Have Faith In God

Thank you, Brother Joseph. Let us, while we remain standing, just bow our heads for a moment of prayer.

Lord, it is good to be here in this fellowship of the Holy Spirit to minister the Word of God to these who are hungry and waiting. Our hearts are overjoyed, because of the privileges that You have given us. And we pray now that You'll feed the flock which the Holy Ghost has give us overseer-sight for. And grant tonight that many may be saved and healed for the glory of God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we ask it. Amen. You may be seated.

Just a little bit hoarse from so much speaking and overtaxation of voice, but I am looking forward to the exceeding abundantly this week, this being the opening of our campaign in Chicago. And then, we're expecting the Lord, this year, to do for us the greatest that He's ever done. I am looking forward to that.

So happy tonight to see this fine bunch of brethren sitting here on the platform, Gospel ministers to pray for me while I'm trying to bring to you the Word of God in my broken way. And all to you that's out here, you're the cream of the crop to me. And I'm happy to be here to minister in His name.

Now, I'm not much of a preacher, as you already know, but I like to say what I can about the Word of God. Won't take much of your time, and then hurry right into the healing services, because we've got many services coming this week. Be looking for you each night. Now, let us put our shoulders to the wheel.

This is the only time we're going to be mortal. This is the only time that we can have the privilege of winning a soul. Let's do it this week. If every person in here will try with all your heart to win some soul to Christ this week, there'll be joybells of heaven ringing. Let us remember that and do all that we can. Get the sick and afflicted here. How can they be healed, unless they're here to see it? Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word.

And now, this afternoon I preached on “Why We Must Be Born Again.” And tonight, I want to speak, the Lord willing, on “Have Faith in God.”

And then, this week I have some messages on my heart of “The Handwriting On The Wall,” “Will The Church Go Before The Tribulation Period?” It's prophecies and so forth of the Scriptures, that I wish to, if the Lord willing, speak on this week.

You tape lovers, who take the tapes, my boys, my good friends, brothers, Brother Leo Mercer and Gene Goad is here. They have the tapes. They take them and sell them, just a little small margins. They're my own brothers and partners, so.... They don't make very much off of them, just enough to handle. Just a little ... forget ... three dollars and something, I think. Where we ordered one here not long ago from a certain evangelist and cost nine dollars to get the tape—same tape. And we almost sell three for that. They're not for sale on Sunday. Nothing we sell on Sunday. It must be Monday or the rest of the week.

So you'll be welcome to have them at... And I believe they'll have a their concession stand or... Brother Leo, where will be your stand? Yes, they got some books with them too, will be at the front of the building, after tonight. The Lord bless you now, and pray for me as I read.

In the book of St. Mark, the eleventh chapter, and I wish to begin tonight at the twentieth verse and read a portion, and then I want to quote back sometimes, the original translation. This is the King James.

Now, I want to quote that from the original, that last verse.

My subject is, “Have Faith in God.” Now, we are taught in God's blessed Word, that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word... or, of the Word. Now, faith is also an experience. And many times faith is had... by a former experience makes faith grow. Faith being the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that's not seen, so many people fail to find the real meaning of what faith is. Some people believe that faith is some sensation or some emotion. But the Bible said that faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Now, some thinks that it's a mental conception of the Word, but that is not right. Faith is a substance. Faith is not a myth. Faith is a substance of things hoped for; the evidence... To have an evidence, it must be a substance. So it is not just something that you imagine in your mind; it's something that absolutely you have. It's something that you possess in your own being. And what is it? It's the evidence of things that you have hoped for. It's the evidence of things you do not have as yet, but you have the authority of God to say that you have it. It's an evidence, something you have in your heart.

Now, it's not something that you just kind of push yourself to. I've noticed so much of that in my meetings, that people try to work themselves up into something, to make them believe. Now, you can't do that. You're just beating the air. But faith is something that's just as calm and settled as it can be. It's taking God at His Word and having the assurance in your heart, that God is able to keep what He has said that He would do and will perform everything that He said He would do.

Now, I've noticed it many times: people think they must be prayed for. That's all right. We should pray for each other. Or that their hands might be ... or, some evangelist's hands must be ministered. That's all right. That'll bring contacts and so forth of faith. But real, unadulterated faith is taking God at His Word. That's the main thing.

In the meeting, my meeting has never been to a place to where I have tried to make the people think that there was something that God had given me a little special towards healing someone. That's an error. God has given no one any powers to heal someone. Healing comes alone by faith, and faith in a work that's already been done, a finished work that Christ did at Calvary.

It's so much like this, that if I was starving for food, and one loaf of bread would save my life, and you passed by in the country somewhere, and you see me starving, and you say, “Brother Branham, are you hungry?”

I say, “I will die shortly if I do not have some bread.” And you reach into your pocket and give me twenty-five cents. And you say, “Brother Branham, this is the purchase power of a loaf of bread.”

