CREATURE VERSUS CREATOR

Chapter Three

INCREASING VERSUS DECREASING (PART III)

“Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalms 138:2)

This is a most profound statement. God’s Name is a Name that is above all names (Philippians 2:9). And God plainly tells us that He magnifies His Word above that Greatest of all Names. Seriously meditate on how Great and Important that makes His Word to be. Just what “Word” is referred to here in Psalms 138:2? I believe that refers to all God’s Words in His Inspired Holy Bible, King James 1611.

Upon creating man in His Own Image, God gave Adam and Eve just a few of those words that make up His Holy Bible. He gave them one commandment. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it.” (Genesis 2:17) God had chosen to magnify those Words above His Great Name. I pray that you will think on that and thereby perceive just how greatly God Himself regards His Word, the Holy Bible, God’s Eternal Truth that will never pass away. May God help us all to regard that Word just as highly as He does.

“Heavenly Father, please show me just how greatly Thou hast magnified Thy Word, the Holy Bible. And help me to hold that Word in as high esteem as Thou doest. Help me to reverence the Bible, as I have never done before. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

But what did Eve and then Adam do with those Words that their Creator so highly regards? They pulled those highly magnified Words down lower than their own selves and trampled those Words of God underfoot by disobeying them. By doing so, they magnified themselves and set themselves up higher than God’s Words. In a very real sense, their disobedience was an act of rising up higher than their Creator because they placed themselves above God’s Word which God has magnified above His Great Name. Any time we choose to willfully disobey God’s Word, we are setting our opinions and desires above God’s Word that instructs us to do differently. I believe that by doing so, we “raise” ourselves up higher than God, higher than His Great Name, and higher than His Word that He has magnified above His Great Name. Please think seriously and honestly about that and see what God teaches you about it.

“Heavenly Father, please teach me Thy Truth concerning this. Please teach me whether every act of willful disobedience to Thy Holy Bible is the act of “raising” myself up higher than Thee, Thy Great Name, and Thy Word. Teach me how terribly rebellious and sinful of me it is to do such. And help me to love Thy Word, obey it, and magnify it in my life. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

When you read what I wrote against “rising” in the first 2 chapters of this book, it is easy to conclude that I was only talking about people who do everything in their power to become as rich, or as famous, or as powerful, as possible. But this sinful, rebellious “rising” up against our Creator entails much more that than. It includes all willful rejection of anything that He requires of us throughout the Bible. All people who willfully reject Christ as their Saviour set themselves above God by disobeying God’s command to believe on His Saviour that He sent us. Masses of people who reject Christ have no goals of rising up very high. They may just have a few sinful pleasures they choose to continue to enjoy, instead of repenting of them and receiving Christ. They may reject Christ simply to please their family who opposes Him. However low any motive may be in willfully disobeying God, it causes one to “rise” up higher than God. Just rejecting God, His Saviour, and His Bible instructions, is rising above Him to be your own god to live by your own rules for your own pleasures, whatever they may be.

When Christian believers willfully disobey anything God commands us to do in the Bible, by doing so we “raise” ourselves up higher than God, His Name, and His Word. That is “rising” most high, and it is most rebellious and sinful. It is an act of rejecting God’s Word, pulling it down below our own lowly being, trampling it underfoot, and setting ourselves up higher than that Eternal Word which God has magnified above His Own Great Name. I pray that God will make each of us totally aware of what an awful thing that is to do. May we fully perceive just how great God’s Wrath is against it. And may we truly serve Him with fear and trembling because of it. May God help us to magnify His Word in our own eyes and in our lives, and always regard it most highly. This will give great glory to our Creator.

“Heavenly Father, please help me to greatly magnify Thy Word in my life. Save me from setting my opinions and desires above it. Show me what a fearful thing that is to do. Help me to truly humble myself under Thy Greatly Magnified Word, fully submit to it, and with Thy Help strive to always obey it. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“Not selfwilled”

When Lucifer declared, “I will be like the most High,” he became a god, a false god, an idol. To whom did he become a god? He became a god to his own self. He rejected his Creator as his God, replacing Him with “self” as his god. That is the start of idolatry. The first idol god that the creature chooses to worship in sinful idolatry is his own self. That is exactly what Lucifer did. It is also exactly what Eve did.

“Ye shall be as gods,” the tempter truthfully said to Eve. There are 2 choices available to angels and humans while still in their perfect state. (1) Continue to make your Creator your God, as He ordained. Or (2) Decide to make your own self your own god; a sinful, rebellious act that rejects your Creator as your God. The True Creator God and the false god of self cannot both reign together in a creature’s heart.

After choosing to worship himself as his own god, the human creature quickly learns to make and worship an untold number of idols, all for the pleasure of self. He will soon become enslaved to and addicted to many of those idols, and will find it difficult to break those chains of enslavement if he ever comes to desire to do so.

Because Adam and Eve fell from their perfect state, all their descendants are born as degenerate, sinful creatures that are rebellious against their Creator. They are born with “Self” already enthroned in their hearts. We can readily see that by observing just how “selfish” most any small child is.

Rising up as high as possible is a dominant goal of many human creatures. As one does succeed in rising, then other people around him quickly come to look upon his risen state in admiration, and they come to desire to be like him. Some people will come to “worship” him and his risen state. And at that point, he becomes a cause of other people committing the sin of idolatry. Therefore HEAVY is our responsibility to desire to decrease, so as to not be the cause of other people committing idolatry. We should earnestly and desperately pray to our Creator to help us to decrease. “I must decrease.”

“Heavenly Father, please make me fully aware of the possibility of me causing other people to “worship” me if I succeed in striving to rise up and be great. Please keep me from the sin of causing other people to commit idolatry. Please help me to truly desire to decrease and help me to decrease to the place that will be most pleasing to Thee, my Creator. I pray this for all other Christians also. Amen.”

The dedicated and frenzied zeal, with which people worship risen humans, borders on unbelievable. Watch them go insane at some rock concert. Watch them wait for days in the parking lot before the big ball game, or sports event, begins. During the entire game, the stadium or arena throbs and vibrates with the mad roar of the crowd excitedly worshipping risen humans. The frenzied zeal of this sinful idolatry typically far surpasses the zeal with which Christian believers worship the True God. And the roaring mob of fans likely contains a good number of Christians.

Just watch Christians, who love to worship risen humans, battle to give God some place in their hearts. On an autumn Sunday morning in 1970 (in the U.S.), the lady teacher came into the young adults Sunday School class I was attending. At that time, her son was a player on a university football team that was most powerful then. The day before, she had sat in a stadium, cheering his team to victory. That had given her such a “high,” that she was still “drunken” on it this Sunday morning, making it most difficult for her to get her mind off the greatness of her son’s football team and get her mind onto the greatness of God so she could teach us something from the Bible.

She first just sat there before us, literally shaking her head, and spoke of her own amazement over how fervently she was carried away with football and said that she would be glad when the football season ended and this too exciting time would be over. The excitement over the highly risen position of her son and his football team was almost more than she could bear, practically rendering her useless to teach us the Bible. What terrible, sinful idolatry that is.

Look at how the idolatry of worshipping risen humans has boldly come to church. People talk excitedly about their human idols during church time. Christians bring TVs, videos, and such into the church building to view (worship) sports and other risen human performances in God’s house. Often the pastor’s office or study in the church is ablaze with many items that display the names of sports teams. I once met a fundamental pastor on the street whose jacket, cap, and watch displayed the name of his idol pro football team. Yet that pastor was not carrying a Bible nor displaying anything that would identify him as a Christian. It grieves me to see that, likely because it is idolatry that grieves our Creator. Oh, how excited we get about risen human creatures, much more than we do about our glorious Creator. What a shame! And when you achieve your goal of rising up and being great, then without fail, you will become a cause of other people committing this sin of worshipping risen human creatures.

