Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells the story of an unjust judge, who refused to avenge a widow. But she persistently kept coming and bothering the judge: “Please avenge me judge, avenge me, avenge me, judge avenge me!” So, finally, simply to get rid of her, the judge avenged her of the injustice someone had committed against her. Jesus gave this illustration to teach everyone about the kind of prayer that pleases God. The word is 'IMPORTUNITY' (i.e., insistent begging). God is pleased by our perpetual asking Him for things, whatever it may be. Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint...” “Faint not” means don't quit! What saith the Scripture? ...

James 1:5-6, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

How do you ask in faith without wavering? The answer is simple, you just keep asking until either God answers your prayer, or you no longer feel led to pray over the matter. There are some prayers that I pray that are ongoing; such as, asking with the Lord to work through me as His humble servant to preach the inspired Word of Truth, contend for the Christian faith, love people more, and preach an accurate Gospel so that lost sinners can be saved through faith alone in Christ alone. My desire has always been to simply get MAD (Make An Impact) in people's lives for Jesus Christ my God, Savior and Lord.

My heart tells me the reason why God wants us to pray with IMPORTUNITY is simply because the Lord desires our continual fellowship and communion. Do you understand dear reader the the omnibenevolent, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnisapient and immutable God who spoke over 20 TRILLION known galaxies into existence wants to be your close Friend? I love watching intriguing astronomy videos on YouTube, especially when going to sleep at night.

Sometimes I cry as I learn just how unfathomably large and endless the universe is, realizing that the brilliant majestic Creator of such amazing wonders knows, loves and cares about a wretched undeserving sinner like me. THANK YOU LORD JESUS, MY PRECIOUS GOD AND SAVIOR. 1st Peter 2:7a, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious...”

If we ask (pray) to the Lord, but then quit early on when God doesn't seem to answer, we are showing God our lack of trust in Him. Jesus exhorts all men to “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22b). Jesus is almighty God (John 10:33). Prayer does not work like an ATM machine friend, nor a coin operated vending machine. I have learned more times than not, that God answered my prayers in ways I couldn't see at the time. It wasn't until hindsight years or even decades later that I saw the hand of God at work in my youth or years earlier.

I refuse to wickedly place God on trial like the heathen world does, challenging His existence if the Lord doesn't answer their prayers to meet their demands. I trust in the Lord, period. So, if God never seems to answer any of my prayers, that is okay, because the inspired Word of God tells me that everything is still okay in my Father's House, where there is joy, joy, joy! I choose to have faith in the good and loving heart of God at all times, regardless of the circumstances. As a born-again, fundamentalist, Baptist, Bible preacher, I didn't get into the ministry for the INCOME, I became a Bible preacher for the OUTCOME! I've never received a single penny for serving God. My rewards are waiting for me in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

In the 10 chapters of the Old Testament book of “Esther,” not once is “God” mentioned. Yet, we (the reader) beautifully see God's hand at work throughout the amazing true story. The characters involved in Esther couldn't see God's hand at work at the time, but we have the blessed privilege of seeing the whole picture in hindsight. The lesson is simply this—when you cannot see the HAND of God, trust the HEART of God!

Keep on praying and never stop, because God is pleased by our importunity. Don't ever forget this truth, which is exactly what Luke 18:1-8 is teaching. I am not saying that God might not answer your prayer right away. He may or may not. Or the Lord may answer you in a subtle way that you won't discern until a future time. The important thing is to simply TRUST GOD.

Esther 5:14

Esther 5:14, “Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.”

Haman's wicked wife was the one who suggested that her husband build a gallows 50 cubits (75 feet) high to hang the Jew Mordecai upon. Their ungodly rotten friends loved the idea. But when the evil conspiracy was exposed and backfired on wicked Haman, it was his wife's ten sons and Haman instead who were hung on that same gallows.

There is a powerful lesson to be learned in this Scripture passage, which is that we had better be very careful about what advice we give to others, because our words could come back to haunt us. By running her foolish mouth to give Haman the sinister idea to build a gallows 75 feet high to hang Mordecai, caused her ten sons and husband to be hung on the execution device instead of Mordecai. It was poetic justice! Guard your tongue dear reader!

Romans 15:4

Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

Romans 15:4 says that God gave us the Old Testament to teach us. God has given to humanity hundreds of true biographies of people throughout the Old Testament, documenting the lives of both saved and lost people from birth to death.

These helpful BIOGRAPHIES teach us, which give us patience and hope as God's children. We get to see the lives of hundreds of Old and New Testament saints, what worked and what didn't, so that we can LEARN from their stories and hopefully not make the same stupid mistakes.

For example: Satan caused Eve to question God's Word in Genesis 3:1-5, changing the truth into a lie, which led to disaster. Eve never should have continued listening to the serpent the moment he bad mouthed God.

Another example: Samson's life was also ruined by being careless with the special gift God had given to him (his strength from long hair). Samson never should have entrusted Delilah with the secret to his strength.

