(I asked the Lord to give the Salvation message to a well known preacher.)

  The Lord said, "No! It took me three years to convince you of what I showed you in the beginning." Shocked as I was to hear this reply from the Lord, I talked about it with my wife as we went to the parking lot after church. I thought back and knew the Lord was right. It had taken three years for me to admit that He was right about how one becomes saved unto eternal life. Back in 1980 He had shown me a truth, in a vision in the beginning, but I had hung on to my beliefs until one day, three years later it happened. My stiff-necked-ness broke. All that He had spoken and shown me finally cut me to the marrow of my bones. I gnashed my teeth because of the truth I saw, just because I had admitted He was right and what I wanted to believe was wrong. I cried before the Lord for mankind, especially His church. The strength had gone from my body and I could hardly stand. I had hung onto what I wanted to believe for three years. Now it was gone forever. God had taken it from me. What I wanted to believe was sinking sand and wouldn't hold water. What He showed me was based on the rock, on what Jesus said.
    I wouldn't have considered myself stiff-necked when the Lord was dealing with me but as I look back now, I know better. Christians think they are pliable in the Lord's hands but the Lord has gently shown me they aren't. Ironically, He had told me He was sending me to a stiff-necked people, and later He told me He was sending me to His church. Yes, one and the same, and I am part of it, part of being stiff-necked. I just had never put the two together. Are you hanging onto what you want to believe?

The Lord Spoke to Me About Judging