The risen human creature causes other people to also commit the sin of covetousness, as they covet his risen status. He also causes them to commit the sin of ungodly jealously, as people become jealous of his greatness. He causes them to commit the sin of envy as they envy his greatness. May God open our eyes to see that numerous sins follow this sin of rising.

“Heavenly Father, please teach me the truth of what Brother Richard has written here. Please show me how I will cause many other people to commit the sin of idolatry if I rise up high and thereby cause others to “worship” that status. Please help me to recognize this for the sin that it is, and please help me not to commit this sin. If it is true that by rising, I will cause others to commit the sins of covetousness, ungodly jealously, and envy, then please clearly teach me that and help me to not be the cause of other people committing those sins. I pray this for all other Christians also. Amen.”

“Fall down and worship me”

Oh, how we just love to rise up and be great, be in the limelight, and be worshipped by other human creatures. How that feeds our sinful pride. When the devil tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness, the devil tried so hard to get Jesus to worship him. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8&9) Lucifer would be ever so pleased if he could get his Creator to worship him just once. Lucifer offered to hand over all the kingdoms that he owned in this world, just to get Jesus to bow down and worship him once. That fallen cherub craves worship.

Fallen humans also crave worship. Exceeding great is our desire for others to think that we are the greatest. We want everybody’s hearts to do flip-flops upon hearing our name, seeing our picture, or seeing our face. How sinful we are in madly craving worship that belongs to our Creator only.

“Heavenly Father, am I guilty of that sin? Do I desire that people worship me to any degree at all? If so, please reveal that sin of mine to me ever so clearly. Then help me to truly repent of it and completely forsake it. I pray this for all other Christians also. Amen.”

When we crave to be worshipped by others, what enormous pressure is put upon us to meet our “worshippers’” high expectations of us. How we fear them casting us away if they become disappointed in us. Listen to the accounts of entertainers vomiting from nervousness just before the start of a live performance. Read of athletes (and many other kinds of human “gods”) doing the same thing. What pressure the frail human creature is under, trying to gain and maintain the highest plateau possible. I recall my college days, returning to my room after giving a speech or debating in class. The armpits of both my undershirt and shirt would be soaked with sweat. And no doubt my blood pressure had risen plenty as I stood before the class, trying to impress my Prof and fellow students with my greatness.

Human “gods/idols” are under such pressure to stay “risen,” or their worshippers will forsake them and go look for a greater god to worship. Or worse, their worshippers will kill them upon being disappointed by the “idol’s” performance. That has definitely happened. I recall the news story of fans rushing onto a soccer field and killing their team’s goalie when he failed to block a point, causing that team to lose the game. Such murder has not been rare down through history. After the gladiator’s performance, if the crowd in the coliseum gave a “thumbs down,” then the gladiator was put to death. That is how destructive the sin of “rising” is; fail to please your worshippers and they will literally kill you. How madly insane it is for anyone to desire to be worshipped by murderers. May we all desire to decrease, desire not to be worshipped, and desire to only give worship to The One Who truly deserves it, our Creator. “I must decrease.”

“Heavenly Father, please open my eyes and give me clear spiritual vision to see just how destructive it is to worship other human creatures. Please save me from worshipping other people and also save me from desiring to be worshipped by others. I pray these things for all other people also. Amen.”

Worshippers of human creatures also kill each other in mad crushes as a crowd of them surges inside an arena, or upon trying to enter an arena. The risen human god also kills his worshippers as his hockey puck goes flying into the stands, his race car goes plowing into the stands, his stunt plane crashes into the crowd of worshippers, and such. How terribly destructive to human life, is this terrible sin of “rising.” May God help us all to clearly see that and to sincerely desire to decrease.

When a sports team wins a big championship game, their fans’ joy over the team’s greatness is so explosive that they often riot, committing the crimes of destroying property and injuring people. (Reader, do you know of anyone ever getting killed in such victory celebrations? If so, send me the account of it, please.) These destructive acts are sins against God and man. They are also crimes against man’s just laws. And the fans’ fervent, sinful, idolatrous worship of their risen team is the cause of these destructive, deadly sins and crimes.

Christian dad, just stop and think how desirous you are for your son to be the cause of such sins and crimes. Think how desirous you are for your son to become a star athlete that leads a team to victory in a big championship game. Such a victory is most likely to cause these crimes of property destruction and bodily injury. Creature worshippers will get “drunken” on your son’s greatness and therefore will wreck such destructive havoc. The two cannot be separated. And so many of you Christian dads just dream of your son growing up to be an athlete that can win such a victory. May God open your eyes to see just how destructive such rising is.

“Lord God, please make me totally aware of what a sinful act of idolatry it is to worship risen human creatures. Please make me fully aware of what great destruction will definitely stem from it. Help me to hate that sin and destruction with a Godly hatred and have no desire to be any part of it. Help me to have no desire for any of my descendents to cause any such destruction. I pray this for all other Christians also. Amen.”

Throughout the world, many risen creatures perform their risen acts on stages and in arenas specifically designed and built for appropriately accommodating that risen act and enhancing it as much as possible. Many years of devouring much knowledge of good and evil has given man the high tech ability to build dazzling performance arenas for his many and various risen acts that draw the crowds of worshippers. The knowledge of good and evil also enabled man to make a camera that would produce exact images of the risen performers for people all over the world to see. Those first exact images were “still” pictures. But soon came moving pictures that enable worldwide viewing of the entire risen act, multiplying creature worship many fold. The same cameras also enable common people to freely produce exact images of themselves to display and look upon in admiration (and worship?).

To some degree, most all people harbor a desire for others to “fall down and worship” them. “Fall down and worship me.” We who are followers of Christ should recognize this for the terrible sin it is. We should repent of it, forsake it, and decrease to the place that is pleasing to our Creator. “I must decrease.”

“Heavenly Father, please save me from the sin of desiring others to fall down and worship me. Help me to truly desire that all people worship their Creator and worship Him alone. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“The head”

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (I Corinthians 11:3) When a male human sets his heart on rising, he will very soon do away with Christ as his “head” and authority. When a woman sets her heart on rising, she will very soon do away with the male human as her “head” and authority, and she will quickly come to usurp authority over the man.

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” (I Timothy 2:11 &12) The “risen” woman will soon come to trample on this command by speaking in the church, teaching men in the church, and by preaching to men in the church. She will take a secular job in which she teaches, instructs, and bosses men, and is in authority and power over men. Christian wives have testified to me in person, that when they began working a secular job that put them in authority over men, then it soon became most difficult for them to submit to their husbands as the Bible commands them to do.

Truly, when the human creature sets himself upon rising, he rises up above his Creator and his Creator’s Bible, thereby doing away with them. He sets himself up as his own head and his selfish thoughts and desires become his own bible, his main guide to his existence and actions. What a terrible sight are all these risen creatures. How great is our need to decrease. “I must decrease.”

Satan well knows what great havoc he can wreck upon God’s creation by getting the women and girls to usurp human male authority as well as their Creator’s authority. When he tempted perfect human creatures to rise up against their Creator, he didn’t tempt Adam. He tempted the woman. He knows that much will go wrong with the human race if only the women will usurp authority over the men. Therefore he exerts maximum efforts to bring that about. And he meets with fantastic success, as so many women are desirous to do away with the man as their head.