Now, I reach out and receive the twenty-five cents. Now, if you tell me that, and I just imagine I've got the twenty-five cents, I'm only deceiving myself. I've got to hold the twenty-five cents in my possession. The twenty-five cents is the faith that we have to have.

Now, twenty-five cents is not a loaf of bread, but it's the purchase power of the loaf of bread. And after I have received the twenty-five cents, I can be just as happy with that twenty-five cents, as I could be with the loaf of bread in my hand. I can rejoice just as much when you give me the twenty-five cents, as if you gave me the loaf of bread, because I have the purchase power of the loaf of bread, and I know there's plenty of bread for sale.

And when I have faith that God is going to keep His Word, though I'm not healed at the present time, I know God has plenty of healing power, and I've got the faith to bring it to me. I'm just as happy with the faith that says, “You're going to get well.” as you would be if you were sound and well at that minute. It makes no difference, because you've already possessed it. Faith is a substance, not a make-belief. But you're holding, not in your hand, but in the possession of your heart, you have the purchase power of your healing.

Now, with this twenty-five cents, I might have to walk several miles to get the loaf of bread. But all the time when I'm walking, I'm getting weaker and weaker, but rejoicing all the time, because I know as soon as I arrive at the place, I'm going to have the bread. I may have to go over the hill, and down through the thicket, across the river, and over the stumps, and I may get so hungry before I get there, till I've even got cramps in my stomach. But I'm rejoicing all the time, yet getting worse, weaker, hungrier; I'm rejoicing, because I hold in my possession, the purchase power of that bread. And when a man really looks to God with unadulterated faith, that God is able to keep what He's promised, he can rejoice, no matter how sick he gets or how bad he suffers. All the hurting he is, or whether he's prayed for, or whether he isn't, it's a settled thing with that man, when he receives the faith.

There is an old proverb that I like to quote once in awhile, and that's this: “A coward dies ten thousand deaths, when a hero never dies.” A coward, he's always scared. He's running at every little thing. As we would call it, in the hunter's language, he's spooked all the time. He's afraid of every little shadow.

That's the way with a man who comes and professes that he has faith and is spooked at every little scarecrow the devil can put before him. Oh, my, he thinks, “Oh, I'm not any better. I just don't feel as well as I did yesterday.” What difference does it make? If you've got real faith in your heart that God's going to keep His Word, all the hurts, and aches, and pains, and shadows will not amount to anything. You believe it in your heart. It's yours, and there's nothing can take it away from you. It's yours; it's a gift that God has given you, the blessed assurance that what you asked for, He's able to perform it, because He's promised it. There's real faith.

That's what it takes to overcome. And if you notice, Jesus didn't say, “Quickly, this mountain will be throwed into the sea.” But, “If thou will ask for this mountain to be raised up and thrown into the sea, and will believe in your heart that it's being done, you shall have what you say.” Oh, my. When you go to the mountain and say, “Mountain, be cast up, throwed into the sea.” Look, say, “Oh, it never happened. I guess I haven't got faith.”

When you say, “Mountain, be raised up and thrown into the sea,” and your objective is right, and your motive is right, you may not see one bit of difference in that mountain. Maybe just one little grain of sand moved when you said that, but it's being moved. No matter how small it is, it's taking place.

And when you raise your hand to Christ and say, “I receive You as my healer. I believe that You will make me well,” there may not be one physical thing that you could point to, but down on the inside of you, something's taking place, because God said it would take place. You just can't imagine it. You've got to believe it, that it's taking place. And how do you believe it? Look who said it. Christ said it.

Now, we find in the Bible, many characters that we could refer to, if time would permit. Let's take for instance, when the armies of Israel, once, was called out to arms against the Philistines. And they had plenty of wars. And it would go first one way and then another. One would win, and then the other would win, and they would pay tribute, and tithings ... or, tribute money, rather, to each other for years. And then the other army would raise up and overcome.

One day while they were called out to battle, there was a great big prehistoric giant called Goliath, fourteen inch fingers, and with a spear as long as a weaver's needle. Many feet.... Oh, he was a giant up beside of any of the Israelites or any man on the other side. And he made a challenge and a proposition with king Saul and the Israelite army. He said, “Let a man be drawed from your army and come, fight me. If I whip him, then you serve us. If he whips me, then we serve you. And we won't have any further bloodshed.”

How the devil likes to do that when he thinks he's got the upper hand.

So if there was any man in the whole army of Israel that was physically able to anyway match this great challenge, it was Saul, himself. For the first place, he was a well trained warrior. And another thing, he was head and shoulders above any man in the army, great big wide-shouldered, athletical-looking fellow, well-trained, a trainer of men. And if anyone should've challenged, or accepted the challenge, it should be Saul. But he was just as yellow as a pumpkin. He was afraid to go and match spears with this Philistine.

