Faith Series #7 Faith and Confession

Faith Series # 7

'Faith and Confession'

(Berwick, Louisiana Series)

Bro. Lee Vayle - October 23, 1965

Again tonight, we are through our Lord Jesus Christ, particularly, O God, that even that Thou art sovereign in this universe, that everything is at Thy command, Lord, for Thou art God. All things were made by Thee and for Thy pleasure, were they made. And tonight we pray, Lord, this meeting shall be for Your pleasure that You will guide in every thought and every Word expressed, Lord, concerning those thoughts and may they be in the Holy Ghost. Not only anointing to preach, but an anointing to hear, Lord, so that together by the Spirit of God You may find how true it is that it is not my might, nor by power, but by Thy Spirit.

Lord, we believe now, because we have asked this according to Your Word, the Spirit Itself, is given to us by Thee to guide and teach us all things. This shall be as we have already asked, because, Lord, Your Word has declared it and we stand in it. Believing already, O God, then therefore to become that You have said concerning us and we leave this in Jesus' hands, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

1. Now, we know that everyone who is born again has the measure of faith. And that measure of faith is the supernatural assurance in order to receive what God has allocated, or designated to be man's portion. For, "faith is the assurance of things that we may earnestly expect from God." [Heb11:1] It is our God given ability to receive from God, or to have that which gives the purchase price for those good promises that God has for us.

Not only is it our ability to receive the good promises, but it is our ability being supernatural assurance to be at rest to enter into the rest of faith. The majority of people do not have the rest of faith, because they do not understand the principles which underlie faith.

2. Now, we have been studying those principles. We discovered that though faith is a perfect gift, and it's capable of doing all that we have said. Yet for all of that, prayer has not become infallible. The reason is, because we have not employed the laws which God laid down in His Word to govern faith. The first and foremost law was to receive from God the revelation in His Word concerning Himself.

Even has He said to the Pharisees when they said, "This man is not the Seed of the woman, but this one is the seed of the serpent." [Mt 12:24]

Because the question was asked, "Is not this the Son of David?" [Mt 12:23]

And they said, "No, this is not the Son of David, but this is that other one." [Mt 12:24]

And Jesus said, "That to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost would entail an unforgiveable sin." And then He said, "Make the tree good, or make it evil." [Mt 12:33a] Now, He said, 'I'm either all good, or I am all evil. " Most of us as Christians have never made up our minds that that is true. With the typical Laodicean democratic spirit we have thoughts that we could judge God this way, we could judge God that way, and it was alright. It isn't alright. We must never presume upon the grace of God, but we are taught to receive the revelation. And the revelation in God's Word is that God is a good God doing good things.

3. As David said, "Thou art good and doeth good." [Ps 119:68a] And so therefore, no matter what comes our way according to the Book Thessalonians, "We are to give thanks in all things for this is the will of God concerning you." [1 Th 5:18]

Now, I know that may sound strange, but it is none the less true, that most of our lives are actually distressed. The Scripture does not in any place say that a Christian will not be persecuted. But a Christian will be persecuted. In fact, the Bible distinctly says, that they call Jesus wicked and evil and persecute Him, then we must endure it also, because he without blame, and we many times by our own blame. Many times, we are blameworthy, whereas Jesus never was.

So, we recognize then tonight that we must understand, "that all things are working together for good to them that love the Lord." [Rom 8:28a] And that no matter how desperate a situation is, God is in it.

4. Now, with that we also learn that man has a habit of thinking wrong. Now, of course if he judges God wrong, then he is thinking wrong, that's natural. But we have to discuss both of them in order to clarify our situation. So, the majority of us have sort of thought, we'll, it doesn't matter what happens in our lives, we've got the right to think about a thing in a certain way. And God says, "You cannot, He has ordained that no matter what the condition is, what the problem is, what the way is, we are to go to Him find out what He thinks, and think the way He thinks."

Now, there again we have this Laodicean spirit abroad, and we think, "Well, we can think anyway we want." You can't think any way you want. People may say it's a free country. It isn't a free country. There's nothing free about this life. We talk about 'free grace'. Well, we know the gift of God is free, but God laid down rules wherein we abide as Christians. And, one of them is, we must suffer and learn to suffer, and take it with confidence, and with joy and with peace.

5.And to do that we must learn to think as God thinks. Man may come to us and say, "What do you think about this condition?" A woman once said to me, she said, "Well, (not so much about the line of thinking, but about doing, she said,) what would do if someone in your family committed adultery?" Of course, that would have to be my wife, because I knew she was talking about her husband.

And, "Well, (I said) I don't know what I would do. Because you see I'm not going to lie to you." I could come up here and act as though I were forty feet above you, but the actual point is, I'm likely ten feet below you. I got to be honest. And I don't try to preach down at anybody, sometimes I preach pretty rough. But I try to be honest. And I said, "I don’t know what I'd do. But I'll tell you what the Scripture says to do, and that's to forgive, and restore." She never did, so they got into a terrible mess, and he finally said, "Either you get divorce or I will." Because she just about drove him crazy. She wasn't of any mind to forgive him you see and enter into restoration.

Now, we often say, "What do you do think about a thing?" It's what does God think about the thing? Now, normally God would think far different from what we think. In fact, you could even say this and be a hundred percent correct. (Not quite a hundred percent, but almost) Just begin to think opposite to what you would normally think, and you'd be thinking pretty well what God thinks. Because God's ways are above our ways, and His thoughts above our thoughts as the heavens are above the earth. And we know that that's millions light years away. We cannot even estimate how far away these worlds are.

6. So, we learned last night that Abraham, as the Scripture says here in the Book of Romans that when he was viewed with his problems, which was his body and the body of his wife. Because they were incapable due to their age of bringing forth a child. The Scripture distinctly says, "Because God had made this promise (and he was the father of the faithful) when hope was gone he hoped on in faith that he might become what God already said he was."

And so now, what his faith processes in his mind? "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." [Rom 4:20a] In other words, he didn't judge diversely. He didn't believe one time a thing and believe another time a thing. He believed what God said. He thought what God said about his condition.

They might come to him and says, "Abraham, what do you think about your condition?"

And he'd say, "Well, I'm going to tell you what I think. I think what God thinks. And I think that I am what He said in spite of what it looks like. I don't think there's any point in me thinking this thing out anymore, because God's already thought it out. He's so much better at thinking than I am, I'll just go ahead and go along with what He thinks. And because God has thought it, I'll think with Him."

