who really could be anywhere in the world today, somehow, someway about three months ago, the Lord sent him to the area where my mother lives, and he's been able to drop by about every other day and spend some time with her.

And I think it's so unique knowing where normally he would be, and the fact that God just sent him right to that area. She's got to spend some choice time with him, and my sisters are taking care of her, and, you know, it's just quite a unique blessing.

And we spent some time there, and then we drove on across to south Louisiana and spent some time with some friends, and then into Memphis and spent some more time with some more friends, and then back down to Shreveport, Louisiana, and spent some time with Martha's mother, and it seems that she's doing pretty well.

I was a little surprised to find her doing as well as she was. And then Martha and I ended up back home with one more week just to do nothing but just get things together. The Lord has been so good during this time.

We are just amazed how things have happened. We really do not know how to explain what's going on. Each month on the tape ministry, I've tried to just keep you up with where I am physically. And now we are well into the dialysis process.

Dialysis, Health, and Continuing to Serve

I have had several meetings where I have had to do the dialysis every day, and I can honestly say that the dialysis process does not hinder me in any shape, form, or fashion from the meetings. Now, I did not know this when I talked to you last, what would happen.

But I'll tell you, it's been a unique experience. I've been able to preach twice a day or once a day, whatever's needed, and it hasn't been any problem whatsoever. Now, the rest of this year, we are going to keep the meetings, cut down some until Christmas, and then beginning next year, I think we will be able to go back to a real active schedule.

And far as my health is concerned, I just do not know how to tell you how well I am feeling. I am weighing about 168, 170 pounds, something like that, and the process, the dialysis process is just doing an excellent job.

The doctor says, you know, she is amazed and shocked, and her explanation for it is that of my attitude. But we're just grateful to the Lord that he's doing this. I'm sure that a lot of people are saying, what about a kidney transplant, will you go ahead with that?

Now, I am being advised by professional people and non-professional people, and some are saying yes and some are saying no. And at this point, I am not ready for a kidney transplant. And at this point, it's not necessary because I am doing real well on this level.

Now, if I am to have a kidney transplant, it would probably be good that we get into it in the near future while I'm still as young as I am, because the older I get and so on, the more difficult there might be.

Now, you pray about that with us. Many, many people across the country has offered kidneys, and I'm so grateful. I'm just so grateful for people that would love the Lord and love me enough to be willing to do such like that.

Basically, they would have to turn to one of my family for a donor, which actually would be one of my children, because my sisters and so on are of such age and health that they could not do it. And so, it would turn to my children.

And it's not an easy thing for me at this point. I realize I have a lot of people advising me out there saying, do this, do that, do this, but they are not in my shoes. And so, I just need to pray, need to pray.

There's no hurry. There's no pressure on me about doing this, but I really would appreciate you praying about this matter, because this dialysis, I am as strong, if not stronger, than I've been in several years, and things are just going real well.

In fact, I am virtually off of all blood pressure medication, and things are just going so well in that line that I just don't even know how to tell you how happy I am and how thrilled I am with this whole thing.

Living Victoriously Through Adversity

Now, some of you will have difficulty in saying, well, Brother Manley, why didn't you just trust God, and God continued to be your life? You know, one of the most difficult things to do as a child of God is to walk with the person of Christ and not set up rules and regulations.

And back several years ago, I just discovered Christ as my life, Romans 8, 11, as my resurrected life, and I claimed Him as that. And, you know, He just enabled those kidneys to function about 40 functionable for all these years, 16 years, just perfectly.

Well, with some help from medication. And then this past Christmas, you know, I began to realize that they were going down, and I said, well, again, God spoke and gave me these scriptures, and especially 2 Corinthians 4, where, again, you know, that His life can quicken our mortal flesh.

And I really thought, well, hey, He's going to stop this again. But as I worked through this, He did not choose to stop the deterioration. And I went back to the drawing board, so to speak, which is the Word of God.

And as I looked into the Word of God, it said this outer man must perish, but that you could be renewed and strengthened and experience the resurrected power. Now, I realize that, you know, some may have a little difficulty with what I'm saying, but I'll tell you what the discipline of the dialysis is.

It's simply so simple that if I need to do a dialysis with Martha and I driving down the highway, I can do that right in the car, and it's no problem. In fact, one day, Martha was a little ill, and I needed to do a dialysis, and I did it and drove.

There's no pain to it. There's no problem. It's just the discipline to it. And it's given me a great deal of time to study my Bible and pray and think. And so I begin to see that this outer man must go.

But, you know, I mean, in my case, the kidneys have just gone. But I'll tell you, the presence and the power and the glory of God is on my life like never before. God has renewed my vision and my burden and even my faith for revival in our day.

