Snared in an Evil Time — David Wilkerson

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the Sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214 -963 -8626.

None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends.

The Snare of an Evil Time

Please yes, this is the ninth chapter and the twelfth verse. I'm reading from King James. For man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time.

That's my message tonight, snared in an evil time. When it falleth suddenly upon them. I read it again. For man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time.

When it falleth suddenly upon them. Holy Spirit, come right now. We thank you for your presence, oh God. We thank you, Holy Spirit, for revealing Jesus in a fresh way to us tonight. Lord, I need you. I need the quickening of the Holy Ghost.

Thank you, Lord. We believe we have that spiritual authority we heard about this morning. And we claim that authority of Jesus Christ now. We thank you that you're the Son of Man and you're the Son of God.

With all power, might, and authority, Jesus anoint us tonight to preach the Word, we pray, and to hear it, especially. Amen. I want to talk to you tonight about one of the saddest catastrophes that I believe could ever happen to a child of God.

I can't conceive of anything more tragic than an on-fire Christian, who at one time had been on fire for God, becoming snared by Satan when so close to the coming of Jesus. Snared by Satan at midnight.

Nothing to me is more frightening than that. Here is a picture of someone going along for quite a while in a favorable spiritual condition, enjoying the blessings of God. It appears that everything is secure.

There's an appearance of steadfastness and strength. Here's a Christian that you would never conceive that could fall. You'd say, anybody but him, anybody but her. But suddenly they change. In fact, the preacher in Ecclesiastes says, this certain one who's being trapped or snared does not know his time.

He knoweth not his time. He doesn't know that a week from now he may be dead. He may be in eternity. He may drop dead at any time of a heart attack. But they went after Satan's lure. They went after the bait that the devil set.

Just like fish who see the lure and chase after that lure by the school, and they're suddenly in a trap. Just like the bird who sees the bait and swoops down to take the bait, and that trap springs and catches the bird.

He said that's what many are like. This happens in a time that's most lamentable. If it happens in quiet, normal times, it's one thing. But to be trapped in days like these, to be trapped at the end of time, to have gone along so long, so far, so good, and then been trapped in the last day.

And God has shown me, folks, that not just many, but multitudes, I say multitudes are being trapped in these last days. Many who once worshipped among us, they're gone, they're not here tonight. Some of you that are here now will not be among us six months from now, said the Lord.

Terry, you will be in the snare of Satan. You'll be trapped. Sad to say, but that's exactly what the text is about. Now, history proves that just before empires collapse, they reach the zenith of prosperity, luxury, and ease, and pleasure.

In fact, they become so indulgent that they'll go to war to protect, not their freedoms, but their lifestyle. Did you hear what President Bush said last week? We are in the Mideast to protect the American way of life.

But we don't even try to hide it from the world. We call it a dream, the American dream. It's a dream. And we'll go to war to protect a dream that's vanishing. Pompeii, Rome, Babylon, all of these empires were destroyed in a time when their inhabitants were boasting, I sit as a queen, I will never be a widow.

I'm a queen. My children will not be affected. I am safe, I'm secure. Pompeii, Rome, Babylon, all of these past empires thought that their armies were invincible. They could never be defeated. And just before they collapsed, there was a pleasure madness, luxury, ease, riches.

And they were trapped. And America and many Christians included are going to be snared just prior to the collapse of the American empire. Now, the Word of God literally screams a message at us. And it's this, the evil times prophesied by Jesus, by all the prophets, by the Old and New Testament, all of those end time prophecies have come to pass.

They are upon us now, unfolding quickly. The Bible literally screams at us, the days of calamity that lead to Armageddon have come. It's a time to stir yourself, a time to awake, to rejoice because the day of your redemption draws nigh.

The Bible screams, put aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets you. Draw nigh to God. Look up. Put on your whole armor and get ready to stand in the evil time. Forsake the world and the things of the world.

Heed the midnight cry. Trim your lamps. Get ready to meet the bridegroom. Put off the old man. Put on the new man. Run from the appearance of evil. Flee from evil company. The Bible screams at us, page after page.

Get ready, the time has come. Stir yourself, awaken. Now, in the face of all these powerful appeals of the Holy Ghost and the Word of God, multitudes are falling into the trap of the devil and many snares.