7. So, he thought, and as he thought the 12th chapter of Romans took place where Paul said here,

(2) And be (you) not conformed to this world: (that means 'fashioned after the world') but be transformed (in your very being, metamor- phosis, or changed life from a caterpillar to butterfly. To go from a literal radical change. Go to a radical change said this Word) by renewing of your mind, ...

And the renewing of the mind is set forth in verse 3, to think:

(3) ... according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

In other words, we are to think 'faith thoughts' concerning every single thing. Now, there isn't anything that God hasn't allowed us to think faith thoughts concerning it. Even that the born again experience, is based upon foreknowledge, and all the Elect are predestinated. There isn't one of us who hasn't got a right to John who said, "Whosoever will, may come." We don't know if they will come. We don't know who the Elect are.

But, even that verse gives us the right to think faith thoughts, that Christ died for the whole world. That He sacrificed, though will not, and was not in the mind of God to include all sinners, because it didn't include Judas. And it didn't include Pharaoh, didn't include Esau. Because before they were born, He said, "Esau have I hated, " [Rom 9:13b] you'll never make it. However, there still lies in the scope of the power of the Blood, an efficacy that could bring all the world to God in redemption.

8. So therefore, what do I think about this man so deep in sin? I think what God's thoughts are, "though his sin be like crimson, they shall be as white as wool." [Isa 1:18b] (See?) What do you think about this man dying with cancer? I think what God said, "By His stripes he has been healed. By His bruise, he has been wounded." [Isa 53:5b]

What do you think about this person who has fallen into sin now. That's gotten away from fellowshipping in the church and is living in sin. I think what God said, "Though a righteous man fall seven times, the Lord will raise him up." [Pro 24:6a] (See?)

So, we must learn to think what God thinks. And we must never think otherwise, because it is only by the renewing of the mind by thinking faith thoughts to what the Word says that will ever be strong Christians. Paul the apostle was not a strong Christian, until he identified himself with God by the Spirit of Christ.

9. In the Book of Romans [7:] he quit saying: "When I would do good evil is with me. And the things that I want to do I don't seem to have power to do." [Rom 7:10] When he identified himself with God and said, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in literal union with Jesus Christ." [Rom 8:1a] And if we ever realize by our faith thinking our mental processes, that we are literally in union with Jesus right now. We'd live changed lives.

Let me ask this question tonight and be honest with me. Is there anybody so bold as to raise their hand in real truth and say, "Bro. Vayle, for ten minutes per day, (at least) I think of with all my heart the fact that I'm literally joined to God." Can anyone say that? I cannot. If I were to ask that question out of five thousand, I don't believe one would raise his hand. And yet, the dynamism of our Christian experience is based upon the one fact, we are either joined to God, or we are not joined to God.

10. You stand or fall tonight, concerning whether you will be in the First Resurrection, or even make it in the Second Resurrection as a reward for being good to the Bride based upon that fact of understanding the union of mankind with Almighty God through the Spirit of God. Paul understood that, that's why he said here in the Book of 2 Corinthians 10: and notice:

(5) Casting down (reasoning)...

Literally cast down what you think, and put it in subjection to the Word. Eve didn't do that and she lost out. And that's what's wrong today where people have repudiated the Bible, they've put it to one side and we are being led by men who think. But, brother/sister, your thinking processes go beyond simply thinking when you enjoin them to God's processes, because God knows the beginning and the end. He doesn’t just think, He knows. That's why His processes are beyond ours. That's why His thoughts are so far above ours, because we don't know. But by these processes we can come to a place where we do know. And that's exactly what we want, and we must not fall short of it.

(5) Casting down (reasonings) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, ... (or what God knows.)

What you know, you must never place against what God knows. You must place under what God knows. And that's what Abraham did. He knew that he was sick and his body was infirm. He knew that they were too old. But the knowledge of God was, "out of thy own loins, and the womb of Sarah, you shall have a son." [Gen 17:] And his thought processes, because he thought what God said, came to place of knowledge. And when knowledge came to fulfillment the son was born. And indeed, he had to be born, because who can resist the will of God? Nothing can, not a human body, or anybody. And It said:

(5) ... bringing into captivity every thought...

These thoughts of ours will want to go astray, they'll try to pull us according to what the mind perceives. Because of what the eye sees, and ear hears, and then the mental processes have gone on analysis and synthesis. But remember: "Cast them down!" As beautiful as the thoughts were to Eve when the devil came, and he said to her, "Look how beautiful, look how wonderful." And she didn't bring her thoughts under control to God, her thoughts went on their own, fritting around the land, and the devil had her right then. It's not what you and I think my brother, my sister, but it's what Almighty God said.

11. Peter also made a statement, (I just can't remember what it is now, but there's one concerning our message tonight, I'll bring to you. But I know Peter also brought that thought out wherein we must begin to bring our thoughts into the realm of the Scripture, rather than our own thinking. Paul also said here, "But I fear, lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty." [1 Cor 11:3a] What was his subtilty? It explains it: "So your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." [2 Cor 11:3b]

In other words, that Paul himself said, "That the place of corruption is in the mind not the heart." Your heart has already been renewed. You've been given a new heart. You've been given a new spirit. But brother/sister, you weren't given a new mind. And that's exactly what the Book of Romans teaches. It says, "When they knew God, and glorified Him not as God, but they became vain in their reasoning. And their evil minds became darkened." [Rom 1:21] It says, "Then were their hearts corrupted and they turned from faith to science," and God had to destroy them. And so, will God do to this age, because He said, "Will the Son of man find faith when He cometh?" [Lk 8:18b] And on every hand today we are corrupted because of these minds here. Education is destroying us, and the more civilized we get, the more barbaric we are actually.

12. We have accused the Germans and the Huns and the Chinese and different ones of killing with torture methods. But what could equal the bombs over Japan that can wipe out a hundred thousand at one cloud burst as it were, of the atoms coming up, flaring up and destroying people, and then the children destroyed.

I saw not long ago an actual picture, I went particularly to see it, it was advertised in Dayton, Ohio in one of the movie houses. I was sorry I hadn't seen one before, because it was nothing but exactly what goes on in the world. There's no picture tour in the way of a story. There's nothing there but just sheer pictures the way people live. And I saw many of those children results of the bombs. They were unborn, and their parents coming together bringing forth those children were dwarfs, diseased, their legs all crippled in of all of manner of peculiar birth because of it.