I mean, He really has out of all of this. You say, well, Brother Manley, I just don't understand. When a man's got faith, why can't he have victory? Well, if you'll study the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews.

Now, by the way, this is not my message at all. I don't know that I'll ever get to my messages this particular time, but this is not my message at all. But if you'll look at the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, you'll find that some of them believe God and were delivered from circumstances.

But some of them believe God and allowed their circumstances to swallow them up. But in the midst of that, they died like Christians, they lived like Christians, and they were listed with the heroes of faith.

And so what I'm trying to say to you is this. To come up with a man-made definition of victory is being delivered from all difficulty and being delivered from any kind of deterioration of the flesh that the Spirit may be manifested in this whole earthen body.

I just can't see that. I just can't see that at all. And so I feel perfectly at home with God, and I believe that God has, by His grace, given me His grace to live victoriously in the midst of some adversity as far as the world's concerned.

I'll be very honest with you. I'm having a very difficult time seeing this whole situation as an adversity. I am seeing it as a stepping stone to greater and more mighty things. Out of weakness, God is giving me some real strength, and I'm just praising God for it.

And so I rejoice in that. And so I believe God is being true to His Scripture. I realize He is allowing me to be saved in the midst of difficulty rather than saving me out of difficulty. And so I trust that you will praise God with me about this, and that wisdom will come as we move together with the Lord.

The Centerville Awakening and a Strategy for Revival

And there are so many doors that are opening now. Back years ago, God really dealt with my heart about revival in America. And sometime recently I've told you about getting hold of this film, The Centerville Awakening.

And we have been able to buy that film, and we are now able to reproduce that film with some limitations, of course. And now we're going to be able to distribute it with some limitations. For the continuation of this message, please turn the tape to side 2.

The Lord has given us that strategy, and we will have churches all across America taking that film as their responsibility as a mission project, and we'll cover, say, a 100-mile, 70-mile radius around them and build a strong prayer fellowship around each one of these centers and really sow the seed for revival.

Recovering Depth and Preparing the Ground

Back when I got hungry for the things of God back in the 50s, at that time there was a revival of publishing books that really made a contribution to my spiritual life. And now today I go to the bookstores all across America and I cannot find any of those great old classics.

And all we have today is a lot of top-water, frothy, light-hearted stuff that doesn't have the depth and doesn't have the heart, the cross at the heart of it. And I'm very disturbed. And as a result of this, I have set myself out to really go back and start all over on this matter of revival, of breaking up fallow ground, sowing the seed, watering the seed, and then, by the grace of God, someone else, I trust, will reap the harvest.

But I am really thrilled at this opportunity. I am just so thrilled at how God is opening the doors. And I'm going to be able to go myself in a great number of meetings, and then I'm going to be able to go into some key conferences across America and deal with key people.

And I'm really excited about that. And this film is going to be able to get in places that I cannot get. And at this point, our greatest burden is to get the material out that's necessary to actually break up the fallow ground and sow the seed and water the seed, you know, to teach people how to do this.

Almost everything that God has done since 1900 and across this country, a great deal of it has moved into excesses because of our lack of being prepared to know how to cooperate with God and stay balanced.

And so I really feel that we need a great deal of preparation before God sends a great and mighty revival. And so I feel that we're right in the middle of all of that. And I'm so excited because I'm supposed to be dead.

And that I'm not dead, I'm still supposed to be crippled a great deal, you know. Like I would retire, and I refuse to retire. I'm just getting excited more every minute I talk to you because I believe God is up to more now than he's ever been up to in my own whole life.

And I realize that I'm wanting to spread this out, but I'm excited. I really am as I sit here this afternoon and talk to you and think about the future. And so you pray for me that God will give me wisdom at this point.

Our office is beginning to get overloaded and things are beginning to happen and we need a lot of help. And I have so many ideas on my heart and mind that I'd like to share with you, but I don't think I can at this point.

Law, Grace, and the Conditions for Revival

But do pray, do pray that the Lord will have his mighty, mighty way. Now, I want to talk to you just for a few minutes about revival. And recently, recently God has really dealt with me about law and grace.

And I was invited to a couple of churches where I decided that I would just go back to the old-fashioned way of the old-fashioned type preaching. And what I mean by that is just simply holding up the standard of God to the people and see what would happen.

And sure enough, they begin to cry out unto God. And the next thing we knew, it was time to minister grace. And God began to bless. And I'll tell you, God just so blessed and he just really renewed my burden, my vision, and my faith that revival can come.

