Mrs. Wood there, her mother laying, dying with a cancer on her face. You know what it is. You even touch your lip here, in here, you can die in a little bit. A bee stung a man, down here below New Albany, recently, stung him on the lip, he died in about two minutes. Anything around here, don't never squeeze nothing on your lips, ’cause it runs to the nerve that runs to your brain. Really, people, a man should never shave over their lips. That's exactly right. When your razor pulls, tears comes in your eyes. It's bad right in there, on the main nerve.

I don't care how good a home a child has been brought up in, and how it's been taught to do right; if that child hasn't accepted the experience of the new Birth, rock-and-roll music catches his attention just as quick as he hears it. Because, in him, is born in him, by nature, a carnal spirit. And the power of the devil is so great, today, till it catches that spirit of that little one.

And how much more will it do to the old, then, that has rejected the new Birth! Because, only as your life is changed, and you've been converted and born anew, into the Kingdom of God; your nature will still be of the things of the world, no matter how religious you are, unless that has been changed in you. You could worship and be religious, but still that will have some kind of a drawing power to you, because this old man of sin and his desires is not dead in you yet.

But once let Christ take the throne in your heart, those things don't bother. It is so much greater.

And when a one member would talk against the other member, you know that's wrong. You are commanded to pray for one another, not to talk against one another, but to love one another. And if someone is down, let's pick him up, help him. Now, that makes us a—a—a unified group of believers. Now, when we don't obey that, then we don't obey God and we displease God. And therefore, our church, our people cannot prosper, the church cannot go on, is because we are disunified, together. As Jesus said, “A little leaven leavens the lump.”

And when you start on the wrong road, you'll never be able to be reconciled, till you come right back to the place where you left God.

And you'll never get more of God until you become nothing. You've got to belittle yourself. He that will exalt himself, God will bring abase. He that will humble himself, God will exalt. You've got to get little before you can get big. And you'll never be big in your own self; you'll only be as big as God will be big in you.

And every trial is put upon you, to prove you. And the Bible said, “They're more precious to you than gold.” So if God let a few light afflictions happen to you, remember, it's for the correction of you. “Every son that cometh to God must first be chastened of God, and tried, child-trained.” There's no exceptions. “Every son that cometh.” And these afflictions are done, they're brought about, to see what attitude you'll take. See? It's God, on this proving-ground. That's all earth is, is the proving-grounds, and where He is trying to prove you.

Patience with what? What kind of patience? First thing, is have patience with God. If you've got real, genuine faith, you'll have real genuine patience, because faith worketh patience. When God says anything, you believe it. That's all. You got patience.

If God come down and healed me positive, right out, with a miracle, it wouldn't be as great as it would if I can see the promise of God and take it into my heart. Stand there, I can say, “Jesus is now healing me, for I have accepted His Word. It's in my heart. He is now interceding for me before the Father. I shall be well.” There is what God loves. Stand there on His Word and say, “It's right! He is healing me now, every day.”

If there's anything that makes Christians lazy, it's when they're on a flowered bed of ease. We don't have it persecution enough. We don't have it hard enough. Always at the chain is the strongest at its weakest link.

And a man under pressure is what he is when he's under pressure. His real to—true characteristics will show when he's under pressure. Get him all riled, stirred up, then you'll see the real man come out. If he's got temper, it'll show itself. If he's meek and gentle, it'll show itself. Put him under pressure once. And God puts all His children under tests to see whether there's any flaws in them.

And God did not make you and I, just to see if He could do it. He made us for a purpose. Therefore, there is a purpose of us all being here. You're not here just to be another human being. You are here because that God made you for some purpose. You're not here just to eat the food that God growed. You're not here just to live in the house that—that man made, or to wear the clothing that someone fashioned. You are here for a specific purpose. No matter how little you are, how big you are, how important you are, or how unimportant you are, you are here to serve a purpose.