The mind of man is corrupt, but this mind controls us. And unless we fill it full of what the Word says, we will never be renewed. The Scripture says, "Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge." [Colossians 3:10a] It is not renewed simply by the Spirit God doing it. It must be based in the Word.

13. Now, let's go on tonight before I preach that sermon over again, and we're going to get to the Book of Hebrews 6: because now I want to talk not only about faith in the mind, but I want to talk about 'Faith and Confession'. In Hebrews 6:16-18 we read:

(16) For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them (who are swearing) an end of all strife.

(17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

(18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong (encouragement), who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Now, man is the only creation of God who both reasons and talks. And last night and tonight we brought out the facet of reasoning concerning faith. Wherein your mind is the enemy of faith, unless it is properly controlled and then it will be great builder of faith.

14. Now, tonight this thinking man who talks finds that his conversation, his talking also has a bearing upon faith. Man cannot talk without thinking. Now, I realize you've all heard the state-ment, "I said it without thinking." Now, that's not true. You didn't think long enough. The Scripture says in Proverbs 15:28

(28) The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

The Scripture here then gives us a cue or a clue. And It says, "A righteous person will be slow to speak, he will ponder what he says."

15. Now, what has this speaking got to do with faith and thinking? Because it has, as we brought it out already. It has according to Hebrews 6: this principle. I'll read It again

(17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

Now, the counsel of God has been everlasting. If God is omniscient, (now listen) if God is omniscient and knows everything, then He has always known everything. He is not now adding to what He knows, or He could not be claimed to be omniscient.

So therefore, God knew before there was ever a man upon earth, exactly what his thoughts were concerning Him, but man did not know those thoughts. So, when Abraham came on the scene he was unaware of God's thoughts towards him.

16. Now, as long as God had not known, made known His thoughts to Abraham, He was under no oath...bond, or of any necessity to stand behind those thoughts. But the minute that God said It, He confirmed His thoughts. That's exactly what the Bible says here. "When God swore." In other words, He literally said to Abraham, "I am going to give you a son. I am going to make you a nation. Kings shall come out of you, princes shall come out of you. All the Elect shall be through thee, either by natural, plus spiritual, or simply spiritual on the grounds of the faith premise." But it wasn't confirmed until God said It.

So, we see here a law. Your thoughts are confirmed the minute you say them. So be careful how you talk. It's exactly a law laid down. If you express thoughts of fear, they will be confirmed to you. If you express thoughts of faith, they will be confirmed to you. That is why we must be careful what we say. Or as the Bible says, "The righteous study to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pour out evil things." [Prov 15:28] Or that which in contrary to the Word of God.

17. Now, with this in mind, we will study faith in relation to the confession of our thoughts. We saw what our thinking did last night, and tonight we will now see what our talking does concerning our faith. Now, turn with me to 2 Corinthians 4: And please if you have a pencil underline It. You must get this, because this is so necessary to receive.

2 Corinthians 4:13

(13) We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

The Bible says that, "If you believe, you're going to have to talk." And before you can talk, you've got to think. So, if you are a believer you are going to be a thinker and a talker. Now, that may sound strange, but it's true. The Scripture says, "If you have the same Spirit of faith," [1 Cor 12:9a] as the old prophets,( and you do) you're a child of God. The old hearers of faith, you are going to have to talk. Because the Bible says, "That having that spirit, we believe and we also speak, or we also confess.

18. Now, if a man has faith he will talk. How will he talk? Well, you might not know this, but the fact is that God tells you first of all how you're not to talk, but you're to talk. Turn to Romans 10: and read with me verses 6-11

(6) But the righteousness which is of faith...

Now, I don't like that translation nearly as well as Moffat’s [‘The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, a New Translation’ 1922]. He calls it, "faith righteousness." And that's what it is. There is a human righteousness, there is a self righteousness, a studied methodical religious righteousness, but above it all there is a faith righteousness. Which is the righteousness of God. But, It says,

(6) ...faith (righteousness) speaketh ...

See, faith is talking. Isn't it? There it is, faith is talking.

(6) ...speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

(7) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

(8) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

(10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto (your) salvation.

Which doesn't mean to be born again, although it can, but it means the whole gamut of what God does for every believer, which is deliverance whether it be healing, or oppression, or finances, or sickness, or spiritual problem, or evil no matter what it is, …that's it. So, It says, "It talks."

19. Now notice this, (notice this now) It says, "that faith talking shall never say how shall we bring Him down, how shall we bring Him up?" Or in plain English, faith talk, or faith confession, never ever, asks questions. "Oh, that's the way human beings live though." Now, they all come along and the question comes up and say, "Well, God's made promise." Just like it was back there in 2 Kings when Samaria was besieged by the Syrians.

And the man of God said, "Now, there's been a scarcity, such scarcity that if you had millions of dollars you couldn't buy anything to eat. Tomorrow there is going to be such plenty, that you won't even want it at any price, it's going to be so cheap, because there's so much."

And the fellow said, "How is it going to be? Is God going to open a window of heaven and pour it down, ha?" You never ask God how anything is going to be done. Never, never, never, never, never. Faith doesn't ask questions, because questions are the mark of unbelief." But it talks, but it doesn't ask questions.

20. I want you to see this over here in the Book of Matthew 13:53-58 (I believe) and It says here:

(53) And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

(54) And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, (that's their own synagogue now,) in so much that there were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Notice now:

(55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and (Joseph), and Simon, and Judas?

(56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

How, there, when, what, who, who, who, who? How there, when what here" Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! Notice in... what does the Scripture say?

(57) ... they were offended...

The more questions they asked, the more offended they got, and the Bible says,

(57) ... Jesus said... A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country...

(58) And he (didn't do any) many mighty works there... (just walked off and left them.) (Huh?)

All this, asking questions, getting all agitated. "How is it going to be done? Where is it going to come from? Who's going to help us? And why aren't so and so?"

The Bible says, "Faith never talks that way." Remember, Mary came early morning Resurrection. "Who shall roll us away the stone?" Three of them came. "Who shall roll us away the stone?" The stone was already rolled away. Faith doesn't ask questions.