Another example: Haman's wicked wife was the one who suggested that her husband build a gallows 50 cubits (75 feet) high to hang the Jew Mordecai upon. But when the evil conspiracy backfired on wicked Haman, it was his wife's ten sons and Haman instead who were hung on that same gallows. There is a powerful lesson to be learned here, which is that we had better be very careful about what advice we give to others, because our words could come back to haunt us. By running her foolish mouth and giving Haman the sinister idea to build a gallows 75 feet high, caused her ten sons and husband to be hung on them instead of Mordecai. It was poetic justice!

I encourage you to study and abide in the Old Testament much, to learn about the Christian patriarchs and their struggles. Pastor Lester Roloff (1914-1982) used to wisely say that “the Old Testament will put iron in your blood.” Amen and amen! The inspired Holy Bible is packed full of gems of truth, nuggets worth more than gold.

Begin in the book of Genesis and listen to Alexander Scourby (1913-1985) read it to you, while paying attention to the lives of the saints. Listen for their mistakes, their right decisions, their faith in God or lack thereof, and the blessings or consequences that followed.

Romans 15:4 teaches that “all things” written in God's inspired Word were written “FOR OUR LEARNING.” God is so good, loving and faithful to mankind.

Jeremiah 4:14, Right Thinking Promotes Right Living

Jeremiah 4:14, “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.  How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?”

The phrase that “thou mayest be saved” does not refer to the salvation of one's soul; but rather, Israel being saved from destruction.

The phrase, “How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee,” refers to a sinful thought life that corrupts one's behavior. The inspired Holy Bible exhorts God's children to have a clean mind. Get the rot out! Martin Luther wisely said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” It's bad to do wicked things, but we wouldn't do the wicked thighs if we'd not allow wicked thoughts to lodge in our soul. ...

Psalms 119:9-11, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?  by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Psalms 19:12, “Who can understand his errors?  cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

I love this quote from Brother Hyles...

“If you want to never do anything that is terribly wicked, then you never do anything that is slightly wicked.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Unjust In The Least”

Pastor Jack Hyles used this interesting Scripture from Jeremiah 4:14 as his text for the sermon, “Bad Renters; Or, Necessary Evictions.” We need a revival in right thinking! I made this excerpt from the preceding needful sermon by Dr. Hyles, in which he preaches against the sin of women wearing slacks. I fully agree! Nothing is ruining men's minds today any more than immodestly clothed women. God pity the ungodly pastor's wife who wears her wicked pants in public and defends it! God pity the ungodly pastor who wickedly sanctions

Proverbs 6:14-19

Proverbs 6:14-19, “Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Solomon's statement emphasizes a Hebrew literary style in which the seventh item serves as a culmination of the previous six, highlighting its significance. Thus, the 6 things mentioned are sins that God hates, while the seventh, causing discord among brethren, is considered particularly detestable or an abomination to the Lord.

As with all inspired Scripture, we must use common sense. He that “soweth discord among brethren” does not include faithful Christians who take a biblical stand in corrupt churches against fake bibles, bidding Godspeed to false prophets, or exposing a counterfeit plan of salvation that is being taught.

I have been kicked out of numerous bad churches, simply because I took a biblical stand against their use of the Devil's corruptible seed (the modern corrupt Bible revisions).

I also got kicked out and banned from numerous bad churches, because I took a biblical stand against their Satanic requirement that you “repent of your sins” to get to Heaven, which is nowhere taught in the inspired King James Bible.

Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

When you closely examine and ponder the preceding passage, the first 6 sins mentioned are what the sower of discord (the 7th sin) is guilty of, and I can prove it with the Bible...

Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Someone who preaches false doctrine soweth discord among brethren! Most people assume that sowing discord refers to someone who is belligerent or likes to cause trouble in a group, but the Holy Bible identifies false teachers as those who cause discord in a church.

Let me put the cookies on the bottom shelf for you dear reader.

Anybody who says that you must “repent of your sins” to get to Heaven is sowing discord in a local church.

Anybody pastor who uses, promotes or sanctions the modern perverted Bible revisions is guilty of sowing confusion and discord in a local church.

Anybody who says more than faith in Jesus is required to be saved is sowing discord in a local church. Jesus plainly said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” You don't have to give up anything to be saved; eternal life is a free gift from God, paid for by Jesus' precious blood (Romans 5:9; 1st Peter 1:18-19).

You don't even have to give up your unbelief to get to Heaven, you simply need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in lieu your unbelief. Mark 9:24, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Despite the father's unbelief, Jesus healed his son because of the man's faith.

Remember dear reader, faith is not the absence of doubt; but rather, the presence of trust in lieu of the doubt. Although you may have 99% doubt in something, if you trust in it you have placed no less than 100% faith in it. The same is true of getting saved. God will not penalize you for having doubts, just so lone as you by faith receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins. Thank you for reading my ministry blog. Jesus is precious!!!

Romans 12:19-21 - Trusting God To Avenge Us

Romans 12:19-21, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

As I am confident everyone has, I also have been hurt by many people throughout my lifetime, deeply hurt. It was a wicked pastor's wife who helped break apart my first marriage. I have been leery of pastor's wives ever since. I have seen far too many meddling pastor's wives who henpecked their husband, the pastor.

