"Near the Cross" Classic Hymn On My Heart & Mind This Morning - Stone Faith Patriot - 07-31-2021

This morning when I awoke it wasn't a Scripture verse from the Bible on my heart and my mind. It was the first verse and chorus of an old hymn playing in my mind and on my heart. "Near the Cross", written in 1869 by Frances J. "Fanny" Crosby, is that hymn. Fanny Crosby wrote a majority of the hymns that church hymnals contain. As much as I enjoy much of the modern praise and worship music, it is shallow and repetitive, and, to be honest, quite hollow compared to the old hymns, such as the one I talk about in this video. Fanny Crosby wrote a powerful prayer when she wrote "Near the Cross". WE OWE A LOT OF OUR CHRISTIAN SURVIVAL TO THE OLD HYMNS, THE HYMNS OF FANNY CROSBY, TO "NEAR THE CROSS". That particular hymn is a song that has lingered in my mind and heart from my growing up days in a small town church. In the part of my life where I was running from God, angry with Him for things that were NOT his doing, many verses of Biblical Scripture played back in my heart and mind over those years, and many hymns that I learned and somehow memorized as a primary school boy also played back in my heart and mind. That is the power of the Holy Spirit, and how He is faithful to constantly, lovingly convict us with words from the Bible, and Scripturally, theologically sound lyrics of old hymns, relentlessly wooing us back to Jesus. He's faithful in things like that. Never doubt Him. Never give up on Him. Jesus the Christ NEVER will give up on you. EVER. His Holy Spirit RELENTLESSLY romances us, drawing us ever closer to Jesus the Christ. Remember His words, here from the 1599 Geneva Bible, which is the Bible translation that the Pilgrims and Puritans brought with them to the New World, to what is now the U.S.A., the Bible treasured by families LONG after King James made it illegal and enforced the death penalty to anyone who owned a copy of this Bible. I explained all of that in a video recently. Go back to watch that one. I am just explaining the strange spelling and speech in the verse I am about to share from the 1599 Geneva Bible.

"Submit your selues to God: resist the deuill, and he will flee from you.Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe neere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded. Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse. Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp."
~ James 4:7-10 ~

Here is the same passage from the New American Standard Bible translation, for those of you who struggled with some of those spellings and words. Oh, there IS a 1599 Geneva Bible transliteration with the exact same translation but with modern English spelling so it is easier for many to read. Anyway, here's the NASB version of that passage from James 4:7-10 :
"Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee (in terror) from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."
~ James 4:7-10 ~ NASB

I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit called my wife and I to move to Branson, Missouri, here in the heart of the Ozarks. He told us each individually on different days in December 2015. When He told me, I told Him that He had to tell my wife, because all of her kids, grandkids, and friends are in the Pacific Northwest. Most of mine are there, too, but I have no attachments that would be too difficult to leave. I totally get that mother-child and grandmother-grandchild relationship. I married into that. I was an instant daddy and instant grandpa when we married in October 1999. My wife loves the LORD more than life itself, though, and it shows in all that she does day by day, so when the Holy Spirit told her that He wanted us to move here to Branson, she argued with Him, but still gladly agreed to His will. THAT, my friends, is my idea of courage, and of a true hero. My wife is the BEST!

Okay, now I"m just rambling on a bit off topic, so I'll stop here. Enjoy the video. If you don't know Jesus the Christ, you can accept Him now, this very moment. Simple talk with Him like you talk with anyone. He is the almighty God, the Creator of the universe, but He also loves you more than anything. He humbled Himself to become a human just to make Himself the final sacrifice, to pay the debt for the wages of sin that I mentioned in a video a few days ago. Just talk with Jesus, Prayer is a conversation, and He WILL talk with you. Jesus said, "My sheep know My voice." so if you believe ON Him, you WILL be able to hear His voice clearly. Simpley tell Him that you believe On Him (stand on His truth no matter what - it is the foundation of everything), and you want Him to be LORD of your life. Tell Him that you want His Holy Spirit to fill you, and you completely accept His forgiveness. Most importantly, confess your sins, then FORGIVE YOURSELF. We are NOT bigger nor more powerful than God. He forgives us, so we MUST forgive ourselves. Come to Him with an honest heart. Don't just do the "salvation prayer" as a "fire insurance" policy. If you're not sincere, and you just plan to abuse grace and keep sinning, expecting His forgiveness to cover you without true repentance (changing your heart, your mind, and your ways), you're not fooling Him. He knows your heart. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. You can't fool Him. Come to Him with an honest heart when you give your life to Him.

God bless you. If you just gave your life to Jesus the Christ, WELCOME TO THE ETERNAL FAMILY OF GOD! You will NEVER regret that choice! It's not all easy, but it's ALL worth it! Spend time in prayer and reading your Bible every day. Remember, you are what you eat, moreso spiritually than physically. We know that if we eat junk food, our bodies, which are temporary, suffer and pay the price. If we feed junk (moves, music, news, books, magazines, etc) to our spirits, which are eternal, our spirits will suffer eternally! EAT RIGHT!

🎵"READ YOUR BIBLE, PRAY EVERY DAY, AND YOU'LL GROW, GROW, GROW."🎶

Bonus footage at the very end of the video was brought to you by God's perfect timing, Branson Balloon (https://bransonballoon.com/), and the flawless exhibit of God's Creation in this morning's Ozarks sunrise!