21. Now, let's turn to 2 Corinthians, because this evidently is where we're going to get more insight. And we read in chapter 4: beginning at verse 8. here is the testimony of a man of faith. But I'm going to read It a little bit like we're prone to read It.

(8) We are troubled on every side, (and I'm sick and tired. One more time in the fifth rib and I get that sword and I quit.) ...we are perplexed, ...

Listen, I’ve had so many questions and doubts in my mind I give up. I'm persecuted. I can just see right now God let me down. I'm absolutely to the end of my rope. (Huh?) What did Paul say?

(8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; ...

It isn't brother/sister, that you were so stupid, or we got to try to change our minds around like Christian Science and Unity, and some of these metaphysical cults. That we've to say, "Oh, there's really nothing wrong with any time. Well, after all, there's no sin in the world, there's no disease, and there's no problem. No! It doesn't say that. It recognizes the power of the enemy, it recognizes circumstances ... are against us. But, it does not recognize their power over a child of God. But it recognizes the power of the child of God over them. And so, Paul says here:

(8) We are troubled on every side, (but, we're) not distressed; (that's the rest of faith) we are perplexed, (here are lots of things I don't know, I can't see past my hand it's so dark,) but (we're) not in despair; (we've been all through that before.)

(9) Persecuted, but (we’re) not forsaken; (because God stands with us)

cast down, (yes, we even fall,) but (we are) not destroyed; (because we'll rise up again.)

You see, there is how the Word God tells us to speak.

22. Over in Psalms 138:7 we may get further insight. It says here:

(7) Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: ...

Yes, we walk in the midst of trouble, but God's with us, and He will revive us.

23. Again, those verses, we are familiar with by reading already in the Book of Mark 11:22-24

(22) And Jesus answering said... Have faith (of) God. (That's a prophecy.)

(23) 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 ...(them.)

Now, because that is so said the Lord:

(24) Therefore, I say unto you, (Whatsoever) (you) desire, when (you) pray, believe that (you) receive them, and (you) shall have them.

See, what your confession is there? Your confession is not this mountain is too great, this confession, this mountain, "Be thou removed according to the Word of the Lord.

24. Now, there is an Old Testament Saint who entered into Canaan Land, which is a type of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and that is this man called 'Joshua'. And over here in the Book of Joshua 1:8, It says here:

(8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

You notice what God said, He said, "You're to think about the Word, you're to talk about the Word." In order to think about the Word, of course you'd have to get a hold of the Word and know what It says. "The Bible says, "Think about the Word, and talk about the Word." And then the Scripture says, "You are going to have good success." The way that we are going to use this faith of ours is by thinking 'faith thoughts', and by saying 'faith things'. Which is to think what the Word of God has said, and then to say what the Word of God has said.

25. Now, I want you to notice that Peter and Paul believed in this most thoroughly. Let's turn to the Book of Hebrews 10: and we'll see what Paul said in verse 23. Now:

(23) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith...

Do you know that's a very terrible mis-translation? It is. It is absolutely what the Word of God did not say. How the translators made such a mess, I do not know. The fact is, the Word is not 'profession', the word is 'confession'. And the word is not 'faith', but it is 'hope'.

And the Bible should read this way:

(23) Let us hold fast the (confession) of our (hope.) ...

The word 'confess', is 'con', meaning 'together'. And 'fedo', meaning confidence is faithful together with Christ. And confession is to say to say the same thing together. And so, what is he talking about? He is saying here, "To hold fast our confidence, to keep faithful with Christ, and say the same thing that he said.

Now, what's the word 'hope'? It's what we can earnestly expect, which is the Word of God. And that Christ always said the Word of God. "What I hear My Father say, that I say." [Jn 12:49] Or He said nothing about it. That's all He would say, "What I hear My Father say, that I say." So, we are to hold fast with Christ. Faithful with Him to say the same thing that He said. And remember, the Bible speaks of Christ as being the High Priest, of our what? Of our Confession. We are to say what Jesus said, and that's what Paul said here.

(23) Let us hold fast the (confession) of our (hope) without wavering; ...

26: That's what James said. "He that wavereth in his thinking, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let not that man think he'll get anything from God" [Jas 1:8,7,6] If we are going to be strong in faith and get our prayers answered, be overcoming Christians. Changed from caterpillar Christians to butterfly Christians, we are going to have to learn to think how God thinks and talks, how God talks.

Then being full of the Holy Ghost those words on our mouths become Deity speaking. Just what God said to Job, "Thou shall decree a thing and it shall come to pass." [Job 22:28a]

Whereas God said, "Command ye Me concerning the works of My hands." [Isa 45:11b] Those are strong verses, but we appreciate them.

27. Now, turn over here to 1 Peter 4: and hear what Peter said.

(11) If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God...

He said, "If any man talks, let him talk like God, or don't let him talk." That's why this pulpit here must never ever have anything but the Word of God in it. That's why you don't fill it with evangelists who come in here and give you a text, "depart from us," and tell you a bedtime stories, and weep and wail about dear old momma, and get the altars filled, because we want to see poor old momma. Well, I don't give a rip about dear old momma. I expect to see her, if she's made it bless her dear old heart. I want to see Jesus.

Otherwise, you might as well sing about cowboy heaven. Ever hear of that record? Well, I heard it once, and I couldn't figure out just what kind of heaven they had, be it wasn't the kind of heaven I wanted. Because they talked about Will Rogers, and Hank Snow I think, and everybody else, but didn't hear Jesus' Name mentioned. Not that... well that's one place that I don't want to go, it might be a little too hot for me, and I got on my asbestos suit.

28. Now, it's His Word. It's His Word that counts. Not what somebody thinks, or what somebody talks about. But Peter said, "If any man speak, (and we're all going to talk) let him talk the Word of God." Say what God said about it. What has God said about a situation? Why we have preachers filling pulpits today, and you know as well as I do that the various churches like the U.P. have gone completely wild over it. They say, "You can have no more than one wife, and you can fill a pulpit." The Bible says, "No elder can have a living...two living wives at one time." Peter said, "If a man speaks let him say what God says."

Now, you know that we're going to talk. And God did not say for one minute to stop talking. No sir. But He said, "to talk." And He said, "we were to talk according to the Word of God." Now, if we are going to earnestly expect from God His promises concerning any subject, then we had better know what the Word says about it, then fill our minds with It to think what God said about every condition, circumstance, and everything that comes our ways, good bad or indifferent, and think what He says and say what He says about it. Because that's the way that we're going to get the good things of God.

