Bill Winston - Faith and Corresponding Action
Faith works on revelation. If you remember when Jesus told Peter to launch onto the deep and let down his nets for a draught, Peter said something he said, in verse 5 Simon-Peter answered and said to him, "Master we have toiled all night and taken nothing, nevertheless at thy word" and right there that word is rhema. You have two Greek descriptions for the word logos and rhema. And logos is a whole word meaning just as you have it in the Bible here and rhema is a spoken word. It's when the word speaks to you. It becomes personal. This is God speaking to you.
When I had just got saved and I went in this Holy Name Cathedral downtown. I was living down in downtown at that time working at IBM and I was walking to work from Oak Street in the mornings and it was my exercise also it was a time that I had gotten saved. I wanted to stop by between services at this Catholic Church and just use the church environment to pray. That's when I went in there this one morning and there was just a lot of things and I needed his help on sales and computers and so forth and so I went in there and really got down began to worship God and praise God and thank him and so forth and all of a sudden he said, "Don't worry William you'll be all right" just like that. Just, I could hear it right now. Just like that. When he said that everything changed. Looked like every struggle I was under... just disappeared. I went all the way up to the top of the ladder and says so forth and so on.
So my point to you is, is that when rhema comes that's when faith is developed and when that faith it works on revelation knowledge and when you get that revelation knowledge it's time to move out. God will speak to you and all the strength and everything comes inside of you. Let's go to Romans now, Chapter 3, verse 3. Well, what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Yea let God be what? True. Come on, and every man be alive. You may have proof in your life that God is a healer, but remember if you never have proof, and the Bible says he's a healer, he is a healer. I'm saying that because sometimes people put their faith in people. See, and they don't see evidence in the people and so forth and so on, all of a sudden they lose faith in the book. No, you read the book. Let God be what? True, and every man be alive.
All right let's go all the way back now to James Chapter 2 verse 14. What does it profit my brethren though a man say he has faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Let's come all the way down to verse 17. Even so, faith if it has not works, is dead. Being alone. Yea, a man may say thou has faith and I have works. Show me your faith without thy works, and I'll show you my faith by my works. Next verse. Thou believeth that there is one God. Well, thou do as well. The devil also believes that and trembles, but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? And that's what we were doing tonight. This is a faith group, and we were putting some feet to our faith.
This is amazing how many people talk faith saying about faith, pray about faith, want hands laid on them for faith, but when it comes time to really manifest in faith, something has happened. Last time we talked about roots. Roots however you, wherever you're from. Roots, and we talked about roots of righteousness. It says, the wicked desireth the net of evil men, but the root of the righteous yeildeth fruit. Proverbs 12:12. The root of the righteous yeildeth fruit. My wife said something today. Really, really got my attention, she said, "Righteousness is positional". I said, "Man. Go ahead". Wow. You know how sometime your wife sound like God I mean, it's positional. I said man, that's deep. But what she says is this. Righteousness puts you in right standing with the father. All unrighteousness we read last time in 1 John Chapter 5 is sin. All unrighteousness is sin, and sin cannot develop faith. See.
So I need righteousness and when I get this righteousness going inside of me then this righteousness puts me in right standing now let me just give you what I'm talking about. What we said with righteousness is that the problem is not trying to develop faith, the problem is receiving a revelation of righteousness. That I am right with God. You follow what I'm saying? See the tendency is, the enemy, all right? What does he use? Enemies of faith. Fear. Doubt. Unbelief. Ignorance, and one of the biggest ones is condemnation. See, condemnation, what somebody did before. And when you get born again, God doesn't visit your past. Now, people might, but God doesn't. Because what happens is the person who did that, died. See, and the new person is there. Any man that is where? In Christ, come on, is a new creature.
Now what am I saying? I'm saying inside if people you'd be surprised how alarms are still going off about what happened years ago, and as a result of that the condemnation is there and condemnation won't let them develop righteousness. See? And because they can't develop righteousness, faith can't be developed. I mean I admire Minister Luckett, one time he gave, a guy who came to testify, but he was talking about how he was in prison. Came out, and boom, boom, boom, next thing you know he got one job and then he heard me keep teaching on you know confession and all of this and next thing you know you got another job and then next thing you know you got a seven bedroom home and two Mercedes and a Rolls Royce on order or something like that out of his businesses and a jacuzzi. He might not been able to pronounce it at that time, but come on.
Come on. Help me with it. Help me with it, but notice, he didn't look back because if he had looked back he'd have gone back. See, you can't look back. Jesus preached on it. Who was the woman that came out of Sodom and looked back? That was Lot's wife. Jesus preached on it. He turned back and turned into what? A pillar of salt. This little boy was in Sunday school they tell me and he said the teacher taught well, "Lot's wife looked back and turned to a pillar of salt". Little boy raised his hand. She said, "Yes Johnny"? She said, "On the way over here, my auntie looked back and turned into a telephone post". Okay. But anyway, now in this thing, the key is don't look back. The enemy's job, let's fight good fight of faith, is to have you look at the what happened back there and things didn't work out and so forth and so on. I understand that but it's a new start now. You got a brand new start.
Now you got to keep that in mind to develop strong faith. Paul the apostle Paul, put it up. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 2 please. Here's the apostle Paul. Look what he said. Now, he was hauling people off to jail. This is Christians and killing. Getting them killed. He said, "Receive us. We have", what? Wronged no man. Keep going. We have corrupted no man. Come on. We have defrauded no man. This is Paul. I said, "Wait a minute hold on". No, no, no. He said, "That man died on the road to Damascus".
See, he got a revelation of righteousness. Once he did... I was listening to a old something today in some of the tapes that we got of people testifying of what has happened to them. This one person has gone up. This company now probably controls a couple billion dollars, but he was saying that he got a revelation. He heard my teaching on revelation of royalty and he said that thing pulled him out and gave him a new understanding of who he was. My job is to prosper you. This is one of the main reasons I'm here is to grow you, is to get you your inheritance. Praise God.