But one day there come a little ruddy-looking fellow, who never had a armor on in his life. He was a little sheepherder with a little sheep coat on. He had some raisin pies for his brother, that his daddy, Jesse, had sent him up there.

But this big giant made his challenge once too often. This little ruddy man, who didn't know nothing about the training of a spear or how to fight an army, but he had had an experience with the Living God. And that living experience that he'd previously had with the Living God, raised in him, when he seen right and wrong in conflict.

When you know whether you're right or not, look at your objective. See whether it's right or wrong. See whether it's right that we should pray for the sick or not. See whether it's right that we should accept God on the bare basis of His Word and call those things which are not as though they were. See if God has made a promise, “Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe you receive them, and ye shall have them.”

David yet, maybe, had never seen an army before. But he knowed one thing, that back over in the fields by the green pastures, and down by the still waters, he'd come personally in contact with the Living God. And he had faith in that God who had talked to him, because he had had an experience of seeing God's great power.

Now, here's what I'm trying to say. When you see God's great power demonstrated, it ought to rise in you an unadulterated faith to take God at His Word and believe, that what God has said, God will do. If He's God at all, He keeps His Word.

So Saul, as many people today, many church members, well trained in theology, doctors of divinity, but has never had an experience of putting faith to a real challenge. And there's many fine trained ministers today in the pulpits and out in the schools, great doctors and so forth who are well trained, better trained than many of the men who's making challenges, but they've never had an experience to see the real true God move. They only know it from the way of training.

And Saul well represents that today ... or, the church represents Saul. If any man ought to be able to go out and challenge the devil, against his evil, is a man who's a great school teacher of the Bible, a man who knows all the Greek words, who knows all the great doctrines of the Bible. But they're afraid. They'll talk against it as Saul did, and say, “You're not able to go against this, you little ruddy fellow. This man is trained and a warrior from his youth. And you're nothing but a youth.” And he said, “Come here, and I will give you some of my theology.”

So he put his armor and his degree upon the little David, but he come to find out, that his ecclesiastical vest didn't fit a man of God. So he said, “Take the thing off of me, and let me go just the way I met God.”

That's the way we want to go. Not with some great seminary teaching, but with the experience that we've had when God filled our life with the Holy Spirit and changed us from sinners unto Christians. Let us go with that type of faith, somebody who's had an experience. It might not be a great trained group today that has that experience. It may be the little ruddy mission down on the corner. It might not be those who are great men, and under the great cathedrals, and the chapels, and the chimes a-ringing. It may be little old housewife who couldn't hardly sign her name to a paper, but she's had an experience that God keeps His Word.

Might be a little old boy that couldn't read a text out of a Bible, but he's had an experience, that he's met God and been born again by the Holy Spirit, and he's able to challenge the devil in the midst of the darkness to a showdown on His Word. Certainly.

It's men like that, and women like that, that make the challenge, that get something from God. Many times they'll sit in the meeting and say, “This is Dr. So-and-so. He's been ill for some time.” And then see a little old unconcerned, maybe colored woman, who maybe didn't even know her ABC's, be healed of a cancer, sitting by him.

God wants men to believe Him. “If thou shalt say in thy heart, and believe that it's being done, you shall have what you say.”

It was after Abraham, that had met God, after being seventy-five years old, down in the land of the Chaldeans in the city of Ur, it was there that after Abraham met God, he could call those things which were not as though they were, because he'd believed God after he had had an experience of meeting God.

It was Moses, after all the training he'd had by his mama, and all the wisdom of the Egyptians rested in the bosom of Moses, and God sent him out on the backside of the desert to forget it all. And Moses, a coward, and not felt physically ... or, spiritually, rather, fit to lead this great army of people, but it was after he'd come in contact with the bush, that fire, that burnt out that he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible. He was better qualified for the job, five minutes after he'd met the Lord in the burning bush with an experience, than he had all of his eighty years of training.

And men and women who meet God, who know what they're talking about, it's that type of person that God can use. Not so much as we have to have our schools and polish up. That isn't it.

I've often made this rude, seemingly ridiculous remark, but it's true: “Christ is not known by theology, but He's known by kneeology.” It sounds rude, but it's truth. Christ is known as you approach Him with a sincere heart and believe. That's how He's known.

Now, we take for instance, in the Bible, Philip, when he went over and found Nathanael under a tree, praying, and he said, “Nathanael, come, see who we have found. It's Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.”

And the Israelite, being very stanch and orthodox, and all of his scholarship and his teaching, he said, “Now, could there be any good thing come from Nazareth?”

You know, Philip had had an experience; he'd seen Jesus in previous battles; He said, “Come, and see.”

That's the best I know to tell a man. “Come and sit down awhile.” And if there's any life in you, it'll show up when you're in the presence of the resurrected Jesus.

