Prayer

We really don’t know how to pray.  And we do know that we couldn’t begin to cover the smallest portion in one teaching on prayer or faith.  And it all links together.

I Timothy 2:1-3
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; First of all. For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Now for kings, why?  Because they have authority over them, that they might keep peace in the land, that we might have a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  So it is necessary that we pray for those in authority, for our rulers, our governors: anyone with an authority in government or that is over us.  It is a necessary thing.  Now there is something we need to know.  We need to lift them up in prayer.  In a little while, we will probably get to the place where we could see the necessity of things that would have happened had they prayed.  Because they did not pray, things had happened. For this is good and acceptable All of this praying for kings and prayer for everyone, and intercessions and giving thanks. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Now we could stay on that scripture right there and just really learn a whole lot from those first three verses in Timothy, but we’re going to Romans 8.

Romans 8:26-27
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now for you who do not have, or have not practiced your prayer language, let me tell you something.  If you are weak, then blame yourself, because your prayer language is what the scripture says causes us to be strengthened in the inner man, our Spirit.  This is where we get our strength, by praying in tongues.  And it also helps our infirmities. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, We do not know what is in the mind, but God searcheth the heart.  He knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, and the Spirit knows what we have need of when we do not know.  because he The Spirit maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Now this man that I heard the other day, (who was raised from the dead,) he said that when he died, the Lord appeared to him.  He said he spoke just a few words in the language that he understood, but then he spoke constantly in the heavenly language, which is tongues.  This is Jesus himself.  He said of course he understood it because he was in the Spirit with the Lord.  He said to the Lord, “Why do you always speak to me in tongues instead of the language that I know?”  He said, “Because the natural language comes out of bondage and sin at the Tower of Babel when all the languages became separated.”  That is under the curse.  Our natural languages are under the curse.  So even our language that we use is cursed.  And it is only the language in the Spirit that is pure.  Satan cannot touch that language.  Satan cannot touch it.  That is given from the Lord himself and from the Father.  Satan cannot touch the language that God gives you.

So when you pray in tongues, that intercessor, the precious Holy Ghost, speaks to the Father and tells the Father what we have need of when we don’t know.  It is not something to play with or to show off with.  It is to be used.  (When someone gives a message in tongues,) that is the Spirit speaking to the Father, and the Father giving the interpretation by the Spirit to someone else, to be spoken, that we might be strengthened and edified.  It is very important.  Without tongues, we could never come into perfection.  All the gifts of the Spirit are given by the Spirit as we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  They are operated by the Spirit that lives within us.  He says that the gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints.  That’s scripture.

So we must use the gift of tongues that he has given us for prayer.  And don’t think that you have to get all shaken or anything to speak it.  Start speaking it.  Let the Holy Ghost take your body.  Let him use it.  You just speak and you will feel the presence of the Lord.  You will feel a drawing in your spirit.  You will feel plenty of the presence of the Lord once you start to minister that gift and let the Holy Ghost use that gift.

We don’t know what to pray for as we ought, according to the scriptures.  And we do not use the gift enough in our prayer time.  Mainly the gifts are used for prayer, for our own strengthening, and for praying as the Spirit lifts us up in praise in our private prayer time or when we are alone.  And it is used for administering the gifts, such as interpretation, that people might speak.  And there are other reasons, but we will limit it there, because we have so much here.

(You do not have to speak audibly.)  You shut yourself into your closet.  When I was going through such hard things in my life, like all people have, great stress sometimes in their life, and I would be riding in a car full of the ungodly where it just seemed like it would almost smother me, I could lift my heart up.  You are never alone.  I don’t care where you are, you can just speak and let that Spirit flow through you inside.  He said we can speak to ourself in the Spirit, or quietly.  Paul says if you all speak at once, they will say ye are mad, but he says let them speak to himself; that is within himself; the prayer language.  But wherever possible, when you feel like it, let it go.

Many times I just kneel before the Lord or lay before the Lord and just give my body to the Spirit, that he might use that body to travail for the lost, or whatever he wants to use it for.  Offer yourself on the altar of sacrifice unto the Lord.  Just give yourself.  Maybe you will never say a word, but first thing you know, you will feel your Spirit start to move.  It is a great mystery that we do not understand.  We have no way of understanding, but this is part of the ministry of the Spirit.  And this is real prayer.  This is real prayer when the Spirit takes over and intercedes through your flesh body.  This is the greatest of all prayer.  And when he says ‘prayer and fasting’, fasting is a dedicated prayer because you do not feel much like praying during the time.  When you have been on a fast and your body becomes weak, you do not feel like really praying.  But as you are fasting in prayer, it is no wonder that it does so much for us and for others.  You cannot separate the one from the other.  There must be prayer and fasting.  There must be times of fasting in our life.

Isaiah 59:14-16
And judgment is turned away backward, He is speaking about in these last days – everything is messed up. and justice standeth afar off: Isn’t that the truth?  True judgment – you don’t even see it in our courts anymore.  Justice is very rarely accomplished. for truth is fallen in the street, and equity Equality, in other words cannot enter. Because truth is fallen.  There just is not any truth.  Lying is so convenient.  It just lets everybody out of everything.  You hear it everywhere.  The Lord lets me see through – like a lot of us – we can see through the motives.  It just almost scares you sometimes when you see the lies that come forth, that just roll out, like butter off a hot knife, off tongues.  And this should not be.  He says ‘truth is fallen in the street’, it’s become nothing, something to be walked on.  And equality, or equity, cannot enter.  Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: If you walk absolutely honest, you are a prey to the ungodly.  There is always an occasion when you could get out of a circumstance or a situation so easily by just changing the color or something a little.  But as Godly people, we cannot do that.  We have to walk in truth. and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.  Truth is fallen and it has failed, so we make ourselves a prey.  And the Lord saw it and it displeased him.  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: We don’t care about it anymore, not like we should.  No one is interceding that truth might come forward, like we should, as Christians.  therefore his arm  He sent Christ didn’t he?  brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. Or we might say, him that is taken a prey because of truth, then the Lord reaches down and sustains him.  Amen.

Keep in mind that we are trying to find out what prayer really is: and is it necessary to continue to bombard heaven, Amen, by the Spirit?