Okay. So, we talk about righteousness. I don't want to dwell on it, but we talk about righteousness because he said it's positional. It puts you in right standing with God. It's nothing between you and God. Here I was one night and I gave you the story. I'm praying and trying to get God's attention because I needed a message for the next day which was Sunday. I was in Minnesota. Just nothing coming through. I'm starting to cry now. I'm saying, "Well, Lord, you know Lord, I've been faithful. Lord". He said, "What are you doing"? I knew I was in trouble. I said, "Well, I'm trying to get a message for tomorrow". He said, "Is that the way you ask for it"? I said, "Well no". He said, "What do I say? How do I say you come"? I said, "You come boldly".
See I'm trying to violate the book. I'm moving out of position and because of it you can't get revelation. You can't get to healing. You can't get to so forth and so on and that condemnation is a big enemy. Say amen. When I say you can't get the inheritance, you remember the prodigal son? He went out. He spent everything he had and he ended up feeding hogs and so forth and so on. Then he said, "I'm going home. To be a servant at daddy's house is better than this". He comes back home and the father sees him, hugged him, kissed him, welcomed him back, put the best robe on him, shoes, ring on his finger and everything. Well, they had a celebration but next they went out to get the elder brother or the other brother and they bring him in but he refused to come. He said, "No, no, no. I worked here. I didn't leave. I stayed here. All these years and you never gave me a party". Father said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute. All that I had was always yours".
God can have new cars for you, big homes for you, come on now. Come on. Businesses so forth and so on if condemnation is there, you just can't receive it. Because faith won't work. So I'm saying whatever it is get over it. Are you fine with saying that? I'm saying let God take care of it. Well, you don't know how he treats. Let God take care of it. Right now you need your stuff. When you look back, you go back. Let's look here at corresponding action. Now, when I'm believing something from God, my actions must correspond with what I believe. Faith cooperates with actions. With my actions, faith was perfected. So make sure you act in corresponding actions to your profession or confession. All right?
This is take one. I'll put one here. My wife's job. Here she is down in Tulsa. I'm full time seminary. She's looking for employment. She goes. Basically they said, "Hey we're laying everybody off because the jobs are drying up. Everything is down. Economy is down. There are no jobs". She comes home. We believe God. What did we do? We come in the word of God and find out my God shall supply all your need. Blah, blah, blah. We found about several scriptures that agreed with the fact that God was going to give her, provide for her the job. So, what did we do? We held hands and agreed. If two on earth shall agree and believe, she received it according to Mark 11:24.
Let's go over to Mark 11:24 please. He said, "Therefore I say to you, what things so ever you desire when you pray believe you've received them and you shall have them". Now, I put something down here. That Jesus commanded us to receive the things we pray for at the time we pray. Without waiting to see it or feel it. On this condition he promises you shall have them. Do you see that scripture? Do you know how long Brother Hagan taught that scripture? Over 50 years. The reason why because it's key to everything else working. That's it. So, what do I do? I said, "Okay. Let me get a couple examples of that".
Let's go to Genesis chapter 27 and verse 28 please. I'm going to just read on down the King James here. This is when Jacob comes into his father Isaac to get the blessing. So, he comes in. Brings some porridge, brings a seed and he said, "Now, Isaac is beginning to bless him". Now that God gives thee the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn and wine, let people serve thee and nations bow down to thee. Be Lord over thy brethren and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be everyone that curses thee and blessed be everyone that blesses thee.
It came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing, Jacob that Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father and that Esau his brother came in from the hunting. He also had made savor, or savory meat. Some kind of porridge or something like that and brought unto his father and he said unto his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison that thy soul may bless me". Glory to God. All right?
Isaac his father said unto him, "Who art thou"? He said, "I am your son. Your firstborn, Esau". Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, "Who"? Where is he that hath taken venison and brought it to me and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him yet. And he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the word of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry. Now why did he cry? He cried because of words that his daddy spoke over his brother. Now I want you to see that. This is how much they believe what they pray. Now this is very important to you. When he spoke that blessing over Jacob, Jacob grabbed his bag and he was out the door. I'm gone. Why? Because I just got words spoken over my life.
Do you hear what I'm saying? And when he did that, because he believed. When Isaac prayed, not after. I'm out now! Because I don't feel anything, but I got words! Do you hear what I'm saying, and what I'm telling you is that words are what made the Earth. Words, listen, you, I guarantee you, are a summary of the words that have been spoken either by you or for you, or in you or through somebody else who's close to you. Usually, it's words. Nothing else is more powerful than words. Words are what created. You got words in that Bible. He just given you the word. In the beginning was what? The word! He spoke it! And when he spoke it, that was it.
And what has happened is the church has got to come back to believing that what they pray... Come on now! If they pray it, it's a done deal! You can't even think big enough to get your vocabulary around how big a blessings that he's got for you. But one thing he's got to do to his people is get them to talk big, think big. I'm saying it's words that's doing this. Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe what? You receive them. Come on! And you shall have them. Did Jacob believe it? He got his bags together and he was out. Exit, stage right. And here comes Esau, stage left. He's bringing the porridge there and so forth. Okay dad, I'm ready for the blessing. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Watch that! Watch the actual reaction of Dad. Why did he react that way? Because he believed what he said. He knew he couldn't take it back. I said, "Come on, let's pray". I got it in the book. It says he will supply all our needs. It didn't say if the jobs are plentiful. It didn't say that. It said he will supply all our... Put your hand in my hand, and let's agree. Because if two on Earth agree, glory to God! He trembled. Oh my God, I blessed the wrong one. Esau say, "Do you have another one"? He said, "No, he got it. He's going to be your master". Just through words. Now who is backing up the words? God. Isn't that powerful? That's what Jesus taught you. That's what he did. He taught his disciples. Here it is. Here, watch this now. Whatsoever you desire, when you pray, just believe that you'll receive it, and you will have them.