Much of the body of Christ has ceased to stand for what God ordained; “the head of the woman is the man.” One liberated Christian woman told me (preached to me) that for a man to be the head of the woman meant that he was to be her protector. God certainly ordained that men protect women, and not that women be the police officers and soldiers. But protection is not the main role of the “head.” Authority is the main role of the “head.” The primary function of military headquarters is to command soldiers, not protect them. The primary function of the head office is to give orders to employees, not to protect them. Likewise, the primary role of the man as the head of the woman is that of authority. (God also commands husbands to love their wives. And it is a most serious failure when husbands fail to obey that commandment.)

During the 20^th century, the body of Christ rapidly rose above what God ordained; “the head of the woman is the man.” Back about 2001, I listened to Mr. James Dobson on the radio telling how important it is for mothers to stay at home to rear their children. “If a woman does not have children, let her do what she wants. Let her become president (of the nation) if she wants to. But if she has children, she needs to be in the home to rear them.” By telling that to millions of listeners, Mr. Dobson gave approval of a woman usurping authority over every man in the nation (by becoming its president). He clearly declared himself to be against what God commanded concerning that. And it is a most grievous thing that many Christians have come to oppose God commanding women to not usurp authority over men. So many people are just madly in love with rising to the greatest heights possible. Long ago, they placed themselves above their Creator and above His Word, “and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” Rise. Rise! RISE! Oh how we all need to decrease. “I must decrease.”

“Clothed with strange apparel”

Desirous-to-rise human creatures often manifest that desire by “decorating” their bodies to some degree, the sinful motive usually being to get attention and to be looked upon as “great.” All down through history, many of the heathen, pagan tribes and nations who know not the True God their Creator, have been known for decorating their bodies to a great degree. You know the truth of that. And you can look at many pictures, past and present, to see a vast array of methods and items that people, throughout the world and down through the ages, have used to decorate their bodies. Therefore I need not give you a long description of it here. “Christians” set on rising come to decorate their bodies more and more. Back in the 1980’s, I looked at the way many Christians were decorating themselves and said to myself that they looked liked Christmas trees, without the blinking lights. I didn’t think that they would ever add the blinking lights. But a few years later, I was shocked when I saw that some Christians were sometimes wearing attire that did have blinking lights. “Look at me!”

I believe that most (or possibly all) “decorating” of our bodies is displeasing to God Who created us in His Image. Some of the “decorating,” such as permanent tattoos, piercings, cuttings, stretching the neck, stretching the earlobes, making large openings in the earlobes, and such, are terribly gross and plenty harmful to the health of our bodies. I believe that they are sinful abominations in the sight of our Creator. I believe that the desire to do such horrible things to one’s own body stems from one’s desire to be an “attraction” to other people, which stems from the sinful desire to “rise.”

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:28) “They shall not…make any cuttings in their flesh.” (21:5) You can argue that such commands were strictly ceremonial law given to the nation of Israel. But I believe it is displeasing to our Creator for any human to do these things forbidden here in Leviticus. Also in the New Testament, God gives some clear guidelines for Christian believers adorning themselves. “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” (I Timothy 2:9&10) That scripture clearly tells us that broided hair, gold, pearls, and costly array are not becoming of women professing godliness.

Our Creator would have us to properly attend to necessary body hygiene, and to modestly clothe and decently groom our bodies. Study your Bible thoroughly to learn God’s guidelines and commands relating to those things, and pray to your Creator for specific guidance concerning them. Proper attire is a must if we are to be pleasing to our Creator. Most people have a desire to appear attractive to others. That desire doesn’t have to “rise” very far before it becomes a sinful desire to be “worshipped” by others. So we all must be very careful in that area. It glorifies our Creator for us to clothe ourselves in a plain manner that does not attract undue attention. Modest clothing is of dire importance in pleasing God. It is sinful to wear skimpy, thin, form fitting, see through, or any immodest clothing that displays our bodies. Immodesty itself is sinful, and the motive behind it is usually that of wanting others to worship one’s body and/or to look upon it with sinful, sexual lust.

Most styles of gaudy, freaky, gross, attention-getting, “far out” apparel and adornment such as punk rock (and many others) are “strange apparel” that God speaks of punishing in Zephaniah 1:8. “And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.” Strange apparel does not glorify your Creator. He promises to punish those who wear it. So avoid it.

“Doeth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” (I Corinthians 11:14 & 15) Men who wear long hair and women who wear short hair have sinfully “risen” up above what their Creator ordained concerning their hair. May God help us not to do that.

“Heavenly Father, please help me to always adorn my body in a way that is pleasing to Thee. Teach me what apparel I should wear. Save me from wearing strange apparel. Save me from decorating my body in any way that is displeasing to Thee. Save me from altering my body in anyway that is displeasing to Thee. Please save me from the vain sin of desiring others to look upon my body in admiration and worship. Show me how I should wear my hair. Please help me to make all my personal adorning and apparel most pleasing to Thee. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“All that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God”

God clearly tells us that it is an abomination to Him for anyone to wear clothing that pertains to the opposite gender. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5) In order to not wear that which is an abomination to your Creator, you must first know which items of clothing belong to each gender. Without knowing that, you will not be able to please God with your apparel. Trousers and shirts for men. Dresses, skirts, and blouses for women. “Now just where did you find that list, Brother Richard?” Inside my head, and wrapped up in God’s Wisdom I firmly believe. If you don’t like that list, then make up your own list, wear it, and stand adorned in it before your Creator on Judgment Day. But if you stand there as an abomination before God, you are going to be mightily ashamed. In addition to that short list, all of a man’s apparel should be masculine and all of a woman’s apparel should be feminine; undergarments, shoes, boots, jackets, coats, caps, hats, head coverings, etc., all apparel. My short list above mainly pertains to the Western world (Europe and the Americas). Apparel customs are somewhat different in much of the Eastern world (Asia) and Africa. Still there is usually a distinct differentiation between the clothing of each gender. Nobody nowhere in the world should ever wear clothing of the other gender and thereby be an abomination to their Creator.

Previously, I spoke of Christ being the head of the man and the man being the head of the woman. (I Corinthians 11:3) Men, who do away with Christ as their head, will often dress as fancy as possible in order to look like a “great” being. Putting undue emphasis on fancy, flashy, and expensive clothing quickly becomes the sins of pride and extravagance. Men also commit the sin of dressing immodestly. But most men who dress those sinful ways continue to wear men’s apparel. However, women, who do away with the man as their head, often turn to wearing men’s apparel. That is an abomination. And the world is presently full of highly “risen” women, many who profess to be Christians, strutting around in tight, form-fitting britches and their hair cropped off short like a “butch.” What an abominable sight! Lots of people sure do need to decrease. “I must decrease.”

Study Christian history and learn much. Go back to about 1900 when the hem lines of women’s skirts and dresses began to “rise” above their ankles, and search out the sermons of many godly preachers who boldly denounced that as indecent. Multitudes of “lay” Christians, and even unsaved people, voiced the same opinion. But we sure have come a long way, haven’t we? Presently, if you declare that God is pleased with women wearing short skirts and dresses that show their calves, and declare that He is pleased with them wearing britches, then you denounce as heretics, a multitude of bygone saints (and even non-saints) who plainly declared those things to be abominations and sins of indecency. I expect you will be much ashamed when you meet up with them after this life.

Let me remind you that you didn’t appear out of thin air when your existence began. You have ancestors all the way back to Adam and Eve. All your ancestors are presently just as alive as they ever were, and they will always be alive. If you don’t like these old-fashioned standards of attire that I am now preaching, then think on the fact that your ancestors who were adults in the year 1900 were likely more in favor of those standards than I am. So if you are going to badmouth me for my beliefs, go ahead and badmouth your own ancestors for dressing so modestly and godly. And then see how you feel when you meet up with them in eternity.