Three Biblical Snares

Of the many snares mentioned in the Bible, I want to bring to your attention tonight just three of them. The first snare I want to bring to your attention is the snare of Satan. The snare of Satan. Don't turn there, but in 1 Timothy 3, 7, Paul warns against falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

He's warning the church. He's warning elders, in fact, to beware of falling into reproach or shame and the snare of the devil. Paul spoke of some in the last days who will need to recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.

To recover themselves. They were not in the snare. They fell into the snare. They need to be recovered. To recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will. Now, we know that the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking who may devour.

But who is he trying to devour? He's coming against those who have set their heart to seek God. My wife and I were in a restaurant last night. We just felt like going up to Columbus Avenue. In a certain restaurant, the Lord laid on our hearts.

We hadn't been there in a long time. And the young lady that was waiting on us said, You're Brother Dave, aren't you? And I said, You're Gwen, yes. And Gabrielle, she's here tonight. She's being baptized here.

And she said, Brother Dave, ever since I made up my mind, She was a Catholic girl saved from Catholicism. Her kind of Catholicism was not charismatic. It was a very powerful kind of idolatry. We've had many of you delivered from that kind of idolatry.

And she said, Ever since I made up my mind to go all the way and be baptized in the world this past week, everything's gone wrong. They broke into my house and stole just about everything, about $2 ,500, $3 ,000 worth of stuff.

And her rent was in jeopardy. And she said, I want to hurry up and get baptized. And she's going down. In fact, they stole her tape. She had to borrow tape to listen to the tape, Brother Don. And she's here tonight.

But you see, that's where the devil's attack is going to come. Those who sit here tonight who say, It can't be me. I could not possibly fall in the snare of the enemy. I could not be one that Brother Wilkerson's talking about tonight.

No way, I love him so much, there's no way he could be after me. The fact that you love Jesus so much, that you've set your heart, beware, watch out. Because the enemy, now we don't have to be afraid of the devil, but we have to be aware of his tactics, the Scripture says.

Please don't sit in a meeting tonight and say, That's not me. A satanic snare is anything of this world that takes hold of your heart. Anything, a satanic snare is anything of this world that takes hold of your heart.

Satan's lures are the things of this world. He uses the things of this world to be the bait, the lure. Now, the Bible lists a number of these satanic snares. He says the number one is the love of riches, ease and pleasure.

Then he talks about growing associations with ungodly friends. Building ungodly associations with ungodly people. He calls that a great trap. And there's another very strong satanic trap, and that's a secret affair with a man or woman who's not your husband or wife.

A secret affair. Adultery, fornication, sexual sins. These are very clearly outlined in the Bible as satanic snares. But all of these things are the harvest. They don't represent... They represent the harvest of a heart that still has some of the world clinging to it.

Jesus can testify, the wicked one cometh and hath nothing in me. It's just the devil comes at me with his lures and his bait and his trap, and I don't respond. There's nothing in me to respond. You see, the devil knows what's in your heart.

He can't read your mind, but he sees your actions. He sees what you do time after time, slipping back to that one thing that you still hold on to. And he will set a lure or a bait to attract that very thing that's in your heart.

He knows how to push the button, so to speak. He knows the kind of bait that you'll go after. And Jesus said, the wicked one cometh and hath nothing in me. Now those that are falling into the satanic snares of these last days are those who still have some of the world in their hearts.

Beware tonight, if something is still clinging in your heart, if you have anything in the world still clinging to you, the day will come that you are going to fall into the trap of the enemy. It's a demon spirit.

Paul said, demons hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. Now I want to give you... There are many signs, but I want to give you six signs of a Christian who's caught in a satanic snare. Now as I go over these six signs, I want you to take inventory in your heart.

Don't say, well I know who that is. Number two, I know who that is. Number three, I know who that is. Now folks, this is serious business. I want to see if you can find any of these six signs at work in your heart right now.

And if so, you better say, God do something for me tonight. It's dangerous. I come to you with a prophetic word and I want you to listen clearly. Here are just six signs that the Lord has given me of a Christian who's already got at least a foot in the devil's trap, snared in a satanic snare.

Six Signs of a Christian Caught in Satan's Snare

Sign number one, a waning of awe for God and a lessening of the fear of God. The awe and the fear of God that you once had that caused you to walk so carefully with the Lord, it's slowly slipping away now.