Part 2
Let's look at Roman 1:16. He says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God into salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God, reveal from faith to faith, as it is written, that just shall live by faith". What is the gospel? The gospel is really heaven on earth. The gospel is good news about what God has already done for you. It's posted. He's got it. He sent you an email right here. He is saying, this is what I've done for you. So what we have to do is go in here and find out what God has done, and take that, acquire that, get it into our spirit and then begin to speak it, or act on it, and manifest what God has done here on earth. Here's where Jesus put it. I pray thy Kingdom come, they will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
See, it's already done in heaven. Nothing is undone in heaven. Heaven is eternity. Eternal means it's no time there. Show all the things that God is ever going to do for you, he's already done. The Bible even talks about over in Ephesian 1:3-1:4. In verse four, he talked about, "He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world". We were chosen in Him. See, when God chose you, he made everything and appropriated everything for you. Let's go back to Adam. Same thing happened to Adam. Remember, God didn't create Adam on the sixth day. Until God had already made everything else. See? Everything was in place.
Now He made a man. Same thin about you. You were born in this earth. Everything was already in place. Every time you would go through something, a challenge, that you need provision, you need wisdom, you need, all that was laid out. It's all laid out. The Gospel is a good news about what's laid out, and giving you the faith that you can have to access it. It can't be brought into this three dimensional world, except by faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith. Living by faith means to live according to something God has already done. That's the way we make our living, is by Faith.
Now, let's go on over to James. James 2. I want to read three verses, two verses, pardon me, in James 2. The first one here is found in verse 14. He says, "What do they profit my brethren. Though a man say he hath faith and hath not works, can faith save him". Come on down here to verse 19. "Thou believeth that there is one God. Thous do as well. The devil also believes and trembles. But, will thou know, oh they man, that faith without works, is dead. Faith without works, is dead". What we said is faith without corresponding action, is dead. It won't give you any results. Faith without corresponding action, is dead.
So, I put some things down here in my notes for today's lesson about faith. One of the things we know about faith is, and if you don't know it, you got to know it now. Is that faith speaks. Faith speaks. You got to watch it because if you're around people, that for some reason, you're a little intimidated about saying things that God says in His word, versus saying things that are popular among the world. You'll find that you can't walk that well by faith. It'll eventually bring you to a place where you're going to have to say something. It really is. That's why I say, sometimes, the believers are behind four walls and don't want to take it out to the streets.
See, he talks about the preparation of the gospel of peace. Even put the shoes on, showered with the preparation of the Gospel of peace had found over in Ephesian 6. What he was talking about there is that a gospel of peace is that, a lot of times, people think the preacher is the one who does the preaching and reaching and so forth. Oh no, no, no, no. He wants you and I to take the gospel to people. He wants us to not only tell people about what God has done, but demonstrate, have a life, that people can see, that hey, look what he's done for me. He'll do that for you. I think if there were more manifestation, a demonstration of God's word, we'd have churches be packed out. Packed out. People standing in line waiting, and so forth. I'm just saying, it's, once we get this Gospel. It has to be a corresponding action to it. We got to do something with this because this gospel is made to manifest in this earth. He wants heaven to be on earth. When people see heaven, they say, wow.
I remember one time I was preaching a message at a funeral, going home service. God said, preach on heaven. I said okay. Well, you know, people sad and everything and so forth and so on. I then begin to preach on heaven. I begin to tell them what the streets were like. I begin to tell them what he gates were like that you come through. I began to tell them what the scenery is like, and what the mansions are like. When I got done, everybody was laughing. I mean, they were just overjoyed. What happened? They saw something they didn't see before.
The gospel is good news. I don't care how bad a situation is. The gospel tells you how good it can be. All you have to do is believe. Just have the faith to receive it. That's what the gospel's supposed to do. Really supposed to encourage people. People are supposed to have fun in church. I mean, just, I mean, they just come to the church meeting and testify, and find out more things that they can do or have or what they could be, and so forth. But people should see, you should be a living Epistle. People should see it in our lives. Like I said, if the church left the community, would the community know it? It's not a good testimony. I want the community, and I believe in Jesus name, that in these last days, the Church is going to be that prominent person, or prominent thing sitting on a hill. A light that cannot be hidden. Praise God, that people go look up at the church. It's going to be phenomenal. I really believe that. Faith speaks.
In Daniel 3:17, remember when they're about to be thrown in the fire and Daniel said that the God we serve, he will deliver us. Now he said that in the midst of an impossible situation because that's what faith does. Faith decrees things in the midst of an impossible situation. Why? Faith commits God. Faith commits God. I want you to see something on that. Turn to John 11:39. It's when Jesus said, "Come to the grave site of Lazarus". Lazarus, as you know, they said he was dead. Now Jesus is coming. Jesus is going to raise him up. A few verses before that, it says that Jesus wept. That's verse 35.
When Jesus wept, people that preached, well you know, Jesus was sad and he wept. Well that's not why Jesus wept. If Jesus is going to raise the man up, you know he didn't weep. Why would he weep? He wept because of the unbelief. Unbelief of God's children of Israel. He just wept because the unbelief that was in there. But He comes on down here in verse 39, and Jesus said, "Take away the stone". That's all I want to say. Praise God. Take away the stone. Glory to God. Why? Because faith commits God. Faith commits God. God will do it every time. It commits him. It's powerful.
That's one reason you have to have faith. Must have faith, must have faith because these last days there's gonna be some things that you're gonna need faith for and it's gonna commit to God. Once you say that, once you release faith, you can go to sleep. That's what happened over there in, I think it was Hezekiah, when in 2 Kings chapter 19, Hezekiah, prayed that powerful prayer that was brought back to him, as he, the prophet sent back the word to Hezekiah. He took that word, opened it up in the house of God and began to pray it. Well, when you pray it, release it by faith, the Bible says that Isaiah the prophet spoke to one of Hezekiah's men, today, tell him that God heard his prayer. Why did he hear it? Because he was praying it in faith. And it committed God.
Watch this, "The king went to bed, woke up the next morning, 185,000 dead". I mean, looked out, all dead enemies, he didn't fight a battle. Why? Because he commits God, the God that we serve he will deliver us. Also, faith acts. Faith acts. In Luke chapter 17 in verse 14 Jesus said to the 10 lepers he said, "Go show yourselves to the priest", the bible says, "As they went they were healed".