Exodus Chapter 32 tells of Aaron making the golden calf and the children of Israel worshipping it. Present-day women turn their “calves” to the sun or to a tanning lamp to turn them into a golden color, and then display those “golden calves” to the public. And those calves certainly do get worshipped by many sinful idolaters. I do not feel the least bit handicapped or underprivileged wearing my trousers down to my ankles. So why should you Christian women have any objection to your hemlines being at your ankles? “Brother Richard, it is because we have “risen” up above those godly, modest standards.” Amen, sister!

Study history to learn just how decent-minded people were in the past. I read a book with a story set in the late 1860’s. In it, a woman started to lift up her dress just a little as she crossed a muddy street in town to keep the hem of her dress from getting muddy. But because there were men present, she left her dress just as it was and let the hem get muddy, saying there was no way she would let those men stare at her ankles. And likely those ankles were hidden inside thick black stockings. Imagine men wanting to gawk at ankles nowadays, when many harlot-hearted hussies proudly display so much above their ankles for men to lust after.

In bygone days, harlots would sit on a bench on the boardwalk in town, and pull their ankle length dresses halfway up their shins to advertise to passersby that they were harlots and seeking business. And usually, they revealed only stockings, not flesh, as they did so. Now, most women who attend church don’t even sit in God’s church house dressed that decently.

Modern day hussies have thrown out many decent standards of attire that were absolutely necessary to any decent woman back about 1900. At that time, almost no decent woman would wear a dress, skirt, or blouse that opened at the front. I mean one that was “closed” at the front by means of buttons, snaps, fasteners, zippers, or such. At that time, such “openings” were usually kept at the back of their modest garments (and sometimes at the side of a skirt). But look at how many hussies now wear shirts that are just like men’s shirts, and blouses, skirts, dresses, and even britches that all have the openings (and fasteners) right down the front of their bodies. Abominable and indecent!

I was old enough to observe large numbers of women forsaking their dresses and skirts for abominable britches in the 1950’s and 1960’s. As godly preachers preached against that abomination, those hussies and their supporters retorted back with, “These slacks are not men’s apparel because they zip down the side instead of down the front. If our slacks zipped down the front, then they would be men’s apparel.” But of those women who are still alive today, instead of being in eternity wearing their Creator assigned garments, most britches they wear now zip right down the front. What happened? Why the change? Answer: They just keep “rising” up higher and becoming more sinful. Women in shirts that button down the front and tend to gape open between the buttons, especially where their bosom rises. Women in abominable tight jeans and gaudy britches that open right down the front, with the opening fastened together with flashy, eye-catching fasteners that say, “Look here!” Highly risen, deeply sinful, devil pleasing, Creator dishonouring abominations they are!

“Heavenly Father, please save me from wearing apparel that is an abomination to Thee. Teach me exactly what is proper apparel for my gender and help me to always wear that which honours Thee. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“The attire of an harlot”

Years ago (in the 1980’s?), I read a news article about a police officer arresting a woman, on the street in a city in the U.S., on suspicion of her being a prostitute. It turned out that she was not a prostitute (harlot). In fact, she was a preacher’s wife. Why did the police officer suspect her of being a prostitute? He said it was because she was dressed like one. That preacher’s wife was out in public dressed in the attire of a harlot. Her attire made her look so much like a harlot, that she got arrested for being one. “And, behold, there met him a woman, with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.” (Proverbs 7:10)

Nowadays, “Christian” women haughtily proclaim, “It doesn’t matter what you wear. God looks on the heart.” God certainly does look on the heart. And He sees a harlot’s heart inside the woman who dresses like a harlot. A soul winning, fundamental Christian woman who read my first edition of this book, strongly reprimanded me for placing too much emphasis on outward appearances instead of on “heart” matters, which she said are the important matters. Amen, sister! Heart matters certainly are important matters. And outward appearances ARE heart matters. Indecent, immodest, sinful outward appearances are visible manifestations of an indecent, immodest, sinful heart. Those outward appearances show the need for one to repent and get right in that matter.

Proper apparel IS important. God’s Word clearly tells us that there is “strange apparel” that God is going to punish. It also tells us that there is “the attire of an harlot.” There is much apparel and adorning that is sinful and abominable in the Sight of our Creator. Therefore it behooves us all to avoid it.

“Heavenly Father, please help me to attire and adorn myself in ways that are not sinful. Please guide me and give me clear teaching as to what is proper and create within me a heart that is always desirous to please Thee in my adorning and my apparel. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“Every precious stone was thy covering”

I do not think that God absolutely forbids us human creatures from wearing “jewelry,” but I am not sure about that. (I am using the word, “jewelry,” in the broadest sense possible.) I will speak nothing against people wearing wedding bands to show to everyone that they are wed to another. If people choose to “decorate” their bodies with “jewelry” and such, I do believe they will have to be most conservative with it and only use a very small amount, in order to keep from being displeasing to their Creator. Personally, I have chosen to not wear any “jewelry” because I cannot think of any reason for me to wear it, rather than vain pride. If you have chosen to not wear “jewelry,” I believe that highly pleases your Creator and I heartily commend you for it. If a person truly desires to “decrease” (which we should all desire to do), I cannot understand why he or she would decorate his or her body with “jewelry,” or with any of the many other ways people “decorate” their bodies.

“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created.” (Ezekiel 28:13) I conclude that God created all this “jewelry” into Lucifer in his perfect state, to add to Lucifer’s beauty. It sounds like Lucifer was “decorated” (covered) with lots of “jewelry,” precious stones and gold. That is how God chose to create Lucifer, but He definitely did not create the human creature in such a manner. And I believe that it is most likely that Lucifer is the one who entices fallen human creatures to decorate their bodies with “jewelry,” make-up, paint, and many other things. One reason I believe that to be so, is because it is common for heathen, pagan tribes, throughout the world who have no knowledge of the True God, to “decorate” their bodies to the highest degree possible.

Satan likes to offer us a counterfeit version of things that God created and ordained for some heavenly creatures and he likes to entice us to “use them” (to put it simply), though our Creator never ordained that we humans “use” those things. Therefore you always need to walk close to your Creator to know His Mind and His Will for you concerning such things. The desire that people have to “decorate” their bodies, I do not believe that it comes from our Creator. I believe that Satan entices people to “decorate” their bodies. I also believe that people do it out of their own vain, sinful pride, and because they have risen up higher than is pleasing to God. Do you know of other reasons for people “decorating” their bodies???

“Heavenly Father, please help me to walk close to Thee, to know exactly what things Thou hast ordained for me, a human creature. Help me not to fall prey to Satan’s counterfeits, or to his enticements to adorn my body in any way that is not pleasing to Thee. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

Years ago, a spiritual sister in Christ related to me how that God dealt with her to stop using make-up. And when she did, she was profoundly amazed at what a humbling effect that one thing had on her. Amen! Humility in a human creature is most pleasing to our Creator. So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, do you want to be more humble? Well, here is a good way to become more humble. Cease applying your “war paint” and cease all the other “decorating” you do to your body, and then be amazed at how humble that makes you. Weeping during a church service has just about become extinct. (However, it is still often done by people watching a movie, sports event, concert, and many other performances by highly “risen” humans.) When the Holy Ghost moves people to weeping in church, often women will stifle it to avoid ruining their makeup. “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

“Which becometh women professing godliness”

With passing time, fewer men and women dress and adorn themselves in ways that please their Creator. Study history to see the great change in apparel. Look at pictures of people in the past. Recently, I saw a picture of a man and his wife at a crowded beach in the U.S. in 1923. The man was wearing a suit; white shirt, tie, suit coat, the whole works. The woman was wearing her “Sunday best,” as we used to say. And they were dressed like that, sitting on a blanket on the beach. All the people on that beach were dressed in a similar manner (1923). Compare that to the way nowadays people at the beach are “not dressed.”