And we see him as he come, how Philip could instruct him and say, “Now, I won't be a bit surprised, that when you stand in the presence of this Prophet.... I know you're a good man, and I know that if you're once convinced, well, you'll know the truth. And you know what the Bible said would happen when the Messiah come, so I'm sure you'll be convinced. Now, I want you to come with an open heart. Why, you know, I wouldn't be a bit surprised that when you stand before Him, He will tell you who you are. Why, I seen Him, just a few days ago, when an old fisherman, that was called an ignorant and an unlearned man, when he sat in His presence, He said, 'Your name is Simon. And your father's name is Jonas. And from henceforth, you'll be called Peter.' Why, I won't be a bit surprised that He will tell you who you are.” He would seen Jesus. He had an experience. He knew that what Jesus could do, because he'd had an experience. He knew what was in Him.

So as Nathanael walked up close to where Jesus was, He turned His head and looked at him and said, “Behold, an Israelite in whom is no guile.”

He must have thought, “That's just what Philip said.”

And he said, “Rabbi, when did You know me?”

He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”

It was then that this starchy, orthodox, after he'd seen the power of Christ, could fall on his knees and say these words immortal, “Thou art the Christ. Thou art the King of Israel.” It was after he had seen the working of the great Holy Spirit in Him, that he could say those words. He could not say them beforehand, but he could now, for he stood and he seen for himself, then he knew that the living God rested in the Man. And it was time for the Messiah to come; therefore, he could say, “You are the Messiah; You are the King of Israel. You are the Son of God.” After he had had an experience, faith rose in him when he seen the glory of God.

No wonder that Samson could take the jawbone of a mule and beat down a thousand Philistines after he'd felt the power of God surge through him once, and grabbed a lion and killed it.

That was the reason David could have such faith against Goliath. He said, “Your servant,” to Saul, “once herded his father's sheep. And while I was out there, a bear come in and got one of my little lambs. And I took out after him, and I overcome him. And a lion come and got a kid, and I knocked him down with my slingshot. And then when he rose up against me, I grabbed him by the beard and I slew him, single-handed.” He said, “The God that delivered me from the paws of the lion and from the bear, how much more will He deliver me from that uncircumcised Philistine.” He had an experience, a previous experience. He had seen the power of God to deliver. He knew that God was.

The little woman with the blood issue that had spent all of her money for the physicians and none of them could help her, that she crept through the crowd; in her little heart was hope, just hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Her hopes, if she could ever touch the garment of that holy man, that she would be healed of her blood issue. She was hoping so, and when she got there and touched His garment, her satisfaction was met. And Jesus turned Himself around. She'd never seen Him before in action. She'd heard: faith cometh by hearing. She'd heard He could do that. So when she touched His garment and He turned around and said, “Who has touched Me?”

And Peter said, “Lord, all of them is touching You.”

He said, “But I have gotten weak. Someone touched Me.”

She's standing back in the crowd, wondering. After a bit, those great sparkling blue eyes moved around till it found the little woman, standing in the midst of thousands and said, “You are the one that touched Me.” It was then that she could fall on her face and recognize who He was.

It was the woman at the well who was a bad woman, as we would call her, a woman of ill fame. It was she who had a Bible training, for she could converse with Jesus of Nazareth, not knowing who He was, about God being worshipped at Jerusalem or in the mountain. It was she that was well-trained that some day there would be someone come, who would be the Messiah, and the things that He would do. When she was talking to Him, it was her, standing there, a guilty prostitute, talking to the Master. But when He looked at her and He said, “Woman, go get your husband and come here.”

And she said, “I don't have any husband.”

He said, “That is truth. You've had five. And the one you have now is not your husband.”

What? It was then that they heard her say, “You must be a Prophet. We know that when the Messiah cometh, this will be the sign of the Messiah. But we don't know who You are.”

He said, “I am He that speaks to you.”

It was after that experience of seeing Him do something in that manner, that she could run into the city and say, “Come, see a Man who told me all I've done.” It was after she'd had an experience of seeing the living God move and work.

It was on the day of Pentecost, when a hundred and fifty Jews were in an upper room with the doors closed, waiting for the promise, cowardly, afraid to testify, the doors shut because of the threat of the Jews. It was after the resurrected Christ had come in the form of the Holy Spirit, and had give them an experience, and licking tongues of fire set upon them, it was then they could run out into the streets, and Peter could say, “Ye men of Israel, and you that dwell in Judaea, let this be known unto you and hearken to my words.” It was after he had had the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit, that he could testify fearless and seal his testimony with his own blood, crucified with his head turned down. After he had had an experience....

Before Jesus told them to move the mountain yonder with their faith, before He did that, He asked them this. He had showed His power on a little old tree. Think of all of the things that He could've done with that power, but passing by the tree, He saw no food on it, and He said, “No man eateth from thee from henceforth, for all seasons.”

