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That song again, “Only believe, all things are possible, only believe.” And we do not have here the adequate seating room to have our little church, and it only seats about couple of hundred people, I guess, or a little more. And we're sorry that the people has to stand, but I'll hurry right away and my few remarks that I have to make. And I'll pray that God will give you all what you come here to see tonight and get your hearts filled with His goodness and His mercy, for I truly know that that would be His divine will for it to be so.
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The first I want to say that it'll be long missed around here, the going of our Sister Casey, though being old; I think way in her eighties. And as day after day through the snow and rain as she made her way to the church of the living God. The other night it was a great privilege to stand by her bedside as she was going. And I said, “Do you know me?” And she.... I don't know whether she did or not. But when I said, “Do you know Jesus?” She nodded her head yes that she knew Him. Then I was glad to call her children, her grandchildren, and I believe even great grandchildren, to the bedside and say, “That's the way to go.” After all, we must go. “It's allotted unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.”
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And then our Sister Hall.... Brother William Hall, pastor of the Milltown Baptist Church, which was a convert to the Lord in one of the meetings recently, a few years ago, and was healed of a serious cancer when the doctors said (the best that could be gotten in his part of the country), and then the doctor in New Albany said, “He's dying.” And he come up here and his wife called me, and she said, “Brother Billy, will you come pray for Will? He's dying with cancer.” And we went down to see him, and the cancer was of the liver and had done swollen his liver out and he'd turned yellow, and was almost unconscious.
And I asked him if he minded if I would call my doctor friend here in this city to talk to him. That was Dr. Sam Adair; many of you know him. And Dr. Sam said, “Billy, there's only one thing to do, that's send him to Louisville to some famous cancer specialist.” And they sent him over there for an examination. And of course, the doctor over there wouldn't tell him, so he called Dr. Adair, and Dr. Adair called me and he said, “Billy, your preacher friend will be dead in four days.” Said, “He's got four more days to live,” said, “because the cancer has eaten his liver up.”
I said, “Doctor, isn't there nothing you can do for him?”
He said, “Billy, we couldn't take his liver out, and him live.” And he said, “If he's a minister, he ought to be prepared to go.”
I said, “That I believe he is.”
So, it was a hard thing for me to go tell his precious wife that Brother Will Hall would be dead in four days. The Wright family here, is sitting here, which they're witnesses to it, and many more. And where I went down and told Mrs. Hall, “Will, will be dead in four days. The doctor says his liver's eaten out with cancer.”
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So, I come home, and the next morning.... A lot of people come to the house, you know, and I have to get out just a little while. I just come off of such a trip—down in Kentucky where I was hunting. And I was going squirrel hunting that morning. Got in early and looked out, there was nobody on the runway at the house, so I went and got my old hat and twenty-two rifle and started out, and I seen an apple hanging there. It was the horriblest looking apple I ever seen.
And I thought, “What did Meda put that kind of a apple on the wall for?” Knotty, and worm eaten. And I noticed that it wasn't hanging on the wall; it was in the air. And I knelt down with my old hat and gun in my hand, and I seen another apple, and another apple, until five apples stood there. Then a great big apple with red streaks in it, came down and made five big chomps and just cut the apples to pieces and swallowed them up. And I thought, “What is this?”
And then the Angel of the Lord, whose picture you see there, stood in the room and said, “Go tell Brother Hall, 'Thus saith the Lord,' he's not going to die. He's been sick five months now, but within five days he will be well.” Quickly I called Dr. Adair, and I said, “He's going to live.”
He said, “Billy, how can he live and his liver eat out of him?”
I said, “I don't know, but the Lord just said he's going to live and that's all I know.” And he's living today.
His wife, I guess nearly seventy-five or eighty years old, slipped out to be with the Lord a few days ago while I was down in Kentucky. God rest her soul, and Sister Casey also. They both have been in this church and fellowshipped with us. Every man, no matter how young, or how old, or how healthy, there's one day that we're all going to meet God. We can prepare for that.
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Now, tonight, just a few remarks from God's eternal and blessed Word. And I would like to read just a portion of it here found in the book of Saint Mark, in the 11th chapter of Saint Mark. I want to talk on faith, just for a few moments, because many of you is standing, your limbs will be cramping. I want to begin at the 20th verse. I want to read it from the original Greek Lexicon.
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
And Peter calling to remembrance said unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou did curse is withered away.
... Jesus answering said unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be ... removed, and ... cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but ... believe that those things which he saith is coming to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
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What a blessed promise. Faith in God. It's a staggering thing to many people. And yet we ought to be ashamed of ourselves to confess that we don't have faith in God. First, there is cowards who die ten thousand deaths while they're here on earth, and a hero never dies. His memories linger on for his great heroic deeds. And usually people who have faith are people who have experience. Experience brings faith.
I think that's the reason that the Bible teaches us.... Jesus said in Saint John the 3rd chapter, “Except a man be born again he cannot understand the kingdom of God.” Now, that's quoting from the original. In the King James it said: “He cannot see.” But the word doesn't mean “see,” like you look with your eyes; it means to understand. You can't see the Kingdom anyhow. You must understand it. And Jesus said, “Except a man be born again first, he cannot understand the kingdom of God.” So, it behooves us to have an experience before faith can ever accomplish very much. Therefore, people ought to be saved before.... First they come to God and have an experience of salvation before they approach God for their healing. It must.... It'll work wonders if you can only believe it.
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Now, notice, many times in the Scriptures.... We'll take the famous old scene of Israel when they were in trouble and there was a war broke out between Israel and the Philistines. And Israel had gathered themselves over on the side of a hill. And the battle was set in order, but no man was able to go to battle because over on the other side of the hill the enemy had a great challenger. And as it was then, so is it now, that when God's people starts to go to do something the enemy always has a challenger—challenge you for it.