It's been replaced with a lightness and a frivolity that's creeping in now. And the reverence has gone from your life. The reverence of God, the awe of God, the fear of God. You are losing it. It's slipping away.

It used to be the one thing that kept you from sin. It was the one thing that you so desired. It gave you discernment. It gave you hope in life. And now, it's slipping away. Sign number two, a spiritual dullness and indifference that's setting in.

When you once couldn't wait to be in God's house, you loved to be in the secret closet of prayer. You spent most of your time talking about the things of God, what He was doing in you and in your family.

Now, you go through the motions. The house of God and the things of God are not the most important thing. They're becoming less and less important. They're not the center of your life. They're in the peripheral areas of your life.

Dullness that leads to death. Oh, if there is a spiritual dullness of any kind, examine your heart. If the things of God are not center, if your whole life is not wrapped around the house of God, if your whole life is not wrapped around the things of God, and everything else outside that circle, you are in the devil's snare.

Thirdly, your place in the world is becoming more important than your place in the body of Christ. Christian friends you once loved now seem dull to you, less stimulating and even irritating. Well, you found new friends in the world that seem more attractive to you.

I can think tonight of at least two dozen people I'd like to be here tonight to hear this, that are gone already, for this very one, this number three reason I give you right now. They found the Christian friends here boring, because their hearts were not centered on Jesus.

And so they wanted to go out and find other friends that were more attractive, where once you could see through all the sham of this world, a blindness has come now, and you're slowly turning away from the body of Christ, to the ungodly of this world.

The ungodly have your ear now, rather than the body of Christ. Think about that now. Balcony, all over this building, behind me, who has your ear? Is it more important to be with the body of Christ, or to be with those in your family that are not saved, or to be with those friends who are not right with God?

Loss of Prayer and Worship

Number four, a coldness in prayer and in worship, where there was once fervency, a yearning hunger for God, and you once hated any interruption that would keep you from your prayer closet. Now you pray coldly.

You have less time to give to Him now. Your mind is not in the worship. You become bogged down with the thoughts of other things pressing in. Now I'm afraid we're going to have to really search our hearts right now, everybody in this house.

That's been one thing God's been talking to me for so long. In fact, I wrote a message years ago about interruptions, of how the devil comes to interrupt us in our prayer, and I used to hate that, and God said, you must continue to hate that.

Anything would keep you from the prayer closet. Anything would take the fire out of your prayer. But now the fire's gone out of your praying. The life and love has gone out of your worship. In Malachi 1 .3 it said, You say, behold, what a weariness it is.

Weariness of the Narrow Way

Number five, there's a weariness of the straight and narrow way. You once loved the narrow way of holiness. Now your road's getting wider and wider. You look back and call it legalism. You now say, no more bondage.

Never again will I walk so narrow. Oh, we have churches in this city that are filled with people who walked out of straight and narrow churches and found a wide one. They couldn't handle it. There are many people who can't handle the message that goes forth from this pulpit, because we point to a straight and narrow path.

Jesus said the way is narrow, and it's straight, and few are be that find it. But the way to hell is wide, and many there be that are on it. Number six, a turning away from the prophetic and judgment warnings of true shepherds.

Rejecting Prophetic Warnings

And you begin to desire a message of love and mercy. Now, I believe God's a God of love and God's a God of mercy, but He's also a God of judgment and justice. No longer do we lay it to heart the strong, provoking call to holiness.

You once sat under the prophetic word. And I have a feeling I'm speaking to a number of people here for the first time. You walk in here tonight, and God's going to put you right against a wall. You do it lovingly.

You once sat under the prophetic word, a thundering word from heaven that drove you to your knees, but now it irritates you. Satan has convinced you that it's negative. It's only dragging you down. You're soon going to be shutting out all prophetic warnings, and you'll become your own guide.

You'll become your own prophet. And that's a dangerous place. Do any six of these signs bring conviction to your heart? And if so, I ask you tonight, before this message is over, you cry out to God, say, Oh, Lord, I see a trap.

I see a lure. There's something laying out there. God, open my eyes. Take the blindness away. The second snare I want to bring to your attention tonight is the sudden snare of Christ's coming. The sudden snare of Christ's coming.

The Sudden Snare of Christ's Coming

I want you to go to Luke 21. It's amazing how quiet a church gets when there's conviction falling. I've never preached a message yet that it didn't hit my heart first. Luke 21, beginning to read verse 34.

