"Then I couldn't understand what David was talking about. When I first read that, I thought, "What was the prophet meaning? 'That Your lovekindness is better than life'?" What could be better than life? Nothing. So I drew this conception. That there must be two different kinds of life. Life has a compound meaning. It means more than one thing.Now, many people think that drinking, smoking, gambling, running around, dancing, they call that life. But that is perverted life. That's death. It certainly is. The devil has perverted that life, and you think it's life, but it's death. That life gets so miserable. What the people call today life, it gets so miserable until they take a pistol and blow their brains out. That couldn't be life, what God was speaking of.
Many young ladies think if they can get down in town, get enough money to buy some kind of little old sexy looking clothes to walk down the street with all prettied up, and the boys will--will whistle the wolf-whistle at her, or with a cake of chewing gum in her mouth, and she said, "This is life."...Sister, you're wrong. It's death. The Bible said, "The woman that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive."
And the man thinks that because he got a raise in his wages, and he can buy a better car, wear a little better suit, "Boy, I'm living now." If you haven't got Christ, you're dead. It's perverted life"
Here sometime ago, I was in a great city in this wonderful, beautiful, God-given Canada... I don't have to say this. But I've said it many times. If I was a young man, I'd want to become a citizen of Canada. It's got more to offer. I like Canada. All my world travels, there's no prettier spot I ever seen in my life, than Banff and Jasper. I been to Jungfrau, and Eiger, and Mauk, and all through the Swiss Alps, and Germany, and all around the world, but Banff and Jasper has got anything beat the world's got to offer.Maybe the Lord will let me live there in the millennium. I hope He will. Where you all joying--enjoying now, and I hope we're together then. Oh, it's beautiful.
And I was in one of your great cities, and in one of the great mammoth hotels that some kind brother had put me up in. And I was going home one night from a meeting, and I went up to the about the fourth or fifth floor. And there was a bunch of Americans up there from the States that was having a certain lodge, that I'll not call the name.But a lodge, a certain lodge was having their jubilee, or convention there. Well, I'd noticed some funny actions in the people that afternoon before going to church. But when I got back that night, walked out of the elevator on the top floor, oh, they were having one of the awfullest drunken parties I ever seen. And here come two nice looking women, perhaps in their twenty-five or early thirties, coming down the floor with nothing on but their underneath garment. Each had a bottle of whiskey, and men pulling them from one room to the other.
I just stooped back into the shade. And they both had on wedding rings. Now, they call that clean fun. That's filthy sin. Right. Maybe a husband at home taking care of the baby, thinking their wife was out somewhere with a nice crowd of people having a dinner and a little sociable get together, and it turns out into a drunken bolish. What a horrible thing. What does God think about that kind of living? And I watched as some old man, may be twenty years older than one of the young women, grabbed her in the wrong place on her body, and jerked her into the room, and all the carrying on of... I stood there and started to pray. In a few minutes here they come out, the old man was so drunk he couldn't even hold the woman. And when they come back out, one of them stood there and took the rest of what clothes she had on, off, and took a drink of whiskey and throwed up her foot, and said, "Whoopee. Boy, this is life."
I just couldn't stand still any longer. I rushed out and grabbed the woman by the arm. I said, "Lady, it's death. It's not life." They dropped whiskey bottles and away they went. But they thought they were having a good time, but they were dead.Now, David said here, "My soul longs for You, like in a dry land where there's no water." Now, God created a man to have a thirst. Your makeup, you were made to thirst. God made you that way. You cannot help it because you thirst. God made you to do it. But God made you to thirst after Him. That thirst was put in you, not to go to the devil's places, not to thirst after Hollywood, or fashions of the world; but that thirst was given you to thirst after God.
Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." It's a blessing to even thirst. But the devil has tried to make you think of something else. But the thirst was given you by God. Listen. How dare you take that blessed holy thirst that God gave you to thirst after Him and try to satisfy it with the things of the world, with television programs, with drinking, with big sprees. The devil has perverted instruments of his own and taken that thirst that God give you to thirst for Him, and making you thirst after the things of the world. And every thirst that you have should be for Him. Certainly. That's life.
You say, "Now, I know the Bible better than you do, Brother Branham." You don't have life by knowing the Bible. You don't have life by joining church. You don't have life by being baptized. You don't have life by knowing your catechism. You don't have your life by being a minister. To know Him is Life, not to know the catechism or your church rules, but to know Him is Life. And that thirst that God give you, isn't to be spent on a church either. The devil if he can't make you go to dances, and drink, and live immoral, and those things, he's perverted it to make you join church. And that's still perverted, because joining church doesn't give you life.