Now what was the problem with that? You don't show yourself to the priest until you are healed, then you go for the priest for him to ceremonially verify the fact that you're healed, but what did they do? "While the leprosy was still manifested they went to show themselves to the priest and as they went, faith took over". Healed them. Also, you remember in Luke chapter 5, here again faith acts, corresponding action, here's Peter, Jesus got in his boat, started teaching, sat down told Peter, "launch out into the deep, let down your nets for a draught". Peter said, "Wait a minute, I fished all night and caught nothing, nevertheless, at thy word". Once he released faith, faith gathered up all the fish, praise God, he got them, hauled them in the boat and so forth.
Now, I'm just saying this is faith now. Faith takes, faith takes. Now that's my scripture. Mark chapter 11 verse 24, "Whatsoever things you desire of when you pray, believe you received them, you shall have them". So that desire that you have is that desire that causes faith to take what belongs to you. Now you're taking it from God, he's already given it, he said, "I've given you all things that pertain to life in godliness", so you're not taking it from God. Who are you taking it from? The devil. The devil was sitting on the promised land, he had his people on it and he said, "I dare you, I defy you to come get it".
Well you'll have to take it. You have to take your healing, c'mon you're going to have to take, whatever that promise is you're going to have to take it. Now why do I say take? Because the enemy, the struggle is trying to hold the promise back from you by having you to get into doubt or condemnation or get weak somehow in fear and so forth and so on, to try to keep you from taking what belongs to you. But just imagine Satan trying to sit on your stuff, you're going to have to take it from him, give me my stuff. Praise God, take that thing.
So when you do that prayer of taking your provision, whatsoever things you desire of when you pray, believe that you received them and you shall have them. You have to believe that you receive them and you shall have them, you have to take it, believe you received it, praise God, thank you Lord. I believe I've received it. All right, now let's keep going, see what else faith does, faith releases God's power. Well you know that because when the power is there and you could look at Mark chapter 5, Mark chapter 5, when the woman with the issue of blood said, "If I could just touch his clothes I shall be whole, notice she spoke".
Now corresponding action, she came out of the room. Once she came out of her house, once she came out of that, she pressed her way, this is faith talking now, she pressed her way and touched him. He said, "Who touched my clothes"? The disciples said, "Wait a minute, all these people pushing on you, say who touched me"? "No, no, no. Somebody has touched me". Now what happened? Faith took, got it, also faith released the power, Jesus said, "Virtue has gone out of me", so it released the power. So faith that you have will release the power that's in the word. That's what I do sometimes, I read that word and read that word, and read that word, not how much I read, how many volumes of pages I read, no, no, I just read this one word, it'll lead me to another word.
Now I'm building my faith, lead me to another word, lead me to another, pretty soon faith is built and I'm ready to act on that word. Now also, faith appropriates God's blessings. Faith appropriates God's blessings. Oh you might have the blessings and they have your name on them, but you're going to have to receive them by faith, that's what I mean by appropriate. It actually receives from God, one man described faith like this, "Invisible hand that goes up into the heavens, the eternal, the invisible and it takes hold of what belongs to you and brings it back down into the earth".
So if you could see that when you pray the prayer, Mark 11:24, if you can just imagine that happening, that this thing is coming to you now, angels are bringing it to you now, the Holy Ghost is manifesting this thing now and keep your faith, praise God. Last, faith protects, faith protects, let's go to that scripture, let's go to Ephesians please, Ephesians chapter 6. Okay. Verse 16, "Above all taking the shield of faith where with you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked".
Here's one thing you might want to write down, Satan can not steal what is covered by faith, your money, your kids, it doesn't make any difference. The only way he got into Job's life is Job left his faith, he dropped his faith. The only reason he got into Jacob's life and so forth and Jacob thought that some reason Joesph had gotten killed and he just dropped all his faith, the next thing you know Jacob is in the back of the bread line trying to get food like the world, why? He left his faith.
So I'm just saying, sometimes it's easier to get somewhere than it is to keep it. Sometimes it's easier to get something than it is to keep it. I'm talking about when you're walking by faith because you've got to maintain faith, that shield's got to stay up so that the devil can't penetrate it. The first place he tries to penetrate is your mind. Tries to make you think something that God didn't say and you got to just keep that shield of faith up, when I see it coming in on me, I get a scripture, praise God that I'll, you know, shoot off a round. "By his stripes I am healed", praise God and just leave it right there.
All right, let's go to Jonah. Jonah, glory to God. Now this is Jonah chapter 1, that doesn't have I think but two chapters, but Jonah chapter 1. Now as you know Jonah was supposed to preach and he's supposed to go to Nineveh and Nineveh's kind of interesting, Nineveh was mentioned over there in Genesis. Nineveh if you do historical study, Nineveh was a place where they had people of color. You know, that's where they lived, Jonah was supposed to go down there to preach. Jonah cut out and went the other way. Well he got on this boat and he got on it with these people and a storm came up and the storm was so bad, that the people were wondering what is going on here?
Now look what it says in verse 10 of Jonah chapter 1, "Then were the men exceeding afraid and said one and said unto him, why has thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord because he had told them". He told them he was rebelling against what God told him to do, and got on their boat. Now, is somebody on your boat, huh, that is running away from an assignment of God and is nothing but trouble? You know what I mean? So the next thing that happened down here, Joesph says something, verse, I mean Jonah said something, look at verse 11. "Then said they unto him, what should we do unto thee, that the sea may become calm unto us, for the sea wrought and was tempestuous".
Now that means that more and more, it got more and more violent. Let's come on down to verse 12. "And he said unto them, take me up and cast me forth into the sea". I'm not sure how to say it back. But that's what he said. He said, "Go ahead and throw me into the sea". Then he said, "All right, we'll oblige you. And he threw him into the sea". Look at verse 17, "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah". My Lord, fish swallowed him up. So here, Jonah running from his assignment connects on with people who hopefully would take him the other way. But he causes all kinds of problems, why? Because the problems not with the people, the problem's with the person who is associated with them.