Nowadays, if you dress modestly and decently, you are likely to be held in contempt by many of the highly “risen” sinners around you. That becomes a fierce battle that can really wear you down. Therefore I want to now do my very best to speak a few words of encouragement to you, which your Creator has laid on my heart. May God’s richest blessings be upon you who honour and glorify your Creator by dressing and adorning yourselves in ways that are pleasing to Him. During this life, you will not perceive the extent of the great glory you give to Him by doing so. But you will come to a full and complete understanding of that when you meet God in Judgment, and then you will be most glad that you stood firm in the battle when so many around you ridiculed you and tried to get you to conform to the world’s sinful standards of dress and adorning.

It is most easy for you to feel intimidated by the massive force so many people, even “Christians,” put upon you to do wrong in your apparel and adorning. Presently, so few pulpits will give you much encouragement for doing right about this. One reason is that nowadays, many preachers were raised by sinful, soap opera addicted, “Christian” mammas in abominable britches with perverted “butch” haircuts and wearing much war paint, jewelry, and other “decorations.” Therefore those “Christian” mammas brought spiritual blindness upon their children by doing wrong. Listen up, Christian parents! Do wrong in any area and one definite fruit you will reap will be spiritual blindness in your children in that area. They will perceive your “wrong” to be “right.”

Also, when preachers stand in their pulpits looking at their congregations, who look like Hollywood because they look at Hollywood all the time, then often those preachers cannot find the nerve to preach against the congregations’ sinful appearances. They are afraid to praise the good and to condemn the evil, as God ordained that they do. Therefore they seldom praise you who dress and adorn yourselves properly. So please live close to your Lord and encourage yourself in Him. Your Precious Lord Jesus Christ will never disappoint you and will bless you with plenty of encouragement.

Years ago, on a Sunday morning, I preached on godly apparel and adornment from the pulpit of a country church in Alabama. For many years, that church had been an old-fashioned church, but had long since “risen” and “progressed” beyond that. The pastor and his wife sat on the 2^nd or 3^rd pew from the front and laughed at me as I preached. It sort of surprised me that they did that. But I had preached many hundreds of hours out in public with people laughing in ridicule at me, so it was nothing new to me. Therefore I just sort of ignored them and kept preaching what God had laid on my heart. After that, the pastor and family had me in their home for Sunday Dinner and fellowship, and we had a nice time together.

A n d it was not all that long after that when his congregation bestowed a most kind deed upon that pastor. They gave him the nicest funeral and laid him to rest amidst a lot of old-fashioned Christians in the cemetery next to the church. I don’t know how “at home” he felt, lying there with them in those graves, or with them in Heaven. And I don’t know if his death, years before the age of 50, had any connection to him laughing at my preaching. But I do know one thing for sure. I am scared to death to laugh at anyone who preaches an Old-Fashioned God Who changes not, and who preaches His Old-Fashioned Standards that change not. And I praise you who dress and adorn yourselves, as your Creator desires that you do.

“Heavenly Father, please help me to always be aware that I will produce spiritual blindness in my children by doing wrong. Please save me from doing that. Help me to always strive to do that which is right in Thy Sight and thereby set a perfect example for my children to follow. I pray this for all other Christian parents also. Please give me sense enough not to laugh at and ridicule those who preach about and those who comply with Thy Holy standards of attire. Amen.”

Let me quote part of a letter that Sister Gretchen wrote to me.

“You have encouraged us so. With all the rejection we have had to face, due especially to our decision to wear dresses, we see it as a freedom; others (especially family) see it as legalism. It is not a burden at all to us! Our boys and men enjoy being men, and we girls love to be ladies! It is not a uniform to us; it’s a pleasure to be what God created us to be! Hallelujah! The headcovering seems to cause even more of a problem…I don’t make an issue of it, yet some relatives seem to be so bothered by it, yet some of their children have streaks (dyed) in their hair, and I am considered the strange one! Peculiar we certainly are. I just pray that I am not a stumbling block, only a dedicated servant to our Lord.”

Most decently dressed Christians will find that though they do not make any issue out of their apparel, many people around them will certainly take the initiative and make an issue out of it. The reason they do is because God uses your godly apparel and adornment to sharply prick their conscience about their abominable, lewd, indecent, sinful, shameful attire. Isn’t it a marvel how upset they will get over someone doing right? You dressing right is the ONE thing that will prick their guilty conscience about their wrong. They can easily lie about God’s clear commands in the Bible, as many “Christians” have lied to me to my face about them. Or they can just relegate the Bible to an outdated book that has no relation to them. It is a little harder for them to ignore a preacher in the pulpit or my words in this “current” book, and even harder to ignore a godly Christian personally telling them that their attire and adorning are sinful. But their Creator made it most hard for them to ignore a good example of godly attire and adorning. God purposely set it up like that, making a godly example something that will just give them fits and cause them to spout off all kinds of wrong speech about you.

They will constantly wrongly accuse you of being the troublemaker and such, because you so offend their pride and their guilty conscience. Most of the time, most of them will be blinded as to the real reason for their animosity toward you, simply thinking that their sinful attire is right and that your godly attire is wrong. Whatever you do, don’t let them discourage you from doing right and don’t feel pitiful because they lash out at you and come down so hard on you, trying to get you to change. You are greatly glorifying your Creator with your godly attire and adornment, and you are also keeping some angels busy as they constantly carry much eternal, heavenly treasure into your home in Heaven to have it waiting there for you as your Creator’s reward to you for doing right. By saying all this, I am trying my best to be an encouragement to you, just as I have been to Sister Gretchen and her family. By all means, dress right. It is still just as important to do so, as it has ever been.

“I just pray that I am not a stumbling block.” That statement of Sister Gretchen’s really caught my attention, because the wicked always like to accuse the godly of being troublemakers by being godly. All down through the ages, that lie has been a favorite ploy of theirs. “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” (I Kings 18:17) Of course, wicked Ahab and Jezebel were the ones who were troubling Israel. But Ahab lies by trying to make Elijah into the troublemaker. Wicked people, who set their hearts on wickedness, instead of on repenting, typically do that. That pastor, who laughed at me, as I preached godliness from his pulpit, did so because he had long ago made up his mind to oppose that godliness and no amount of preaching by anyone was going to change his mind as long as he lived (which turned out to be not so long). Godly people DO make trouble for the devil and those bent on wrong, but that is one of the main things God leaves saved people on this earth to do. The wrongdoers try to convince you that you are the troublemaker and stumbling block in order to get you to cease doing right. By all means, ignore them and stand firm. Do right!

I replied to Sister Gretchen, trying to encourage her more. I mentioned that it is most important that we do not unduly cause someone to stumble. Then I pointed out that we always need to keep in mind important characteristics of our Saviour mentioned in I Peter 2:7&8. “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” Our Creator is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to those who are disobedient, as they stumble over Him on their way to their destruction. If you will be obedient to your Creator, then you too will be just as big a stumbling block to them. Don’t be surprised by that. Don’t think that you are in the wrong because the disobedient stumble over your obedience. It will naturally happen, but you are not in the wrong. Those who are disobedient are in the wrong. So just keep doing right!

The worst of the present-day sinfully attired people would have been thrown in jail had they appeared that way in public in 1800. Lesser lewd ones would have been so strongly verbally attacked by other people in public that they would have run in shame and hid themselves. But now in this perverse, end-time generation, the shoe is on the other foot. The disobedient are as bold as a lion and therefore do their best to make the obedient timid and shy about being obedient. Don’t cater to them. Just keep on obeying and pleasing your Creator.

