Greetings MOL Family!

It’s been a few weeks since our last “Survival” study. Welcome back to class! We have asked the question before, and we ask it again: Do you want to be a survivor?

To The One Who Abides In Jesus

Turn please to Psalm 91. This is the psalm of survival, a wonderful psalm. I want you to note that the different experiences through which we are to be kept. It would be well for everyone who is in training for survival to memorize this psalm. Probably we will not have our Bibles when we’re fleeing in the mountains. I’m sure we won’t have them when we’re in our cell in prison. But if we have the Word of God hidden in our hearts, no one can take it away from us:

He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shall thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. – Psalm 91:1-7

Here indeed is a picture of surviving. Think of it friends. All around is death by pestilence, death by sword, death by fear. But to the one who abides in Jesus, the promise is there is a Refuge. “Come my people”, Jesus says, “…enter into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee.” He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Now, we noted in our last class some of the provisions our Best Friend has made to prepare us to go through the ordeals and survive physically. Today, I want to specially note the promises and the plans dealing with survival mentally.

May I tell you friends, we are rapidly approaching the hour when the whole world will be insane except the little remnant that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This will be literally true; they will lose their mind through many causes. God wants you and me to have peace and love and a sound mind. And if you keep your mind and don’t lose it in these few years between now and the coming of Jesus, you will indeed be a survivor. This Psalm we have just read promises exactly that.

Mental Peace, In Jesus

Notice the 5th verse: “Thou shall not be afraid.” Then He gives us 4 things we that we won’t be afraid of; these things will be all around us.

Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night.

What is a terror? It’s the thing that makes people afraid. But you won’t be afraid, if you’ve learned the secret.

Nor for the arrow that flies by day.

Wars alarm will not cause you to quaver and quiver and tremble.

Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness.

Epidemics, pandemics may be taking their fearful toll by the millions, but you will not be afraid.

Nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Whether it comes from some bomb dropped from an overhead plane, or whether it comes from some fierce tornado or hurricane or some earthquake, you won’t be afraid. You have learned to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is very practical. May I tell you how God proposes to teach us these things? He wants to give us certain advantages, and He wants to give us certain problems. We need the advantages, we need the problems. The problems come to us day by day in the experiences of life.

In the 1880s, the servant of God spent some time in Europe; and among the places she visited were the valleys of the Piedmont in Northern Italy, where the Waldenses held the torch of truth through the Dark Ages. As she looked upon those great cliffs and mountain peaks, she reviewed in her mind what God had shown her in vision of the trials, the martyrdom, the various experiences of persecution that were so common to those dear people. She gave a talk to the little band of commandment keepers. Among the things she said were these words:

As I think of those who have yielded their lives rather than the truth, it is plain to me what God has revealed concerning His people. They so walk with Me and fight, for they are worthy. God does not give us the spirit of the martyrs today, for we have not come to the point of martyrdom. He is now testing us by smaller trials and crosses. – Historical Sketches, pg. 233

Isn’t that wonderful friends? Have you had any problems this week? That’s your laboratory course in survival. Have you survived? How have you gotten through the time of trouble since last Sabbath? Or, did any of you have any time of trouble? Oh, I’m sure that many of you or perhaps all of you can say “Yes, I had some trouble.”

I wasn’t burned at the stake. I wasn’t put in prison. I wasn’t scourged or put on the rack. But sometimes it seems I’ll go all to pieces with the temptations, the trials, the problems, the tensions, the worries, the fears, the anxiety… Yes, we’re in a laboratory course. But I want to tell you something friend, God intends that we shall get all the advantages that He has provided, in a way of life that He has revealed to His people. We shall need all the help we can get from that way of life.

How to Live & Survive

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Son of God left Heaven, and came down to this world and took our flesh and lived among us that He might show us how to live. In the book Ministry of Healing, this great Physician has communicated to us His wisdom dealing with the problems of this last generation.

Every family that will take that book The Ministry of Healing, and study it from beginning to end will find a divinely inspired blueprint for successfully living and successful surviving. There are many facets to life, and so you will find many phases of life covered in this wonderful book. As you study it, think of it as a divinely revealed plan to get you ready for the stirring, stormy times ahead. It was written for this purpose.

One of the things that you will find in that book is instruction concerning the ideal location for those who wish to reach the highest ideal in character building, in health, and in happiness. When we turn to the Bible, we find that the Creator placed our first parents in a garden. The nearer we come to the natural surroundings that Adam and Eve enjoyed the more help we shall have in learning these lessons of peace and a sound mind and absence from fear that we must have if we are to survive mentally.