But the only way you can have Life is to take that thirst and satisfy it by the drinking at the Fountain that never runs dry, that beautiful Holy Spirit that rains from God out of heaven. That's the way you find Life is to know Him; not know His Book, but to know Him; not to know your church, but to know Him; not to thirst to satisfy the pastor, but to satisfy the Lord. That's that holy thirst. That's what it's in you for. And would you quench that with things of the world. It's death. It's perverted.Did not the Bible say, "If you love the world or the things of the world, it's because of the love of God's not even in you."? That great holy thirst. You can't satisfy it by joining the church. There's no satisfaction in joining the church. You're trying to sear your conscience and fill your heart with lust. Come out in the open; confess your sins, and thirst for God's righteousness. "Because Thy lovekindness is better to me than life, my lips shall praise Thee." Think of it. WMB ~ Greatest gift in bible 57-0811A
"And that Word in you produces the Life of Christ. If I could take the life out of a peach tree and put it in a pear, it wouldn't bear peaches no more; it would have pears on it because the life in the tree would produce what it is. The life that's in you shows what you are. Your life testifies so loud in you, until your testimony's not heard. They know what you are by the life you live and the things that you do. If the Life of Christ is in you then, therefore, the works and Life of Christ you live; because that's His Life living through you. You're just in a vessel to carry on the work of God." WMB ~ Investments 63-1116B
"Now notice, the perverted life, the devil inspiring it... That life becomes miserable. I've never seen it in all stages from the rich to the poor. I've had the privilege of being in king's palaces, from that to the lowest haunt on skid row. And I've never seen a contented sinner in my life. That's right. There is no happiness or contentment outside of Jesus Christ. I've seen them so rich till they had bodyguards with them. And I've seen them so poor till they begged for a drink of whiskey. And from the one to the other there's no satisfaction in sin. Then what do they call that life? How could you call it life when you want to take it? It's not life.Now, if the devil can't get you to do something like that, he's done something else. He will let you be a gentleman, and you'll pay your honest debts; you'll treat your neighbor right. You'll even join church, and think that you've got life, but that still is death. "For except a man be borned again, he will in no wise enter the Kingdom." If the devil can't get you to see a truth, he will push you out the deep end.
So joining church is not life. Singing hymns is not life. Preaching the Gospel's not life. Only one way you can have life: that's to know Him. You don't know, and have life by knowing the catechism of your church. You don't have life by knowing the Bible. You'll have life by knowing Christ in the free pardon of sin, is the only way that you can have life." WMB ~ Thirsting for life 57-0728
Many young ladies think if they can get down in town, get enough money to buy some kind of little old sexy looking clothes to walk down the street with all prettied up, and the boys will--will whistle the wolf-whistle at her, or with a cake of chewing gum in her mouth, and she said, "This is life."...Sister, you're wrong. It's death. The Bible said, "The woman that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive."
And the man thinks that because he got a raise in his wages, and he can buy a better car, wear a little better suit, "Boy, I'm living now." If you haven't got Christ, you're dead. It's perverted life"
Here sometime ago, I was in a great city in this wonderful, beautiful, God-given Canada... I don't have to say this. But I've said it many times. If I was a young man, I'd want to become a citizen of Canada. It's got more to offer. I like Canada. All my world travels, there's no prettier spot I ever seen in my life, than Banff and Jasper. I been to Jungfrau, and Eiger, and Mauk, and all through the Swiss Alps, and Germany, and all around the world, but Banff and Jasper has got anything beat the world's got to offer.Maybe the Lord will let me live there in the millennium. I hope He will. Where you all joying--enjoying now, and I hope we're together then. Oh, it's beautiful.
And I was in one of your great cities, and in one of the great mammoth hotels that some kind brother had put me up in. And I was going home one night from a meeting, and I went up to the about the fourth or fifth floor. And there was a bunch of Americans up there from the States that was having a certain lodge, that I'll not call the name.But a lodge, a certain lodge was having their jubilee, or convention there. Well, I'd noticed some funny actions in the people that afternoon before going to church. But when I got back that night, walked out of the elevator on the top floor, oh, they were having one of the awfullest drunken parties I ever seen. And here come two nice looking women, perhaps in their twenty-five or early thirties, coming down the floor with nothing on but their underneath garment. Each had a bottle of whiskey, and men pulling them from one room to the other.