Now, some people are going to say, well, a revival is a sovereign act of God. And I believe that. But I think sometimes what we mean by sovereignty is that we mean that man sits by passively and God just swoops in like a wind out of nowhere and revival is on.

Well, I think really that is a misinterpretation of sovereignty. I think we need to realize that God is at work sovereignly. In fact, I can see him at work sovereignly right now. He's putting it in the hearts of people.

We must have revival. I had a Christian leader to say to me recently, we are bankrupt. We cannot take another 50 years like the last 50. And I know that's so. The demands of the lost, the wickedness of the people, the massiveness of the people.

We cannot take another 50 years like the last 50. We must see a mighty, mighty, mighty manifestation of the glory of God. And God has never come up short without a supply or a need. And because of that, I am looking strongly to God for revival.

Scripture, Denominational Change, and the Sovereignty of God

And I believe this is a sovereign act of God. I believe it's a sovereign act of God that's caused Baptists especially to take a serious look at the Word of God. And I realize that some people see political implications.

But I've got news for you, my dear friend. I believe if you'll take a serious look at this whole thing, it is a look at the Word of God. Do I really accept God's Word or do I have questions about it? And a line is being drawn.

And that's really the issue. And this has always happened. When God can find the people to take Him at His Word, He can mightily, mightily move. So I believe God is sovereignly at work right now. In fact, I feel that as Baptists, Southern Baptists, we have seen one of the most phenomenal happenings of all Christian history.

And that is a major denomination makes some turns in a conservative direction. And I tell you, if it continues in the same direction it's going now, it will be unbelievable. I believe out of this will come a mighty, mighty revival.

First of all, because it's getting people back to believing the Word of God. Now, individuals' attitude towards people will never straighten up till revival comes. But I'll tell you, not only is God working sovereignly, but I believe prophetically we're living in our last days.

The Last Days, the Church, and the Latter Rain

I don't think anyone would deny the fact that we're living in our last days. And so much is happening on the scene. For instance, the church. When the Lord Jesus comes back for the church, He's going to come back for the church without spot or wrinkle.

He's going to come back for a sanctified people. And I do not know of anything that can sanctify the people any more than a great, mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God. Now, I realize persecution can have its effect on the purity of the church.

I realize that economic conditions can have its effect on the purity of the church. But there's nothing in this world that will affect the church like a mighty, mighty, mighty manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God.

And I believe that Joel referred to early rain and a latter rain. I believe that the Bible definitely teaches that there has been an early rain and I believe there will be a latter rain. And I think just before, to prepare for the last harvest, there will be a latter rain.

Now, I am not saying that there will be such a revival that Americanism or any other ism will be saved. I do not know that I can see in the Scripture that there's a mighty revival that will change the social order and so on.

In fact, there has already been more of a revival of conservatism in political areas as well as spiritual areas than I possibly ever expected. But I can say, beloved, there will be a mighty revival that will sweep hundreds of thousands, millions of people into the kingdom of God and will sanctify the church.

It will wash out the spots and iron out the wrinkles and get the bride ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus. I believe that with all of my heart. And at the same time, I think religion will become more common and Satan's thrust to dilute religion will continue as it is right today.

But I think right in the middle of this strategy of Satan to dilute religion, Christian religion, and make it so thin that it has no depth to it as humanistic or emotional or something of that nature, then I believe, brother and sister, God's going to do a mighty work.

And I believe He's doing it, and I trust that you'll get in on it. And so I'm expecting revival. I like to close with these words from the Lord Jesus where He says to the church at Laodicea, He says this, and behold, Laodicea, the third chapter, the twenty-first of Revelation, I've read it to you before, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, and if any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come unto him, and I will sit with him, and he with me.

I believe this is an invitation to a personal revival. You say, well, Brother Manley, what about a corporate revival? Well, I'll tell you what, if I could get every one of you listening so involved in a personal revival, then I think a corporate revival would take care of itself.

Now, I think once we have a personal revival, we will be led to intercede for a mighty, mighty revival, corporate revival. I think God is at work, and I want to close with saying this, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.

If any man, and after the last month's message, I hope you have looked at yourself and realized how far short you're falling, and you have ceased your drifting, and you've turned to God, and I want you to know, on a corporate basis, I do not know when revival will show up, but on an individual basis, you can have revival any time you can turn to the Lord with an honest heart.

God will revive you. He'll renew your mind, and you can be transformed by the glory of God. Well, this month I have just basically talked to you out of my heart, just shared with you where I am, encouraged you to trust God, pray, seek the face of God for revival, and my dear friends, I trust that you'll find yourself caught up in the Spirit of God for a mighty revival in our day.

Continue to stand by us. Stand with us as God gives you grace is our prayer. Thank you so much.