Acts 12:5-17
Peter therefore was kept in prison:  Now we know that the Book of Acts is a beautiful picture of the life that we’re … you see, we haven’t obtained all that they had yet.  At least we haven’t by faith reached out and touched it.  Not quite have we?  When you see what happened in the Book of Acts in many places.  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. That is, by the people.  Now what if we would just really all go to prayer for a situation that comes up, do we have faith to believe?  We are lacking in prayer.  We don’t use it as we ought to. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, Because they were praying. and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself,   Or get dressed.  and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord:  The gates just swung open.  and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. There is no chain that can hold us.  There are no bars, no gates; nothing that can hinder the Spirit.  When God says ‘open’, it opens, no matter what it is.  We can escape from anything, anywhere, through prayer if we will operate in faith as we are supposed to.  There can nothing bind us.  There is nothing that can bind us, nowhere, under any circumstance.  Just like Daniel in the lions’ den: God bound the mouths of the lions.  So there is nothing that can touch us if we will walk in faith and in prayer. And when Peter was come to himself, After he got outside the gate. he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. I can remember when God used to move, back in the forties and fifties; God would move in such tremendous power.  We would have all night prayer meetings.  We would not think of going home.  We would pray all night, at least once a week, and then we would see the great outpouring of the Spirit.  We would meet together before the service.  We would come at least an hour early, and we would seek God.  We would be so filled with the Spirit when the people would come out of these different rooms and gather together in the church.  A great outpouring of the Spirit of God; God just had his freedom.  I was brought up on this sort of thing.  When I don’t see the power of God manifested upon the people, it starts to frighten me, because I know God has not changed.  If there is any change, it is us.  I know we’re being prepared in a different way – for a different order right now.  But that was our preparation back there too.  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. They had killed him and now his angel has come, or his spirit.  It is hard to believe.  They were praying, and they did not have faith to believe, yet God sent the angel because of their persistence in praying.  They were still praying when he stood at the gate.  That’s what it says here.  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Just before this had happened, they just killed the other James.  In verse two it says,

Acts 12:2
And he killed  Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And they took Peter, and were going to kill him.  So their faith wasn’t too high.  They were really in desperation.  They really must have loved one another to get that desperate to stay right in there and pray.  They were going to pray that God deliver him, then when he did, it scared them of course.  I suppose it would scare us too.  Amen.  What I’m trying to do here is for us to see the importance of prayer.  We can’t survive without it.  There is no way that we can survive without earnest interceding prayer one for another.  Not just for ourselves, and that is necessary, but it is more necessary that we pray for one another.

Exodus 32:30-35
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. In other words, perhaps God will hear if I ask him. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. I don’t think we have quite come to that place yet.  We would say let them go. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.  Now that was the answer the Lord gave him.  Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. He gave them a reprieve – let’s not call it a reprieve, but he put them on some sort of a space of time where they could have extended mercy. And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. So they were not entirely forgiven.  But they did have a space of repentance.

Genesis 18:16-32
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; God has promised if we walk faithfully with him; he is no respecter of persons.  He said he would not hide anything from Abraham because Abraham walked upright before him. Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? He said I won’t hide anything from him because he is going to become a great nation.  Now we have the promise of God don’t we?  Of this nation that he is raising up again in the last day; the children of Israel, which we are, of Israel.  And we are being raised up in this last day, to be the last and the greatest nation – not as America but a nation from God, a nation of God, God’s people – that has ever been.  Do you think he is going to keep anything from us if we walk uprightly?  No, he won’t.  He will let us know everything that he is doing. For I know him, that he will   Now here is God, speaking about Abraham.  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, What a thing to say.  Isn’t that tremendous – to be said of God, “I know that this man is going to command his children and his household – everybody that lives in his household – to keep the way of the Lord.” to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Now if he had not done that; if Abraham had not fulfilled his part, God would never fulfill his part.  He just said so, didn’t he?  Do you see how important it is that we keep everything that God tells us?  We have to be obedient in everything, otherwise God is not obligated.  People say, “Well, that prophecy went over me, and it has not come to pass.”  Well, check your life.  Check your life.  Do not call somebody a false prophet until you have checked your life completely and thoroughly.  Because God will not fulfill the word of God – I do not care how much the word of God goes over you – unless you walk uprightly before him.  Now we know this is the Word of God, don’t we?  He says, ‘that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.’  That blessing.  And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? He’s praying now.  This is prayer.  When we commune with God, that is prayer.  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: Abraham is speaking to God.  and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee:  This is just not the way you do it, Lord.  Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.  For the righteous’ sakes, he would spare the whole city.  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: He said I’ve taken this responsibility upon me.  I’m just nothing but dust and ashes.  We are nothing, I mean we are nothing in the sight of God, I mean in comparison to God.  We are precious in his sight, but what do we know?  Nothing.  We are like babes in the womb.  Do you remember that, that the Lord spoke?  Yet he says ‘I’ve taken it upon myself.’  

Oh, the anointing is on me so heavy.  You had better hear this today, believe me.  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. Do you see the mercy of God?  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, This is what I said to the Lord that time when I wanted him to prove to me about the Holy Ghost.  I was tossing that Bible up and letting it fall whichever way it wanted to on the bed, when I was on my knees.  To prove that the Holy Ghost was for me in that day, in this century.  I thought it ended back with the apostles and I had taught it so many years.  And how he kept proving it and proving it.  Another place in the Bible – it would open up to another place and he would cause my eyes to fall on the scriptures of the Spirit and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  So I know a little bit how Abraham felt.  I was afraid of God.  I was afraid to put him to the test like that. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Thank you, God.  Thank you, God, for your mercy. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. Can you imagine, two big cities like Sodom and Gomorrah?  I read – I don’t remember the exact population of it then, but they estimated it, according to the people – but they were very, very large cities.  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: This is the last time, he said, I’ll ask you, Lord.  Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

Genesis 19:1-16
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: Now remember this is Lot, Abraham’s nephew.  and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, Now remember Abraham just fed these men, had his wife dress the calf.  These two men had eaten with Abraham and the angels had told him where they were going – to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham had pleaded for Lot also.  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, We used to say when it was time to go to bed, “I’m going to turn in, to bed.” into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. In other words, Lot was inviting them to his home.  And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: I am watching things on TV lately: we’re seeing some things that are going on right there now, on TV.  We’re watching all these sodomites, how they are gathering and how they are uprising and even becoming violent in the streets.  And our government does not even do one thing about it.  Do you think that we are going to escape when the same thing was happening with these unnatural sex acts?  There will be no escape.  No escape.  I know I am speaking the word of God.  There will be no escape.  We do not do against what God orders and think that we are going to escape.  We will not escape. And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. We know what that word meant.  This was the word that Isaac and Rebekah – the Lord said that he took her into his mother’s tent and he ‘knew’ her.  In other words, it was sex.  So we know that this is what these men wanted.  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, He went outside and faced those men, rather than let them get at the angels.  And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. That is why he brought them in, because of the men.  Wouldn’t let them stay out in the streets.  And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, They are saying now here, this man has stepped out of his house – Lot stepped out of his house – to be a judge of us.  They don’t want to be judged for their sin.  They do not want to be judged for their sin.  He says now we’ll deal worse with you – with Lot.  than with them.  And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, The two men inside, the angels.  and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. They couldn’t find it.  Think of the greatness of God to protect one man that stood for righteousness.  We do not have to be afraid of one thing in this earth, or in the next – anywhere, in hell, anywhere – if we will follow God with our whole heart, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice.  Amen.  But if not, we are going to be looking for that fearful judgment.  Amen.