So, you got to watch your associations sometimes. People will cause you more problems because you're not supposed to connect up with them. So, what happens now is they threw him overboard. Well, a fish swallowed him up. God prepared a fish. Now he's down there. Now if you look at this scripture it's a type of Christ going down and paying the price for us in hell. If you especially read chapter two. Talks about reeds around his neck, and so forth, and being in torment, and so forth.
Now, come on down to verse seven of of chapter two. "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee, unto thy holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to thee with a voice of thanksgiving, and I will pay that, that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. The Lord spake to the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land". All right. Let's just look and see what happened here. When Jonah is in his worst place he praised God. He gave thanksgiving to God. In his worst place, now.
Now, notice what he's got to do. He's got to get out of there. He tried probably moaning, or whatever have you but he starts sacrificing of praise. He called it sacrifice because you know that's not what I want to do. Lord, I could cry. I could... Whatever. But not praise you, not be happy in the midst of this trial. Yes, that's the way faith works. I put something down here. It says, "I said praise celebrates what is written. Thanksgiving celebrates what is happening". Two different types of celebration.
So notice, here, praise celebrates what is written, and thanksgiving celebrates what is happening. I'm saying he gave thanks to God. The bible says, "Be anxious for nothing. But do everything by prayer and thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus".
Philippines in 4:6 and 7. So, my point to you is one time I got home from school in full-time seminary, and I tell you I was just troubled. Just everything was happening, it looked like, wrong. I came home, my wife saw how weary I looked. She said, "Sweetheart, let's just praise the Lord". I said, "I don't want to praise the Lord". I mean, you could be at that point. You need somebody to pray for you to just praise the Lord. She just praised the Lord, and so forth. Something started breaking. Isn't that something? At a time that here they are, the enemy had surrounded them and the bible says over in 2nd Chronicles Chapter 20, "You will not need to fight this battle". The battle is not yours, but God. Just start praising Him.
When they start praising God the enemy turned on one another. Look at that, praise. Why? It's an act of faith. It releases your faith in God to care for you. I'm telling you, a lot of times people don't understand it. The bible says it's a mystery but it releases that anointing, it releases the power of God, and God in. It will shift the battle so God can come in and fight your battles. Praise. The power of praise and thanksgiving. We're coming up on Thanksgiving Day, that we give thank... Glory to God for what is happening. Give Him thanks, even in advance. Well, what's going to happen? Just thank God for it. Or, when he thanked God, when he gave him praise the fish vomited him out on dry land. Think of this as a type of Christ.
Jesus said over in Mark Chapter 10, he said, "Listen, I'm going to Jerusalem. I'm going to be crucified and I'm going to be killed. In three days I'm going to rise again". Down in that place, uh-huh. What it takes to come out of there is praise. When you lift your hands up in praise, notice a child. They're lifting their hands up to the Father. Notice what a parent does, picks them right up. They expect it. I'm saying a lot of times people don't like to lift their hands up. But when you do lift your hands up and praise Him you'll see God will lift you right up out of your dilemma and set you on dry land. Well, that's all we have now. This is called Faith and Corresponding Action.
Part 3
Let's go over to James. James chapter 2. Now the book of James, James you know was Jesus's half brother. Praise God. He saw Jesus do some things, but it wasn't until Jesus left I think, that James really got the full revelation of the fact of why Jesus came and what all Jesus did while he was here and why he acted like he did. But let's look at James. James Chapter 2, and I'm going to look here first at verse 17, "Even so faith if it has not works is dead being alone", verse 19, "Now believe it that there is one God that will do as well. The devils also believe and tremble but will thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead"?
Works. I call it corresponding action that this corresponding action has to be something that really it secures as your faith when you're believing for something or when you're praying about something as something like that, then you want corresponding action. You don't want to undo your prayer with your action, and people have done that. They believe, let's take Mark 11:24. "Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe you've received them and you shall have them". People take that and believe they receive one moment, and then when things don't look too good they go off and began to do something or say something that goes against a very prayer that they prayed.
Now they've undone, they undo what they've done before. Now, that's a very subtle piece because that's what the enemy tries to do. When you believe you've received, and there it is, all doing that gap in there is a corresponding action and you've got to make sure that you've got corresponding action playing out all during that time. And sometimes it's little bit challenging to do that because, let's say you're believing for healing for something, you have to remember that faith works with the root. When I say that, that faith works on the spiritual plane first.
Now let's look at that. It's a couple of places we can look at. Look at Mark's Gospel, chapter 11. Over in Mark's Gospel chapter 11, we see here where Jesus cursed a fig tree. Now let's start down here, it's starting at verse 12, "And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything there on. And when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said to it, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever and the disciples heard it". Verse 19, "And when evening was come, he went out of the city". So they followed him, went back up the Bethany there and perhaps went to bed and so forth and so on like that. But notice, he had all ready spoken faith to that tree and I'm sure he did some things of faith down in Jerusalem there in the temple.
All right, let's go down verse 20, "And the morrow, as they pass by they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance sang unto him, 'Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away.' And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever you desire when you pray, believe you've received them and you shall have them".
When we look at what Jesus did, he spoke to a tree, and what he released was faith, and what he released faith with, were words. Faith does its work in the spirit realm first before it's manifested in the natural, all right? Now a person who doesn't have faith thinks because they don't see it, it is not done. But a person who've been trained a believer knows that when they speak it and release words believing that what they say is going to come to pass, they'll have whatsoever they say. Words were initially more for creation than communication.
See, I don't have to find a solution, I just create one. I don't have to go find something. And so when he came to this tree, now he spoke to it. In fact, cursing the tree, "No man eat fruit of you, forever". I mean that tree would forget it. Nothing out of it. It wouldn't grow anything. But what happened? Nothing evident was seen right there at that moment. Nothing. And the disciples didn't say anything. They knew not to talk against Jesus, but they went on and went on up and went to sleep. While they came back that next morning, and Peter calling to remembrance said, "Lord, this tree has dried up from the roots".
