LOOK # 18
What is our Perception
Brian Kocourek
Who in this world of over 5 (billion) people is correct in their thinking. Moses and Pharaoh both looked out
from the same window and both of them
could see the same children of
The same Phenomena exists in our country today. We can all see by scientific
study and ultrasound photography, the unborn child in
a mothers womb. We actually see the child forming and
yet some people see a child full of life, it's
characteristics developing, while others see only, "unviable
tissue mass". Why? ... Why? What makes
people so different in their perception of what they see. A crisis arises, and you see it happening. Do you become involved or do you stay clear. It
involves another person, maybe their family.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE. Do you see only trouble for yourself, extra work? maybe some headaches or some unforeseen expense
to your wallet? Or do you see an
opportunity to once again Serve your Lord and show Him
how much you love Him and His children.
PERCEPTIONS: WHAT DO WE SEE IN LIFE? HOW DO WE
PERCEIVE LIFE? Our life is full of perceptions. What is Life? Why are
we here? Why must I go through the trials that I
do? What purpose is there in Life? Are we just
in a survival mode? Or are we here with a purpose
in our hearts? What makes the difference?
People are still looking for
something to come and so they press themselves
hoping to produce something that isn't there. You can
not get blood from a turnip nor can you get out of this Word what is not
meant to be. Brother Branham said in pp. 104
that the people say the message is cooling off. But he said, it isn't. We are only
waiting for the moving of the waters. But if we do not
even know what waters he is speaking about, then we might as well go to
the
Oh, great Father, we know that you
are the author of all Life and all living.
We know that in you is Life and your Life
is the light of men. We know that in your presence is
fullness of Joy. We know that you are not the
author of confusion. You are full of Wisdom and Truth and it is your perfect
will for us to come into a relaxation and
rest. You have told us that you are our PEACE. So, Father, we would ask you this morning to bring us
into this perfect relaxation that can come only from knowing you as our
own Father. Guide our thinking, Abolish our confusion,
heal our complexes, mold our thinking and complete that
which you have begun. For we ask it in the wonderful name that you
have put upon our tongues to speak,
that of your lovely son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. A man.
Now if we would open our bibles again to
the book of MARK lets just read and see if we can find our answer
to this question, WHY
MARK 4: 24 - 25: <read> KJVWUEST:
KEEP EVER A WATCHFUL EYE ON WHAT WAY YOU ARE HEARING. IN THE MEASURE BY WHICH YOU ARE MEASURING, IT WILL BE MEASURED TO
YOU <back to you>, NOT ONLY ACCORDING TO THAT MEASURE, BUT THERE WILL
BE SOME ADDED ON TOP OF THAT.
If you are looking at this Bible through
Pentecostal eyeglasses that is all you will see. If you
are looking at this Bible through
Baptist eyeglasses, that is all you will see. But if
you are looking at this Bible with the eyes of God, Christ is
the only thing you will see. You will see Him in every line of Scripture,
and in every thing brother Branham spoke about.
Now, Last week we read from this scripture
and spoke how that two individual people could read the same thing in this
bible and get two different understandings
out of it. Why? Because
you are dealing with two individual minds. That is the very reason there are over 2,000 different
denominations today and how many thousands of other religions.... So who
is right?
As brother Branham would always say,
'THE CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE
THE TRUTH AND EVERY ONE ELSE IS LOST. THE
BAPTISTS, BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE THE TRUTH AND THAT
EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF THEM IS LOST. THE PENTECOSTALS BELIEVE
THAT THEY HAVE THE TRUTH AND THAT EVERY
ONE ELSE IS LOST. SO WHO'S RIGHT. IF
THE CATHOLICS, THENWHATCATHOLICS? ROMAN OR
So, who's
right? Who's got the right interpretation? And how do
they know they are right? They all use the same bible to show you that they are right. They quote the scriptures as if they wrote them and will let you know that
they alone are the ones with Divine light. Yet, how do they
know for sure. Did not the Pharisees do the same thing and yet they are the ones
who crucified the very same God that they claimed to be Worshiping?
Now, let's
bring this thought just a little closer to home. The people
in this message are no better off. God has come
down in this last hour and has Revealed Himself, and
do you think they will accept it? Absolutely not.
Most of them will reject the very idea and yet they say they believe every Word
that The Prophet of God spoke. But Brother
Branham said that was only being able to read.
I ask you this question, DO THEY REALLY? DO THEY REALLY BELIEVE EVERY WORD OF GOD?
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE EVERY WORD OF GOD?
Now, they all say that they do, from the
Catholic to the Baptist, to the Pentecostal, to the people in this message.
Yet, why are they all so different in their Doctrine, and in their Approach to
the Word of God, and in their worship of God
Himself? Why? Why? Why?
Who has the correct interpretation of
the Word of God. Now if what Brother
Branham taught us is the Word of God, then Who has the correct
interpretation of It?
Didn't He teach us that God
interprets His Word by bringing it to pass? Then we must let Him interpret it
Himself.
I have traveled within
this message to nearly 50 churches and have met well
over 100 ministers and I see the same thing all over again.
PLURALISM : ( No unity of the mind and
doctrine). Why?... I
heard an excellent message about this pluralism
by brother Stokley, who Pastors in
I'll tell you why. The people, and
that includes you and I, have not yet come
to let go and let God. We have not yet come to the
place to where we have accepted every Word of God as the
only Word. We still want to interject our own thinking into it.