And the next day when they passed by, they saw His power had went to work. They had an experience that He had power to speak into existence or speak out of existence. It was then that Jesus told them, “Have faith in God; for if you'll say to this mountain, be ye raised up and thrown into the sea, and don't doubt, but believe that what you say shall come to pass, you can have what you say.”

I do not know you here tonight. There's hardly anyone that I know in the building, but there's one thing sure: God knows each of you. And you'll be guilty after this meeting, if God shall perform His same works in this building tonight, after you've had an experience that He keeps His Word; for He said before His going away, “The works that I do, shall you also.” And if He made that promise, and He keeps that promise, then you'll be guilty of sin (and sin is unbelief), if God will show Himself alive tonight in the building, and you'll go out of here still with doubt in your heart. May God show His power, that He keeps His promise.

After nineteen hundred years, He's just as alive tonight, as He was when He performed that miracle with the woman at the well. May He show Himself alive tonight, so that when the atomic age soon arrives, or your time is finished on earth, and you stand before Him, you will be without an excuse. Let us pray.

All ages, Thou art God. Before there was a light, You were God. Before there was a heaven, You were God. And when all lights is finished and no stars are shining, the solar system has vanished, You'll still be God.

How comes then, that we little insignificant men will try to comprehend in our mind, or let Satan deceive us by trying to make us doubt what You've said is truth. Surely, You keep Your Word. Thou doest look and seek out diligently, throughout all the earth, to find someone that You can show Your glory through, for You're so anxious to let people see that the great God who made the promise keeps the promise. And grant tonight, Almighty God, You are sovereign; even in our unbelief Your grace overrides our unbelief. And we believe You to be the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite God. And we would ask tonight to forgive us of our sins and shortcomings, all of our doubts and unbelief.

And once more, eternal and blessed God, display for the glory of God and the fulfilling of Your Word, Your great sovereign power, that in that day, men will not have a word to say against it, because now they can take their choice: they either believe it or reject it. As You have did through the ages, be tonight at the closing of this Gentile dispensation. And O God, if we stuck-up, indifferent, high-headed, haughty-minded Gentiles would just gaze our eyes upon Thy Word, we'd realize, Lord, who we are, and how little we are. But we believe that You've give us a day of grace through Jesus our Lord.

And now, Lord, fulfill Thy Word, and come into this little church tonight, and manifest Your same power that You did when You were on earth. And we will bow our heads in humility and give You the glory, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

At this moment I'm not going to make an altar call. I'm going to wait just a few moments with nothing but one objective, that is, that the faith that's in my heart, that by grace God placed there, He will appear here tonight and will do the same as He did. Don't be stubborn hearted. Don't be slothful, but be ready. The trouble with the people now: they've seen God's glory so much, it becomes a common thing.

Some time ago, a man was going to the seashore, for he wanted to go to relax, for he'd read many stories about the sea, as you've read about God. And he said, “I long to be by the seashore. I've never seen it. I long to smell it's salt water. I long to hear the sea gulls as they go through the air, screaming. I long to see the great white caps, as it raises up and dances for glee, and how it jumps against the bank in it's anger, to know that God has made the moon to watch over it, and set its bounds that is cannot pass. Oh, I want to see all that the sea will offer.”

How you ought to be willing, tonight, and longing to see all that God will offer.

And as He went, he met an old sailor coming from the sea. He said, “Where goest thou?”

He said, “I'm going to the sea to see all that it will offer, its waves, its salt water, and the great white foam as it bursts into the air from the salt.”

The old sailor said, “Why, there's nothing attractive about it. I've rode those waves since I was a child. I've smelled salt, till I feel that I'm pickled.” He said, “And I've heard gulls holler, till I don't even notice them no more. There's nothing attractive about it.”

What was the matter? The man had seen it so much, until it was so common, he couldn't detect its beauty.

And to you Pentecostal and full gospel people who attends such meetings, you've seen the glory of God so much, until it's so common you don't catch the real power and glory of it any more. Now, that is true. God grant tonight that you'll realize your privilege that you have of being called out as a people, and sit in the presence of God to see His power manifested.

Lord Jesus, the rest belongs to You. Water the Word, Lord, and may it not return void. May it accomplish that which it is purposed for. Thou knows the objectives of my heart, and I know what You meant when You preached the Word. Now, confirm it, Lord, and it'll be complete. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Billy, where is Billy Paul? And I want Gene Goad to come here just a moment. I want Billy to stand down here and Gene over here to remove the people when they're prayed for. And I believe that there was.... Excuse me, I didn't.... What's...? [Someone speaks with Brother Branham.] One to a hundred? All right. What? A's, one to a hundred, the prayer cards.