Words are the most powerful thing in the universe because in this book, in chapter 4 of Mark, you see words stopped the storm. Words took a man who was decomposing four days dead. His body now stinketh, and put the flesh back together and brought him out of the tomb. Words did that. The Bible says, Lazarus came to the front of the tomb. Well, what was he? The Bible says he was bound with grave clothes. He couldn't walk. What brought him? Words did. What took this tree from looking healthy or whatever to nothing? It dried up, completely shriveled up. What took a tree? Words did that.
Now think about it. So these words can do things that a natural person or a natural system cannot do. These words can do it. The doctor said something, and he said, "We have no cure for this". Well, Doctor, Jesus has a cure for it. It's got words, he's got to work. You've got a cure for it. It is not hard, but if you valued words, what you say and believe will come to pass will happen, if you believe what you say. Well, I'll be there at five o'clock, you get there at 5:30, didn't believe it, and I'm saying that in the military, the reason why the man over in, well let's go over there and just put something right there in chapter four let's go over to Matthew chapter eight all right, and we just going to read one verse.
We're going to read verse eight now what happened is this man's servant was lying at home, sick of the palsy. We'll then talk about servant in just a minute, but as servant lyeth at home, sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. He was sick. We use possess whatever, and Jesus said, "I'll come and heal him". Well, the centurion said something. He said, "Well, you don't need to come to the house". Now let's read that. Verse eight, and the centurion answered and said, "Lord, I'm not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed". Now watch this. Then he qualifies why he's believing this way. Check this out, verse nine, "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me and I say unto this man, go and he goeth. And to another, come and he cometh, and to my servant, do this and he doeth that". And when Jesus heard it, he marveled and said, "Unto those that followed verily is said to you. I have not found so great faith. No, not in neutral".
Notice what he called it. He called it faith. And I'm saying here, when Jesus spoke to that tree, it is no different. See, he's giving a command. Why? Cause he's not got authority over soldiers, he's got authority over the earth and he gives a command. And when he gives a command, the Earth must obey. Trees, birds. Doesn't make any difference. So this coming back here, the Jesus. Now, notice where he said the tree was dried up from. He said it was dried up from the roots. Now where are roots? Normally unseen, right?
So I said to you, that the reason why words are so effective is because words deal with the root of any situation that the words are meant for. In other words, hear those words. He didn't deal with this tree on the level of the leaves. See, he didn't deal with problems on the level of the natural manifestation of that problem. He didn't deal with that. He went to the root cause of it. He said, I say to my servants, or soldiers or whoever. Well, let's deal with that.
Let's go to Luke: chapter 17 verse five. "And the apostle said unto him, Lord increase our faith. And the Lord said, 'If we had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say into the sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, be thou cast into the sea and it should obey you.'Now here's that root. Once again, it's, it's something unseen. Now watch this next, verse seven 'But what of you having a servant?' Whoa, there it is again, 'plowing or feeding cattle while saying to him by and by when he has come in from the field, go and sit down to meet or go, let me fix you something to eat and would not rather say unto him. 'Make ready where with I may sup and gird thyself and serve me until I have eaten and drunken, and after that you will eat and drink".
When I was working in IBM in computers and we had a meeting in California and now we're done with them, but I had to leave a little early. So I called a limo. They came, picked me up and the gentleman, very nice drive me to the airport and I was running a little behind and you know, he's kind of pressing his way, is making small conversation. Then once we pull up at the airport there, I just kinda jumped out cause I'm, I'm running late. Well he came around, he said, "Sir, I was going to get that door for". I mean, he just broke down. I said what in a world, but see, he was a servant. See, he had a job to do for a person.
Let's look at Job: chapter 22 and verse 28. "Thou shall also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee, and the light shall shine upon thy ways". A king declares his decree and those in his world accomplish it. Let's go further. Let's go over to the book of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes chapter eight. And let's look at Ecclesiastes chapter eight and verse four. "Where the word of a king is, there is power". See, you and I were never designed to see ourselves as anything but kings. Because, this whole idea of faith was never designed for folk who didn't see faith as a servant.
See, it was designed. Faith works for you. It was designed for people who had a sense of rulership. They said, "That's all Adam". No, mankind was not made to be a down here's a slave. Mankind was made to rule the earth. He was, everything was under mankind. God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion. What's it. Over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth. So one of the things that Jesus had to make him so effective, he had a superiority consciousness. He saw himself as a master over the earth, stopped storms, raise dead. Fed people with two fish and five, didn't make any difference. Never saw himself as inferior. That's called unrighteousness. And when that unrighteousness takes over faith, the gnarly work.
Righteousness is the foundation on which faith grows. That's quote from E. W. Kenyon. And watch this. I got to see myself as royalty, king, queen, whatever. And I was studying this. I tell you, that's what made me teach that whole series on revelation of royalty. Because I saw when Abraham came back, they told Abraham that the enemy had gotten Lot, his nephew. So he goes after him. He owns 318 servants in his own house that he had taught, taught by the blessing of God. And now he sent them out, and they slaughtered the enemy. Okay. Then he brought everything back and then they met, they met the king at the Kings Dale.
Now that this is, uh, this is uh, a road. There were roads way back in the day that only kings could travel, only kings would travel. They tell me the island of Maui in Hawaii is where kings would go. But, but it's interesting there's a road. But Abraham was on that road. He was on that road, and I'm saying he saw himself as somebody. Look at Joseph. He saw himself as a ruler, ruler over the world in a dream 6, 16, 17 years old. Look at David, same day, saw himself as a king. And I'm saying that, that's when faith works almost naturally. You don't have to try to, you know, build up, Lord increase off that. No, no, no, no. There is a revelation that you can have of who you are, that will make faith flow like a flood tide. And that's what we want, right there. Cause that's what Jesus was trying to do.
