I was hunting a few personal papers today and came across some papers written and posted on my website a few years ago. I had lost these temporarily, but as usual, they pop up buried under folders, that were buried under folders, that were buried under folders. 

This file was titled, "Ten times death." and taken off the web on 11-26-20.

The only thing that changed was a few sentences at the end. 

 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NLT)

5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you

You know, this Christmas we all ought to be "Thanking God," for his goodness. I have been thinking of a situation for the last ninety minutes and I have been reminded of some "incidents," that have happened in my life. I remember a few years after I had become a Christian and at the time, I began counting the number of times where I was spared from "Death."

I am not lying, I believe that I had counted something like ten "incidents," where I was spared from death. 

Somewhere in my late teens or early twenties, I was working for an automobile plant in Michigan. Assembly line work is very hard and demanding. When that line starts up, you had better be at your station and ready to work non-stop until someone finally "breaks," you for ten or so minutes. Then, after your break, it is nonstop for another couple of hours, till lunch, and then again, you better be back at your station, else the line begins, and those motors or car bodies are lacking your assigned equipment. 

Thus, when you do have a day off or a holiday comes up, you tend to want to "party." 

Well, one night it was Halloween, and I left work and decided to go "party." That was the same night where I felt like "dressing up a light pole with my little 'Pinto,' at about fifty or sixty miles per hour," I am guessing?

When I was able to finally visit the car after the fact, the engine had been shoved right up into the driver's seat, as the impact was so severe. I have no idea to this day what happened.

Somehow, I have just assumed that somehow on "impact," I was thrown from the automobile.

I was at home a few days later, after only suffering a "broken jaw," and maybe a few scratches, and as I lay in bed, my mother told me that there were some visitors who were giving their condolences concerning my death but wondered as to whether they could have the back door/window of the hatchback, which was about the only thing that had survived the crash. 

I am ashamed to admit it, but I had a few drug overdoses and came moments with death, a few times. 

Then there was the time that I was in Bible School, driving back from downtown Tulsa, where I had been working as a cook in a Westin Hotel. 

I was on the first motorcycle that I had bought in order to have decent transportation while in school. So, as I was on the Broken Arrow Expressway driving back my normal eight or nine miles, I happened to glance at my right mirror. 

Well, in that split second of time, I said to myself, "My God, he is so close he is going to...BAM. 

Fortunately, my wheel had been hit so hard that it had smashed or crumbled forward, and my back fender had lodged into the front Grille of his Dodge Pick-Up. Realizing what he had done, he pulls to a stop. I get off my bike, walk over to the guy's side driver's door, and began to ask him, quite loudly "What in the hell are...

All he could say was "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I am so drunk, I am so drunk, I am sorry, I'll pay for everything...

He even began to ask me if I would not report it, and since I was no stranger to such mistakes in life, I was seriously considering it, yet a State Police Car showed up at the scene. 

A few years after I was called up to Lansing, and I had become a Christian, one Thanksgiving or Christmas, I had just bought an older car. It was an Oldsmobile 88; I believe and was immaculate for an older car. 

Well, somehow, I found myself on the back roads of Michigan State University where they had agricultural land. I was driving down this main road and it was in the middle of winter, so the roads were covered in snow and ice. . I would guess that I was doing around forty or fifty, but all of a sudden having just come down from a small incline in the road, I realized that I was coming up to a busy intersection. I mean, looking ahead, I am watching these cars traveling on the road up ahead, and I was merely a few hundred feet from this main road. Right before the intersection, at the realization of what was ahead, I slammed on my brakes. My car skidded up to the intersection, past the Stop sign, beyond the lane closest to me and I was watching my car about to slam into the center of a Semi Truck that had just happened to be traveling at that exact moment across my path. 

In other words, I was staring at the underbelly of a Semi Truck and knew that I knew that in the next few seconds, I was going to be under this truck's "undercarriage" while he was traveling at probably fifty to sixty miles an hour. 