29. Now, let me show you how this worked out in the lives of those people who did it, in chapter 6 of Hebrews again. You notice what God says here (in Hebrews 6:) concerning this:

(17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it (to Abraham) by an oath: (and right down the line to every single child of God by faith.)

And now, therefore then, we know this: That, if we are going to confirm, (now you know when you confirm a thing, say 'yes' to it) when you are going to give it not just dignity, but it's the dignity of backing, reality. It says that you confirm it by your speech.

So therefore, when every time you and I speak concerning our faith thoughts, we are con-firming them. In other words, we are making them hard. We're making them jell, we're making them powerful, we're giving strength to them. Backbone, rigidity, unbending, unyielding ability. That's exactly what it is.

And we're told over here as I mentioned in Hebrews that we are to say what our High Priest is saying, which is Jesus Christ. And remember, that Jesus Christ positively received every single thing concerning Him as set forth in the Word of God, because He lived in that atmosphere of faith thoughts, and faith thinking which is the Word of God. So, then brother/sister, tonight the Bible tells us to confirm our thoughts by our confession. As the Scripture says, "We believe also and therefore we speak." And that’s exactly what we must do.

30. Now, again in the Book of Hebreews 11: you will notice this

(8) By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Now, that's pretty good. You don't know where you're going, but as long as you got God it doesn't make any difference, because you'll only end up with them anyway.

(9) (And) By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, ...

And it is strange. I don't believe there'll ever come a time when in your life and mine when God isn't leading us into some new path. It's the same old path, but it's just something new about it. Now:

(9) ... (and) dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

You know, you just don't ever sit down in this, God keeps you moving. People say, "Well, I want to get to a place where I won't ever have to come through this again till the day you die, you're going to go, but the trial of your faith. In other words, God is going to be in here helping us to go ahead and move in this great arena of faith.

(11) Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

(12) Therefore (because of this there) sprang even of one, (Abraham, and him as good as dead, and seminally speaking he was) dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

(13) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and (what? and) confessed (see?) that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

They didn't think like the world thought. Now notice:

(14) (And) they that say such things, (Say what? Say what God said) declare plainly that they seek a country.

(15) And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they... (would have literally would have turned around and gone back.

(16) But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: where- fore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

31. Now, you notice that they thought right, and they said right, and they got there. Every person died in faith. And you know, you can't say anything more thrilling than that. That a man lives in a faith, till the minute God called him. This day and age when people are retiring from ministries and trying to lay down the old shovel and hoe, and hang up the fiddle and bow, and trying to take rest and get this retirement plan and that kind of a plan. Get this kind of security and that kind of security. Where are the Caleb' s who said, "In my old age give me this mountain." [Josh 14:12a]

And Joshua said, "Oh man, you're too old."

And he said, "Old man, my foot! You put an eighteen-year-old kid out there I'll work him to the bone. Eighty-two years of age I think he was, or older. He said, "Give me that mountain."

And they said, "That mountain is full of giants.'

He said, "That's the kind I like,"

Moses died full of years, but healthy. We just don’t realize that if these people dying in faith is one sad story. "And look at they went on straggling so weary and God was so hard on them, calling the places they didn't know. It was so hard to lose their children and dying and being sawed asunder." [Said sarcastically] I'd like to go through that. I'd like to know I had what it took to go through that. These, died in faith. This is no epitaph of some poor old watery-eyed preacher say, "I'm so sorry for you honey, your husband died that way. Pulled apart by wild horses, it shouldn't have happened to a dog, let alone a Christian."

32. These died in faith! That's where I want to go. I’ve got no guarantee in myself I'm going to make it that way. But I've got a guarantee in His Word. They confessed, they had thought it. ... They weren't mindful of these other things. They kept in their minds what God said, faith thought. And they uttered those faith thoughts upon their lips. They weren't like Esau, who in the day of depression, in the day of famine, because though [Genesis] chapter 25 does not talk about a famine [but chapter] 26 does. It says, "In those days there was a famine in the land." [Gen 26:1]

And he [Esau] had been hunting. and now coming back from the hunt having on food whatsoever, there he is, his belly all distended, and swollen, his strength going from him. And he said to his brother, "Give me that mess of pottage or I'll die!"

His brother said, "If I give it to you I'll die, but I'll tell you what, you give me your birthright."

He said, "Take it, it's not worth anything, I'm at the point of death."

He despised the birthright. He didn’t die. Neither did Jacob die, though Jacob gave him the food that he had, he trusted God. Both the men lived, but one man lived trusting Almighty God. One man said the wrong things, but the other man said the right things.

33. When Bro. Branham was in the house of Sis. Hattie [Wright] Mosher someday...well, that's in the book on the prophets. But he was with her there and others with them. And how he was telling how that God was moving and the things of the Lord, she suddenly said, "That's exactly true Bro. Branham."

And the minute she said that the Spirit of God moved in the room, and He said, [through Bro. Branham] "For that saying, ask anything and I'll give it to you."

When she cried for her two sons... those sons... Bro. Branham said, "Your sons are given to you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ." They immediately fell down upon their feet crying unto God for salvation. They are in the Tabernacle today, praising God in the Communion service, the foot-washing service and serving God as men ought to serve God.

It's the faith thought, and the faith confession that God wants. Now, the Bible said, "If they'd have thought the other way, and talked the other way, they'd have gone right back." And I wonder how many of us lose the mighty miracle of prayer, because when we get through praying we begin thinking different and talking different than, the way we were and upon our knees. Brother/sister, we'll lose it every single time according to the Word of God.

34. Now, the Scriptures which I have given to you tonight setting forth this law of how we are to confirm our thoughts by our words, will be made even clearer as we begin to read Scripture concerning exactly how this takes place in the natural.

So, we turn to the Book of Proverbs, and this verse has always been a favorite, because I guess It startled me so much to see the truth. It's in Proverbs 18:20-21. Now It says:

(20) A man's belly...