He's saying, you know, over in Matthew chapter 17 he said, "Well who do the kings of the earth take custom attribute. Of their own children, or of strangers"? He's talking about them, kings of the earth. Over there in Psalm 82 you read it sometime, "How long will you judge unjustly and accept the person of the wicked"? He wouldn't talk to you like that if you couldn't do something about it. So there is a real need for God's people to understand who they are in terms of God, by the word of God. What? Who did God say we are? Because who he says we are is who we are, and we gotta. We got to, we got to receive that.
I'm telling you, I'm going to receive mine cause I praise God. I, you know, think about it. You can't fellowship with folk if you don't see them on your level. I mean, it's all right. A dog is a man's best friend. I understand that, but you can't truly fellowship with something that is not of that same nature of that. I mean fellowship. Now, God and Adam walked together. That's, that's fellowship. Perfect fellowship is what Jesus won for us. He brought us back into the divine nature of God. Watch it, to think like God, to talk like God, everything. Now, why am I saying all of this? Because, I want you to start seeing yourself as a master in this earth.
Now, why am I saying that? Because he, he writes something. Turn to Ephesians chapter one. Every time I start really thinking, talking about this whole idea of faith, we somehow we ended up here in righteousness, and he talks about a righteousness which is by faith. All right. Um, where did I tell you? Okay, let's go over here to Ephesians and Ephesians chapter one.
All right, now watch this. I'm going to read Ephesians chapter one, and let's look at verse 20. "Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and he set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come and has put all things under his feet and gave him the head of all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all".
Now notice Christ, the head over the church, which is his body. Now, come on down here to chapter two and verse six. "And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places". Notice. He's up there, you're up there. You're above. You're a master. You're over that. Every, all that stuff is under you. Notice why faith. One, we can't please God without it. Why faith? It takes faith to receive anything from God. Why faith? Faith is a necessity for reaching your destiny. Why faith? Faith is the way we respond to God in managing the earth. Glory to God. Why faith? We cannot fulfill our Eden mandate without faith.
Now the key word, his words, because that's the primary way we released our faith. So, start working on training your spirit. Like this one man I know in the, in the, in the gospel. That whatever he said, his spirit worked to bring to pass. Just like that. Now, he had to watch it 'cause he couldn't say anything he didn't want to come to pass. And that's what um, Jacob did. When Laban caught up with him, he said, "Hey, I didn't steal your gods, and neither did my wives here. He said, whoever stole your gods, let them not live". He didn't know it, but he believed what he said. And that belief actually cursed his wife, and she had a death in childbearing.
I'm just saying, the people over there came back from the, the land of promise. What did they do? We can't take it. What are those words, out of fear. We can't take it. And guess what? God said, what you've spoken in my ears, that will I do. That's Numbers chapter 14 and verse 28. I think in the NIV and also in the CEV translation. So, notice what's happening here. What you say, is what you get. And he says over here in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 19. "I call Heaven and earth to record this day against you. That I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life that both you and your seed may live".
How do you choose life with your mouth. You determine the kind of life you got to live by the words you go to speak. I know it seems simple. The enemy tries to hide that revelation from the church. But folks, I have declared, we're going to have the shopping mall and we did. I declared, what time we were going to get money to pay off that annex, and we did. Now, I wouldn't think it at that. The Holy Ghost would prompt me. He said, get up in front of everybody and declare it. Well, thou shall decree a thing, and it shall be established. But I'm believing what I'm saying is going to come to pass, and I believe this day and this teaching, you're going to believe the same thing. So, look out. You're on your way up. God bless you. Keep walking by faith.
Part 4
You can't be a partner with God and be resisted by anyone or anything. If you are a partner with God. Now, how do I partner with God? Let's go to Genesis 5:24. "And Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him". You've seen people go to a funeral. What happened to him? "Well, the Lord took him". Well, anybody the Lord took he took alive. Anybody in the scriptures that is He took alive. "And God took him".
Now, what did he do? It says in Hebrews 11:5, let's see how that happened. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony", watch this, "that he pleased God". Man, without faith it is impossible to please God; 11:6, "He pleased God so much he just walked on up". You know, he just whoosh. What are you walking? You walking in faith there aren't you? So, what am I saying? It's impossible to please God without faith. Faith brings a man, a woman, in partnership with God.
Folks, when you're in partnership with God doors will automatically open. I said, "Doors will automatically open". You can see that over in Acts chapter 12 when they got Peter out of jail. Now, mystery. Faith is a mystery. So, what is a mystery? It's something beyond human comprehension. Now why do I say that? Because when faith is at work here's what you say. "Man, how did that happen"? I mean, the mind is searching for an answer and there ain't nothing in there. It's not in there. No, it's not in there because it's higher than the mind. It's a mystery, like anointing oil, putting it on you and you get healed. It's a mystery. Like praise. It will still the avenger.
Man, that's a mystery. That's why they said, "Even a new believer can praise and make the devil shut up", because God inhabits the praises of His people. So, what am I saying here? So, this mystery. However, faith sees the invisible clearly. When you see, He told Abraham in Genesis 13:14, He said to Abraham, He said, "The Lord said unto Abram after Lot was separated from him. Now lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward, for all the land that you see, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever". Am I right about that?
All right. This is not natural sight. This is faith sight. So Satan's job is the blind you. He knows natural blinding won't do him much good, but he wants to spiritually blind us. Second Corinthians chapter four and verse four. Here's what he says. In whom the God of this world has what? Blinded the minds of them that believe not. Believe the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. So Satan comes to blind the mind. And when a person's mind is blinded, they are filled with doubt, because they can't see.
So Abraham said in Genesis chapter 22 in verse five when God told him, take your son up on the mountain and offer him up to me. And Abraham said to his young men, abide you here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and we'll be back to you again. Didn't he just tell him to offer him up? But if you look at the book of Hebrews, Abraham saw Isaac raised up in a figure. Say amen to that. Let me tell you, when you can see clearly, you get loud. All right, let's look at it over here, Mark chapter 10, and let's look at it at verse 47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David have mercy on me.
