The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 66:16-20, “Come and hear, all who fear God,

And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.

17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.

18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

19 But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His lovingkindness from me.”

What a great peace it is to be delivered from the troubles we encounter in life! “Hey, let me

tell you about what almost occurred in my life, and how I was rescued!” We’ve all experienced those moments of escape. Whew! When it’s over, we want to share the escape, but only with others, who will understand and rejoice with us.

Those anxious moments are multiple: sickness, accidents, fears of all kinds –those moments

when we cried out to the LORD for help and deliverence. In those moments, we repented of

every sin we could recall. We knew at that moment that the LORD would not hear us unless

we admitted to evil we had allowed to enter into our hearts and lives. In desperation, we pled

with God to forgive us of those sins and to hear our prayer for deliverence from the fears that

plagued us in that moment.

But how do we know when we’ve been forgiven? How do we know that the LORD even heard

our prayers? Yes, we prayed in faith that He would hear, but how could we know with certainty that He heard us? The internal release from anxiety that He gives to our innermost being is His assurance that He has heard and answered our prayer. How do we know with assurance the word of a friend who says, “It will be safe with me. I will guard it. I will protect what you have

given me.” What greater friend do we have than Jesus? If we cannot trust Him, there is no such

thing as trust with anyone anywhere. It is He alone who releases us from the anxities of life. But His release requires our repentance and agreement to stop sinning, whether in our minds or by our hands. How gracious He is to release us when we pray!

We continue to pray for you every single day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Psalm 56:9b-13, “This I know, that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise,

11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12 Thy vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to Thee.

13 For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling,

So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.”

There are times in all of our lives when it seems that everything and everyone is against us. We go to bed thinking that in the morning all will be better, if not completely well. Yet, the morning light only awakens us to the reality of the trouble we prayed would be erased.

David had the same problems –even worse—than those we face. His very life was in jeopardy! No one it seems would believe his words. The LORD was his only advocate.

“All day long they distory my words;

All their thoughts are against me for evil.

They attack, they lurk. They watch my steps.

As the have waited to take my life.”

Yet, despite the gravity of his situation, David grasped and held securily to the hope he had in God.

“This I know, that God is for me…

“In God I have put my trust,

“I shall not be afraid.

“What can man do to me?”

I have on numerous times been in similar situations, but never in fear of my life. I was once

threatened by a demon-possessed man, who said that one of us (him or me) would be dead

by a certain time he designated. Knowing it to be demonic, I took it seriously and prayed.

Yet nothing occurred, except the man’s strange, subsequent confession to a mutual Christian friend: “He truly is a man of God.”

Yes, there are circumstances that at the moment seem to overpower us. But the shouts and

screams of Satan’s most vocal patriots are just that: shouts and screams. They threaten, but

they have no power that can overpower the power of Almighty God! Remember that God is

for His own and we are kept safe in the confines of His promises. “What can man do to (us)?”

What, indeed!

You are covered daily by our prayers, as well as the prayers of others.

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Everything that occurs in our lives is known and allowed by the LORD for a purpose.

They are “burdens” or troubles that God has allowed. They are all different in their own way;

they fit His purpose for our lives. Just as in sports, each of us plays the position the coach assigns

us. It may not be our choice, but we are not the coach.

I remember a man who came to me with an earnest desire to witness to lost people. As we

talked, I said to him, “George, are you sure the LORD hasn’t called you to preach?” His reply

was, “Pastor, I would give anything in the world if He had called me to preach, but He hasn’t.”

Yet, that man witnessed to the lost more than many preachers. He had the position for which

the LORD had called him.

The psalmist says that we are to turn the “burdens” the LORD has called us to bear back on

Him. They are circumstanes that out-weigh our human abilities. If that is so, why does He give

them to us? His ways are not always known to us; He only promises that He will sustain us –He

will bear the burden and never allow us to slip or fail in the assignment. His strength is far above

ours. Remember that the burdens are His plan for us. He wants us to depend upon Him.

So, when things just seem beyond us – when they seem too heavy – the LORD is there to help!

It is His joy to see us depend upon Him. He never assigns us things we cannot do with His help.

Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Thessalonians 2:2-4, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,

2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

One of the most vital things for all believers today is to always be saturated with God’s Truth! Be in a church where that Truth is proclaimed. Weigh everything you hear or read carefully and compare it with biblical Truth. There is a pastor in southern Arkansas (this is in the news) who is telling his people that Hell is a myth like Santa Clause. He is a deceiver! He has been led astray; now he is leading others astray.

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is dealing with misinformation someone has given them concerning “the day of the LORD.” That phrase depicts the day of God’s wrath that will fall upon all unbelieving people. Someone had misled the Thessalonian church, saying that that day of wrath had already come. Paul urges them not to be deceived. The Day of the LORD’s wrath will not come until “the apostasy comes.” The apostasy is mankind’s falling away from God’s Truth.

There’s a lot of that in our world today. They’re on radio, television, in blogs on the internet –they’re everywhere, proclaiming ideas that are contrary to the Bible! They’re not all scrufs. They come across as really knowing the Bible –but THEY DON’T!! They’re in it all for themselves, not for the glory of Christ!

These deceivers are setting everything up for the coming of the Antichrist. Thus, it is VITAL that you read the Bible daily and listen to sound instruction from godly pastors and teachers. The Holy Spirit lives within every born-again believer, and He will give you pause when you hear teaching that is contrary to Scripture. This is SO important! Just as you don’t want to discover that the airplane you’re on is going to a destination you did not intend, it is even more serious that you not be led astray from the teaching of the Bible. May the LORD lead you daily in His ways!

You are in our prayers; and we need to be in yours,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23, “And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men.

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.

16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The airplane is ready for take-off. Your flight has been called. There’s not much time left. So, when you’re in a hurry, you say a lot of things quickly and without much elaboration. That’s what was occurring in Paul’s quick thoughts to the Thessalonians –and to us! “

Admonish (give instruction), encourage (give comfort), help (hold up), have patience (take time) with everyone. Don’t do evil toward those who do evil toward you! Always look for the best and share it with everyone. Rejoice, pray, give thanks to the LORD for everything! Don’t pour “cold water” on what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Follow the Word of God, for it always agrees with the Spirit.

You’ll hear a lot of things from a lot of people. Some will be good; some will be bad. Examine everything carefully. Use the Bible to measure what you hear and read. The Holy Spirit will confirm what the Bible says, so you will know the Truth as God wants you to know it.

You can’t get too far away from evil. It’s like a raging fire –a horrible disease! And it comes in various forms, often looking like good candy. Don’t be fooled! It will destroy you and everything good that God has for your life. You can’t control it, however powerful you think you are. Trust the LORD. He warns against “playing with fire.”

God is a God of Peace and holiness. He will permeate (fill fully and completely) your life with Himself. Your spirit (that part of you that is God-conscious); your soul (that part of you that is self-conscious); your body (that part of you that is world-conscious) –every part, totally will be submerged in His purity and holiness, so that you will take on His likeness. That likeness will draw some people closer to you because they want what you have. Others will run from you, because they love their sin and want to rule their own lives. Our job is to be like Jesus, without blame. He is Coming again to take us to be with Him in Heaven. Work on getting ready. At any time, He may announce our departure.

Love and prayers for you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”