Kenneth Copeland - We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
There was no Washington, DC. They went to Paul's Chapel in New York City. That little chapel survived 911, but George Washington went to the 17th chapter of the book of Genesis. He opened his Bible there and he prayed things and he said, "You will be our God and we will be your people". And that is from the book of Leviticus. And that's what was on the Liberty Bell. ring liberty throughout the land. So we need to remind God, call out to him and say, "Remember your covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus and George". Amen. Because this nation was born after that one with liberty and justice for all.
Well, look, it says not much. Oh, David Middlebrook, who is our ministry attorney, graduated Law at Oral Roberts University. I asked him about that. And he said, "Well, one of my professors said it is as just as it can possibly be cause of what's in our Constitution". Hallelujah. We the people. It was George Washington that insisted, insisted that they put in there that under God, all men are created equal. And if you be in Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, the blood promise. So the laws of faith.
Now this always interest me. Any time you see the word law, that means it's predictable. If the elements are all there according... according to the manufacturer's handbook. And I've always been a book guy, I just take the book and read the instructions instructions startup state. Anyway, the first airplane that this ministry had was a 1959, Cessna Skylane and so we went to the airport and I took them flying and John said, "Stop the car". I said, "What is it, son"? He said, "You're leaving my airplane out here". So then later she went to my dad. She said, "Granddad, let's go fly Daddy's airplane". Well, my checklist was over here in the glove box and he said, I can't fly. Oh, she said, There's nothing to it. She said, the destructions are right there in the glove box. She said that's what it'd be if I'd try to fly.
Now a law means that it will work every time it's put to work with all of the elements they're in. So when they came out with computers, no problem. I'll just get the book. So I sat down to read the book Operator's Handbook. Oh, yeah, that's good, right. So you do this and the operator's handbook is in the computer. You've got to be kidding me. Jenny! She came in, she said, "Papa, that's easy". - Really? No, it isn't. So anyway, this is the operator's handbook. Now you understand this, and I've been studying this for a long, long time. The laws, the fundamental laws of faith. Faith is a spiritual force. It is not mental. It's a spiritual force. Ooooh I love this book. And they can put it up on the screen:
"Now faith... Now faith is the assurance, the confirmation, the title deed of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses. For by faith-trust and holy fervor born of faith the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. By faith we understand that the worlds during the successive ages were framed fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose by the Word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. Prompted, actuated by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous that he was upright and in right standing with God, and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet through the incident he is still speaking".
My spiritual father preached a message. He said the blood of Cain cried out to God. He said the blood of Jesus cries out and when you speak an ugly word about or to someone, the blood of Jesus cries out and said, "It's your fault". He said the blood still cries, only it's the pure, sinless blood of Jesus by which we're sanctified and made whole. Believe it in your heart. Say it with your mouth. Well, you know where that's going. So let's turn to the book of Mark. This is a small book. So sit down sometimes and read it. Amen. Verse 12: "And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany he was hungry..."
Now, what was he doing in Bethany in the first place? Anybody know? That's where Lazarus, Mary and Martha live. It's easy walk from there. So he's staying there. When they were coming from Bethany, he was hungry. I'm going to read that out of this because there's an explanation there that we need. And the 13th verse, "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came... And seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, He went to see if He could find any fruit on it for in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come".
Somebody said, "Don't you think he knew that"? That's not my business to think that. Now people... I as an artist... I've seen do this that you can tell when an artist doesn't know anything at all about the Word of God. And I saw this beautiful painting. Beautiful painting. There she stood with an apple in her hand, and I looked and they had belly buttons. They were not born. They were created. And the table was not a table for 26. And you had to sit on that side if you wanted to get in the picture. It didn't work that way. The only fruit mentioned in the garden, they covered themselves with fig leaves.
Now have you ever eaten a fig that it was ripe and had just come off of the tree? Yes. I can see why the Lord, early in the morning... But he said... "He answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever". Nine words. "And his disciples heard it. And they came to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come"...
That's my kind of preacher. Get up, have breakfast and preach all day. Glory to God. "And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, look at the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God". Or have the faith of God. "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you..."
Look what he did. He immediately put it into operation. Therefore I say unto you, and then you check it out. Jairus fell at his feet, he just come across the Galilee and delivered the man from Gadara. And they came, saw him, in a sound mind clothed. So where did they get the clothes? It's not a trick question. Yes. Well, then, let me ask you this. Where did they buy their clothes anyway? Jesus had a tunic that was so special. It was woven together and it was seamless. Only the very wealthy could afford a garment like that. Amen.
So they prepared for it. Faith prepares before it goes. So it's obvious that Jesus had given instructions. We're going early. There's a man over across the Gadara side of the Galilee. I'm going to call him to preach. There's a demon that has possessed him. I'm going to call him to preach, and I'm not going to send him home with no clothes because he's been this way a lot of years. And when I call him in to preach, I want him to look good.
Now, let's go over here to Second Corinthians chapter 5. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: For we walk by faith, not by sight: For we walk and live by faith, not by sight:"
So Smith Wigglesworth coined the term. I'm not moved by what I see. I'm not moved by what I feel. I'm moved only by what I believe. And then I learned that from Brother Hagin, and then Psalms were written about it. Amen. and it became in the Word of Faith, which we preach from the 10th chapter of the book of Romans. Then that began that invisible, powerful force. I began to learn to pray about everything. We walk by faith and not by sight.