And this great, almost prehistoric giant stood there with fourteen-inch fingers on him and a spear in his hand the size of a weaver's needle. He challenged any man of Israel to come and fight with him. That's the way the enemy does when he thinks he has the upper hand. He'll never do it when he sees conquering faith. But he'll only do it when he knows he's got you cowed down. That's when the church can't move, is when he's got the weaver's needle over you.
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But while in the armies of the Israelites, Saul, the great warrior.... If there was any man in the whole army that was more apt to be able to go and fight with this giant, was Saul. First, he was a well trained warrior. He knowed all the maneuvers, how to dodge the spears, and how to knock them off with his shield. And above that, he was head and shoulders above any man in his army. He was more physically for a match, and he was a trainer of men.
But as it was with Saul in those days, we find the same thing existing today among people who go to church. Some of them who are the best trained scholars has the least faith in God sometimes. Has the Ph.D.'s and D.D.'s and try to explain it, or try to get away from the very fact of faith in God's Word; they try to explain it away some other way. And it's truth: All of our scholarship, all of our training, never puts us in position to meet the enemy. It takes faith in God to do that, and that alone.
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But if we notice, while this giant was making his great boast, and this great theologian, as it would be, stand there, well trained to know how to fight, but he had never had any experience with God. And such a pity today, to see men and women who've lived in church, been brought up in the cradle roll, and knows the Bible well, but yet has never witnessed an experience with God. What we need is to get back to the real heartfelt experience, to know who you've got faith in. Not some writings, but the true and the living God who lives now.
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And there, in the midst of that, way back over behind the fields, God had a little ruddy boy by the name of David. He tended his father's sheep. And while he was tending his sheep, he got some experience. And it was his father who sent him up to the armies to take his brothers some fig cakes, and raisin cakes. And while he was up there, he saw this great giant come out and make this big wide boast.
Now, little David was no match at all. First, he was just a young fellow; and the next thing, he was a ruddy fellow, which means he was a little runt, as we would call it. And he was no match at all. He'd never had a sword in his hand. Perhaps had never picked up a shield in his life. He knowed nothing about military training. But there's one thing he did know: he knowed his God. That's the main thing. He knew who he had believed.
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And so when the giant made his challenge, David knew another thing: what was right and wrong. Sometimes we who go to church doesn't seem to hardly have the spiritual intelligence to know the difference. If we do, we don't act any different. But he knew what was right and what was wrong. He knew it was wrong for that Philistine to defy the armies of the living God. So, he said these words, “Do you mean to tell me, that you'll let that uncircumcised Philistine stand there and defy the armies of the living God?” What a rebuke to a trained army.
What a rebuke it is today for some little washwoman, maybe that doesn't know her ABC's, but can stand in the face of a well-trained clergyman who's saying, “The days of miracles are past,” and defy his words by saying, “I was once crippled or sick, and now I'm healed.” She might not know all the ins and outs of theology, but she knows God. After all, that's what's required.
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And there, this little ruddy David, just a youth with his little sheep coat wrapped around him, walked up into the face of those fellows and made them ashamed of theirselves. He said, “You stand there, the trained army of the living God, and let that Philistine defy the armies of God.” Said, “I will go fight him myself.”
Oh, I love that courageous spirit in David. And Saul tried to educate him and put him on a ecclesiastical jacket, but it didn't fit him. He said, “Take this thing off of me. I don't know how to say 'amen' the way you do. And neither do I know your theology. Let me go with that what I've had experience by.”
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Oh, a fellow said to me sometime ago, he said, “Brother Branham, your preaching is in vain, for there's no such a thing as divine healing.”
I said, “This is one thing, brother, you just haven't been where we've walked, that's all. For you're just too late to tell us now. We've already found it and witnessed it around the world, the great revival of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring forth signs and wonders to fulfill the Word of God in these last days.”
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And this little fellow took these old degrees off of him, walked out there and he said, “Looky here, here's why I'm going out. I know who I have believed.” Saul knowed nothing about that, though he went to church every Sabbath. And he might have done all the religious things that the rest of them done. But he had never had an experience.
And what happened? David said, “When I was tending my father's sheep out there, when I walked down through the green pastures and by the still waters, I learned of a God who made the heavens and earth. And I was responsible for my papa's few sheep, and a bear run in and grabbed one and I slew him. And a lion run in and grabbed a kid and took off, and I knocked him down with my sling shot. And when he raised up, I grabbed him by the beard and slew him.” He said, “The God that delivered the bear and the lion, how much more will he deliver that uncircumcised Philistine into my hands.” Certainly, he knew what he was talking about. He had faith in God. He had had an experience to see what God would do, therefore he knowed that experience would carry him on to victory.
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Oh, years later, when he become the King of Israel.... No doubt that he'd become king, for such a warrior as that. When he become king he had an idea: “Let me build the house of the Lord.” And when the prophet Nathan that night took him out and was talking to him, the Lord appeared to Nathan. He said, “Go tell my servant David, I know he was just a little ruddy thing, I know he's wearing a sheep coat, but I took him away from that sheepcote and made him a ruler over my people and give him a name like the great men in this earth.” How God seen that sincerity of faith to believe Him upon an experience, that He was the living God.
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How little it was for Abraham after he had endured, as seeing Him who was invisible, how after he met God and had an experience of talking face to face with God, that he could call those things which were not as though they were. For he had an experience: He had talked to God face to face. That's what we need, is a personal experience with the living God.
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How that Moses, after having forty years of religious training by his mother. How having forty years of military might in his hands, of how to whip a nation, how to conquer. And it taken God forty years to take it out of him. But once out there in the wilderness alone, one day he come face to face with God in a burning bush, and he was better equipped in five minutes after he had talked with God, than eighty years of schooling had done anything to him.
