Acorn to an Oak

By Harry Davis

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Having escaped the bondage of sin and set free for the promised land, we are traveling to the river of death and pass over into a way that we have never traveled before. God is leading the way with the assurance of victory based upon obedience. The failure of the Church to fight the enemy and allow corruption to exist has kept the Church from possessing all that God has allotted to it. Just like Israel, the Church is surrounded by a host of enemies that is seeking to destroy it. Compromise has caused defeat by deception, but God will not let that happen to the Church or Israel. We, as well as Israel, shall be victorious. We are to stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has set us free, and not be entangled with the world. This book addresses these victories and failures, and ours as well, so that the lessons learned can be applied to insure further victories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490852676

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Copyright © 2014 Harry Davis.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-5266-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5265-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5267-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916756

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/22/2014

Contents

Dedication

Editor’s Preface

Author’s Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

From the Acorn to the Oak

Joseph

Be Careful What You Ask For—You May Get It

Success

He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear What the Spirit Says to the Churches!

Forward

Two Crossings

Accepting Personal Responsibility

Born Again by the Surrender of the Will

If the Son Sets You Free, You Will Be Free Indeed

It Is Better to Lift Someone Up than to Tear Someone Down

Educational Growth

Special Forces

A Heavenly Conversation

The Plan to Rebuild America

Dedication

This book is being dedicated to the memory of my son Kevin who, at the age of thirty-five, died from heroin addiction. My hope is that the message in this book will lead someone to the Lord Jesus Christ who can set them free.

Editor’s Preface

By writing this book, the author’s intent is to provide readers with spiritual guidance. This work is not intended for scholarly use, but rather for use by those who seek inspiration and support in managing the emotional and physical challenges that present themselves in the course of day-to-day living.

Having lived through his own deep pain and suffering, the author has always maintained faith and even experienced his own life-changing transformation.

The book is written in the author’s voice, just as he would convey his thoughts and words to those he serves and those who seek him out for hope and direction. It is his belief that the simple telling of a story or anecdote is what makes the greatest impression.

The author references Scripture throughout, relying on New Inductive Study Bible (NISB)* as his primary source to describe God’s Word and its potential to effect life transformation.

* Precept Ministries International. New Inductive Study Bible (NASB), updated New American Standard Bible. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2000.

Author’s Preface

On a brisk autumn day, while out for routine exercise, I ventured to the local walking path. Some acorns had fallen to the path and I picked one up and looked to see from where it had fallen. Overhead I saw a huge oak tree amid a gathering of smaller trees. As I walked with the acorn in hand, I thought of its relationship to the tree and the process that needed to take place for the little acorn to grow into a mighty oak. I then thought of this application in relationship to man and country. This book is about that process.

The Steps in the Process of Life

1. Seed: A seed is buried in the womb.

2. Buried: The seed is buried out of sight, but growing.

3. Growth: The period of time that passes until maturity.

4. Fully grown: Having matured through all circumstances.

5. Cut down: Taken out for a specific use.

6. Its purpose: Usefulness to the planter.

Acknowledgements

I cannot begin to express the sincere gratitude I have for the help of Doug Steffy and Shelly Hikes in the preparation of this book. Their expertise is greatly appreciated.

The patient work of Stephanie Beavers and her expertise to help me express my thoughts go without saying.

Introduction

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Having escaped the bondage of sin and being set free bound for the Promised Land, we are to travel to the river of death and pass over into a way that we have never traveled before. God is leading the way with the assurance of victory based upon obedience. The failure of the Church to fight the enemy and in the process allow corruption to exist has kept the Church from possessing all that God has allotted to it. Just like Israel, the Church is surrounded by a host of enemies that is seeking to destroy it. Compromise has caused defeat by deception but God will not let that happen to the Church or Israel. We as well as they shall be victorious. Therefore, we are to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free, and not be entangled with the world.

This book addresses these victories and failures, and ours as well, so that the lessons learned can be applied to assure further victories.

From the Acorn to the Oak

One of the greatest difficulties of man is to acknowledge that there is a God who exists outside his concept of how he envisions God. Others form their own cults and isms out of a need to change God from who He really is into someone they can grasp with their intellect. If, for example, you are describing to someone else a well-known person you have met personally, and the other person has not met the person being described, he or she will end up knowing the famous person only by reputation, that is, by the description you provide.

In general, we understand the definition of the word ignorance to be: lacking knowledge; uninformed; resulting from, or showing, lack of knowledge. The Apostle Paul was having a discussion with the people of Athens. He explained:

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things, and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed time and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, even as some of your own prophets have said: for we are His children. Being, then, the children of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold, silver, or stone, or an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore, having overlooked these times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man that He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:24-31, NIV/NASB).

The articles written here are about that Man. I met Him years ago and we became good friends, and remain so to this day. You won’t get a description of His height and weight, whether He has a rough or smooth complexion, blue or brown eyes, or is muscular or thin; instead, you will get to know the character of the Man. It is my desire—and His—that after you get to know Him, you will surrender to His wisdom and power to change the direction of your life.

Given that we want to get to know someone to whom we have not been formally introduced, it helps us to know a little about the person before we decide if we really want to know him personally. An important question to ask might be, What kind of character does this person have? Good question. I describe it for you by first saying: He has no beginning and no end in the past, present, or future, and He knows all equally.

See now that I, I am He, and there is no God besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand (Deuteronomy 32:39-40).

For thus says the High and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of