And the word 'belly' has always signified the 'ancient' as being the inner man. He's not talking about your stomach, (the little intestines) it's like bowels of mercy. He talks...this is... the ancients call this the 'solar plexus mind', where your nervous energy is. It's here. Now, he says:

(20) A man's belly (this inner man) shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

(21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

35. Let me tell you about this. I'll illustrate it to you by the old fish story. A man goes down fishing, and he catches a fish that's really about eight inches long. And you know, when he gets home and he said, "You know, (he said) I caught a lovely fish, I was out fishing, it was just about a foot long."

You know what happened? What happened to him? He heard himself say it. And when he heard himself say what he thought, it sounded so good, that it got bigger when it came out. And the next time he said, "You know, that fish was about fourteen inches long, I swear.” And I said, "There are very few trout that long." But that was the fourteen-incher, weighed about a pound and a quarter too. Maybe even say weighed two pounds for all I know. Maybe it was quite a fat trout too. So, he says it the fourth time it's eighteen inches long. You know how the fish stories go? Just how gossip does. Just like gossip.

36. Now, listen to me, here is what the Bible says. It says, "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth." The fruit of your mouth of course, is what you're taught, your speech. "And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled."

The Bible knew that every time you said a thing it got bigger and bigger, and bigger. Remember how it was if you heard gossip and didn't say it seem to die out? But the minute that you said it, it kind of was pretty good, wasn't it? And then next time you said it, it got bigger, and it sounded even better. About the fifth time, you just [makes a slurping sound] drooling, [more slurping] it tasted so good. And the funny thing is you kind of get satisfied and feel good doing it don't you? You know how it works. And that's exactly what speech does.

37. That's why the Bible says for you to talk. If you've got the spirit of faith, you are to confess it. You're to talk about it. Oh, I know it's kind of hard, because people say, "Bro. Vayle when I testify and confess the devil comes by and I feel so much worry.”

Oh funny, it didn't feel so bad when we were gossiping about the old girl down the street, or the old boy that fell in the mud when he was tight. [slang for drunk] (Huh?) Now, here's the law that God laid down. He says, "You talk about it, and when you do it'll give get bigger." And then He says, "Death and life are in the power of tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit of thereof." I you love life, you will say God's Word constantly concerning every single circumstance in your life. If you love death, and you'll say just opposite to what God said.

38. Peter said, "He that would see long days and loves life, let him keep his tongue from evil, from speaking guile." [1 Pet 3:10] And there's only one way that you can keep your tongue from doing it, and that's fill your tongue with God's Word. Let His Word be all together in my tongue. And the Bible said, "It increases." If you want to increase the faith processes in your life, you are going to have to be like Abram, who called himself 'Abraham', because God said he was Abraham even when he wasn't, and he became what God said he was, by putting his 'faith processes' and his 'talk processes' together.

That's why the Bible says, "The inhabitants of the land shall not say, I am sick." [Isa 33:24b] The Book of Isaiah, "He shall not say I am sick." But he shall say, "By Who's stripes I have been healed." [Isa53:5b]

He shall think what God says, and he shall say what God says. And the Bible says, "When you do it, it will increase." And when it increases It will get a hold of you, and when it gets a hold of you, it'll be real to you. And when It's real to you, God will give It to you. (You see?)

39. Now, I didn't make that up, did I? It's right in the Bible. In Proverbs 12:14, It says,

(14) A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: ...

Didn't say be satisfied by God. With ...?... It said, "By the fruit of his mouth." Now, God's behind it all, but God's not going to give it until we learn how to confess properly. Again, It says in Proverbs 13:2-3

(2) A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: ...

(3) He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: (that’s what it says)

but he that openeth wide his lips shall (see) destruction.

40. Let's take a look at the Book of Psalms 109:17-20. It says 'thusly',

(17) As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

(18) As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, so let it come into his (what?) bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

(19) Let it be unto him as the garment which (covered) him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

Now, that's what It says about a man that doesn't talk right.

What does Proverbs 15:1 say?

(1) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Proverbs 10:11

(11) The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: ...

Proverbs 12:19

(19) The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

What does the Word of God say? "Let every man's word be a lie, when coming against mine." [Rom 3:4a] The Scripture says, "Therefore if you use God's Word upon your lips, you will be established."

You say, "Bro. Vayle, I may end up in court." End up in court bless God. "But I may lose money in that accident." Lose money in the accident. God will make it up to you. "May lose my job." Lose your job. You've got to lie? Not worth having. Got to be crooked, forget it.

41. It is said, "The lips of truth shall be established, but a lying tongue is but for a moment." And that's true. You've been away from the confession of God, and God will not establish it. You may get away for one moment, but the next thing around the corner will catch up and it'll be too bad.

In Proverbs 12:18 It says,

(18) ... the tongue of the wise is health.

What is wisdom? The Word of God is wisdom. Psalms 77:3, notice:

(3) I remembered God, and was troubled: (See, the man was troubled. Notice) I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Had he never complained, he wouldn't have gone down. Murmuring destroyed Israel. Lack of a positive confession which is based upon the Word, which will cause us to think according to the Word. I say, a lack of that will destroy us every time. But when we do it, it's got to be according to the what God says.

42. Over here in the Book of Jasmes 3:2-12

(2) For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

(3) Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

(4) Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

(5) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

(6) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, and it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

(7) (And) for every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

(8) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

(9) Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

(10) Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

(11) Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet (and bitter waters?)

(12) Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt and fresh.

43. What's she trying to tell here? Fill your mouth with the Word of God, because It is not in man to direct his own way, or to think his own thoughts. It isn't, because "there is a way that seems right unto man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death." [Prov 14:12] We need to think God's thoughts and t say God's Words.

Just as we said over here in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10,

(8) We are troubled on every side, ...

What does we say though? What do you think?

(8) ... (we are) not distressed; ... (though we have all these times against us, we are to confess a positive thing. Certainly, we're troubled. We're) not distressed. (Sure we're) perplexed, (we're) not despair;

(9) Persecuted, (who doesn't get persecuted? That doesn't mean you're) forsaken; cast down, (and you'll fall, that doesn't mean you're) destroyed; (Certainly not, you're not destroyed.)

43. The Book of Psalms over here, how does the Psalmist tell us to confess?

Psalms 118:8-14 says:

(8) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

(9) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (That's getting bigger still.)

(10) All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.

(11) They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

(12) They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

(13) Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.

(14) The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

Notice that? It doesn't say that things aren't happening. Sure, they're happening. Absolutely they're happening. God wouldn't give you faith, except for the fact He put you in a position whereby you needed Sovereign, Divine, Almighty God help. Now, how are you going to get it?