I don’t know why the Lord won’t let me give up on this.  We are going to really be judged if we do not absolutely walk in the ways of God and in his commandments.  I never felt a more severe warning in my life, in my spirit, then I feel right now.  A terrible warning, because of unnatural sex acts among God’s people, and looseness of character.  We have to walk Godly and cleaned up before him, otherwise you are going to hell.  There is no other way.  We are no better than Sodom and Gomorrah and God is no respecter of persons. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? That is, besides him.  Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: These are the two angels that are speaking.  For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. They made fun of him. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, He left the sons in law in there, the mockers, didn’t he?  He left them in the city.  which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, The angels.  and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

Genesis 19:22-24
Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Until Lot got out of there, the angels were bound from bringing destruction, because they had their orders from God. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. It was early in the morning when he woke them up to get them out of there.  Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

Isaiah 3:8-9
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. This is many, many, many years later, but their sin was the same thing.  It is many, many years later and their sin is the same in America and all over the world right now.  The same sin that started out in the beginning in Genesis is still in the land.  And it is rising up stronger and stronger and stronger in the earth.  And it is coming up before God’s face.  It is a stench unto him and he is going to breathe it.  Amen.  We are going to be judged. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Ezekiel 38:22
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. We know who this is speaking of here, that it speaks of in the 24th chapter of Matthew and the Book of Revelation.  In this very end time, we are going to see God destroy Russia and his bands with fire and brimstone, during this time when Satan gathers his people against the people of God.  They will come against the people of God. 

We are actually going to see the heavens on fire by God himself.  Amen.  We have called it everything else – we’ve called it atomic warfare (and I am guilty of it too; and we will see some of that too) – but actually, the final judgment when he says the elements shall melt with fervent heat, it’s God.  God is going to do it with fire and brimstone just like he did to Sodom and Gomorrah.  Amen.  I fear God.  I fear him when I feel him all over my body till I can hardly speak.  He’s just all over.  I feel like my very hair is standing up on my head.  It is just his power and his anointing on me.  I know this is his word for today.  I know that if we don’t hear these words, we will be judged by the very words out of the mouth today, because it is by the Spirit of God.  Amen.  Oh, I pray we take this to heart today.

Revelation 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: Which is a hundred pounds.  and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. A little ways back, it tells about the lightnings, and the earthquakes, and the thunders, and so on and so forth.

Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, Brimstone is the hottest fire known to man.  It absolutely consumes everything. where the beast and the false prophet are, You want to be cast into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet?  That is where we are going.  and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Now this is the last book of the Bible, and he is saying the same things in it that he says in the beginning about Sodom and Gomorrah.

Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. That is goodbye.  If you get in the lake of fire, you never come out.  Amen.  That is it. There is no escape.  Which burneth forever and ever.  Amen.

Acts 14:8-11
And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Paul, while he was preaching, kept looking at this man with the bad feet.  He understood that the man had faith to be healed.  Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. Now look at this.  That is how they felt about it.  We see all of these miracles these days and we pass it off like a whiff of smoke, instead of recognizing and having a fear of God, as we should.  Right?  And you know, (not to bring myself into the picture) the great miracle that God did in my own life two years ago, when he gave me a whole new heart and a whole new body and has completely changed my whole life.  And I have told people, and you would think I was talking about a north wind that blew; no concern that it was the hand of God Almighty himself that heals.  That we have no hope of our own.  There is no way we can help ourselves.  And yet we take him so for granted.

And that’s exactly what the children of Israel had done and that is why they were destroyed and were not allowed to go in, because all they did was take from him, take from him, take from him, and without thanks and without honoring God.  Now isn’t it the truth?  They ate the quail, Amen, the manna, and then just ran around to play.  Did not obey God.  They spent every bit of their time just the way they wanted to do; doing their little things.    

And we are living in a much more serious age.  We are.  Time is at hand.  The end is here.  And also, it was quickened back to me; this man that was raised from the dead, when Jesus told him that his coming was so near, and he was probably 75, maybe older.  His coming was so near that Jesus said, “You’ll never have to die again.”  He says my coming is but a split second from now in God’s timing, but a split second in comparison, through the ages that we have lived.  So it must be awfully close if it is down to that split second in God’s timing.  And yet we just go on as if we have all the time in the world.  Amen.  And there are things in every one of us – I don’t care who we are – that God is dealing with; and we are going to have to knock it off or we are going to be sitting on the sidelines when God comes in his fullness to set up his kingdom in the earth.  We are going to be sitting there looking, just like the children of Israel, they just marched around.  They did not obey God.  They just marched around.  We have to be careful.  We must awaken and seek God in the Spirit.  There is no excuse for us not to use the gifts that God has given us and to get prepared, that we can go out, Amen, and do the work of the Lord.

Colossians 4:2-5
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; In other words, this word could be used, “wait”.  Wait on him.  Watch.  What do you do when you are watching?  You are not running, are you?  Withal praying also for us, Until we get love enough for one another and concerned enough about one another; that we will really sincerely pray for one another when there is a need.  that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: This is Paul speaking.  That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Do any of you ever pray for me that God would give me the wisdom, and the knowledge, and the understanding, and the anointing?  Do you know that it is your duty to pray for me?  Did you know that?  And if I don’t have the anointing on me, do you know that it is your fault, not mine?  I mean it.  Remember that instance where they held up Moses’ hands?  And as long as they held his hands up – that means they were praying, Amen, they were standing with him – then the battle was being won.  As soon as they let his hands down, then the enemy would take over.  The responsibility of one another – and it is my duty to pray for you and I do pray for you.  You must pray for me.  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, On the outside redeeming the time.

Are we learning through these scripture up to now, that it is necessary to pray?  That we must pray?  That is what we started out with – that we must pray.

Matthew 6:1-8
Take heed that ye do not your alms Or gifts to the poor. before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward You mean if we do something to show off or get a good proud feeling because we give somebody a gift or something, that our reward is gone?  When A. A. Allen, that big preacher died, and they asked what happened to him. I asked God one day to show me.  I said, “What did happen to him, Lord?”  He said to me, just this plain, “He received his reward of men.”  All of his doing was to receive money.  He had a tremendous ministry; he has gone down in history as one of the greatest for casting out devils and healing the sick; but the Lord said he had received his reward of men, because he desired the favor of man.  Although he would get up and say that God was doing it; but still in his own life, everything that he had done, he was doing to receive that good feeling, that reward of men.  And to spend his money that God had blessed him with on loose living.  He died of cirrhosis of the liver from alcohol, and they did not find it out until late in his ministry.  So if we are doing anything, if we are not doing it with the right motive, you better keep everything in your pocket.  I mean it.  Amen. Otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. You get your reward from somebody who says, “Oh, look what he did.  Oh, look what she did.  Look what a great gift she has given.”  And that person feels all good, all puffed up and so happy about it.  You have already received your reward.  Don’t expect to get one from God.  That is your reward. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, Or you give to the poor, or whatever. do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. You have already got it.  That is your reward.  That is what he says.  Do you believe the word of God?  When you give, keep it to yourself.  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. He’s teaching us how to pray and how to give. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, Oh, we love to act religious.  Isn’t that fun; let everybody think that we are so religious and so good when we are stinking and rotten inside.  Now that is flesh.  That is what flesh can do to us.  If we are not careful, it will deceive every one of us. and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: Now we could get a real good lesson here about praying for the same thing over and over and over and over and over until God must almost get deaf, instead of having faith that when we pray and ask him and believe that you have it, then shut your mouth.  And if it does not come, then trust God.  He says if you know that he has heard you, then you know that you have the petition for which you have asked.  So have faith.  Of course, there is the other scripture of the unjust judge; because of her persistent calling on him, he gave her her request.  Maybe she had to do that in order to get faith.  Who knows?  If you do not have faith, maybe you will have to go back and pray about it again, like I have so many times.  But he wants us to know what prayer is and how to pray and who we are praying to.  If we really knew who we were asking, we would not be afraid. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. And if we are not careful, that is what we will get to thinking.  Well, I prayed about it for twenty years now, so he is surely going to hear me.  That does not mean a thing. It is praying and believing God that he is going to do it that gets the answer; our faith when we believe he is going to do what we have asked him.  He said if you pray and do not have faith, do not ask.  It is nothing.  It is worthless.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. He already knows.  But he said, “Ye have not because ye ask not.” He still wants us to ask him and recognize him that we might know where the answer is coming from.  Amen.  From God.