How we do the prayer cards: we bring them down, mix them all up together before the people and give anybody a prayer card that wishes one. That's the only.... And then we might start from 1; we might start from 50; we might start from 30; each night we try to start from something different. That doesn't matter. You might get card 1, and the next one that's sitting by you gets card 50, and the one back there gets card 75. Then when that's done, then we call somewhere; one gets up from here, one over here, and one back here, and one up in the balcony, they come down. What's that to do? They get a contact; to get the Spirit to get one person singled out. As soon as it gets started moving, soon as I talk to them like our blessed Saviour did, which is Him doing His work. And then over in the audience....

How many believes that the Bible, the New Testament, the book of Hebrews, teaches that Jesus Christ today, is a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmity? Certainly He is. How would you know you touched Him? By the same motive the Bible explains: when the woman touched Him, He turned and said, “Who touched Me?” and explained to her what had taken place. He's the same today. And when Philip found Nathanael, and He did the miracle on Nathanael, Nathanael knew that that was the Messiah. That was a Jew.

And when the woman at the well at Samaria, when the miracle was done on her, she recognized that was the sign of the Messiah.

Then the Bible teaches, or does it? Hebrews 13:8, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the Bible teaches in Saint John 14:8, that Jesus Christ said that “the works that I do shall you also.” Then He manifests Himself the same. He said in Saint John 5:19, “I do nothing except My Father shows Me first what to do.” Then He is the same. He's raised from the dead. His presence is here. And if He manifests Himself according to His own promise in His Word, then if you doubt it, it's your own unbelief.

Let's start from number 1, tonight, being it's the first night. Who has prayer card number 1? Would you raise up your hand, somewhere in the building? Prayer card number 1? [Blank spot on tape.]

Now, is.... Come, lady, this lady here. Now, let us be real reverent, and I will ask that my audience don't leave, especially till I can get this line or someone in the meeting, at least three people. Then if God does that, then I'm free, and God is free. The rest lays on your shoulders alone. And if you can't believe it, there's not a thing on earth can help you, that I know of. If God can't help you, who can? So let us be reverent, and let us believe.

Now, as far as I know, this lady is a.... We're strangers to each other, are we? All right. Now, here is a picture just like it was in the Bible. Here's a woman who is of a different race from me. And the fourth chapter, I believe it is, of the book of John, Jesus met a woman, who was a different race from Him, and He said to her, “Bring me a drink.” What was He doing? Contacting her spirit. And when He found where her trouble was and told her where her trouble was, it was immoral living. And when He told her, she quickly said, “Now we believe that You're a Prophet. But we know that when the Messiah cometh, He will do these things.”

He said, “I am He.” And she ran and told others that she had met the Messiah. Now, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He's obligated to declare Himself the same way.

And now, lady, not knowing you, and I've never seen you in my life, as far as I know; this is just we meet here. But if the Lord Jesus, by some way, will let me know what you're asking of Him, would you believe it to be the same, as the woman of Samaria said, “We know that that's the Messiah by the sign.”? Would you believe that? You will?

Will the audience believe it? That you might know the sincerity of both the woman and I, here's the Bible. And I have never seen the woman in my life, is that right? We don't know each other. That's right? Raise your hand so that they'll see. We know not each other. And if He will.... I don't say that He will; I believe He will. I believe He will, but if He will and this one case would settle it exactly, then it's to you next.

How many has never seen one of the meetings before, raise your hand? Never been in one of the meetings? The same ones that's raised their hands that they've never been in one of my meetings, knows that this is the Scripture, what Jesus promised, raise your hands back again. All right. That would settle it.

Now she and you, if He does, will have to know that it's some supernatural power. Now, it depends on what you think it is. You know what the Pharisees said when that was done to Philip? They said, “He's Beelzebub, the devil. He's a spiritualist, a fortuneteller.”

Jesus said, “I will forgive you for that, but when the Holy Ghost comes and does the same thing, one word against it will never be forgiven in this world, neither in the world to come.” God be merciful. We're not playing church; this is the last hours of this Gentile race. And it's the sovereignty of God.

Let me say this: you're looking for something to come to pass that's already here; it's going pass you, and you don't know it. You're trying to place it in a future. Little did they know Elijah was Elijah, till he was dead. Little did they know Elisha was, until he was gone. Little did they know that John was; even the disciples didn't know he was that man. They even said to Jesus, “Why does the Scripture say that Elias must come first?”

He said, “He's already come, and you didn't know him.” They didn't know who Saint Francis of Assisi was. They didn't know who Saint Patrick was.

The Catholic church claims him, but he was about as much Catholic as I am. He protested the church, and so did Saint Francis of Assisi. How about Joan of Arc, a spiritual woman who saw visions and everything, and the Catholic church burned her to a stake, not knowing who she was, and hundreds of years later, dug up the bodies of the priests, and done a repentance by throwing them in the river. Now, she's a saint. It went past them before they knew it.

Don't let this pass you. It's not me, but it's Him. Don't let His blessed, resurrected presence pass by, and you're looking to.... A devil's pointing you in the future, when it's right here, now.