He was a coward dying a thousand deaths. And after meeting God he wished he had a thousand lives to die for Christ. He was ready to go; there was nothing could stop him. Though he had no army. Though his education was no good to him. He couldn't fight, he had no swords. He didn't have any warriors, any chariots to back him up as far as the world knew. But he'd come face to face with God with an experience who had the armored angels of all the eternities to stand behind him. And as Moses went his way down with his wife straddle of a little old mule, and long whiskers hanging down, I believe that ten thousand times ten thousands of angels rolled along down those dusty roads with him. He had an experience.
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It was down at Dothan one time, when a young fellow, a prophet's servant, and he went down with him to Dothan. And while the prophet slept, the great Syrian army come and compassed ... encamped about the great walls of Dothan. And when he woke up the next morning, he had never had an experience, he said as he seen the great army looking for Elijah, he said, “Oh, my Father, the whole armies have gathered and surrounded here. They're looking for you.”
It didn't shake that old prophet one bit. It might have been cancer, it might have been tuberculosis, it might have been a stroke, but it didn't shake that prophet. He looked at him and he said, “Son, there is more with us than there is with them.”
He said, “I can only see you and I.”
He said, “Open his eyes, God, that he can see. Give him an experience.” And then his eyes opened, he looked and the whole mountains was full of chariots and fire and horses of fire, around that old sainted prophet. He had an experience; there was no more doubt in his mind then.
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It was Samson with the jawbone of a mule, that killed a thousand Philistines, because he had an experience that he was born again. He had an experience that he was a Nazarite and the God of heaven was with him.
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It was Philip who had seen Jesus in former experiences, who went and found Nathanael around behind the mountain. And he said, “Come, see who we have found, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.”
And the man being very orthodox, he said, “Now could there be any good thing come from Nazareth?”
He said, “Come and see.” Why? He had been with Jesus. He knew that there was something about the Man that was more than a match for anything the devil could stand up.
Oh, listen closely. And as they go around the mountain, Philip is beginning to talk, and Nathanael's speaking with him, and he said to him, “Now, when you get there.... I have seen Him when Peter come up, and He didn't even, never seen Peter in all his life, but when he got there He said, 'Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas.' Knew his name and knew who his daddy was.” Oh, he couldn't believe that. But Philip had once been with Him, so he knowed to persuade him how it could ... how He did it. So when he walked up into the presence of Jesus of Nazareth, he'd come then to believe.
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Then when He looked at him, He said to him, He said, “Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”
And he said to Him, “When did you know me, Rabbi?”
And He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”
Now, it astonished him, how could He do it? But Philip knew that to persuade Nathanael that it could be done because he'd had an experience of being with Jesus. You know, there's something about being with Jesus gives you an experience. Being around where He's at, watching His work, and then that gives you faith. When you have an experience it gives faith. Faith goes by your experience.
Now, notice in this. Now, as he come up.... Well, we can see them as they begin speaking to each other as they moved up. And He begin to tell him what was taking place, and who he was, and where he come from, and all about it. And then as quick as he got the experience.... Oh, blessed be the name of the Lord. When he got the experience that a miracle of God had been performed on him, then he could fall at His feet and say, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of the living God. Thou art the King of Israel.” But first he had to see it done. He could have faith in God, after God had manifested Himself. That's the way God does.
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The woman that Brother Neville was reading about tonight, in the Bible, she was sitting at the well ... or, getting her water out of the well. She was a Samaritan. She had been taught that there was coming a Messiah who would do great signs and wonders. She knowed a little about it. And when they dipped the bucket into the well to get the water, Jesus said, “Bring me a drink.”
And she said, “Why, you have nothing to draw with. And why would you ask me for a drink? Seeing that you're a Samaritan first, we have no dealings with each other,” and so forth.
The conversation went on. By and by here's what taken place: He found where her trouble was. Remember, she first come out there to criticize Him as a Jew. But He said, “Go get your husband and come here.”
She said, “I don't have any husband.”
Said, “That's right. You've got five. And the one that you have now is not your husband.” And quickly, as soon as that happened, she was puzzled in her mind. Remember, she'd went to a cold formal church. She knowed not what to do. She said, “Well, now, sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. We know when the Messiah cometh, that he will tell us these things.”
He said, “I am he that speaks to you.” Oh, what an experience. “I am he that speaks with you.”
And what did she say? She ran into the city with an experience that she had witnessed that Jesus was the Son of the living God. Why? She had seen a power working in Him that had performed a miracle that told her who she was, and where her sin was, and where her trouble was. Therefore, she could run and say, “Truly, that is the Son of God. Come, see the man that told me the things that I have done. Isn't this the very Messiah?”
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Now, notice again, in a few moments. They had a woman that had a blood issue. She'd cried and tried everything to do to get well; she couldn't do it. She pressed through the crowd and she touched the border of His garment, for she believed. Now, watch. “Faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word of God.” She pressed through because faith comes by hearing. She touched His garment. And she said, “That satisfies me. I've touched him.” And she goes back into the crowd, believing in her heart that something would take place.
Oh, if people today could only get that. Believing. And when it taken place, Jesus turned and said, “Who has touched me?”
And Peter said, “All of them are touching you. Why do you say, 'Who touched me?'”
He said, “But I got weak. I'm so weak. Virtue, (strength) has gone from me. I am weak.” And he said, “Well, how did you know that?”
And He looked around over the crowd. She thought she was hid; she was back out there hid in the crowd. And when Jesus turned and looked at her, He told her what her trouble was and that she had been healed. And then it was that she could fall down at His feet and confess all things. After she had had an experience of His great magnificent power to reveal to her that she had touched the garment, not only of Him, but of Him that liveth forever, Almighty God. Certainly it was.
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Now, it was the people on the day of Pentecost, that was cowardly, and they were in an upper room, the doors were all closed; they were afraid of the Jews. But when God came in the form of the Holy Ghost and baptized everyone of that group with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, it was then they could go into the street. And that man who cursed in the presence of Jesus a few days before, could say, “Ye men of Judea, and you that dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known unto you, and hearken to my words: these are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel.” Certainly, after he had had an experience. Before he had the experience he had faith to believe it, but after the experience come, experience brought the results. Certainly it did.