Matthew 19:13-15
Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: You are right in line with God’s plan if you want to lay hands on somebody and pray for them. and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer Or allow. little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Matthew 26:36-41
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. Or wait with me now.  Pray, in other words: carry the burden with me.  He was going through a very severe trial.

We need to pray for those in authority.  What do you think our president is going through this morning?  Do you think you have burdens?  How would you like to sit in his shoes this morning?  I believe the man really wants to run a decent, clean government.  I believe he has a heart that wants a clean government, but he is fighting all of these elements that are against everything that is decent.  Now I am not for any political person.  I am not saying hoop’de’rah, making my big hallelujah toward President Carter, praise God, but I know that these men that are set in places of authority like that; and many of them are Christians and they try to do what is right, but there are too many opposing forces; forces of Satan in our government.  And they are fighting against everything that is good, and they are satanic forces.  And we need to pray for our leaders and for anyone who has any seat of authority.  That is what he says; pray for those people, that they can do what God wants them to do.  Amen. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, The Lord picked those three men to wait with him, that they would strengthen him in his time of real need.  He really had a need.  He knew that he was going to face the cross. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. What a thing to have to face.  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, Oh how discouraging, the three that he had the most confidence in.  What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Let us recognize what we are; but flesh beings and we are weak in this flesh.  And if we do not heed, and we do not listen, we are not going to make it.  The Lord did not put that warning in there just to be filling up space.  Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.  The spirit is willing because it is the spirit of Christ that lives in here, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 11:22-26
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, Did you know there is a difference in doubting in your mind and doubting in your heart? but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. The fault is not in God.  It is in us because we do not believe.  Oh, once in a while we believe, and we see some great thing happen, and we get all excited about it, but why can’t we have faith all of the time, to believe?  If we do not see it happen right then, well, believe God anyhow.  Amen.  It has to come to pass if we ask in faith.  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, Oh, I see people all crippled up with arthritis and pains in their bodies, and it comes from unforgiving spirits. Now doctors have even proven this. Unforgiving spirits can cause all kinds of diseases in our bodies. I have heard hundreds of testimonies about the minute they got that hatred out of their heart for someone, they got well.  Suddenly got well.  They knew it was because of the hatred in their hearts that caused them to be sick.  If you are getting sick, check yourself.  I am not talking about a virus coming along and getting into your flesh, but I am talking about these long lingering diseases. And one doctor got so bold the other day as to say he thinks cancer – most of it comes from hatred.  Now think of it.  He got so bold as to say it.  He said I believe cancer very possibly, that cancer is caused by hatred.  And emotional upsets, like a child can get cancer.  It can come from deep-seated resentments and things against the parents.  He didn’t say it was a fact, but he made that statement and I happened to hear it. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Now that is the truth.  If we do not forgive, anyone, I don’t care who it is.  He did not single it out, but he said anyone.  If you have any hatred in your heart toward anyone and you go to God, you might just as well shut your mouth because he is not going to forgive you for that trespass of hatred unless you forgive first.  You forgive first, then he will forgive you.  Amen.  Now that is God’s word.  That is not mine.  I thank God that that is not mine.

Now remember this is on prayer and our attitude towards the Lord.

Mark 13:32-33
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, Now look, it is getting close to the coming of the Lord.  He said, ‘Be watchful.  Take heed.’ watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Let your heart always be in an attitude of prayer. Now if you can’t; if you are doing something, perhaps in the books and things, you have to keep your mind on your figures, but yet you can stop to breathe. And you know that you are in communication with the Lord. That is what I am saying. Always be instant in season and out of season.  Always.

Now this is speaking of Hannah.  You remember she was crying out before the Lord.  She wanted a child.  The Lord had shut her womb.

I Samuel 1:6-17
And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.  And as he did so year by year, Her husband. when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; His Wife therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons? He knew she was crying for a son.  He was trying to comfort her.  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she made a vow, or vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. He would be a Nazarite, in other words. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli Watched her mouth marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; Can you pray to God in your own heart?  Oh, yes you can.  This is why I brought this story out, that we might see that you do not always have to stand and let anybody even know that you are praying, but in your heart you can pray to the Lord. only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: He was some priest; did not even recognize a woman in despair.  Amen. I have drunken neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

I Samuel 1:27-28
For this child I prayed; This is after the child had been born.  She had received the answer. and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. This was after he had been weaned and was presented to the Lord.  This was Samuel doing the service to Eli.  We see that as she poured her heart out before God, God answered that.  Don’t think for one minute that you can be sincere in your desire before God and pray in sincerity from your heart and God not answer your prayer.  He is going to answer your prayers.  He is no respecter of persons.  If he would do it for Hannah, why won’t he do it for me?

Now here is Samuel, and he had made his two sons judges over Israel.