If I knew, lady, one thing to help you, I would do it. But by a divine gift that's ordained of God, by His permission, for we unworthy Gentiles to enjoy, if He will reveal to me what you're asking Him, then you will believe Him? I believe you said awhile ago you would accept it. I have no way of knowing you, only through the Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God. But I'm just speaking to you, as He did the woman at the well.

I've been preaching. Usually the manager does the preaching. And then I just come in under the anointing, and I can stand longer, quicker, faster. But this is a different anointing. One is preaching the Word, and the other is working through a gift, same Spirit, two different manifestations.

But the woman who stands before me, she's aware that something's going on. And the woman is suffering from an extremely nervous condition. That is right. And I see blood dripping. She's got bleeding, and it's internal bleeding. That's right. And you've been to the hospital for an operation, one, two, three times, and it's unsuccessfully. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD.

You be the judge whether that's true or not. Is it? If it is, raise up your hand, if that's true. Do you believe you're in His presence, the same One who could tell the woman? I don't know what I said to you. The only way I know is by the recording. Do you believe Him now? You accept what you've asked for? You accept Him as your Healer, or whatever you've asked for, you believe you have it now? In your heart you believe it? Then go, and God's peace rest upon this woman, who I bless in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Now, there's one thing I can remember. There was a spirit of darkness over you. And it's not there now. Your faith has healed you, your own faith in the living God. Now, go rejoicing and be happy.

Not knowing you, sir, it would be total impossible for me to know what you would be standing here for, unless Someone would reveal it to me. And that Someone is His presence, who you're aware now that He's present. And if the great Holy Spirit will confirm God's eternal Word, and believe, as we do, that He will do it, would you accept what you ask for? You are not here for yourself. You're here for someone else, and that is a man, I believe looks younger than you. He's a relative to you by marriage, a son-in-law. The man is not here either. He's not even in this county, this city, or this state. He's in a state where there's many great lakes, Michigan. And he's in a hospital, and he's suffering with a mental disturbance, and he's got arthritis. That's “Thus saith the Lord.” Do you believe? Then let us pray. Eternal and blessed God, the Morning Star, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the valley, we pray Thee, to give mercy to this man, as we lay hands upon him in the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen. The Lord bless you, sir, and grant you your request.

I have no way of knowing you, or knowing what your conditions are, or what you're here for. But the Lord God, omnipotent, knows your heart, and if He will reveal the things that's in your heart.... Now, for instance, you needed healing, and I would say.... Lay my hands on you and go to saying, “The devils go away, and the sickness go away.” Then say, “Lady, you're well.” You'd have a right to doubt that, because you don't know what that future will be. But if He will reveal what the past has been, then you know whether it's true or not. That's the miracle.

You're extremely nervous, because you've been weary. And you're.... See you holding your chest like a smothering. No, it's pain. You have pains all in your chest. And I see you in a hospital also. And this is the cause of that, which was from an operation, from a gall bladder condition, some time ago. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. Do you believe now, that Christ, God's Son, is present, working through vines ... or through the (as I would say) through the branches, and His love is to you to give to you that what you ask for, do you believe that? Then Lord God omnipotent, we pray that You will manifest Your blessings to this woman, and give to her, and reward her according to her faith, through Christ's name we ask it. Amen. The Lord bless you, my sister. And as you have believed, so will it be unto you. May God be with you.

How do you do, sir. I suppose that you and I are total strangers to each other? I never met you in my life, as I know of, but you are aware that something's going on, and that is the feeling that you have now. You don't get that by standing by a man. It's His presence. That the audience might know, would you raise your hand if there's a sweet, humble, feeling around you? You feel the Spirit of the Lord? Raise up your hand.

There's something connected with this man about waters or across the sea. And I see a woman, also near him; it's in vision, and it is a woman. Here she sits right here with a little red hat on. And I see waters, and she's praying about someone. It's a relative. It's a man. It's her brother. And the man is sick unto death, if God doesn't heal him, because he's got a tumor in his breast. And he doesn't live here. He lives across the seas in Norway. It's a great hilly, knobby country. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. Have faith in God and say to this mountain, “Be ye raised up and thrown into the sea.” Don't doubt, but if you'll believe right now, something will turn loose.

This man's connected with some sort of overseas water, but he's praying for someone else. It's a man, a brother. And the brother has been in a hospital, and the doctors are stumped over his condition. They don't know whether it's his breathing or whether it's his heart that's a doing it. It's neither one. It's his nerves. If you'll believe with all your heart, right now, and don't doubt, you can have what you ask for. Do you believe? Then receive what you've asked for in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Not knowing you, little lady, if thou canst believe.... The lady, colored lady sitting right back here, there is that light. And the woman is praying for her husband. He has a throat trouble. That you might know who I'm speaking of, he's also a backslider. That's right. Do you believe that you touched something? I never seen you; you're just sitting there. But you've touched the High Priest, that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. And as you have believed, so will it be unto you.

