There is a Trap Set for You – Be Careful
Fred Sothmann, a friend of mine, a bosom friend from Canada, He’s here in the meeting somewhere, was with me in a New England campaign just last year. And we went over in the Adirondack, where I was lost at that time, and the only time I was ever lost in the woods in my life.
And I wanted to show Brother Fred where my wife and children were–or Billy was waiting for me to come back when I was lost in that snowstorm that night. And when we were standing there by the side of a little lean-to where I’d had Meda and Billy laying in this area–lean-to while I was hunting bear…
Well, I stepped out to one side, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and I begin to shake. And it said the Spirit of the Lord said, “There is a trap set for you, and be thou careful what you say.” Fred, where are you at? Are you in the meeting here tonight? I know he comes over. Yes, right back here. That’s right. And we left there and I told Brother Sothmann, “Something’s fixing to happen.” And when we got to the meeting that night I said to the audience, “Remember, THUS SAITH THE LORD, there is a trap set for me. And all of you pray that I’ll know to do the right thing when this comes to pass.”
And the next night it happened. The devil sent in two people, a young boy and girl to break up the meeting. And that was in–it was in, not New Hampshire, but Vermont. Freddy, you remember the name of the city, it was the capital, what–of Vermont. And we were just across Lake Champlain. And so when we were in the meeting this boy… The girl looked like kind of a Mongolian girl. But the boy was just holding… They were both at least twenty-five years old apiece.
But such immoral acts in a church… They were setting about like this from me. And when I started preaching, he would just grab her, and throw her head back, and climb up on her, and kiss her, and carry on, and just act awful in the meetings. And the ushers couldn’t make him be quiet. And I said to him from the platform, I said, “Young man, don’t do that; you’re attracting the attention while I’m preaching.” And he just laughed right out at me. I thought,
“Oh, oh, there it is, there’s the trap, right there.” I went right ahead speaking just the same. And oh, he got so immoral with her, till I had to stop again. I said, “Don’t do that, sir, please.” I said, “If you want to make love to the young lady, then you leave the building, but this is a–a religious meeting.” I said, “You shouldn’t do that. Don’t–please don’t do that while I’m preaching.” I started again and he just made it worse.
And then when I turned–I said, “Don’t…” And Something said to me, “Say what you will, and it’ll be done.” I stood there. Mr. Mercier, the tape boy, and all of them standing, Brother Fred, and many of them standing present, the perspiration was just running from me. Something said, “Say, ‘Blindness,’ it’ll be blind. Say, ‘Death,’ and they’ll pack them out. Say what you will.” I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. And it just left.
I thought, “God, what–what must I do?” And I turned, and he stood there, and his face white, looking at me. I thought, “What must I say?” Then I turned, and looked like, before I knew what I’d said, I said, “I forgive you of your act.” And it must have been just the right thing to say. It was God trying a–a reaction on an action. That night it was revealed to me that I’d said the right thing. I knew it was all leading to something, but what was it? What to do?
You know you have to watch what with a Divine gift what you do with it. Remember what Moses did? So I must’ve said the right thing. “I forgive you.” For you know John, young John, wanted to burn up Samaria one time because they wouldn’t feed them. Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of a spirit you are.
The Son of man came to save a life, not to destroy it.” And I… Them Scriptures just kept pouring over, all night. I didn’t sleep. But that was a trap set that Satan would get me all worked up and then make me say the wrong thing. But the Holy Spirit was there and told me beforehand to be careful what I said. Oh, the goodness of God, how it was. It… Just His mercy. “Be careful what you said. “