I Samuel 8:3-22
And Samuel’s sons his sons walked not in his ways, They did not walk like Samuel walked.  He was upright before God. but turned aside after money, or lucre, and took bribes,  dishonest and perverted judgment. Changed truth into a lie in other words.  That’s what you do when you pervert it. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Now these are the elders of Israel. Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. This is where Israel first cries out for a king.  They have gotten that polluted, that they wanted a king over them instead of God: an earthly king to rule over them.  You see God says, “I will have no other gods before me.”  He knew if he placed a man in there as king, they would worship the king instead of worshipping God. And he knew what was going to happen. He gave them their request, but look at how the Lord warned them.  This is what he is going to show you here, how he warned them about this king. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. Don’t be afraid to ask God, Amen, about every situation.  And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. They did not want God to reign over them.  They did not want to obey God.  They wanted some man.  A flesh being like themselves, instead of the Spirit of God to reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. He said I’m going to show you something now, and you tell them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: Now that is true of anybody that you put in ahead of God.  These are the things that will happen to you. He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. To make slaves out of your sons.  Instead of setting us free, man puts bondage on us; God sets us free.  If you want to get under bondage, you get under bondage to man instead of God, and you will find out that you are under bondage.  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, He’s going to pick your sons to do all of this now. and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, To listen, to hear the hoof beats of the horses.  We used to have to do that, so I know what I’m talking about.  To see if there is an army coming. and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries,   To cook. and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, God had provided everything for them up to this time.  Now he is telling them what is going to happen when you start following man instead of God. And he will take your fields, Away from you, and your vineyards, Isn’t that what has happened?  Instead of God leading the nations, man is leading the nations, with kings and presidents and all that.  God knows, doesn’t he? and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. Now look.  God only asks for a tenth clear back from Abraham.  For everything, he asks for a tenth.  Now he is telling them he is not just going to take a tenth, but look what he is going to do.  He is going to take a tenth of everything of yours. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; Isn’t that just exactly what we are doing?  Instead of looking to God, we are looking to man.  We are no better.  We go right along with the system.  We do not really trust God for the bread that we have to buy tomorrow.  We are trusting our jobs.  I have news for you.  One of these days, it is going to happen when you can neither buy nor sell, and then what are we going to do?  And he said if you have chosen anything else, he is not going to hear you.  Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; They all had kings. and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. He said, oh my Lord, my Lord.  Here is what the Lord’s answer was. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. He said now you are going to break up as a group, as the children of Israel that were led out there by God.  He said go on. Get in your cities. I will give you a king.  Amen.  So instead of them being set free – they thought they would be set free by having a man rule over them – they found out they were put under bondage.  And you know what old King Saul did to them.

II Kings 6:11-23
Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? This is the king of Syria, and Elisha was the prophet. And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: The king knew that Israel was finding out all the secrets of the king, and they didn’t know how in the world – they thought there was a spy in his camp.  Instead of that, this man steps up and says no, there is a man by the name of Elisha that knows the true God, and God is speaking these secrets unto him. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, Because they were knowing everything.  The enemy is finding out all the secrets. and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. Amen.  It pays to know God, doesn’t it. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. To try to catch him, to catch Elisha. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, Did you know that Elisha wasn’t a bit excited about that.  That whole army came out after him.  He wasn’t one bit excited about it.  He did not lose a wink of sleep because he knew who God was.  Amen.  No wonder he says we are in the womb yet.  We really do not know our God.  Amen. And when the servant of the man of God When his servant, Elisha’s servant. was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? Or what are we going to do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, And he knew that the servant knew that just him and Elisha (were there). and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Amen.  Doesn’t that make you feel good?  It makes me really feel good.  I know who is going to win this battle. Amen. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Isn’t that simple?  Just because he knew his God.  And do you know that he has given us even more power than Elisha had?  Did you know that we have that kind of power in us?  God himself ruling and reigning in our hearts by the Spirit, and we are so chicken.  It is no wonder God is ashamed of us.  Amen.  It is the truth anyhow.  I am as guilty as everybody else. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: He is telling these blind people now – his enemies. follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, Whatsoever you bind in earth is bound in heaven. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. Their enemy.  These are the ones they were going after.  Here they were right in the enemy’s camp – right in the middle of it. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I kill them, or smite them? Shall I smite them? He hollers it out twice. And he Elisha answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive Would you kill them because you have captured them? with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. Because of that deed, they did not come back.  They did not want any more of God after that experience.  And do you know in this last day when God empowers his people, or when we get wise enough to use the power that God has given us, they are going to have about one or two dealings with God like that, and they are going to be scared?  God is just being merciful now and shutting his mouth and withholding his hand; the things that he does.  But one of these days, the King is coming back in his full power to set up his kingdom, and then we are going to see things really break loose, and it is going to be worse than any of these things, because this time, he is coming with a sword.  Amen.

This is where Hezekiah got this threatening letter and he spread it out before the Lord.

II Kings 19:15-20
And Hezekiah prayed When you get something you do not like, why don’t you pray about it?  Spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Now when we ever get to the place to where we realize that he is God – who he really says he is; and that he made heaven and earth; if we really believe it; then we are going to see some things happen.  Amen. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: He talked to God.  for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, God sends another prophet. saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. Do you believe that he is going to hear you if you get sincere with him?  He does not change does he?  Of course, we have not had any great calamities yet in our life to where we really have to cry out. 

There is no certain place that we have to be when we pray, or no certain circumstance that we have to be in, when we pray.  Wherever there is a need, God sees you.  He knows all about it.  He knows where we are, what we are doing, he knows the kind of circumstance we are in.  He is just waiting saying, “Here I am, sitting right here waiting to give you everything you want; everything you need.  You have a need.  And why don’t you call me?  Why don’t you ask me?”  He won’t do it until we ask him.  We must pray.  We must learn that he is the one, the source.  If it just happened without prayer, you would not know whether it was God or where it came from.  And then God would not get the glory.  Do you see why we must pray? 

Jonah 2:1-10
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, He even sees him in there. And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; He thought that God did not hear him or did not see him.  He said, I thought I was cast out of your sight – out of God’s sight.  Have you ever been like that when you are going through terrible things, and you think, “Oh, God won’t hear me?  I’m down in this valley and what am I going to do?”  Every one of us goes through that when we think we are out of God’s sight. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again Once more. toward thy holy temple. Because they had to look toward the temple.  He was down in the fish’s belly, way down in there.  He did not know east from west or up from down about that time.  Amen. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. Oh, what a predicament.  You think you have been in a predicament. And why did he get all this?  Because he disobeyed.  Just because he disobeyed and refused to go and warn Nineveh.  He hid on that ship to get away from God.  Finally, they had to throw him overboard because the ship was going in such a turmoil and storm.  He said throw me over.  I am the guilty one.  I disobeyed God.  So they threw him over.  And God had prepared this big fish, the Bible says, to pick him up.  He was down in there in all that weeds and slime and fish guts.  I don’t imagine that felt too happy, swimming around in there with lobsters and one thing or another that the fish had eaten.  It was not a very pleasant place to be.  He says the weeds were wrapped around my head.  We have not been in such a place as that yet.  But I have news for you.  You are going to face some things in this end time, if we get out of the will of God.  You are going to wish you were in a fish’s belly.  Amen.  I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; That old fish would swim clear down and then up.  Can you imagine how seasick he was?  If you have ever had an experience with the sea, you know what it is to really be seasick.  I imagine the smell alone was bad enough, and that slime and the gastric juices of that fish and the stench, everything digesting in there, and there he was.  He says the weeds were even wrapped around his head.  Amen.  Those weeds that were in the fish’s belly. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. See how thankful he was when he was telling it. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. The very mercy that is handed out to us, we forsake it and look for something else.  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Amen.  I tell you if you ever go through something like that, you are going to say, “Take me God; everything I’ve got, everything I am, but just deliver me.  Take me.”  Amen.  But when he got out, he was ready to make everything right with God that had been wrong before in his life.  If you think God does not know how to throw you into a whale’s belly, do not kid yourself.  Amen. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. How would you like that?  Now God is pretty great and pretty merciful.  He could have destroyed Nineveh without Jonah.  He could have spoken to somebody else, but Jonah was called to that call, and he was going to do it.  I have news for some of you.  If you think that you are going to slip by easily; how would you like to be in somebody else’s shoes today?  I know a man that is pulling his hair out with both hands half of the time, in anger and wrath.  Actually, literally, I mean he is pulling his hair out with both hands.  He gets so angry and so mad that he grabs his hair and yanks at his hair and pulls handfuls of hair out of his head.  Amen.  Do you want to be in that kind of a fix?  Just disobey God a little bit.  Amen.  And this is just the beginning.  Wait a little while.  If you have a call on your life, you had better walk in it.

