I been this week down in the country staying with some very dear friends. I asked some of them at the table yesterday when we was eating-- We always set around and have a little-- like a little study on the Bible. Talking about love; there's a certain person said to me; he said, "I believe you're an antichrist."
I said, "If that would be pleasing to my Lord, that's what I want to be. I want to be whatever He wants me to be. I love Him. And if He should cast me into hell, I still will love Him, if I go with the same spirit that I have now." He looked at me kinda strange.
I seen four or five of them there, young men, young wives, fine women. I knowed how them boys loved their wives, so I said to them; I said, "Here's the way to test it. If your wife before you were married-- Now, you go back, say you-- this married life, you been dreaming you were married. You really wasn't married, but you dreamed you were. And you woke up, and you went and talked it over with your girlfriend, and said, 'You know, I dreamed that we were married, and we had children, and we living happy, and waiting for the coming of the Lord and everything.’ And then, this girl would say to you, 'You know, I love another man better than I love you. I could be happier with the other man.' Could you from your heart love her well enough to say, 'God's blessings rest upon you, my dear. Go with this other man'?”
Now, now, check that, each of you men or you women. See? Well, if your love is correct you'd do that, for you are interested in her welfare. You know you could have her; you could live with her, you-- she's your wife--she will be, she'll marry you, but she won't be happy. She'd be happier—
And then, if you love her, then you want her to be happy. Therefore, whatever the will of God is, let God's will be done whether I'm happy with it or not. I want to live so He will be pleased with what I do. Therefore, check your objective and your motive by that, you know whether you love God or not.
What if He'd say, "You've served Me, but I'm going to cast you away"?
"I love You anyhow."
Therefore, if the churches would see that and could believe it in that manner, it wouldn't be one trying to jerk the football away from the other fellow when he's running with it. He'd be protecting that one (See?), when real true motive and objective. Wouldn't be one trying to say, "Hey, I got this too, I—I-- This is me; this--" See, God can't use a man. There's so much impersonation follows it, and that's Satan; and the people can't realize that. They're trying to take the ball from somebody that's been give it. Let God raise up a certain ministry and watch how many goes after it. See, see?
Now, genuine love for God, "No matter what part I am, Lord, if I can only say a word for It to help protect It, let me do that." See? That's the same thing would be about your wife. If you really love her (See?), it's not a Phileo love, it's an Agapao love, a genuine love.
-- Brother Branham
August 22, 1965 am