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Now, those people that Jesus has spoke to there about the tree. Now, notice just a moment now as we close. After He was coming out of the temple one day, He run down to a tree to find out if He could find something to eat on this tree. There was nothing there, because the time of figs wasn't yet. And He could find nothing. So, He said to the tree, “No man eateth from thee from henceforth; no one eateth.”
And the next day.... They never seen any difference in the tree right then, it didn't show any results, any physical results. Now, here's where I want you to get it. It showed no results. But what did He say, “No man eateth from thee.”
And in twenty-four hours, about noon the next day, they passed by the same tree. And in there they noticed that the tree had begun to wither. And Peter said, “Behold, the tree which thou did curse, it's already withering from the roots.”
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Now, watch what Jesus said now as we close, “Have faith in God.” What? He showed them His power first. He showed it on a fig tree what He could do, because when He asked the Father anything He believed that He received what He asked for. Then He told them, “You have faith in God. For I say to you, if you'd say to this mountain, Be moved and be lifted up, and thrown into the sea; and don't doubt in your heart, but believe that those things that you say is coming to pass; you shall have what you say.” Do you get it? Here it is in the original Greek Lexicon, you see. “Believe that what you say shall come to pass; you can have what you say.” Have faith in God. Believe that what you ask for you receive it, believe it's already taken place, and you can have what you say.
Now, about the mountain being moved. Maybe one little grain of sand begin to move, but anyhow, in the eyes of God it was already taken place. If you'll believe tonight that.... No matter what's wrong with you, if you'll believe when you ask God that you get what you say, you can have what you say. Have faith in God. But first, God has got to prove Himself to you, that He is still the same Lord God. He's still the same powerful Jehovah. Now, Jesus said, “The things that I do, shall you also.”
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Now, to you here tonight in the tabernacle, while we're starting to have the prayer line. How many of you would say this? “If I could see Jesus Christ perform the same miracles, and do the same thing that He did when He was here on earth, I in my heart would accept God and believe that whatever is wrong with me would take place as soon as I ask God.” Would you believe it? Would you raise your hand, say, “God, I will believe with all.... No matter what it is.”
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Now, there's no one can heal. Healing is a finished product of God. If any man tells you that he can heal you, if he's a doctor and can tell you he can heal you, he's wrong. Where there's only one healer, that's God. A doctor can give medicine, he can put medicine in a sore to kill the germs in it, so it'll get well. What does happen? The medicine doesn't heal. The medicine only keeps the bad germs out, kills the bad germs that kill the good germs, that kill you.
So science works on different poisons that they put into your system to poison certain germs that won't poison you. That's what science does. That's what medicine is, is something that'll kill a certain germ and it won't kill you. These antibiotics kill both to a great big extent. So, therefore, that's the reason they're hard to take. Like penicillin, sometimes it kills a person.
Now, a doctor can move an obstruction. He can put a bone together. But he can't heal. God's the one who does the healing. God produces the calcium. God produces the multiplication of the cells to build your body back, where they've moved appendix or something like that. God is the only healer.
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Now, Jesus promised that He would heal us. “If you'll ask anything in my name, I will do it. When you pray, believe that you receive what you ask for; you shall have it.” It's yours, believe that it comes to pass now.
Now, when He displayed His great powers on earth.... Now, He didn't heal people until the Father showed Him first what to do (Saint John 5:19). He said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible.” And then in Saint John 5:19 He said, “I do nothing till I see the Father do it first. Whatever the Father shows me, that does the Son likewise.” How many knows the Bible says that? Did you ever read that in the Bible? Certainly.
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Now, when He did that, on his journey here on earth, He did it in one city, they believed Him, they were healed, thousands. Goes to another city, does it, they believe. Goes to His own city, His own home, and when He started to do it, they said, “Who is this man? Where did he get this wisdom? How does he know how to perform these things? We know him.” And the Bible said that many mighty works he could not do because of their unbelief. Many mighty works He could not do.
Now, I pray if there's a sinner here tonight, that when you see, if He will do it.... This is my home town. And this is the hardest place I have ever battled in my life. I've been with the Hottentots in Africa, I've been in India with the hoodoo-isms and everything else, and challenged by their witch doctors and so forth, and I've never had to struggle to get the Spirit of God to work like I have in my own home town. It's exactly right. Not because people don't love me, because the Bible is true. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that a prophet within his own country,” is on his own county, “is not without honor, except it's in that place.” It has to be that way. Now, let us bow our heads just a moment, while we pray.
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O blessed Lord, who made the heavens and earth, created them with Thy own blessed hand, I pray Thee, Lord, to be kind and merciful to us tonight, pardoning our sins and our transgressions. I pray Thee to be kind to those who are sick and needy. Grant it, Lord.
And if there be sin in our midst, O eternal God, forgive it. For just in the next few moments Your Word is either found right or it's found wrong. It's either found to be true, or it is an error. God is still God, or the Scriptures is wrong. Lord, preaching this, believing it, holding it to the showdown, Lord, to where that there must be something take place. There must be either.... God must prove Himself real or the people has a right to say, “I first have to see it.”
But Lord, the people borned in sin, shaped in iniquity, as we all are, come to the world speaking lies. Then we know, Lord, that the merciful God will surely have mercy upon us, and will help us, Dear God. We pray tonight for each individual here, that Your Spirit will rest upon them, forgiving our sins and our wicked ways. And may we acknowledge the Lord Jesus as our blessed Saviour just now. And may His Spirit be kind.
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Now, Father, it is written in the Word, by the lips of our own blessed Lord and Saviour, Your Son, that has been said this way, “The things that I do, shall you also. He that believeth on me shall do the works that I do. A little while and the world won't see me no more; yet ye shall see me, for I will be with you, and in you, to the end of the age.” You made a promise that the unbelieving children of Adam would never be able to see You no more after You left the earth, but that the believer would see You in power and demonstration in every generation. We believe that, Lord.