Genesis 32:24-30
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Now, we know what was happening.  He was about to meet his brother Esau who he had taken the birthright from.  He was going to have to face his brother after all of these years.  And he brought all kinds of gifts to his brother so his brother would not kill him, because he was sure his brother would kill him.  And he was plenty frightened.  We are going to have to meet our brother Jesus Christ.  Can you imagine how we are going to feel if there is anything in our lives?  We are going to have to meet him, Amen, and we are going to have to face his judgment.  He says everyone will sit before the judgment seat of Christ.  Everyone. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, That he could not win.  he touched this angel the hollow of his thigh; Jacob’s thigh and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. He really walloped him one, didn’t he? And he said, Let me go, This angel said, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Have we ever really gotten in a predicament where we got that desperate with God, to where we would say, “You are going to answer me, Lord or I am going to hang on.  I’ll die of starvation.  I’ll never eat another bite or take another drink of water until you hear my prayer.”  You see God loves that; when we get earnest with him about it; when we recognize that God is our only answer.  Now just a very few of us have ever been put in that place, where we knew that there was no deliverance outside of God, no deliverance whatsoever.  There is no real deliverance outside of God.  We know it by the scriptures, but yet if you have ever had to face that place: I knew the day that I faced life and death years ago, that I had to cry out for God because I didn’t ever expect to wake up off of that operating table.  The doctors had told me that I would not; just a very small chance.  I knew that I would go to hell.  I knew it.  If you ever get a look at yourself and feel the hopelessness; I knew I was going to face the Lord Jesus Christ in death, and I knew that I was going to hell if he did not spare me.  I knew it.  I knew it in my heart.  Nobody had to tell me that.  I wasn’t going to any preachers, but I knew that I was going to die if I did not find repentance. I knew that I would go to hell if I died.  I knew it as well as I know I am sitting here.  I knew that.  And you can get pretty desperate in that situation.  If I did not have the surgery, I would die anyhow in a few days, and if I did have it, they thought it would kill me.  God knows how to put you right in that fish’s belly. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. Do you know what ‘Jacob’ means?  ‘Rebellion.  Stubbornness and rebellion’, that is what the word ‘Jacob’ means.  That is why he finally had to change his name to Israel, which means ‘peace’.  The angel asked him, ‘What is your name?’  He said, ‘Jacob.’  Of course, the angel knew his name. But he had to speak it out.  He was rebellion and stubbornness.  That’s what it meant.  Of course, Jacob knew what his name was.  He had been full of rebellion and stubbornness all of his life.  That is why he said you have to help me.  If I face my brother with this rebellion and stubbornness in me, I am going to die.  I cannot bow down in front of my brother with this rebellion and stubbornness.  I cannot confess my sin before him, that it was my fault for all that happened; that I stole his birthright from him for a little bowl of food.  He said except you bless me I am done.  So when the angel asked him that, And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: He changed him.  Amen. for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. You hung in there, kid.  Now, I have done the work.  Amen.  God has done the work because you hung in there.  Do you think you are stubborn and mean and everything else?  Hang in.  Amen. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Who was wrestling with him?  Amen.  What was that little saying that God spoke about being in the womb?  “As babes in a mother’s womb are we, not knowing darkness from light in our understanding of him.”  There has never been a truer saying come by the Spirit, then that.  Of our understanding of him, we are like babes in the darkness of the womb.  We do not know how to prevail; to get a hold of the horns of the altar and seek God in prayer and get serious about it.  God cannot turn it down.  He says a broken and a contrite heart, God will not despise.  He will not turn away from it.  We need to know how to touch God.  People think that they are touching God when they are getting out here and clapping their hands, and jumping up and down, and making loud music, and tickling the flesh.  In a measure, but you will never grow by it.  Amen, and I am not against a certain amount of it.  But you are going to grow by knowing God and by prevailing with him and striving with him, Amen; until you really know him; until we know him face to face like Jacob did.

I Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then When we get to know him. face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. Does that make that scripture clear to you now, what he is saying?  Let’s do it again. For now we see through a glass, darkly; We have some concept of what God is, we have a little concept of what he is, like looking through a dark glass. but then face to face: You see, our knowledge of God is just like a babe in the womb.  We just do not quite understand. now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. To that extent, like looking at yourself in a mirror.  We forget what we are, that we are the Sons of God.  But we are going to know.  It is like looking Christ in the face when we look in the mirror; when that glory and the fullness of Christ comes; because we are going to be holy.  We are going to be beholding Christ that is in us, instead of beholding our own face.  We are going to know him face to face.

I Peter 1:7-13
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious The trial of your faith.  Do you think that was a trial when Jonah was in the whale’s belly and Jacob when he was wrestling?  Amen. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, Your faith. might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. That is what we are hoping for, the end of our salvation, when it is complete, the end of our faith. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: We have that grace.  Do you remember? Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us. Not unto the prophets. they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost Now we have that. sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Are you understanding?  I think we missed that whole thing.  Go back to (verse) 11, because we are going to get this.

The old prophets had prophesied it first, concerning this grace that should come: the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that Christ should come. Searching what, These old prophets. Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, Back in Isaiah and Ezekiel and so forth. and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, They could not come into it, but it was revealed to them. but unto us they did minister the things, By their word. which are now reported unto you by them Through the scriptures. that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. The angels cannot understand this salvation. Wherefore Now he is saying, take new heart, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revealing, or the revelation of Jesus Christ;

To me, these are the most tremendous scriptures, some of the most meaningful scriptures in the whole book, right here: that these old prophets had searched so long and God had revealed to them what they knew was coming.  They didn’t know when it was coming, but they knew that it was coming.  And we are looking now for the completion of that very thing the apostles and the prophets had spoken of way back in the Old Testament.  And even Paul had been carried into the third heaven.  It was revealed unto him, the revealing of Jesus Christ.  And here we are sitting right at the doorstep, within a split second from receiving, and going about carelessly with everything else on our mind but that, right at the entrance of the door.  He said take hope and be sober and hope to the end.  Do not give up hope, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; when he reveals himself to us when we see him face to face.  Amen.  And that means that completeness in us that is coming.