The only thing that I could do was to rest my head in a downward position, hold on to my steering wheel, and await what I expected to be instant death or a serious serious accident. I literally closed my eyes, as my head was looking down because I just couldn't comprehend what was about to take place. 

Well, a few seconds go by, and I don't feel anything. I hadn't heard anything, so I sort of opened an eye or both eyes, because I wasn't supposed to be able to do that. In front of me was the road ahead, and so in total shock, I turn my head and I see the back of this truck like ten feet or whatever having completely passed me. 

Now, I have been writing on my sites for like ten or whatever years, and never once have I ever been accused of making up stories or falsifying facts. 

And although I have seen angels on a few occasions, I never saw these angels which had apparently lifted either my car and placed it in back of that truck, or had lifted that truck and had placed it to the left of me, however feet it was when I saw it, after the fact?

Since then, what I believe happened, however, was that I along with my car was transported to the realm of the Spirit, where there is no time. 

Well, those are just a few of of my encounters where I was spared from death. Another immediately comes to mind, but as I said, at one time, I roughly had counted over ten individual incidents. 

Well, I had been thinking tonight concerning all of these incidents. 

You know, many times, it can be the choices that we make that can cause these things to happen in our life, such as my drug abuse, and my celebration of "Halloween," one night. 

Nevertheless, God can still be "merciful," even when we deserve much worse by our rebellion. 

Well, as I was contemplating all of this, I was also thinking of Jesus. 

I just went online to find the scripture: 1Corinthians 2:8, and I came across this web page: taken from an article that Joyce Meyer had written or was quoted from one of her books. 

The Word The Name The Blood by Joyce Meyer 

1 Corinthians 2:6-8   Amplified Bible

6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those spiritually mature [believers who have teachable hearts and a greater understanding]; but [it is a higher] wisdom not [the wisdom] of this present age nor of the rulers and leaders of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 8 None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;1 Cor. 2:6-8 (Amp)

If Satan had known what he was doing when he crucified the Lord of glory, he would have never done it. He thought the crucifixion was his greatest victory, but it was actually his ultimate defeat.

If Satan had known what he was doing when he arranged for that beating in which Jesus received thirty-nine stripes on His back ...if He had known what he was doing when he incited the soldiers to make that crown of thorns and press it into Jesus' scalp until blood ran down His face and into His beard ...if He had known what he was doing when he pierced His hands and feet and later His side ...if He had known what he was doing when he made arrangements for the bloodshed that redeemed God's man, he would certainly never have done it.

If Satan Had Known...     Written by Joyce Meyer

And so, as I was meditating or contemplating all of this, I was thinking how God will sometimes intervene in our lives and will spare us what many times would have been the devil's attempt to destroy us. 

You see, as I stated, many times it can be our wrong choices that cause particular circumstances in life to fall upon us. 

On the other hand, what I believe, is that what the devil had meant for your demise is often thwarted by our God. 

You see, God will use all things concerning a situation, and for those who love God and are "called," according to His "purpose," will be spared those intentions of death or destruction concerning an individual. 

 Romans 8:28 (NASB) 

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.   

So, in other words, what I am saying is that "many times the devil and his co-horts will be completely confounded and confused" and their actions, therefore, of having plotted and planned 'someone's destruction' will 'in the end,' only turn out to be another person's good, instead of the 'evil', in which had been plotted against them

.  

I guess another way to say it is that God has chosen some of you, and not only has chosen you but has watched over you and protected you in order for you to do His will. 

Does this make sense to anybody?

Well, then you ought to Thank Jesus by finding out about the person of Jesus"

He definitely loves you, or else you wouldn't be here listening to my wonderful preaching. 

Well, Merry Christmas, anyway! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAMRW2s3Gxs

David’s Tent UK 2022 - Rob Cates - Goodness of God - Testimony about living in light of eternity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXtcrZ-wAPM

David’s Tent UK 2022 - Jonathan David & Melissa Helser - Sound mind (includes prophetic prayer)

45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.