Sister Gretchen spoke of her and her daughters, saying, “It’s a pleasure to be what God created us to be! Hallelujah!” I’ll certainly say “Amen” to that. I also take pleasure in being the male God created me to be and therefore I never have any desires to wear dresses, skirts, blouses, or any women’s apparel at any time for any occasion. Deuteronomy 22:5 clearly tells us that it is an abomination to put on that which belongs to the other gender. Therefore I believe that “Womanless Weddings” and “Womanless Beauty Pageants” with men dressed as women are an abomination to God, even when (especially when) the church puts them on, with even the pastor participating, dressed as a woman.

The masses of “Christian” women in their abominable britches, T-shirts, shirts, “butch” haircuts, and such, have long ceased taking pleasure in what God created them to be. They have risen so high above their “first estate.” And when they meet up with a woman dressed and adorned in a God-pleasing manner, war clouds quickly form in their sinful hearts and they will do fierce battle with you godly women with many harsh words. In addition to their ploy of trying to make you look like the troublemaker, they also like to imply things instead of clearly stating them. The devil will teach them many sly, cunning ways to imply that you are strange and in the wrong by the way you dress. Don’t fall for it. As they make any negative comments about your attire and as they question you abut it, if you have the courage, it would glorify God so much for you to proclaim to them. “I dress this way because I believe it is most pleasing to my Creator.”

And if you have the courage, it would be good to ask them some very straight questions and see if you can get a straight answer from them for God to record to have them meet on Judgment Day. “Is there anything at all about my attire that is displeasing to you?” “Oh, really? And just why is that displeasing to you?” “So you don’t think it matters how people dress? You and I greatly differ concerning that, because I believe it definitely matters to God how we dress.” From experience, I find that they seldom give a clear answer to a clear question. But God records whatever evasive and lame answer they return, to show them on Judgment Day. If we will clearly state our position to those people, God will again remind them of it when they are judged. May God help us to take much pleasure in doing right.

I have been plenty long in speaking of attire and adornment, but for a good reason. Proper attire and adornment ARE MOST important in order to not rebel against our Creator. People who love the sin of “rising” will quickly “rise” above godly apparel and adorning. Listen to the speech of “Christians” who dress wrongly and notice that they seldom or never “profess godliness” or speak of their need to decrease. “I must decrease.”

It is necessary for both men and women to attire themselves properly. But our Creator created man’s help meet with great beauty, which is for her husband only. You well know how the beauty of women is exposed and exploited all over the world as something for the masses to gawk at. That is an abominable shame and sin. Therefore I pray that you Christian sisters will always attire and adorn yourselves in ways “which becometh women professing godliness.” (I Timothy 2:10) I encourage you to do so. And your Creator is certainly on your side to encourage you and bless you for doing so.

Men who attire themselves in a God-pleasing manner do not tend to be “persecuted” very much for doing so, while women will be strongly attacked for doing so. There are 2 main reasons for this. First, lewd men are so desirous to lust after women that they want all women to set themselves on display for their pleasure. Therefore, they will hold in contempt, the non-compliers. Second, the many women who do comply will be convicted and/or angered by the non-compliers and therefore heap much abuse upon them. Rise above it all and determine to do right. I highly encourage you to do so.

“Heavenly Father, I stand in need of much help from Thee, concerning this. Please teach me exactly what attire and adornment is pleasing to Thee. Then please give me the courage to attire and adorn myself in that matter. Also give me the courage to not flinch when the disobedient people scoff, laugh, ridicule, and accuse me of being a troublemaker for obeying Thee. I pray for all other people also, that they will honour Thee in their attire and adornment. Amen.”

“In honour preferring one another”

Any time there is more than one human endeavoring to “rise,” competition rears its ugly head. I believe that competition is inherently evil. I believe that it was totally absent in all of God’s perfect creation throughout the universe, until there was disobedience on the part of a creature. Surely there was no competition in Heaven before Lucifer disobeyed God. And in the perfect Garden of Eden apparently all animals, and the man and woman, were ordained to eat plants only. Therefore no animal had to compete to stay alive, as opposed to becoming lunch for another animal or for man. Competition was absent as long as all creatures were in their first estate, living in the perfect harmony God created for them. Perfect harmony is something that will definitely never exist any time that any kind of competition is present among any of God’s creatures. “In honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10) is most difficult in an atmosphere of competition. Competition is the means by which we rise up over the many other people who are just as set on the sin of rising as we are. I believe that it is inherently evil and that most competition is displeasing to our Creator.

“Heavenly Father, please teach me Thy Truth regarding the much competition presently going on in Thy Creation. Is it all inherently evil? If it is, please reveal that to me and help me to always do Thy Perfect Will concerning competition. I pray this for all other Christians also. Amen.”

Any time numerous human creatures are intent on “rising,” competition will quickly come to the forefront. You can readily observe what a vital role it plays in most every field of human endeavor. Game scores and test grades are accurately kept to determine who is the winner and who has risen the highest. Many strict rules and guidelines govern the host of judges who decide winners in numerous events where competitors do not directly score points. The number of votes reveals which politician competed the best. The amount of money earned shows which businessman competed the best. And all throughout the many and ever increasing areas in which the human creature sets himself on “rising,” detailed criteria is clearly set up so that it can be determined and then proudly proclaimed to the entire world, just which human creature rose up the highest in that certain area. The prize, reward, award, trophy, plaque, money, scholarship, or such is bestowed upon the winner who competed the best. Then many people throughout the world commit the sin of idolatry by worshipping that “risen” person.

People’s desires and efforts to “rise” appear to build in power as time goes by. That naturally breeds an increase in competition. Each person who is set on “rising” considers himself and his goals more important than any of the many other human gods around him who are just as set on achieving their goals of “rising.” That mentality produces a vicious “dog eat dog” society where people pull others down, trample on them, and run over them in order to rise up higher than others. It produces “road rage” and the many other newly named “rages” that continue to crop up. The competition continually becomes more fierce, intense, and sinful as time goes by. This trend will continue until Christ returns to put an end to it all. Then our Creator will cause the lion to lie down with the lamb, and He will also put an end to all other competition. What a wonderful day that will be!

Not only do people willingly and eagerly engage in much competition in their “work.” The overwhelming amount of competition also carried on simply for pleasure is staggering. The numbers and kinds of competitive events increase and come to include people of most any age, down to small children. Little children are driven so cruelly by parents, coaches, teachers, and trainers to excel in competitive events. And God keeps a detailed account of all that abuse for the abusers to meet on Judgment Day.

“In honour preferring one another.” (Romans 12:10) It is most difficult to do that to someone you are competing against. It is also very hard to obey Christ’s command in Luke 6:31 regarding those we willfully choose to compete against. “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Make those 2 verses your motto when you go out to compete, and see what that will do to the “spirit of competition.” Fallen, sinful man will commit sin in the act of competing just about as quickly as he will sin for any reason. Anger, thoughts of hatred, and animosity are likely to immediately crop up. Cheating, lying, stealing, killing, and such will quickly and naturally occur in competition.

When I mention killing, I am not just referring to things like Mafia thugs murdering as they fight (compete) over turf, and such. I have already mentioned fans murdering a soccer goalie when he failed to block a point that lost the game for his team. About 2001 or 2002, an irate father, or stepfather, of a player, killed a coach at a children’s hockey (?) game with his own physical strength, slamming the smaller man’s head repeatedly on the floor. (Reader, if I have incorrectly stated anything about that account, please correct me, and send me a few more details as to time, place, etc. I heard that on the news, but didn’t save any record of it. So help me please.) Competition was one main cause of that murder. I am thoroughly convinced that it is inherently evil. I am not calling it inherently sinful. And there is a difference between sin and evil. Most all competition stems from our love of the sin of “rising.” We should repent of that sin, forsake it, and rather desire to decrease. “I must decrease.”