44. We're going to get it by thinking what God thought about it, we're going to say what God said about it. Our speaking confirms what's in the right or wrong paths according to Psalms 140:1-3

(1) Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;

(2) Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.

(3) They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips...

But, what does It say in verse 11?

(11) Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. (See?)

We don't have to fight [our] own battles. Isn't God a Protector, as well as Provider? If He's a Protector then you don't fight your battles. If He's a Provider, you don't worry how it's done, you just thank God it is done. That's your rest of faith. And how is it done? By thinking faith thoughts. You can't think two things at one time, you can't say two things at one time. You got to think what God said, and say what God said, and then God will establish you, just what His Word says.

45. In the power of the Word is seen in Isaiah 57:19, listen to It:

(19) I create the fruit of the lips; (God Himself spoke and it came to pass, is that correct? Alright, it's the same with you and me.) Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

In other words, the same as Abraham he confessed what God had said about him with his mouth and God healed him and made him that way.

46. Job 22:28, It says,

(28) Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

We must begin to speak and confess a positive confession which is the Word of Almighty God.

46. Bro. Branham told us a story years ago about Jack Moore's cousin. Now, Jack Moore's cousin could never seem to ever get anywhere in a victorious life. And one day this cousin had a vision, and in the vision, he saw a little table in the room and on the table, was a Bible. And here he was standing there nothing else I the room, not a thing. And the door was a little way off the floor, and he looked at the bottom of the door and suddenly he saw a little devil swagger in. And he swaggered in and he went up to Jack's [cousin] and said, "Boo!"

And he said, "Boo!" Jack's cousin jumped back. And when he jumped back the devil a little higher.

And the devil swaggered up again looked him in the eye he said, "Boo!"

And Jack's cousin jumped back and devil got higher. Finally, after about four attacks on his cousin the devil was a high as the ceiling.

And in sheer frustration and terror began looking around, "What will I do, what will I do?" And there was the Bible, so he walked over and picked up the Bible and went towards the devil. Now, he was way bigger than his cousin was. And he looked up at him and he quoted the Word of God, in the Bible. And every time he did, the devil jumped backward and he got smaller. About six times around, the devil was out under the door. Now, you see that's exactly the truth, that we do not have the thoughts nor the words to cover the situation when God has already done it, it’s literally blasphemy against the Word to say what is contrary to what God has said.

So, to receive the victory in order to keep our faith growing. In other words, the use of our faith getting mightier and mightier, and establishing our own lives as more dynamic Christians, we must learn to talk the way the God has talked. Now, many of us has applied that to prayer.

47. In chapter 5 in the Book of Ecclesiastes 5: It says,

(1) Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

(2) Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: ... (now, that means to think a thing and say it, to see it's wrong) for God is in heaven, (see, His thoughts are way above ours, see?) and thou upon earth: therefore, let thy words be (what?) few. (See, we're not heard from much speaking.)

(3) For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.

(4) When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; (that's when you pray) for (God) hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

(5) Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. (See?)

(6) Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before (the messenger) the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

(7) For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou (the Lord.)

48. Now, we go back here to the Book of Job 2:9-10

(9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? ...

Now, that word 'curse' is a funny word as I've explained, it can mean 'praise' in one place and 'curse' in another. She [Job's wife] was saying to him, "Why don't you just praise God, say Lord, I'm tired of it all I'm going now and pull up your feet upon the bed like Jacob did of old, and die.

(10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all (these things) Job did not sin with his lips. (See?)

You wouldn't get him to say anything contrary to what God has said. He wouldn't do it. See, because he knew that God was sovereign God.

49. Turn back to the Book of Daniel and see something here in Daniel's life in the Book of Daniel 3:16-18, It says:

(16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

(17) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, ...

(18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

You notice that? You see, he wasn't going to go beyond what God said. He said, "I don't know just what the results are going to be, but there's one thing, I am not going to praise an image. I will not allow my lips to sin."

50. Now, what about over here in Matthew 10: verses 16-20. Notice what he says here:

(16) Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

(17) (And) beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

(18) And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

(19) But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what (you) shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what (you) shall speak.

(20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

See, now how important is to be careful for what you think, for what you say. God said, "Don't start thinking about things."

51. You know how it is when you and I get in trouble like these men were in trouble. Supposing we were going to have trouble coming up, and what do we start saying? "Well, I've got trouble with that man, or that woman."

You think, "Well, he'll say, and I say this. Yes, I know how to..." And then she'll say that, and I'll say this. And pretty soon you're all fussed up inside. Stop thinking those things. Think what God thought about it, because after all that's the highest court of appeal. Say what God said about it. Now then, listen to me, without a doubt we have established a law of the faith life. What we want to increase and establish in our lives we think about, and confirm and strengthen and enlarge by speaking our faith thoughts relative to them. See that?

52. All right, let's go back to Psalms 145: If you want something in your life, talk about it, think about it, bring it out. Psalms 145:4

(4) One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

(5) I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

(6) And men shall speak of the might (and) of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

(7) They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

How much time do we spend in talking about how big and how good God is? The Bible says, "We shall abundantly utter." We are told as Christians to put more time on this than on anything else. You say, "Bro. Vayle, I'm going to pray." You go ahead and pray, you're kidding yourself. Because unless you offer back to God in your prayer with the Psalmist says, "You are merely making the sacrifice of fools." You're wasting your time in plain English, you're sacrificing your time. Because your words and mine are not important, believe me.

No place in Scripture has as It says that God exalts your word. Nowhere. It's His Own Words that exalted above His Name.

53. When you pray you put your prayers above His Name, so make sure your prayers are His Words, or you're not going to get an answer, it's just that simple. Continuous life-giving answers, come by following these rules.

(7) They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

You know what the Psalmist says this? Because there's a law of psychology that says, that we remember more the things that happened to us that were bad, then the things that were good. (Huh?) That's a law of psychology. So, the Psalmist says, "stop it, safeguard yourself, don't do it, by talking about all the wonderful things of God." Tell the wonderful things and that will work out just right.

54. Notice what he said,

(8) The LORD is gracious, (say that) and full of compassion; (He is) slow to anger, and great mercy.

(9) The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all...