And we believe that we're living in the last days of the Gentile dispensation, that it's soon to close, and You've raised up these mighty works that the Gentiles might not have an excuse. You've had Your picture taken with us as the great Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel. And what a phenomenon it is. And to see You. If it would just be the picture alone, we could say, “Well, it might've been such and such, even though the scientific world said it was true.” But when we see the Spirit come down and manifest and do the same things that He did, then we're bound to recognize it to be the risen Lord.
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Help us tonight, Lord. We're eternity-bound people; we got our heads towards the dust where You taken us from, and we're on our road back swiftly. This little time of preparation is for our souls. Be kind now, Lord. And as Your servant stands, O God, I have faith to believe that God cannot lie, that He'll keep His promise. He must do it in order to be God.
Lord, as my age is creeping along, and I don't know how much longer I've got to stay here, I pray, God, that You'll give me great experiences, even greater than what has been done, if it be possible, that the people might know and experience that the living Word of God is part of God. And may every person be without an excuse tonight when we leave here, if they should turn their back upon Thee. Grant it. Save souls and heal the sick, for we ask it in the name of Thy Child, the Lord Jesus, our blessed Saviour. Amen.
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Thank you for your attention. I know I kept you just a little long. I just love that good old Word. I was borned in it. I want to die with it. The place I want to go is right here behind the platform. Like to go home to meet God. If I had twenty lives to live, or a hundred lives, I'd want every one of them for the Lord Jesus. Even if there wasn't a heaven to go to afterwards, I'd still want to serve the Lord Jesus, for the peace and satisfaction that I have of knowing that He lives. And because He lives, I can live also.
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Now, if I stood here tonight to tell this little group of people that I had powers to heal someone, you would know quickly, or people who knows the Bible, to know that I'd be deceiving. I have no powers to heal. Neither is there any man in the world got powers to heal. It's only through Christ and your faith in the finished work. Every sinner can be saved just now, by what? Because Jesus comes down and saves you now? No, because He saved you when He died for you at Calvary. It was finished. The whole plan of salvation, and for your healing. It's your personal faith in the living God.
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Now, I have stood with the Koran in one hand and the Bible in the other one, before hundreds of thousands of Mohammedan, and said, “One's got to be right and the other one wrong.” No matter what a man says, if he can't back up what he's talking about, he lies.
And if Jesus Christ promised that His church would do the same thing that He did, and won't back it up, there's something wrong; He wasn't the Son of God. But if He will back it up, then the world's without an excuse. That's right. He's obligated to keep His Word. And you're obligated to Him. You don't belong to yourself, He died to redeem you. And it's you that He's looking for, to come back to the One that's redeemed you.
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If I could tonight, I'd heal every person in here. I have no power to do that. The only way that a minister could do it: preaching the Word. “Faith cometh by hearing of the Word.” And the Word also says that there will be in the last days ... or, through the age, the church age, there would be first apostles, which is missionaries; secondarily, prophets; after that, teachers. And then different gifts would be in the church to manifest and show His presence.
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Now, my contention is this, if there be strangers here. I don't get to my own church long enough to know who comes here. This is a little tabernacle, you visitors, where I was brought up, in my first and only little tabernacle. It's in this city here that I've lived among the people. If you're strangers with us, ask somebody along the city, go to the police force, to the mayor of the city, and anyone, and find out if any Christian here ever seen one of those visions ever fail. It can't fail. It is God, see. It is God.
And right yonder on the river, many, many, many years ago, when we was baptizing from my first little revival, there where this Angel of the Lord here, come down and hung over where we was at and He said to me, “This message will go around the world, and will start a revival that will sweep around the world and it'll be just before the coming of Christ the second time.”
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And when Brother Davis, Dr. Roy Davis (many of you know him), who ordained me into the church, into the Baptist church, when he said I had a nightmare. How would I, with a seventh-grade education, go and preach to kings and potentates and monarchs around the world? I can't tell you. But God said so and I believed it. And He's let me live to see it, that it's been done; and a great revival now. Revival fires are burning on every hill around the world, waiting for the coming of the blessed Lord.
Great forerunners of these things. There's a great runner in the world today, evangelism, such as Billy Graham. Like John the Baptist, who goes forth plowing into the things, and is laying the ax at the root of the tree, doing no miracles, neither did John. But he preached the Word.
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But immediately after, He come along, the Lord Jesus, not such a great preacher, but performing signs and wonders. Said, “If I do not the works of my Father, then believe me not. But if I do the works, if you don't believe me, believe the works.” Then He said, “I do nothing in myself, but what I see the Father doing also.” And what did He do? He told the woman of her sins. He told Philip where he was before Nathanael ... Nathanael where he was before Philip found him, under a tree praying. He told Peter what his name was. He told the woman with the blood issue when she touched His garment, all these things.
And He said, “These works that I do, shall you also; more shall you do; for I go to my Father.” One woman touched His garment and He got so weak. There was no one else touched, as far as we know. That's all we have. The Bible's all we have to go by. But now we can see it done time after time, by sinners saved by grace. Why? Because His Word said, “More than this shall you do.”
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Now, He died. Yes, He rose again, and He's alive tonight. He said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The vine doesn't bear fruit; it purges the branches and the branches bears fruit. He has no hands but mine and yours. He has no eyes but mine and yours, because He's returned into Spirit. The Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel, It was the Angel of the covenant, Jesus Christ. The Bible said so. Any Bible reader knows that.
And He said, “I come from God, I go to God.” And He returned back to God. You say, “He went back to that pillar of fire?” Absolutely. “Does the Bible say so?” Yes, sir. Paul, a little after His resurrection, met Him on the road down to Damascus as that same bright light that put Paul's eyes out. And no one seen it but Paul. It was a reality to some and not to the others. I know by an experience, that same Lord Jesus is not two feet from where I'm standing right now. That's right. The visions come and you see it. And it was so bright till it put his eyes out. He said, “Lord, Lord.”