You've got a fall on ice, and that was no longer than yesterday, on this ice. And it's crippled up your left arm and hand, so that you can't comb your hair. That's right. All right, now you can do it. Go, the Lord Jesus has made you well. Your faith has healed you. God bless you. If thou canst believe all things are....

What do you think, little lady? The other woman touched you just then. You're praying, and you have a horrible thing which is just about to cause some domestic trouble. It's called.... And your disease is epilepsy. That's right. The little lady with the bobbed hair, kind of blonde or reddish looking, do you believe me to be the prophet or the servant of the Lord? You're not from this city. You've come from a city more east of here. It's in Ohio. It's called Youngstown, Ohio. That woman sitting next to you, who is very interested in you, is your mother. And she has something on her face, a skin condition that she wants healed. And she's not from Youngstown, but she's from Michigan, Detroit. You've been visiting her, and you made up in your minds to come here for the healing of the Lord. Believe, and as you have believed, so be it unto you. Oh, do you believe?

I am a stranger to you, sir. I have never seen you, but God knows you. If He will reveal to me what's in your heart, or something that's been done, will you accept then, that you know that He's heard your prayer or knows your cause? You will? You are here for a purpose of a growth. And that growth is on your back. And you also want prayer for your wife who is here. She's got something wrong with her face, which is caused something like a dentistry or something. She has eye trouble also, and she has trouble in her back. And you're fighting a habit. You want to give up cigarettes too, don't you? You're trying to. Do you believe that you're in the presence of the omnipotent God? Then you can have what you ask for. Go, and be it unto you as you have believed, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Don't move. You're a spirit, each one; and you move, you interfere. Have faith.

Come, lady. You want to get over that anemia condition and be made well? Then go from here and believe with all your heart, and Jesus Christ will give you the blood that you have need of. Amen.

Come, sir. Do you believe God can heal you of that heart trouble? Then go, and believe with all that's in you, and you shall receive what you have asked for.

Come, lady. Do you want to get over that stomach trouble that's caused from a nervous condition, causing peptic condition? Go, and eat, and believe, and as you have believed, so be it unto you, in Christ's name. Just a minute, lady. Go right ahead now.

It's the lady sitting right here on the end of the seat, the colored lady. She suffers with a stomach trouble too. That's right, lady. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. If you'll believe it, you can have what you ask for. The old lady sitting next to you with arthritis, do you believe you'd get well too, lady? Then may you receive that what you've asked for, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Do you believe God healed you, sir, when He stood by that chair? Then go and receive your healing in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Do you believe all over the building? How many wants to receive Christ, and receive the Holy Ghost? Would you stand to your feet? Say, “I am a candidate. I now believe.” Just stand right up, just at this time. “I want the blessed Holy Spirit to give me the experience of being born again. I believe that I'm now sitting in the presence of the Lord Jesus.”

How many sinners would raise to your feet and say, “I am a sinner. And I now believe on the Lord Jesus. This is my first time of ever seeing His power move. I'm convinced, after He has manifested Himself, that He's here, and He's risen from the dead. I want to accept Him as my Saviour.”? Stand to your feet.

You church member, shame on you. You may be in a form of creeds has served Christ, but never know what it is to be born again. Will you say, “I now am willing to surrender my creeds for an experience of being born again, to let that Spirit that's moving in this building tonight, be my Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Would you stand to your feet?

You who are sick and afflicted, and you want to believe the Lord Jesus will heal you, and you now accept Him as your healer, this is the time that you see Him working. And maybe you've seen Him before, and it's become a vain to you, like the salt water. But now, a new experience has happened, and you want Him to heal you, would you stand to your feet and say, “I am now accept Jesus Christ as my healer.”? All, everywhere, up in the balconies, stand to your feet and believe on Him just now. Let all the Christians that's believing, stand to their feet also, laying your hands upon those who are standing near you for something.

What can happen just now? The great living God who has manifested Himself as being omnipresent on the platform, in the audience, around the circle, everywhere He is present. Will you now turn your faith to Him and say, “Blessed Lord, I now receive You for the need that I have in my body. If You will, raise your hands to ... [Blank spot on tape.]

O eternal and blessed God, the One that was in the beginning, that talked to Job, and said, “Where was you when I laid the foundations of the world, when the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy?” fill every heart in here, just now, with a sufficient faith. May they not sit, and as the great poet said, “Be not like dumb driven cattle,” have to be herded into their own food, and have a neck yoke put on them to hold them long enough, till they could eat the food. But may they rise in the faith and in the power of the resurrection and be healed and saved just now, as I cast away the doubting spirit that holds this building tonight. In the name of Jesus Christ, may it go, for the glory of God. And let the people raise their hands now, and rejoice in the Lord, be saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, and healed for God's glory.