(10) All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

(11) They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

(12) To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

(13) Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

(14) The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

(15) The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

(16) Thou openest thine hand, and (satisfy) the desire of every living thing.

(17) The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

(18) The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (That's according to the Word.)

(19) He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

(20) The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will (be destroyed.)

(21) My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

55. You notice, It doesn't say about going out and pigeon-holing every man in the street. Now, you say, “Come and see, come and bow down.” It doesn’t say that at all. It says, "Just tell them how wonderful God is." I think people are a little bit sick being button holed, because that's not going to win them. But, I'm going to tell you one thing, when you really got a testimony in your lips, you're really praising God, and man can see faith, he's going to want it.

Because no matter what you tell him, it's going to take the Spirit of God to convict him. But he even then, he'll still want what you've got. But God may never bring him to it. But the Psalmist here says, "You are to talk abundantly, and declare all of these things." What now? This is the case then, what we want to major in as Christians, what we really want to be lifted up in and become strong. The Bible says, "Think what God thought, say what God thought, speak to Him, you'll make it great."

56. Now, supposing you want to decrease it. What do you do?

Matthew 15:11

(11) Not that which goeth into (man) defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this (defiles) a man. (Huh?)

What It says, (let me see another verse now)

[Matthew] 12:37

(37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

We don't want to be defiled, the Bible says, just like James we got to start on the tongue, right here. But before this thing can talk it's got to be here. (See?) Before the heart was darkened, the mind was darkened. Right? And before the tongues gets darkened the mind is darkened. But the Bible says, "The darkened mind will never get strong if you keep the tongue from talking." So, we've learned a lesson tonight, haven't we? We must become like Abraham.

57. Let's go back to Romans 4: again, concerning Abraham our father of the faithful. And It says here in verse 19.

(19) And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, ...

That means to thoroughly proceed by way of the mind, to think about it, and mull over it, and to analyze it. He considered not his own body, he didn't consider the deadness of Sarah's womb, he didn't judge diversely the promise of God, so he'd be thrown. But he was strong in faith, doing what? Giving God the glory by saying, "Yes, I am Abraham, and I will become what God said I am." And if God said, "I'm healed," then I'm healed. God said, "I'm heir to the world, I'm heir to the world." If God said, "I can tread on scorpions," I can tread on scorpions. If God said, "I've got power over all the power of the enemies," that's exactly what it is. If God said, "I'm the righteousness to come,” that's exactly where I'm identified. If God says, "At any time, I'm able through all these things," I am able. If God says, "Every one of us has got a ministry by the Holy Ghost," then that's what exactly correct. If God says, "We've all got a part and He esteems not one above another," and that's exactly correct.

We have got to begin to give credit to God. It was when Sarah judged God faithful that she became the mother of Isaac. When this man Abraham went through the processes as outlined here, for God said, "Seed." Notice, He said, "Seed." Now, that's a revelation. Seed.

58. All right, "I have made you and I will multiply you." When Abraham saw that God meant it, his thoughts were confirmed. He wasn't lying, that this was real. And Abraham’s mental processes went right along with God. And brother/sister, listen, isn’t the spirit of God given you to teach you all things? What will He teach you? God's Word in God's ways, guide you into all truth, so therefore your mental processes. Because the Bible says, "We have the mind of whom? Christ!

And the Scripture warns us to put on that mind. Then we think His thoughts, and we say His thoughts, and we become confirmed, and grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But, we conclude with this statement:

That a right and proper mental attitude for any promise in the Word, such attitude being confirmed and augmented by confession of the Word, will eventually give without fail, that promise to the believer. Just as Abraham with his thought processes, thinking God's Word, confirmed It, augmented It, strengthened It, enlarged It by saying, "I am Abraham." He came to the place of receiving the promise of God. And there can be no failure, not with any of it, if we go through these steps.

59. What is it that destroys our faith, this perfect gift of faith? It's not destroys it, but what stops it? That we learned tonight again what stops it. First of all, what was it? We must once and for all understand that God is a good God, and everything is exactly right.

Now, you say, "Why can it be exactly right Bro. Vayle, I've failed God and I’m reaping." Then it's exactly right, because if God's in it, it's exactly right. How am I going to change it? There's only one way to change wrong reaping, and that's to start right sowing child, that's all. Start thinking right, think right, talk right, keep it up. It's got to work.

You say, "Well why?" Because I'll explained it to you, "a man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth, and by the increase of his lips." [Proverbs 18:20] It gets bigger and bigger, and bigger. Shall he be filled. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. And they that love it, well, they that love it, or just keep on getting what they love. Did you ever people who talk about symptoms, and trouble troubles, and they'll talk and that's all they love, that's all they can talk, and they love it. And they say, "Oh, I'm not happy." You, old hypocrite, you're so happy, you just... that's what you love, trouble, trouble, trouble.

60. Any psychiatrist can tell you what I preach tonight. Any psychologist, or psychiatrist. He would say, "Reverend Vayle, you preached a hundred percent according to the laws of mime, and the laws of men." This is the greatest text Book [Bible] on psychology in the world. It is God's text Book of psychology. He wrote It not for man, and not for God, not for the devil, not for angels, He wrote It for you and me. "That if a man will abide in this Word, we will ask what he will and it shall be done.

Believe that God is a good God. Put your mind on what God said concerning what you've got need of, keep it there, and talk about it, praise God and watch, the day will come when that thing takes over, gets so big, it just takes you over. And there you are, you believe that? It's exactly right. Now, let's pray:

Father, again we thank You tonight for Thy Word, Thy Word is Truth. Now, Lord, we make no other over overture to You tonight, except this one thought we have in our mind. And that is also according to Your Word in which I can see by now, that we must also keep in our minds and keep confessing the Holy Spirit has been given to me to teach me, to guide me, and to lead me. And this anointing is no lie, but is the truth. As we are kept by the power of through faith until the last day.

Even so now, Lord, with these processes we have outlined every single one of us not only should, but can, and because of our constant putting forward these laws will become changed from a caterpillar type of life in faith, to a butterfly. Which is a complete metamorphosis.

Now, Father, I thank You tonight for Your Spirit that has been given to us to that very end. Particularly that thought that He will bring all things to our remembrance. That's good, Lord, because our minds need it. We thank You for it, and bless Your Holy Name in Jesus' Name. Amen.

[Bro Vayle and Bro. Kash preparing to pray for the sick]