He said, “Why are you persecuting me, Paul?”
He said, “Who are You, Lord?”
He said, “I'm Jesus.” The light.
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Here He is in the last days doing the same thing, the same fruits. A spirit will bear record of itself each time. If He will do that tonight in this little church when you're standing here with aching feet and limbs, I pray, He'd only have to do it once. Once would be sufficient. We are people who are groped in darkness. We want to think different, but we're not. We see those things.
Jesus said in the Bible ... the Bible speaks of Him, said this, “They have eyes but can't see, ears but can't hear.” Though He had done so many miracles, yet they could not believe Him. Do you see what I mean? Wake up now quickly. If the Lord Jesus will perform these things, then He's Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. May He grant it now. If He will, I'll be thankful to Him, while we pray.
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Lord God, Creator of heavens and earth, now the rest of it's in Thy hands, Lord. This is the little broken up message by difficult. People with their spirits all bothered with standing, aching feet, and sick people crying, and it is very difficult. But I pray, Lord, that You'll somehow, somehow or some way, get the little message to them, that men who have faith, who believed that You promised: all things are possible.
Then those who touched the garment of our Lord. We're taught in the New Testament that He's still the High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. He can still talk; He's still alive. And we are His vine ... or, His branches that's connected in the vine. Then come, Holy Spirit; speak and give us light. Give us healing. Give us forgiveness of our sins and make us Thy people. For this we ask in Jesus' name, and for His glory. Amen.
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I don't know how we'll stand the sick people. We can't stand too many at a time. Let's see, prayer cards.... Now, there's two more boys that's coming to give out cards, Gene and Leo. They've never arrived and they didn't give out too many cards. I think Billy had ... how many? He only had fifty. You don't have to have it. Course, it's just some mixed up, and we can get a few up here ... to here.
Now, what was it? From 1 to 50? They was from 1 to 50. How would they do it, they come right down and shuffle the cards out between you, and mix up....
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[Blank spot on tape.] Just to talk to you, just merely to contact.... If you'll stand up this way because I believe the voice don't come in too good on this little microphone here. If you'll.... If the Holy Spirit will reveal what you're here for, like the woman at the well, who come to the Lord Jesus, and Jesus said, “These things that I do shall you also.” And if He will reveal what you want of Him, whatever you want, what your trouble is, would you believe it was Him? You would. They'd know it would have to come from a supernatural power.
Now, if the lady.... If I'd say, “Lady, you want some money because you got a debt to pay off; you're going to get it.” Huh. She'd have a right to doubt that. If I'd say, “You're sick and you're going to get well,” she'd have a right to doubt that; she wouldn't know. But what if the Holy Spirit goes back down yonder and shows something that she's been doing? Something that.... She'll know whether that was right or not. She'll be the judge of that, see. Let her be the judge, see.
Now, “What did you say you're doing, Brother Branham?” After preaching like that, and in my home church here, I'm waiting for that anointing to come down, that blessed Holy Spirit to do the anointing. And I trust that He will for the glory of God.
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Now, let the lady.... She's here, she's got her head bowed, her eyes are closed, she's in prayer. Now, I want you to pray for whatever you're wanting, and the Lord reveal it, and you be the judge. The woman, if the audience can still hear my voice, she is suffering from a tremendous nervous condition. And I see a doctor doing something; he's putting a thing around her arm. And he says she's got high blood pressure. That's right. Isn't that right, lady? [The lady says, “That's right.”]
Now, something.... Did you hear that voice? That wasn't me. I had nothing to do with that. Now, more I'd talk to her, more would happen. Just watch, now we'll talk to her again. I don't know what He said was wrong with her; what it was, it'll be on the tapes back there, you see. But whatever it was, it's right. Now, let's just look to her again.
Yes, I see her now in a nervous condition, and something wrong with her blood, and she's not from this city; she is from Louisville. And she has been recently in a hospital, and it was for pneumonia. And her doctor tells her she's got a back set of it and must go back again to the hospital. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” That's right, isn't it? But you don't have to go back, lady; your faith has made you well. You're healed now in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Now, then, go and be well. The Lord bless you.
Did I have one thing to do with that? Not a thing.
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Now, here stands a lady that I've never seen in my life. I suppose we're strangers to each other, are we? You saw me, but I probably never saw you. Just probably in some meetings or somewhere. Now, if the Lord Jesus will let me know what you're here for, you'd know then, me not knowing you, that there's some way I have of knowing. You'd have to know it come through supernatural. Then, what would you think it would be? The same thing the Bible said, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever? Would you believe that, audience?
Here's my hand, as far as I know I never seen this woman in my life, see. And she seen me, but I don't know what you're here about. I don't know nothing about it, I just don't know. But God does. Now, if the Lord will reveal it, amen. That's all He could do if He stood here. If it's for healing or anything else, He just wants you to believe it, that's all. This is to manifest that His Word is true.
Something happened in the audience then. Just have faith. Now, it seems that there.... If you could see between me and the woman. You're suffering with a weakness. You have real weak spells. That's right. Just tremendous weakness, nervous, weak. But that's not your reason you're here. You're here for somebody else, and that's a man. It's your husband. He couldn't come because he's got a severe heart trouble and nervousness. And you're not from this city; you're from a place called Columbia, Columbia, Kentucky. Your name is Lotti Goodman. Your husband's name, Elmer. Go home and find it as you have believed, and may God grant it to you, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Just believe, have faith. Don't doubt now, just believe.
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I suppose we're strangers to each other, sir. Now, here is two men, just like Philip went and found Nathanael and brought him to the Lord. I don't know you and you don't know me, but God knows us both. You're aware that something's going on right now, see. Standing before a man wouldn't make you feel like that, that humble, sweet feeling. If you could just see a light that's moving, settling between me and the man.