We're going to see the second snare. See, God's exposing these snares tonight. Verse 34, Luke 21,. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, that's overeating, and drunkenness.

And please notice that overeating and drunkenness are used in the same framework. They're one and the same thing in the sight of God. And cares of this life is so that that day come upon you unawares.

For as a what? For as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.

Now look at me please. Jesus is here prophesying of a day coming just prior to His return. That the whole earth, all of mankind, will be caught off guard. Will be taken suddenly. This is the snare of the sudden coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So few will be looking for Him. So few will be expecting Him. When He suddenly appears in the heavens. Beloved, you go back 1900 years. The first hundred years of the church. Consider that time after Christ's death.

In the day of Pentecost. And consider the next 50 years or so. How they did cry even so Lord Jesus come quickly. How they lived so expectantly. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods. Their cry was come Lord Jesus.

They expected Him at any moment. They lived with great expectancy. Their hope and their life was in eternity. They were always looking up. They were always thinking of His coming. That was the hope of the early church.

That was the hope of the first church of Pentecost. The Lord shall return suddenly in the twinkling of an eye. His coming the scripture says for those who look for His appearing. But Jesus said the whole earth, all of mankind, will be taken off guard.

I want you to remember what Pastor Bob told us recently in a message. That God is speaking to us through world events. And the key word is suddenness. Suddenness. Think of all the sudden things that are happening right now.

Suddenly the iron curtain comes down. Overnight. Freedom suddenly comes to countries that for years and years have been in bondage. Suddenly Russia is crying for democracy overnight. Suddenly Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait.

Suddenly. And God is trying to show us something. He's speaking, He's screaming at us. Suddenly, suddenly, suddenly. Oh, you go through the scripture and you'll find this suddenness. Jesus in Mark, don't turn it, but in Mark 13, 35 to 37.

What's there for? For you know not when the master of the house will come. At even, or at midnight, or at the clock crowing, or in the morning. Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. When I say to one, I say to all, watch.

Watch. Jesus is saying, I've allowed things to happen suddenly to show you how quickly things in this world can change. To prepare your heart for sudden changes. He's not only speaking to the Christians, He's speaking to the world.

These sudden changes. Brother, sister, there is no way that when I was a young preacher that I would ever conceive in my wildest imagination that I would live. I would live. I'm only 59 years of age, but live to see so many sudden prophecies being fulfilled in my lifetime.

Never. Never could we have conceived what is happening right before our very eyes. Amazing that the early church was 2 ,000 years at least removed from His coming. Expecting Him at any moment. And all prepared.

And isn't it amazing, ironic and sad that 2 ,000 years later the people that should be the most prepared are the least expected. Isn't that a frightening thought? That here we are with God knocking on the door.

Eternity right beside us. Everything before our eyes spinning so fast we can't keep up with it. And the church asleep. Multitudes of Christians fast asleep when Jesus said, don't you be like that. Wake up.

Because it's going to happen suddenly. The whole world's going to be caught off guard. It's going to be a snare. It's going to be a trap. They're going to be trapped. What are they going to be trapped in?

Eating. Drinking. And the cares of this life. Beloved, think what the scripture says of the days of Lot. They were eating, drinking, married and given in marriage. And they knew not. In other words, they were caught off guard when Sodom was born.

The same in Noah's time. They knew not. They were eating, drinking, married and given in marriage. Now that doesn't mean that there was something sinful about them going to a restaurant. There was nothing sinful about them going about their business and being married.

Those are all natural things. The trouble was they were doing all of these things. Wrapped up in the flesh. While a man was screaming judgment. While the word of God was knocking. While all the signs said, wake up.

And they were going to sleep with a prophet screaming in their ears. They turned it off. How do the sinners today, who don't know Jesus. How do they live with such fear? And Jesus said it's going to get so bad that men's hearts are going to absolutely.

They're going to stop with fear. They're going to have heart attacks. Just watching the things that are coming to pass on the earth. They're bringing one of our American citizens home. Who died of a heart attack.

Was used as a human shield in Kuwait. He stood there and the fear. He collapsed, he died on the spot. The people are falling all over the world now. Fear of those things coming upon them. And in that time, in an amazing.

They see all these things that are coming to pass. Frightful things. Amazing that we know that Israel has nuclear neutron bombs. And we know that all they need is some provocation. And they're not afraid to use them.