I just stooped back into the shade. And they both had on wedding rings. Now, they call that clean fun. That's filthy sin. Right. Maybe a husband at home taking care of the baby, thinking their wife was out somewhere with a nice crowd of people having a dinner and a little sociable get together, and it turns out into a drunken bolish. What a horrible thing. What does God think about that kind of living? And I watched as some old man, may be twenty years older than one of the young women, grabbed her in the wrong place on her body, and jerked her into the room, and all the carrying on of... I stood there and started to pray. In a few minutes here they come out, the old man was so drunk he couldn't even hold the woman. And when they come back out, one of them stood there and took the rest of what clothes she had on, off, and took a drink of whiskey and throwed up her foot, and said, "Whoopee. Boy, this is life."
I just couldn't stand still any longer. I rushed out and grabbed the woman by the arm. I said, "Lady, it's death. It's not life." They dropped whiskey bottles and away they went. But they thought they were having a good time, but they were dead.Now, David said here, "My soul longs for You, like in a dry land where there's no water." Now, God created a man to have a thirst. Your makeup, you were made to thirst. God made you that way. You cannot help it because you thirst. God made you to do it. But God made you to thirst after Him. That thirst was put in you, not to go to the devil's places, not to thirst after Hollywood, or fashions of the world; but that thirst was given you to thirst after God.
Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." It's a blessing to even thirst. But the devil has tried to make you think of something else. But the thirst was given you by God. Listen. How dare you take that blessed holy thirst that God gave you to thirst after Him and try to satisfy it with the things of the world, with television programs, with drinking, with big sprees. The devil has perverted instruments of his own and taken that thirst that God give you to thirst for Him, and making you thirst after the things of the world. And every thirst that you have should be for Him. Certainly. That's life.
You say, "Now, I know the Bible better than you do, Brother Branham." You don't have life by knowing the Bible. You don't have life by joining church. You don't have life by being baptized. You don't have life by knowing your catechism. You don't have your life by being a minister. To know Him is Life, not to know the catechism or your church rules, but to know Him is Life. And that thirst that God give you, isn't to be spent on a church either. The devil if he can't make you go to dances, and drink, and live immoral, and those things, he's perverted it to make you join church. And that's still perverted, because joining church doesn't give you life.
But the only way you can have Life is to take that thirst and satisfy it by the drinking at the Fountain that never runs dry, that beautiful Holy Spirit that rains from God out of heaven. That's the way you find Life is to know Him; not know His Book, but to know Him; not to know your church, but to know Him; not to thirst to satisfy the pastor, but to satisfy the Lord. That's that holy thirst. That's what it's in you for. And would you quench that with things of the world. It's death. It's perverted.Did not the Bible say, "If you love the world or the things of the world, it's because of the love of God's not even in you."? That great holy thirst. You can't satisfy it by joining the church. There's no satisfaction in joining the church. You're trying to sear your conscience and fill your heart with lust. Come out in the open; confess your sins, and thirst for God's righteousness. "Because Thy lovekindness is better to me than life, my lips shall praise Thee." Think of it. WMB ~ Greatest gift in bible 57-0811A
"And that Word in you produces the Life of Christ. If I could take the life out of a peach tree and put it in a pear, it wouldn't bear peaches no more; it would have pears on it because the life in the tree would produce what it is. The life that's in you shows what you are. Your life testifies so loud in you, until your testimony's not heard. They know what you are by the life you live and the things that you do. If the Life of Christ is in you then, therefore, the works and Life of Christ you live; because that's His Life living through you. You're just in a vessel to carry on the work of God." WMB ~ Investments 63-1116B
"Now notice, the perverted life, the devil inspiring it... That life becomes miserable. I've never seen it in all stages from the rich to the poor. I've had the privilege of being in king's palaces, from that to the lowest haunt on skid row. And I've never seen a contented sinner in my life. That's right. There is no happiness or contentment outside of Jesus Christ. I've seen them so rich till they had bodyguards with them. And I've seen them so poor till they begged for a drink of whiskey. And from the one to the other there's no satisfaction in sin. Then what do they call that life? How could you call it life when you want to take it? It's not life.Now, if the devil can't get you to do something like that, he's done something else. He will let you be a gentleman, and you'll pay your honest debts; you'll treat your neighbor right. You'll even join church, and think that you've got life, but that still is death. "For except a man be borned again, he will in no wise enter the Kingdom." If the devil can't get you to see a truth, he will push you out the deep end.
So joining church is not life. Singing hymns is not life. Preaching the Gospel's not life. Only one way you can have life: that's to know Him. You don't know, and have life by knowing the catechism of your church. You don't have life by knowing the Bible. You'll have life by knowing Christ in the free pardon of sin, is the only way that you can have life." WMB ~ Thirsting for life 57-0728
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