Now, he leaves from me, and he's not here for himself; he's here for somebody else. That's a relative, a nephew. And he's in the armed forces, in the navy, but he's not far from here. He's near a place where there's a lot of military stuff, it's a hospital, and it's Fort Knox. And he's blind, caused from a gunshot, and the doctor says there's no hope for him. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” Do you believe? Then may it be according to your faith, my brother, and receive in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Do you believe? God bless you, my dear brother.
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The next person. How do you do? [Blank spot on tape.]
How lovely our blessed Saviour is. How omnipresent. How that the same Jesus that stood at Galilee.... Just a moment. Was that man there at the platform just now? Which one of the man was it? That men there. All right, you may be seated.
It's the lady right here on the end with the red hat on. Yes, you're praying for a friend that's an alcoholic. That's right. All right, if you can believe, you can receive. Amen.
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All right, will you believe? I don't know you; I've never seen you in my life. We're strangers to each other. But if the Lord God of heaven will manifest Himself in His power, and reveal that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, will you believe Him? Let's see; is this three people, or how.... There's been more than that through, hasn't there? Three is a confirmation, of course, but whatever it is.
You are here for someone else, that is your main desire. And that's for a man, and that man is your son, and he has heart trouble. And he's had some kind of a something happen to him; it's a stroke, and it's partially paralyzed him. And you also are sick. You have colitis; it's a bowel condition. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” And another thing, I see a messenger going from place to place.... No. It was someone come here to the tabernacle some time ago and requested a prayer for you and the Lord healed you. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” If that's right, raise your hands. Do you believe you get what you ask for? [Sister says, “I do.”] Then may it be unto you, my sister, as the Lord Jesus has provided. Amen.
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How do you do? Is everybody believing? Do you believe with all your heart? Now, have faith. What is it? I just got to talk here, just a second if you will, because it.... I got more to get to and I just want to rest just a moment. You don't realize what that does to you. It's worse than pra.... Sure, how many remembers the great prophet Daniel saw one vision and was troubled at his head for many days. You remember? Sure, see. It's only His grace.
Now, you out there, that's not in the prayer line, just start looking this way. You say, “Brother Branham, would that do any good?” Sure. Just ask the Lord Jesus, say, “Blessed Father, let me touch Your garment. And the only way I know that You touched me, or heard me, that be if You'll speak through that man's lips and tell me what I'm asking for, like up there on the platform. I believe You.” You without a prayer card now, pray and believe it that way. Don't doubt; just have faith.
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Now, is this the patient, Brother Neville? This is. I didn't mean to let you stand there. But you can imagine what takes place. Are we strangers to each other? We are. Now, let this be settled. This woman is a stranger to me. I don't know her, I've never seen her in my life. And this is our first time meeting. That's right. First time we've ever laid eyes on each other. And she's just a woman that would come up here to the platform. Someone give her a prayer card, and she just come up here at the platform; that's all I know about her.
But the Lord Jesus can reveal it, and if He can reveal it, then He is the same yesterday, today and forever. That's exactly what He promised to do. And if that promise is fulfilled, He'll fulfill every promise that He made. And He promised to heal you if you'd believe it. Do you see what I mean now? It can't fail. It's got to be so. Oh, blessed be His name, He just can't fail.
If the Lord Jesus will let me know what has been in your life, He surely will know what will be in your life. You be the judge of that. How many would say, “I will believe with all my heart if that woman will hold her hands, both of you, will say you've never met before, and the Lord Jesus will reveal it. I will believe.” With all your heart, will you do it? God don't want us to be slothful; He wants us to have faith. Here we are before the pulpit, the Bible laying here, both of us, here we stand.
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The lady is suffering with an extreme nervous condition. That's your trouble. But what you think it is, is something in your stomach that's giving you gas on your stomach. That's nerves that's doing that. That's right. And you have something wrong with your neck, and in your shoulders, because you go to church and you are a Christian, and you're a pianist in your church. And when you're playing the piano, that suffering hurts you when you're playing the piano. That's “Thus saith the Spirit.” That's true. And you're not from this city. But you're from a city at the river, and it's not Louisville; it's Cincinnati. Cincinnati, Ohio. That's “Thus saith the Lord.”
Can you see that line? Faith struck just then, cause there's.... That young fellow sitting right yonder, kind of wavy hair; he's something connected with you. That's true, young man. Your faith touched Something. You're suffering with a hernia. That's right. And you're also from Cincinnati; that's true. You believe?
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A little lady shrugged her shoulders, sitting right here with a pink hat on, a shawl around her. She's got trouble with her eyes. That's right. And she's from Cincinnati. That's right. And let me te.... You believe me to be God's prophet? You do? You're praying for a husband that's beginning to drink. He used to go to church and be a Christian, but he's backslid and drinking now. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” That's right. Well raise up your hand if that's right so.... All right.
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That little lady sitting next to you there, is suffering with a nervous condition. She also comes from up there. But the thing that you need worse than ever: you go to church, but you haven't yet become a real Christian. That's right. Will you accept Him now as your personal Saviour, being that He's there? If you do wave your hand to Him, that “I accept Him.” God bless you. Your sins are forgiven. You go in peace and your nervousness is gone. Amen. Go home and be happy, in the name of the Lord.
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Do you believe? “All things are possible to them that believe.” Now, I feel a vibration back there ... not a vibration, but a spirit that says I'm reading their mind. I'm not doing it. You be careful, that'll come to you. Here this man here, put your hand on mine, sir, that I won't even be looking at you. If the Lord Jesus will reveal to me what's your trouble, will you accept your healing, or whatever you need? Will you do it? This man here. You will? [The man says, “Yes.”] Heart trouble. Now, you go and be healed. The Lord Jesus make you well. If you believe it with all your heart, you may go and be well.