Now, the man is physically blind. And many charged him that he should what? Hold his peace. But he cried what? Louder. The Bible says in Matthew's gospel, I think it's 11 verse 12, that the violent take it by force, the violent take it by force. He got violent. Let's go back to that verse again. And when he charged him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more a great deal. Now let's look at, I think I looked at the New Living translation. They said, be quiet. Many of the people yelled at him. Okay? But he only shouted louder. Okay, there's one I want you to see. This is a sample of violent faith. Violent faith is the direct opposite from timid faith.
Let's go to first Samuel chapter 17 verse 46. Now, why am I showing you this? Because sometimes it takes violent faith to get your answer. This day, this is David talking, will the Lord deliver you into my hand. I will smite you and take thine head from you. I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air. Now, this is violent stuff. Let's look at another one. Let's look at Mark chapter two, please. Mark chapter two verse four. Say violent faith. Say I am not afraid. I'm not ashamed. I'm not timid. I'm not in doubt. I have faith. And if needed the violent take it by faith. He said and when they could not come niegh to Jesus in the meeting, for the press, they did what? Uncovered the roof.
Now let's look at the new living again. Let's try that and see what it says. He said, "And they couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd so they dug a hole through the roof above his head". Now this is somebody else's house. I mean, you think about it. You're having a meeting in your house and somebody can't get in, next thing you know they done tore up the shingles, tore up your house, the rain's going to get in there because you can't get nobody to fix it that quick and so forth. But they lowered the man on his mat, watch this, right down.
When you've got this kind of faith, you don't regard protocol. Protocol is out the window and I'm telling you what it is. Sometimes we've got so much protocol until we don't want to even stand up and praise God. I mean, I go places, the people are filled up in front, they come up and praise God. You can do what you want to do. My point to you is, it's just get out of this shy, well I'm timid. God delivered you from that and He put you in a place where you can come up with a protocol of heaven, because when one soul is saved, all heaven rejoices. No. But we're so cool. You know, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord? That's the same God that's giving you breath to wake up the next morning.
Man, you need to break all protocol. Jesus. Son of David. Look up in here, come here, I need you right here. That's why some people don't get a healing because you've got to get some violent faith. Man, you've got to some way tell the devil, "Get up off me. Get off of my child right now". But we're so politically correct, well you know, it doesn't take all of that Reverend, no. It just stays in captivity. But I'm getting mine. I'm saying you don't have to get... you can get within your own framework of personality, but some people don't want to give God no praise, man. But you want new ideas, you want business prosperity, you want...
David was a billionaire and danced before God in just his little thing round his waist and it even embarrassed his wife, and because she sneered at him and so forth, God said, "I'm going to shut up your woman because you're laughing at one who's got all this money and still willing to break protocol". I don't know about you, but I'm breaking protocol. I want my billion. The days of being cool is over. All right, let me cover one more thing. Faith does not struggle with issues. It either creates a solution or dominates the circumstances. Look at Matthew's Gospel chapter 9 verse 29. That registered in your spirit right there. Sometimes you don't need to be politically correct. Then touched he their eyes, said, "According to your faith", come on help me, "Be it unto you".
I'm believing God for that, pastor. Okay. Well I just read it when I opened the scriptures of James chapter 2 verse 19. I'm believing now. I'm believing, pastor. Well, it says here, "Thou believeth that there's one God, the devil does too". So the devil believes, but you've got to act on what you believe. Or I have seen people stuck in believing for years.
Now, you got to do something. Say amen to this. So, if you do believe, the next you do is you gotta have some corresponding action and the Bible over in Mark chapter two, "When Jesus saw their faith then he moved". Because faith is sharing spiritual responsibility. It shares it. You move then God moves. Now, after he's moved, he ain't gonna move no more. He's not gonna move anymore, until you move. Do you hear what I'm saying?
See, the problem is not God. For the most part, the problem is the receiver. And you can see that in Luke chapter 15. Remember the prodigal son, when he came back home his father gave him all of that? Well, his brother got angry about it and he called his servants to see what was going on and they said, "Well, your brother's come home. Your father's giving a party for him". And then in verse 28 says, well, he was angry. He would not come in and then the father came out and entreated him and said, "Come on in, son". He enters and said, "Wait a minute, father. All these many years did I serve you. Neither did I transgress you at any time to your commandment. Yet you never gave me a kid that might make merry with my friends". And he said to him, "Son, thou art ever with me. All that I have is", what?, "Is thine".
Now, was the problem with the father or with the receiver? And that's where the church is today. He ain't moving until he sees you move. Receive praise, God. Boy, you got to receive and his corresponding action. If you do believe it, believing is seeing and I'm telling you when that happens, you are on the way. So, we, this is a bottom line now, this is my finale, anything that is trying to run off with your redemptive rights, including a runny nose, get violent, said, "Nope, that doesn't belong to me. It's under the curse and I will not accept it".
Now, give God praise for that. We've covered some territory but you hear the believer say that, "Well, I believe in God". Well, how long you gonna believe it? And I told you all this story before, Dr. Joe came to that part of the country and met his friend. The friend said, "Ready to go to lunch"? He said, "Oh, before we do, can you pray for her"? He said, "What? Why, why pray for her"? He said, "Well, she believed in God for her husband". He said, "Well, how long you've been believing"? She said, "Well, about, I don't know, 10 or 12 years". He said, "Well, what have you been praying"?
You see what I'm saying? That was ridiculous for him and it had to do with her husband. I'll say it over here. It had to do with her husband. Now, I didn't look at you so don't... But I'm just saying God will give you the what? Desire of your heart. There is no problem with the sender. The problem is with the receiver, he told her what to do and then came back to that part of town that next year and the guy said, "You know it's interesting, you left here and short time after a gentleman came through with a praise group that they were out for the summer. They were school teachers and came through here and prayed and the women just swooned over this one guy", but he had his eyes on roofs. He had his eyes on Shaquita. He had come on, come on. Help me now. "Before he left he asked for her hand in marriage". Wow. I'm just saying I believe it. Well how long are you going to believe? Isn't God good?