The more that Christians come to love “rising,” their love for competition increases also, and thus competitive events “grow” inside the church. All kinds of competitive ways are devised to study the Bible, sing, play musical instruments, and such. Classes and groups inside the church compete in attendance campaigns. Also the “church” becomes deeply involved in competitive recreation and sports.

If you want to see clearly demonstrated the Biblical truth that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” then just attend a “church” ball game being played by children. Watch those Christian spectator parents manifest their pride, anger, words full of sinful hatred, and many such “filthy rags” that their hearts are full of because those hearts are so set on “rising” and are so determined to win that competition. If it is a football game, “Run over them!” or “Hit them harder!” will likely be about the nicest things those Christian parents will be calling on their children to do to the children on the other team. They are doing their utmost to train those children from an early age to claw their way to the top. Pull the competition down, trample on them, and Rise. Rise! RISE!

I have attended such “church” ballgames and I personally saw what I described above. What a disgrace it was. “In honour preferring one another.” No one was doing that. “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” No! No one was doing that either. Most all the Christians present were being sinfully disobedient to those Holy commands from God’s Holy Bible and will face a Holy God full of Holy Wrath on His Holy Judgment Day. “Prepare to meet thy God.”

“Heavenly Father, as for these things that Brother Richard has written about competition, please help me to see them just as Thou seest them. Please teach me the Mind of my Creator God concerning these things. And please help me to do Thy Perfect Will concerning competition. I pray this for all other people also. How we all need perfect understanding of that which is sinful and displeasing to Thee. So grant us Thy Wisdom concerning this, I humbly pray. Amen.”

“It is the voice of a god, and not a man”

People who give themselves over to the sin of “rising” are likely to become severely deranged in mind as a result. This is a “reaping” that appears to be inherent in “rising.” Study history to see plenty of good examples of this. Read King Nebuchadnezzar’s thoughts on what a great god he considered himself to be. “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30) Sounds like he considers himself to be the greatest being in existence.

Study history to see Hitler so drunken on earlier military victories that he will not listen to his generals and field marshals when they try so hard to convince him that they cannot hold in a certain place, but must pull back. At other times and places; they would clearly tell him how that they would not be able to succeed in his planned offensive attack. But because Hitler pretty well thought himself to be the greatest god in existence, deceived into thinking that nothing was impossible for him and his super race, he would turn a deaf ear to their sound advice and order his army to hold instead of pull back, or order them to carry out an offensive attack. The result was much destruction and many lives lost, as his military leaders rung their hands in agony and torment because they were in bondage to such a deranged god.

Read about Soviet Dictator Khrushchev coming to the U.S. in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s. (Reader, can you give me the exact date?) He toured the mid-west and was so impressed with the bounty brought forth from the extensive cornfields there, that he returned to Russia and ordered large fields to be planted in corn. His lackeys tried to convince him that the climate (and soil?) there would not produce corn. But once a highly risen person is convinced he is a god, it is impossible to convince him that anything is impossible for him. As a god, Khrushchev is just going to order that corn to grow, just as he orders every person in the Soviet Union to believe that God doesn’t exist and orders them to do his (Khrushchev’s) will. So those oppressed underlings had no choice but to plant a vast acreage in corn and watch it all die out as it grew. There was no harvest from all the money and labor that was spent on that large project, simply because one man thought he was a god who could order corn to grow where he wanted it to grow. That is how terribly the sin of “rising” had deranged that mind inside that warty, baldhead.

For brevity, I will stop with these 3 examples of “big time” deranged minds. History is full of such examples. Study them to gain wisdom. Also you do not have to go as far away as “history” to study human minds warped by “rising.” You can easily find such “small time” deranged minds all around you, because many skulls house them.

When I was serving meals in a cafeteria to pay for my meals during my college days, a student brought to me on her plate, the piece of chicken we had served her for dinner. She had sliced it open to the bone, revealing a red, insufficiently cooked area of meat in the center around the bone. The student told me the name of a disease that can be contracted from eating such “raw” chicken meat. I could easily see that inner area of meat was practically raw and not fit to eat. So I took that plate, walked back into the kitchen where the head dietician was, held that chicken on the plate under her nose, and told her that a student had returned it and complained about it being insufficiently cooked. The boss hardly even glanced at the evidence there on that plate. She just looked me in the eye with an insulted air of god-like authority and boldly explained to me how that she had prescribed to the cooks the precise amount of time needed to cook chicken, blah, blah, etc., etc., and therefore “it cannot be undercooked.” She had long ago set herself up as a god, so there was absolutely no need to look down her proud nose at the bloody red evidence I was holding under it. She would just declare a lie to be the truth and that was plenty good enough for her. “It is the voice of a god.” (Acts 12:22)

Likely you have to daily deal with such gods around you, don’t you? And how miserable they make your life, don’t they? But likely you don’t even have to go so far as to look at the other people around you to find such a god. You can probably see one just by looking into a mirror. We all need to earnestly pray to our Creator to save us from the terribly destructive sin of “rising.” “I must decrease.”

“Heavenly Father, I cry out to Thee in desperation, for Thee to save me from this sin of “rising.” Please show me every area of my life where I am involved in this sin. Help me to truly repent of it. And please save me from this sin. I pray this for all other people also. Amen.”

“Those that rise up”

There is much misery associated with those people who succeed in their quests to rise highly. Loneliness and isolation are two of the main curses. People who are famous, or rich, or powerful (top government leaders) spend much of their lives behind locked doors and gates, taking orders from their security personnel. No longer are they able to enjoy many simple pleasures of life, like leisurely spending time out in public alone or with a few friends without people mobbing them.

Read of Elvis Presley having to buy tickets for every seat in the theater when he wanted to go watch a movie, because if he tried to sit there with the regular crowd who attended the movie, they would mob him. So if he wanted to attend a theater, he would have to pay for every seat in the house and then sit there alone or with a few friends he brought with him. What a lonely, isolated life. It plagues the majority of those who make it to the top. But still, most everyone desires to reach the top. Most everybody craves to rise up and become the greatest god they possibly can, and to be worshipped by all of mankind. May God save us from this sin and help us to decrease. “I must decrease.”

“Promotion cometh”

“Well, Brother Richard, what am I supposed to do with all the fine talents and abilities that God has blessed me with, if I don’t use them to the fullest to rise up as high as I can?” You are to use them for your Creator’s Glory, mainly by using them to do your best in living the life style your Creator ordained for you to live. Refraining from the sin of “rising” does not mean that we are to be lazy and do nothing with our lives. We should daily work diligently to earn our living, as God has ordained that we do. “I have created him for my glory.” (Isaiah 43:7) You are to surrender your entire being to your Creator, laying your life and all your talents and abilities on His Altar for Him to freely use. He ordained a Divine Plan for your life even before He created the worlds. The best life you can possibly have is one of completely surrendering to your Creator God for Him to work out that Divine Plan in your life.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) You are to totally surrender yourself to your Creator for Him to crucify you on the cross with your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You are to let the cross freely work in your life to crucify and kill your sinful flesh, completely destroying all your selfish desires to rise up as high as possible to get all the fun, fame, and fortune you can out of life. You are to let the work of the cross have free reign in your life to destroy every selfish dream, goal, and ambition you have. You are to yield to the cross to let it do its complete work in your life, and then you will exist only to do God’s Perfect Will. Then you will desire to decrease to the place God has ordained for you and you will so desire for The Lord Jesus Christ to increase in your life. The work of the cross is most painful, but the blessed life that comes from it is well worth all the pain. Christ gave Himself for you. Now in return, you are to do the same, give yourself for Him.

“Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that Thou hast created me for Thy Glory and for Thy Pleasure. Please help me to lay my life, and all my talents and abilities, on Thy Altar for Thee to use as Thou seest fit. I acknowledge that Thou hast ordained a Divine Plan for my life, and I desire to completely yield to Thee in order for that Plan to be carried out in my life.

Please help me right now to totally surrender to Thee, to allow the Cross of Jesus Christ to work freely in my life. By the power of the finished work of the cross, please kill all my sinful, fleshly desires to rise up and be the greatest god I can be. I desire that my Saviour’s cross have free reign to work in my life to destroy every selfish dream, goal, and ambition that I have. I yield to the cross for it to do its complete work in my life of totally doing away with the old man in me, my fleshly, sinful nature. I desire to decrease to the place Thou hast ordained for me in this life. And I desire for Christ to increase to the fullest in my life. Please give me the grace to endure the painful work of the cross. Help me to never desire relief from it. Help me to desire that the Cross of Christ do all the painful work necessary in my life, to make it most pleasing to Thee, my Creator. I pray that all other people will also come to desire that the Cross of Christ do its complete work in their lives. Amen.”

God-given victory over the sin of “rising” is a most important thing to have in our Christian lives, because “rising” is the very first thing we do in rebellion against our Creator. After gaining that victory, then God will promote us in the way He chooses for each of us. “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” (Psalms 75:6&7) On telling us where promotion does not come from in verse six, North is the only direction not mentioned. Verse 7 clearly tells us that God in the One Who does the promoting or demoting. And several verses in the Bible indicate God’s Dwelling to be in the direction of “North.” “…mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” (Psalms 48:2) When Lucifer declared, “I will be like the most High,” he also said, “I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.” (Isaiah 14:13)

We are to desire to decrease and leave any and all promoting entirely up to our Creator. A lowly life on our part glorifies our Creator the greatest. So if that is your lot for your entire life here on the earth without anything that you consider to be “promotion,” recognize that as the greatest promotion possible and rejoice in that wonderful lot that is yours. Always bear in mind that, “he that is the least among you all, the same shall be great.” (Luke 9:48) May God help all us believers to strive for this true greatness; being the “least” person we can be. “I must decrease.”

“And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” (Joshua 3:7) God definitely magnifies and promotes certain believers to positions of leadership and authority. When He does so, the believer should humbly accept God’s promotion, always bearing in mind that it carries more responsibility than it does privilege and glory. If and when God’s promotion does come to us in this life, we must buffet ourselves to not let it feed our sinful pride.

“Heavenly Father, please help me not to try to rise on my own power. Please help me not to promote myself. If and when Thou choosest to promote me in any way at all, please help me to humbly accept it and not let it become a source of sinful pride in my life. Please help me to always bear in mind the heavy responsibility that any promotion carries with it. Please help me not to fail or displease Thee, concerning any promotion Thou choosest to bestow upon me. I pray this for all other Christian believers also. Amen.”

“Decrease”

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Those are the words of John the Baptist. He well knew the Lord Jesus Christ. John knew that Jesus was the True God of Great Glory. Therefore John knew the necessity of Christ increasing in his life. John also knew that he would have to decrease in order to allow Christ room to increase in his life. You and I need to look upon this King of Great Glory. We can do this by thoroughly studying His Word the Holy Bible, by daily talking to Him in prayer, and by daily walking with Him as we live our life here on earth. When we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him. We will come to know just what a great God our Creator is. And it will naturally follow that we will desire to decrease so that He may increase in our lives and receive much glory from the humble and lowly life that we live. “I must decrease,” should be a daily prayer for each of us.

Zechariah 9:9 describes King Jesus as being “lowly” while here on this earth. We should follow that example of His, and His many commands in the Bible for us to be humble and lowly. That is how we can glorify Him the greatest. If you will be the “least” person while living on this earth, then you will be rewarded for that by being the greatest human creature forever in Heaven. If you think it is not likely that you could achieve being the “least” among all people since Adam, then it should not be too difficult for you to be the “least” in your present-day generation. That is because you have virtually no competition nowadays. Most everyone around you is doing his or her best to rise up and be the greatest. May God help you and I to desire to decrease. “I must decrease.”

If you have any spark of decency and compassion in you at all, your heart should often be torn in sorrow over the much suffering and wrong doings that go on daily on this planet. Perhaps you have had such thoughts as, “I wish I could remedy all that is wrong with the human race.” “If I were God, I would surely correct all that has gone wrong and make it right.” If you ever think anything similar to that, then I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that you are a god. And the bad news is that you being a god is exactly what causes all the problems. Most all of us have striven to rise up and become the greatest god we possibly can. And that is exactly what has brought misery upon the human race. It is the first thing we do in rebellion against our Creator. It is the most fundamental and most important thing we must deal with in our lives if we want to do right and to be pleasing to our Creator God. May God grant all of us the wisdom to understand this and may He give us a burning desire to truly decrease. “I MUST DECREASE.” John the Baptist believed that he had no option in this matter, but that it was a must for him to decrease. May God help all of us to fully understand that we too MUST decrease. Amen and AMEN!

Because the sin of “rising” is the creature’s first and most basic step in rebelling against his Creator God, it is of dire importance that we recognize this act for exactly what it is, sin and rebellion against God. We love that sin so much that we are most desirous to relegate it to be what God created us to do with our lives. And we love to relegate our successes in “rising” to be God’s blessings upon us. Such a mindset will severely handicap us spiritually, preventing us from dealing with the first, most basic, and most common way in which we rebel against our Creator. May God give us keen discernment in this matter in order to prevent any spiritual blindness concerning it. And may each of us completely yield ourselves to our Creator for Him to set us in the exact place that He has ordained for us. “I must decrease.”

“Almighty God in Heaven, Creator and Holy, Righteous Judge of all mankind, I acknowledge and confess unto Thee my desire to rise up and be as great a creature as I possibly can be. As Thou art all knowing, Thou alone knowest the extent of this desire of mine to rise. I now beg of Thee to teach me how wrong is this desire of mine to rise. Show me how sinful it is in Thy Holy and Pure Sight. Save me from believing the sin of “rising” to be what Thou hast ordained for me in this life. Save me from believing my successes in “rising” to be Thy blessings upon me. Please create within me a repentant heart, repentant of all wrong and sin associated with this desire to rise. Please give me a mind and will to forsake anything related to this desire that is displeasing to Thee. Please give me a sincere desire to bring pleasure to Thee my Creator, as Thou hast created me for that purpose.

I confess to Thee that I must decrease. So by Thy Mighty Power, please help me to do so. Come now and create within me, a pure, God given desire to be in the place Thou hast ordained for me to be. Please teach me clearly where and what that place is. And by Thy Great Power, please overcome my own selfish will and all other obstacles that are between me and the position that Thou hast ordained for me. Please destroy everything within my being that comes from the devil, sin, evil, and my fleshly nature. By Thy Power, bring me into the place Thou hast ordained for me to be. I call on Thee to do these things for me, because I am helpless to do them. So please have mercy on me, hear me from Heaven, and answer this prayer of mine.

I pray for Brother Richard, that Thou wouldest help him to decrease. I pray for all other people to realize their need to decrease and I pray that they would seek Thy Help in doing so. Thank Thee, Heavenly Father, for hearing and answering this prayer of mine. Amen.”

(This ends Chapter 3 of CREATURE VERSUS CREATOR)

Chapter 4

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