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Now, this lady here. The woman has a spirit of death on her, for she's got cancer. You believe the Lord will heal you, sister?
O Dear God, who made the heavens and earth, this poor little woman has been caught into the clutches of the devil; a dark shadow hangs near her. But we challenge this demon in the name of the Lord Jesus, come out from the woman, and may she go and be well through Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
The Lord bless you, sister. Go and don't doubt for nothing.
“If thou canst believe.” Are you believing? Just have faith. Bible said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible.” But it's only way it can be done.
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We are strangers to each other, sir, but the Lord knows both of us. If He will reveal to me what you're here for, will you receive it? You have a stomach trouble. And another thing, you're a sinner; you haven't accepted the Lord as your Saviour. Will you accept Him as your Saviour? You raise your hands to Him, accept Him as your Saviour and I declare you in the name of Christ, healed of your stomach trouble. Go and sin no more. Amen.
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Be merciful, the living God. You believe God heals you of that heart trouble? Then go out there and be made whole, in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Does the little lady sitting here with a black coat on, glasses, you have a prayer card, lady? You don't? You got something wrong with your ears, you want me to pray for, and you got bowel trouble also. Is that right? All right, it's over now. Go believe.
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“If thou canst believe.”
You want prayer for somebody, don't you? [The man says, “Yes, sir.”] A sister in an institution.
O eternal God, send Thy message to the person and may they be healed. Grant it, O Lord, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Find it as you have believed, my brother. Don't doubt.
“If thou canst believe.” Are you believing? Oh, what a glorious time it could be for all, if you would....
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There seems to be a light around the woman that's kind of heavyset, looking at me. Right back here. It's a lady inside. It moves from her because this lady has just been healed. But the next lady has something, kind of a blood pressure, low blood pressure. You believe the Lord would make you whole, lady? “If thou canst believe, all things are possible.” Do you believe it, lady that's looking around there, believing with...? You believe it with all your heart? Yes. You accept it? All right, you can go and be made well in the name of the Lord Jesus.
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The man sitting right here praying. You want me to tell you what you're saying? “Lord, heal me of that sinus.” All right, He does it, in the name of the Lord Jesus. “If thou canst believe.”
Do you believe God'll take the heart trouble away from you, and go be well?
O Lord, send Thy mercies and power and bless this poor man, Lord, and make him well through Jesus Christ's name I ask it. Amen.
Believe it now.... Don't doubt, all things are possible.
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Arthritis is not a bad thing for God to heal. You believe that He will do it?
O Lord, I pray that in the name of Jesus that You'll send Your Spirit upon this dear woman and make her completely whole. And may she go to her home rejoicing and be made well. Not doubting one bit, but believing that it's taken place right now, and she shall have what she has believed. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Do you believe with all your heart? You can have what you ask for then.
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Way back yonder in the corner, there is the Angel of the Lord standing back there, a light.. If you can believe, you there about three rows this side of the back. The best I can see from here it's about the second person in, that's praying back there that's got intestinal trouble. Do you believe that God will heal you? All right, you can have what you ask for. Lay your hands on that man next to you there, for he is praying with a tonsil condition. If you will believe with all your heart, you can have what you ask for. Amen.
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Are you believing? The Lord Jesus, right at this time, can make everyone of you perfectly whole if you can believe it. Do you believe it? Then lay your hands on each other just a minute, and I'll show you the glory of the Lord.
Now, either Brother Woods or Billy, one, is touching me in the back, which I know it's just about time. They won't let me stand much longer, because my strength is gone.
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I said just a little while ago, if God would come and would manifest Himself, if He would prove by an experience that He is the Lord God, that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then you would not have any reason to doubt. Neither could, in my message tonight, any of those who's once seen God's presence. How could Philip doubt? How could Nathanael doubt? How could the woman with the blood issue? She couldn't doubt, she'd touched Him. And He had revealed to her what she touched for.
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Don't look at the size of the church or what it looks like. Don't look at the little congregation, because we're all common people, but think of the blessed Lord who's presence is here, who shows Himself alive. You believe Him right now and you can have anything that you ask for and believe.
Now, He can heal right here just the same. His presence.... You're already healed. There's only one thing keeping you from receiving it, that's unbelief. Get rid of that right now. Don't disbelieve it any longer; discard it and accept the Lord Jesus as your healer. Watch what takes place. You go out of this building rejoicing, because you're right now in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Not because you're in this tabernacle, but because that He has come and visited us. Not because I'm the preacher, or my Brother Neville, or any of these other Christians; not our presence, but it's His presence. It's infallible, it's the Bible, it's the truth. Blessed be His name.
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In spite of Him saying in our own country, among our own people, grace has overrode it tonight because of the nearness of time. The end is at hand. He promised that when these things begin to take place that the end time was at hand. You believe it now while I pray. The Bible said, “The effectual fervent prayer availeth much.” So let us pray, as you pray for each other, as you lay your hands on each other.
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Lord, Thou has been a hiding place in every generation. Thou has been our refuge. Long have we waited upon Thee. Long has this Protestant church longed to see the day when it could stand to its feet. From the little group that's been pushed off to one side because they wouldn't tolerate with the unbelief of the unbelievers who's yoked themselves together. And they made their challenge that that little fire that begin to fall a few years ago will finally go out. But oh, we're so glad for our great captain David, who stands in our midst tonight, and challenges the enemy.
O Lord God, we would pray this prayer of faith for each and every person here. Let them know at this very moment that Your great presence is here to sweep over this entire audience and heal every person. O Great Holy Spirit, every heart may be thrilled at this moment as He baptizes them into the great presence of the Holy Ghost. O Satan, you are defeated; come out of this place and get from the people. In the name of Jesus Christ may every person be healed. O eternal and blessed God, grant these things through Jesus Christ's name.
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Every person that believes that you are healed, stand to your feet and give God the praise. Thank you, and the Lord God bless you. Brother Neville.