We could be in a holocaust and Zacharias prophecy. Of those horrible scenes of all the protein. As I mentioned, being eaten up from the calcium. Just bones remaining. We may see all of this in our time.

We may see a limited nuclear or proton holocaust. It's incredible we live in this. And sinners know that the whole world is talking about it. How did they put it out of mind? You know what they do? They just dull their mind.

Everything is absolutely pushed out. Back when I had television years ago. God forgive me. And that's another thing. Many of you. You brought your idol back already. You're going to be there just when Jesus comes.

I'm not saying you're going to lose your soul over that. But I'm saying I wouldn't want to be watching some garbage. When the trumpet sounds. Now I lost my point. What was it? Oh yes. I was giving you Don's test.

See if you're listening. I heard Johnny Carson say. There was a Christian. Some Christian singer. And she really put it. What do you think about God? About eternity? He said. He said I just put it out of my mind.

He said you can't live. You have to put him out of your mind. You put eternity out of your mind. You don't think about it. Well that's what's happening about the coming of the Lord now. Just putting it out of mind.

Going about business. Not thinking about it. Not talking about it. Not focused. I'll tell you. My whole life revolves around my love for Jesus. And my longing and yearning to be with him. I expect Jesus right now.

While I'm preaching. I expect Jesus to come at any moment. Bible says. Though the thing that's going to rob people of this. They're going to be so wrapped up in gourmet. You know what gourmet is? Becoming all wrapped up in their foods.

You sit down with the average Christian in a dead church today. And you know what they talk about? Their wine and their food. Their drinking and their eating. That's the number one conversation among dead Christians.

In fact the big thing in many circles now. In Christian social circuses. They call it gourmet. Going around trying new restaurants. French. Exotic. That in itself. That's not where the problem lies. The problem lies.

That these things are beginning to consume the heart. And take up the thinking and the time. And Jesus is put out of mind. His coming is put out of mind. You want to go on? He that being often reproved and hardeneth his heart.

Shall suddenly be cut off, destroyed and that without remedy. What God is saying. I've warned you. And I've warned you. But I'm telling you. I'm going to come suddenly. The coming of Jesus. You say the coming of Jesus is a snare to God's people.

Some of them yes. Jesus is telling his children. You take heed. Lest your heart. He's not talking to the world. He's talking to his people. He said you. He was talking to his own disciples. You take heed.

Lest your heart be weighted down. And that day come upon you. Unexpectedly. Upon you. He says you Christian. You watch and pray. Beloved. No matter what your doctrine is about the coming of Jesus. One thing cannot be disputed.

My Bible said he's going to come suddenly in the twinkling of an eye. Like a thief. And he says I don't want that day to overtake you as a thief. You should not be taken by surprise. You should be looking.

And your life should reflect that expectancy. Do you have that expectancy tonight? Ah folks. We've got doctrines being taught today. That delay the coming of the Lord. I'll tell you that's a doctrine of ease.

That's a doctrine that will lay you down in the bed of sin quicker than anything I know. That will lay you right down in the lap of Delilah. You know what it is? Jesus can't come until we subdue the earth.

Well, let's party. We're going to subdue the earth. I don't find that anywhere in this Bible. I don't find that anywhere in the New Testament church. They said even so, Lord Jesus come quickly. They were expecting him at any moment.

He said I'm coming as a thief in the night. He said it's going to be a snare. Oh what a snare it's going to be to those who say he's not coming for 45 ,000 years yet. They figure it's going to take 45 ,000 to 46 ,000 years yet to bring Jesus back to this earth.

I've read that in a book. 45 ,000 to 40 ,000. I don't know where they got that figure. I don't even still can't figure out how he got it. Well, some of them, oh we can do it in a thousand years. Isn't that something?

No more expecting his return. Folks, this great urgency, this longing. How can you long for him when you don't believe he's coming? How can you be yearning for him? And so what they say, oh he's coming, he comes to us.

He comes every day. Folks, please don't fall for it. What a snare that's going to be for those who preach that doctrine. What a snare it's going to be on that day. Trumpet will sound, they say it can't be.

It can't be. It doesn't fit my doctrine. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. And the voice of the archangel with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Comfort one another with these words. That's our comfort. Glory to God. I had a sister this morning, lovely saint back here.