I John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Not what we think or what we imagine, but we will know him exactly because he will take up full abode within a body, the many-membered body of Jesus Christ, to fill the earth with all the fullness and the glory of God.  It would scare me if I did not know that was truth.  We know that the scripture is very plain on it, of what we are coming into if we follow on to know the Lord.  Then we can take heart and not be discouraged.  But we have to watch it.  Do you think we are going to receive all the glory of God without paying a price for it: to step right into the glory of God and the power of God with full authority in our carnal flesh?  No way.  It is impossible.  God must change us.  And it is not going to be a big cymbal or a bam-bam.  We are going to receive it like we are receiving it now, a word at a time, and getting a hold of that word and holding onto that.  And wrestle with it.  Stay on.  Hang on.  Hold what you have lest someone take your crown.  It says let no man take your crown.  That is the crown of glory of God that he is going to give to us.  He taught us to beware lest someone steal our crown.  So when you get this word, hold it; hang onto it.  Amen.

Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; Now these are not rain clouds, folks.  It is the glory of God, in full glory of God, that is going to fill.  Amen.  and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: Well, I thought they were dead and gone.  Oh, no.  They are going to see him.  Their flesh is dead, but their spirits are alive.  Amen.  What happened when Jesus said to Lazarus when Lazarus died, the beggar, and went to heaven?

You know I was riding down the road the other day and it had rained.  I left my car in the garage overnight and it hadn’t completely dried.  There were little drops of water in the breeze of the car, and they kept wiggling around.  The Lord brought that scripture to my mind.  He spoke something to me.  He said that rich man that went to hell would have given everything; he’s still there; everything.  There would have been no price that he wouldn’t have paid for that one little drop of water that was on the hood of my car.  Because he said, “In hell lifting up his eyes, he cried unto father Abraham and said father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and that he may put it on my parched tongue for I am tormented in this flame.”  Now is that the word of Jesus?  There is no excuse for us.  We have been warned.  When I saw that water out there and the Lord brought that so plain to me.  Think of it, and we carelessly go along our way, thinking we can do anything we want to do.  We cannot do what we want to do, not and make it in.  Oh, we can do what we want to do all right, but we won’t do it and get by with it.  Amen.

He says every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.  They are out there looking on just like the rich man is looking on. and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. When they see his judgment coming upon them.  They will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them.  We have no excuse, no excuse at all.

Revelation 22:4
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. The pure in heart, for they shall see God.  If there is any envy, if there is any stubbornness, if there is any rebellion, if there is any hatred, if there is any lying, anything in that heart, if it is not pure, any jealousy, or anything that is ungodly – if it is not a pure heart, they will not see God for he says Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Now we are going to change a little bit, in faith.  Praise your name, Lord.  There is no reason that I should not serve God.  There is no reason why he should not cast me into hell if I do not obey him since he has left his letter to us.  Amen.  There is no reason.  I have no excuse.  If I go to hell, it is because I love my little jealousy, or my little hatred or my stubbornness, or to do my own thing.  I cannot point my finger in God’s face and tell him he is to blame after he gave his own Son that I might be saved, and then he called me into the fullness as a chosen vessel for him.  What excuse do you think I will have when I stand before him?  None!  When that woman, years ago, prophesied over me, years ago, and my friends were with me that loved me so much, and she called me out – I didn’t know her; I had never seen her before, but she called me out – she was a minister.  And she stuck her finger down at me and she said, “If you don’t serve God with all your heart, you will die and go to hell.”  In other words, obey him and fulfill his call.  My friends got so mad that they wanted to go up and tear her apart.  I said, “What is the matter with you?  Don’t you think I know that?  That’s truth.  That is absolute truth.”  “Well, she embarrassed you.”  So what.  Thank God for somebody that will speak the truth.  Why should I get angry because somebody tells me the truth and is trying to save my own soul?  I was walking with God, but evidently, there was something ahead that I might have slipped away a little bit had she not warned me.  So I thank God for that woman.  I don’t know where she is now, but I always thank God for her, because she had the nerve to stand up and speak the truth of God.  She said you are going to hell if you don’t serve God.  I knew what she was saying.  Amen.  So I thank God for that.

Acts 8:15
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

Now this has to do with our faith when we pray.  Amen.

Acts 9:40
But Peter put them all forth, Out of the room. and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body That was dead. said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He put them all out of the room.  He kneeled down and prayed, and she was raised from the dead.  Elisha put them all out, went into the room alone with the boy and shut the door and laid upon him and breathed into his mouth and prayed.  He did that several times and then finally the boy sneezed seven times.  That always tickles me.  That is such a strange way to be raised from the dead, by sneezing.  Amen.

Acts 10:2-4
A devout man,  Speaking of Cornelius and one that feared God with all his house, When I read these things about people that really feared God, they must have really feared God or really loved him and cherished him for God to put it in his Word, because nothing but truth could go in here. which gave much alms to the people, Or gifts. and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. Because he had given so much to the poor and had been such a kind man and prayed continually, God recognized it and said it has come up before God.

Acts 10:30-31
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, He is telling the incident again here, but he had been fasting also.  And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. So I say prayer and fasting.  Now I thank God for all that have fasted, but we cannot give it up.  We must just continue to seek God.  As he speaks to you, obey him.  Do not get careless now.  There are many spirits out here that will try to get you to be careless in these last days and will try to draw you away from that.  That is like when Jacob wrestled with God.  You are wrestling this flesh to try to get the will of God done in your life.  So do not give it up.  I am not going to tell you when to fast or not to.  Let God do that.  That is his job.  And it is our job to obey.  But I know that I have to do it when he speaks to me.  Amen, and so do you if you are going on with God.  And sometimes you do not even have to have him speak to you.  You just know that you need it because you are becoming stubborn or something in your life or there is something that is bugging you.  You are being tempted and there is something you cannot quite overcome.  Then quit eating and go to fasting.  It will break it.  Amen.  And be so determined to say, “Lord, I will die.  I will never eat another bite until you break this thing in me.”  You will find out you will get victory, because he knows when you mean it in your heart.  Amen.

Acts 13:2-3
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, There we are again. the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. That is peculiar to me how the Lord started out about prayer, and now he is right back in prayer again.  I didn’t put this thing together, he did.  Amen.

Acts 14:22-23
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. You see we are not going to get in easy are we?  It is through much tribulation. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, There it is again. they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

(One asks, “Doesn’t verse 22 shoot the rapture theory?”)

I hope to tell you it does.  I heard some preachers this morning just for a minute.  There were four big wheel preachers, you could tell they were really big.  They were teachers in colleges.  They had that rapture theory down to a ‘T’, like we used to teach it.  Right straight down the line, everything.  They knew exactly where they were going.  They were going to take off before the tribulation.  That was for sure.  I was that sure too.  I thought, “Oh Lord, it is just a shame that they do not see the scripture.”  They get hooked on that one line of thought and it takes God to break it.  There are spirits, actually deceiving spirits, and they won’t search any farther.  I imagine those men have been warned like I had, a dozen times or more that it was not exactly right.  Because I had run up against scriptures when I used to teach that, that I could not quite understand, but because I was taught that by the church, I believed it.  But when I would get into the scriptures, it was almost like it would come against it.  But instead of searching, really searching to find out the truth and the false, I would let it go.