The world today is being brainwashed by the great deceiver. He has taken the multitudes captive. Through his various media of propaganda, he is pouring into the minds of the people his way of thinking. So, concerning the nations of this world it will soon be written:

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. – Revelation 17:13

Will you be a part of that mass movement that crowns the devil king? If you look where they look, if you listen to what they listen to you will be caught in a hypnotic spell.

You remember in our last study, we read the Savior’s words from Luke 21:25-26 that in this last generation, the nations of earth full of perplexity, would have as the result their hearts failing for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. I applied this specifically to the nation-wide problem of a coronary heart attack. But I pointed out that the Savior’s primary thought in using that expression: “men’s hearts failing them for fear” has to do with the thinking process; the mind, the heart of man, right up here in the cranium.

How is it with your heart, your mind, my friend? Is it holding up or is it going to pieces? Oh, that God may help every one of us to be among the survivors. You can be if you will learn the way of peace.

It. Takes. Time.

Turn please to Philippians the 4th chapter and see this wonderful promise. You see, the thing that makes people go to pieces is not the size of the ordeal.

Haven’t you ever seen somebody weep over a trifle? Have you ever done it yourself? – Go all to pieces? Someone says, that’s the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. Indeed. That’s exactly what it is. How much can you stand? How much can you take? Believe me, when all hell breaks loose in the great time of trouble that’s just ahead, we’re going to need an experience that can take on not ounces or pounds, but tons of pressure and not wilt or break under those tensions.

Look at this wonderful promise in Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. [Notice, this is for the remnant, those who live when Jesus is about to appear. Now watch the 6th verse] Be careful [that is be anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

If He’s keeping your mind, you won’t lose your mind. If you haven’t learned to let Him keep your mind, you’ll lose it just as certain as can be; unless you die first of something else.

This world is headed for wholesale insanity. During the great time of trouble, satan will have uncontrolled access to the multitudes of this world and full possession of them, for it is written:

…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. – Revelation 18:2

Yes, the devils are taking over; and to be possessed of a devil is the worse and most hopeless kind of insanity. But, you do not need to be afraid of that, if you will take the survival training. What is it? Let your moderation be known unto all men. Learn the life of temperance of balance, of moderation.

Don’t think because this is called the jet age, you’re to be called a jet. Oh, no. You may be able to fly from one side of this continent to the other in a few hours, but it takes just as long to get the physical exercise that comes from beneficial walking and hiking and running as it ever did.

There is no way to speed it up. There is no way to cram into a few minutes all the commercial ads to the contrary notwithstanding. They were made to make money, not to get you ready for translation. It takes time to build muscle. It takes time to develop physical fitness. It takes time to develop a mental peace, a state of mind that can endure any pressure without wilting.

Do you want it? Will you pay the price? Let your moderation be known unto all men. That’s what He said it is. Moderation in eating, don’t overeat as we studied, that’s surfeiting. Don’t over work, that’s being overburdened with the cares of this life. Don’t oversleep. You need to get up and seek the Lord. Do not overdo anything. Let your moderation be known unto all men.

Now that doesn’t mean moderation in drinking whiskey. The only moderation in drinking whiskey is to drink none at all; do you agree with me? And that’s so with ten thousand other inventions of the devil, in this last generation.

I’m talking about the good things, the proper things — Moderation. Do you know why we need moderation and why we need it so much? There are 2 reasons: One is obviously too much is too much. But there’s another great reason: the only way you can get time for all the things you need to do is not to spend too much time on any one thing.

This is a very practical course that we’re conducting in survival training. I want to say to you that one of the biggest problems that most people have yet to learn is how to live on 24 hours a day. Somebody here is saying, “You’re talking about me.” Yes, I am, friends.

I suppose that if time could be bought by the yard or by the gallon, or by any other measure, people would be standing in line ready to put down money to buy time. But the best news I know is you don’t have to buy it with money — It’s free. Somebody has more money than you, but there’s not a soul in this world that has any more time than you. And the One who arranged the time cycle, who put 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week, is none other than your best Friend, Jesus, the Creator of the universe and the planner of your life, if you will take His plan.

Oh, that God may help every one of us to be among the survivors. We can be, if we will learn the way of peace.

Until next week – Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then… 

-Continue on to the next study-

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“Jesus came to this earth to accomplish the greatest work ever accomplished among men. He came as God’s ambassador, to show us how to live so as to secure life’s best results” {MH 365.3}. Learn from the example of Christ, by His grace, and learn how to live and survive… >> Learn More

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* This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.