Stopped me and said, Brother Dave, I heard a message you preached. Redeemer comes to Zion. I think I preached that seven, eight years ago. She said, man, I heard you screaming and pounding that pulpit.

I got to think, well, am I not pounding enough anymore? I don't know. But on this one I feel like pounding. The snare of a deep sleep from the Lord. The snare of a deep sleep from the Lord. Why don't you go to Isaiah 29.

The Snare of Spiritual Sleep

Here's a real tragedy. Isaiah 29. I want you to go to verse 10. For the Lord. Now who's doing this pouring? For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. And hath closed your eyes, the prophets and your rulers or leaders, the seers hath he covered.

Oh, how tragic. The meaning is terrifying. God is saying, I, the Lord God, have cast upon you a deep trance of lethargy. And that's what it means in Hebrew. A deep trance of lethargy. You do not see or hear as you once did.

You do not discern or understand anymore. Because I've shut your ears. I've shut your eyes. And I've taken your spiritual understanding from you. I have veiled the message. I've veiled the message. You don't see it anymore.

You don't understand it. But you're not hearing it in the heart anymore. Because I, the Lord God, have poured out upon you a spirit. That's a breathing. A breathing. As sure as he breathed the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.

He says, I will pour upon you. It's a breath. I will pour upon you the breathing of a deep sleep. Meaning, very clearly, I have poured upon you the breath of lethargy. A deep stupefying spiritual listlessness.

That you can no longer hear, see, or understand. Look at me, please. How can we face this tonight? That's what my Bible says. The Lord. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. It didn't come from the devil.

It came from God. The Lord did this. Why would God do something so incredible as this? Look at verse 13. Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch of this people draw near to me with their mouth, and with their lips they do honor me.

But have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men. New American Standard says their fear is taught, or rather, traditions learned by rote. But it's the same thing.

Now, here's what it means. Look this way, please, quickly. It says, you turned your heart away from me, but you kept the words. Bob and Donna preached about this often. You're still going through the motions.

Nobody knows but me, God says. But I see your heart. He said, you come to me with all the right words. You come to me and honor me with your lips. But your heart has drifted. Your heart is not with me anymore.

Your heart is slipping away. Oh, this is why God says, I will pour upon you the spirit of a deep sleep. And that deep sleep means it ends in death. It's a perpetual sleep if you don't get out of it quickly.

A perpetual sleep. And you see, these people, if you read on, turn to a soft message. They turn to a message that blunts and dulls the fear of God. They turn to a message that is devised by men, with men's principles and men's rules.

Listen to me, please. You go to a church where the Holy Ghost is not working. You go to a church where people only are trying to raise money to pay the bills. You go to a church where there's not a man of God on his face, walking in holiness and repentance before a holy God.

You go to a church where the preacher is dead, the deacons are dead, and most of the people are dead. And what you're going to hear are six ways to improve your faith. Six ways to do this, seven ways to do that.

You've got principle after principle, line upon line, principle, precept upon principle, all based on man's thinking. And you'll sit there finally, where once you loved the prophetic word, and you were driven to your knees, and you went home and said, Thank God, I would have been in hell, but someone put a fire under me, pointed finger at my sin.

If your heart, if your heart doesn't stay true to Him and humble and broken before the Lord, it becomes irritating to you, and something in the world grips your heart. The time comes, I'll tell you who hates prophetic teaching.

I'll tell you who hates prophets. I'll tell you who hates the truth. I'll tell you who hates holiness preaching more than anything else. Those who once sat on it, and loved it, and turned from it. They hate it, they despise it.

And they say, I was there, and it's all legalism. It tore me apart, it dragged me down. Folks, holiness preaching, righteousness preaching, judgment preaching, priest in love, balanced with mercy, will do nothing but bring spiritual life and hope to your heart.

You know, there are some churches today that exist for one purpose, and that's to warehouse Christians who have turned from the truth. To comfort those who want to stay in their slumber. It's not church, it's a slumber party.

If you begin to reject the probing message of His holiness, it won't be long until your eyes are going to be closed. You're going to be cast by God Himself into a deep lethargy. And I've met people like this.

Oh, how it grieves my heart. I weep over them. I meet them a year later. And you know what they're saying? I found a church, they preach the gospel there. I'm not preaching against any church. This is not the only church preaching the gospel, believe me.