That is why even among us who claim to believe every
word brother Branham spoke, you will still hear a
difference in not only Doctrine, but they will take the
very words of the Prophet and tell you that they mean
something different from what the next person says. I tell you, God is not the Author of Confusion. Satan is! And why are
people so confused? Because they refuse to let
their own thinking go. I am amazed how ignorant
people can really be and yet think that they
have all the answers within themselves. I wouldn't give you a
plug nickel for anything that you or I can
produce. We have nothing period. I wouldn't give youa plug nickel
for your opinion nor for my own opinion. If
it isn't "THUS SAITH THE LORD", who needs it. I don't
care what you think, and I don't
care what I think. But I do care what
God thinks.
The scripture says, WHAT MAN BY
TAKING THOUGHT CAN ADD ONE CUBIT TO HIS
STATURE." You can't do it. So if my thoughts are
not of any use to me, why should I accept yours. If
yours haven't done you any good, what in
the world would I want them for. Brother Branham
hit it right on target, when he said,
"YOU HAVE NO THOUGHT COMING!"
Remember, what we read last week
from Isaiah.
ISA 64: 6 - 9 <read> BUT
WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING, AND ALL OUR RIGHT-WISE-NESS ARE
AS FILTHY RAGS < Do you know what Filthy Rags
are?> The actual Hebrew says, menstrual rags. That's what God
thinks of our right-wise-ness. AND WE ALL DO FADE AS A LEAF; AND OUR INIQUITIES, LIKE THE WIND, HAVE
TAKEN US AWAY. AND THERE IS NONE THAT CALLETH
UPON THY NAME, THAT STIRRETH UP HIMSELF TO TAKE HOLD OF THEE:
<What does that mean, TO TAKE HOLD OF THEE? It
means to seize hold upon with a death grip and not let go.
ISAIAH64: 7-8<read> AND THERE IS NONE THAT CALLETH
UPON THY NAME,THAT STIRRETH UP HIMSELF TO TAKE HOLD OF THEE:
<And Who is He, JN 1:1> FOR THOU HAST HID THY FACE FROM
US, <Thy Presence> AND HAST CONSUMED US, BECAUSE OF OUR
INIQUITIES. BUT NOW O LORD, THOU ART OUR FATHER;
WE ARE THE CLAY, AND THOU OUR POTTER; AND WE ARE THE
WORK OF
THINE HANDS.
In the days of Noah there were only
8 souls that were saved. Isn't that what the bible teaches us?
Why? Because there were only 8
people who had sense enough to let their own thinking go and let
God do their thinking for them. If Eve would have
just let God do her thinking for her we wouldn't be in the mess we are in
today. That's what receiving the mind of God is all
about. If I could have the capability of a CRAY COMPUTER, in my little PC, do you think I would pass it up in
favor of a PC JR? You'd have to be crazy.
So if we can have God do our thinking and fill us with His mind,
fill us with His thoughts, fill us with His GLORY, His Opinion, His assessment,
wouldn't that solve every problem we could ever imagine having. Wouldn't
that put an end to our ever wondering again this
great question, WHY?
I PETER
II PETER 2:4 - 13 (read) PERISH IN THEIR OWN CORRUPTION:
<PTHEIRO> to pine or waste,
to shrivel or wither. Self
corruption.
Moral depravity.
II PETER
WITH YOU. (These are eating at the same table).
This is not speaking of Mohammedans of
Hindus, or Buddhists. These are so called Christians. Even within the Message. Eating with you. You
can't tell me just because
person claims to believe the
truth that makes them anything. There are 3 kinds of believers, you know. Real
Genuine believers, Make-believers, and
then UN-believers. Now the unbeliever doesn't even come around. But it is those make-believers that
you have to watch.
SPORTING : (to revel in) from EN TRUPHAO: to
enfeeble the mind and body by
indulgence. What does it mean to enfeeble the mind TO MAKE (FEEBLE): TO WEAKEN, WITHOUT
FORCE OR EFFECTIVENESS. EASILY BROKEN OR FRAIL.
IN THEIR OWN DECEIVINGS: < APATE> Delusion, to cheat oneself.
WEBSTERS/ DELUSION: Implies a belief in something that is contrary to
fact or reality, resulting from deception, a misconception, or a mental
disorder.
EX: What about the way women dress today. Have you ever seen such hideous sight as Tammy Baker?
She looks worse than Bozo the Clown with her
gobs of eye makeup, and yet I heard her say that those who have said so
to her in letters are only old fashioned.
What about people tanning
themselves? They are just baking there skin off?
Filling up their pores with cancer cells. If God
wanted them to be colored He would have made them to be that.
And the way they dress today? Why 30 years
ago they would have been arrested
and brought into a mental ward. Did you know that
in the turn of this century if a woman exposed her legs above her ¨knee, she would be
hauled of into a mental hospital for being insane? I've seen pictures of it. Well if it was insane then, what about now? The whole
world has gone insane. The only ones sane
are those with the mind of God!
Yet I am sure we are the ones that
look insane to them.
I COR
I ask you this question, WHO IS
DECEIVED? THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR
MIND AND RECEIVED GOD'S MIND BY HIS WORD? OR
THOSE WHO THINK THEY HAVE THEIR OWN MIND?
PROVERBS
PROVERBS 3: 5 - 7A <TRUST IN THE LORD WITH
ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THY OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS. BE
NOT WISE IN THINE OWN EYES:
PROVERBS
EPHESIANS 3: 4 - 6 <read> 17 -
24 <read>
PHIL 1:27, 2: 1-5 <read>
HEBREWS