Category Archives: morality

“Go and serve God. Make all kinds of mistakes and learn wisdom from your errors,” I advised the young preacher.

“Failure!” the young preacher replied, her eyes connecting with mine. “Not me! Not ever!”

I smiled, hoping to lessen the chill in the air between us. “Nobody wants to make mistakes, but we do. It happens to all of us. It’s one of the ways that God teaches us wisdom,” I said.

“No, I don’t have to ever fail,” she said. “All I have to do is spend time in prayer, do some fasting and study the word. His Spirit will guide me.”

I shrugged. “Who knows, maybe you are the exception. At least, I hope so.”

This conversation actually took place in a students’ union at a large university about fourteen years ago. We were celebrating her nineteenth birthday by shooting pool.

Why are eighteen or nineteen-year old youths the best soldiers? They do not think they can lose. They believe their youth, their strength and their zest for life will be more than enough to defeat their enemies.

But of course, the first battlefield experience quickly shatters their naivete.  Machine gun fire ripping through a soldier standing next to them and bullets ricocheting near their heads open their eyes to reality. They are not immune to death after all. They could die!

What happens to soldiers after their first battlefield experience? If they survive, they are wiser, smarter and better soldiers;  and are labeled veterans. Then, each battle makes them even better.

Battlefield-trained young soldiers win wars. Period.

Now, let’s compare this to spiritual warfare, okay?

Who makes the best Christian soldiers? Young, hungry believers. By the word young, I am not referring to chronological age, but rather, to those Christians who consider themselves as young David’s waging battles with a present-day Goliath.

These hungry Christians – if they do not hang around worn-out, tired, defeated, fearful believers – will win spiritual wars if they never quit fighting. Period!!

I’m a sixty-three year old man who still considers himself to be a David. The Lord has delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear, so bring on the Goliath’s (1 Sam. 17:36)

Do you like to read? Do you want to be inspired?

Then, I felt the Lord speak, Arthur, you’ve been praying about wanting to carry the cross behind the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall. There are no walls! The walls, the iron curtains, are in your mind. I don’t have an iron curtain. (The Cross, pp. 183)

For me, this single quote on page 183 was well-worth the price of the book. It blew away every obstacle I had about San Francisco or Oakland or Compton or wherever.

There are no walls for God and His Son, Jesus!

And Arthur Blessitt’s 38,102-mile  journey over thirty-eight years proves these words are true.

He has carried his wooden cross through Palestine, Israel, Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudia Arabia, Iran, North Korea and about three hundred other nations. He has prayed with  Yasser Arafat and President George Bush. He stood before a firing squad. He walked through the Darien Gap…and lived.

Since that Louisiana summer many, many years ago, I have been consumed with asking Jesus what He wants me to do with my life. I have repeatedly asked Him these two questions: Where do You want me to go? What do you want me to do? (The Cross,  pp. 21-22)

Then, there is the story about Blessitt running for U.S. president and carrying the cross throughout his 1976 campaign:

I didn’t want to tell them I was running for president. I would pray: Lord, let me witness to them about You. I don’t mind sharing about the cross, but if I tell them I’m running for president, they’ll think I’m crazy! Why do You humiliate me? You know what they’ll think. No one will vote for a wet, poor, cross-carrying hitchhiker anyway. Why do You make me do this?  (The Cross, pp. 160-161)

Will Rogers stated, “We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to sit on the curb and applaud as they walk by.”

You know, we curb sitters love heroes; and Arthur Blessitt is one of them. His book absolutely blessed me.

Maybe, it will do the same for you.

The Cross by Arthur Blessitt, published by Authentic Publishing.

221 pages, trade paper back, $17.99. ($12.23 from Amazon)

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.

Mention a well known Christian preacher and what do you picture? Probably, a dark suit, white shirt, conservative tie and aloofness, right? This is the cookie-cutter mold for most Christian luminaries who are podium-stars on the Christian church circuits.

Then, there’s Arthur Blessitt. A most unconventional evangelist. He has carried the cross around the world and walked a Guinness World Record 38,102 miles through 315 nations.

Honey and I met Blessitt in Fort Smith, Arkansas, when he was speaking at a junior college. What’s funny is that I had to drag Honey to the small auditorium. She had never heard of him and did not want to attend.

Blessitt appeared in his normal attire: faded jeans and blue chambray work shirt. His short talk consisted of telling about his mission and a few anecdotes from his travels. He ended the meeting with a short prayer.

Afterward, I wanted to shake his hand and thank him for his commitment in obeying Jesus.

As we approached, he pointed at Honey and said, “You really encouraged me today. I looked at your face while I was speaking and just felt encouraged to carry on. Thanks.”

I could have died right there on the spot. Every part of me wanted to scream aloud, “Arthur, she didn’t want to even come here. It was my idea. Me. Me. Me. I’m the Blessitt fan in this family, not Honey.”

Thanks to the Holy Spirit who shushed me, I kept quiet and smiled while he shook Honey’s hand.

Do I remember Blessitt’s speech? No.  Or his prayer? No.

But what I do remember was this: his humility.

The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility. (Proverbs 15:33)

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.