And I think these men are the same.  Oh man, they were really so happy.  They knew the Lord was coming any day now, and they were going to be whisked away and judgment was going to fall.  What a surprise.  What a horrible thing is going to happen when they are still here.  Isn’t it going to be a terrible thing?

This is the biggest lie that the devil ever told.  That is what I have said for years.  It is the biggest lie that Satan has ever got by with.  And you cannot talk to those people any more than they could have talked to me.  God showed me himself, by the scriptures.  I would not listen to anybody.  I would not have cared if they told me.  I would not have heard them.  I was so wrapped up in doctrine in the church that I was in.  I believed they knew it all, and I knew I was nobody, so I listened.  That is the danger.  Because we do not know who we are in God, and you can get wrapped up in anything if you do not know who you are in God.  If you do not know that you are really called and chosen of God… you have to know what your calling is in God or you are going to be deceived.  Amen.

Acts 16:25-26
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, Do you want an earthquake?  Pray like you mean it. Amen. He will quake things up for you, and shake things good, and get things going.  Amen. so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. We need an earthquake don’t we?  An earthquake in the Spirit that is going to break every band in us.  Amen, and set us free.  Praise God.  It is going to come.  When we seek God with all of our heart, that is when it is going to come.  I love these scriptures!

Acts 22:17-21
And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed There it goes again. in the temple, I was in a trance; Well, I thought trances were of the devil.  Oh no.  They are visions aren’t they? And saw him He saw the Lord.  Amen, he saw the Lord. saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. Do you want a vision of the Lord?  Keep fasting and praying.  Amen.  One of these days, he will shock you.  He will scare you almost to death, Amen, when he stands in front of you. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat Now this is Paul again.  He says this people know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Jesus said, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. He said don’t worry about it.  I will take care of it.  I am going to send you away.  I will send you some place else.  If you are in danger, seek God.  Amen.  Don’t be afraid.  He says I will send you some place else.  That is no problem for God.  He owns the whole earth.  Or he can take you upstairs for a while if he wants to, or down in the basement in this earth.  It does not make any difference; or whatever he chooses.  We limit God to our surroundings and to our circumstances.  He wants to get us off of that kick.  Amen.

I love this story here how Paul was shipwrecked and was cast up on this island and half froze to death when the ship went aground.  The soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners and he said, “Just lay off.”  He said, “God has spoken to me.  He is going to take care of every one of us.  Don’t be afraid.”  So they let them loose and they swam to shore.

Acts 28:1-9
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.  And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance allowed him not to live, or suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed: You see that old snake that hooked himself on to Paul didn’t bother him one bit.  He just shook it off.  Amen.  When are we going to know who we are?  We are called Sons of God.  Did you know that?  Not by man, but by the scripture: by Jesus Christ and by the Father.  We have a perfect right to claim authority over any such thing as that and not to be afraid of it.

We are learning to know who our God is. That is the whole secret.  Do not do anything until you feel and ask the Lord what his will is in it.  Do not do anything until you know, because he is supposed to be leading us every step of the way of life, every little teeny step.  If you want to rent a house or buy a house or buy a car or do this or do that, do not do anything until you know it is God.  I am not throwing stones at anybody, but I am just saying learn to walk in the will of the Lord, and you will be surprised at how much faith you are going to have when you find out that he never fails.  Not one time can he fail if we wait, and he will make the way for you.  Oh, you may suffer a little bit.  Oh, you think you are suffering, but we don’t really suffer.  But do not do anything without a knowledge of the Lord.

James 5:13-18
Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Oh, we quote that scripture, but do we mean it? Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil Now there are many ways to pray and this is one time here when he mentions oil, but that does not mean that you always have to anoint with oil.  Sometimes you speak the word and they are healed, just speaking it.  And I have been healed without even asking.  When I sat there dying on the davenport that day, I was just silly happy because I knew I could not die.  Then the Lord just spoke.  He said, “Stop all medication.”  I did not even ask him to heal me.  I knew he was going to heal me.  I wouldn’t ask him for something I knew he was already going to do.  He would think I was stupid, wouldn’t he?  So I did not ask him.  But there are many ways to pray. anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith Of what?  Faith! shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. Do you see why you are not healed? We have a lot of faults in us; uncleanness, bad thoughts, unforgiveness, and so on and so forth, but if we will get all of it out, confessing one to another.  Bless his sweet name.  It just takes the Lord.  We cannot do it.  I do not care how nice we try to be to one another.  It takes the Lord to heal and to get rid of all of this filth in our spirits.  Those are spots in our garments. Confess your faults one to another, Now the Lord is showing us how to get the job done. and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent That means hot.  prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Of a righteous man, not a faultfinder, but a righteous man.  Do you get what he says?  That is the one that is going to avail much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. If that ever happened to us, something like that, we would just blow about it and we would lose all our reward.  Amen.  Right there.  And we would not be around to pray again to ask him to bring it back. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. And he was just a man just like all of us.  In the kingdom, we are men.  Why do you think he put that in there?  Just to tickle us, to make us afraid, or cause us to doubt or question?  Because it is a fact.  He was a man just like us.  Jesus was a man just like us.  He was even tempted in all points like as we, and he has told us that he has left and he has put us in the earth to handle the kingdom.  Amen.  And we are scared stiff to go up and speak to somebody and pray for them or ask for them to be saved.  If we do not do it, somebody else is going to.  Did you know that?  I do not think we need to go around and pester everybody, but we are going to know.  We are going to know in our hearts, Amen.  You feel that personal thing in your heart to speak to someone and you do not do it; your mind will talk you right out of it right there.  It will be gone.  You will never do it. 

It is just like ministering.  When you felt that urge of the Spirit.  Had you not gone ahead with it, it would have gone, and you would have disobeyed God again.  Amen.  And we all do it.  I pray we never do it again.  We should all be ministering in the Spirit as God moves upon us.

So, we are living far below our privileges in God because we do not know who we are.  We hear it.  We hear it in our minds, but we do not know in our hearts yet, who we are.  And I suppose the Lord would reveal it to us, but we would just blow it all out of shape and then we would not be any good to him.  So we have to have this Word all of the time so that we can go from glory to glory as we have a knowledge, because you cannot come to salvation; you cannot be saved, except you hear the Word.  It is by the Word, faith in the Word, that you are ever saved.  You cannot receive the Holy Ghost except by faith and do according to what he says.  And you won’t come into the kingdom except just by the Word of God.  Amen.  You cannot jump yourself into it.  You cannot sing yourself into it.  You come in by a knowledge of the Word and believing the Word of God, that what he says is truth.  That is how we are coming in.

And then when the Spirit ministers, then the Spirit will minister to us, and only God knows when we are ready.

 “Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost.”

Acts 8:15