In the last shameful church I and my wife attended in 2025 (Family Baptist Church in Pensacola), the ungodly pastor's wife had an attitude problem with men who preach against women wearing pants (she wears pants of course). She had read my fundamentalist ministry articles online, in which I preach my conviction that it is a sin for women to wear pants, and she took offense (no doubt in guilt). She pressured her husband (the pastor) to censure my website preaching, openly criticizing my beliefs in his office in April of 2025 in front of my wife, which ultimately led to me and Alice being kicked out of their church (all because of a wicked pastor's wife who defiantly wears her worldly pants in public). We never once made an issue of her wearing pants, but they made an issue of my preaching on social media. What a Jezebel!

Family Baptist Church in Pensacola has our blood on their hands, for taking away our church family to punish us for offending their wickedness. Defending worldliness is wickedness! God almighty will hold that ungodly foolish pastor and his rebellious immodest wife accountable on Judgment Day (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11; Matthew 7:1-5; 1st Timothy 2:9).

Two truths that have helped me forgive others over the years, as a born again Christian, is knowing that, first, Christ didn't deserve to suffer, bleed and die on a cruel cross for my sins, but He lovingly did so anyway in grace. What a wonderful Savior!!!

If you will focus dear reader on what Christ has done to save you dear sinner, instead of focusing on what another sinner did to hurt you, it will help you immensely forgive others and let go of bitterness. God will have the final say in all matters.

And the second truth that helps me forgive others is simply knowing that God promises in His inspired Word to recompense all evil, to avenge every victim (Romans 12:19-21). God promises to avenge each and every victim of those who've horribly defrauded us (1st Thessalonians 4:6). By what measure men judge others, they shall be judged (Matthew 7:1). 

My faith in God helps me to forgive others, knowing that they have a date in court coming up in the presence of their Creator. I can forgive others by placing them into God's hands for judgment.

The inspired Holy Bible in Matthew 12:36 warns that God will hold us accountable for even our words. How much more shall individuals be held accountable for their evil deeds? Remember, forgiveness is for the victim, not the perpetrator.

By God's grace, I have already forgiven those who have hurt me, because I am trusting God to keep His promise to hold them accountable for their evil words and actions against me. Whether 3 years old or 90, everyone deserves justice!

Romans 19:20-21 teach us to be kind and do good to our enemies, knowing that in so doing we are heaping coals of fire upon their head. That is, by being nice to our enemies we are making it easier for God to hold them accountable, without excuse. Trust me dear friend, the Lord knows how to avenge us far better than we do! His honor and integrity are at stake (Psalms 138:2). God must keep His promise to avenge all evil, even if someone intentionally hurt you with their words. There are no insignificant sins with God. People have been murdered over mere words spoken that offended them! God monitors our every word, both thought (Proverbs 24:12) and spoken (Matthew 12:36).

For those sinners who have deeply hurt you, I implore you to place the offense, by grace, into God's omnipotent and caring hands for judgment. The Lord doesn't need secretaries or computers to remember things. There is no need for juries in Heaven because God is omniscient. He knows everything! Trust God dear reader to deal with your enemies.

Romans 10:13, Not Part Of The Gospel

Romans 10:13-14, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

The Bible plainly says in Romans 10:14 that no one can call upon the name of the LORD until they first BELIEVE. So, those people in verse 14 are ALREADY SAVED, because they have already BELIEVED.

Many churches today are teaching a falsehood that you must pray to ask God to save you. They say that it is impossible to believe without also asking in prayer, but this is simply not true. Throughout the Bible we learn that lost sinners were saved by simply believing the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) of Christ. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” This Bible verse clearly refutes Dr. Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) and his wacky followers (e.g. William P. Grady and Robert Breaker) who falsely teach that people were saved by works in the Old Testament. Acts 10:43 plainly teaches that ALL THE PROPHETS preached salvation by faith alone in Christ. Beware of Ruckmanites!!!

Granted, there is nothing wrong with accompanying one's faith with a prayer to call upon the Lord, but it is very important to understand that it is not necessary to pray to be saved. It is common for people to pray at the time of salvation, and even to ask God to save them, but it is not required. God is already freely offering every human being His free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life through simple childlike faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I get frustrated when New IFB pastors use Romans 10:13 in a foolish attempt to teach that you cannot be saved unless you say a prayer. BELIEVING is enough to be saved. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Verse 15 says, “How shall they preach”? You CANNOT preach (give testimony of) unless you first have a message to tell. The Scripture tells us, beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace! ONLY THOSE that give out the right gospel message ARE BEAUTIFUL in the eyes of the Lord. Those who preach the lies of Lordship Salvation and Wrong Repentance are preaching ANOTHER GOSPEL (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4).

The Gospel is simply this…

Here is the gospel: God says that we are sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter heaven. God sent His Son to pay for all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. The instant you believe this, He knows it and He saves you. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you and has nothing at all to do with what you do for Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, “I Never Knew You,” p. xii

Romans 10:13 is simply NOT a part of the Gospel of free grace, because you get saved the moment you believe, not if and when you pray. Prayer is not necessary to be saved. The Bible is full of people who just BELIEVED and were saved. For example: Abram in Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH