Walking by Faith

Kenneth E. Hagin

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Walking by Faith

ISBN-13: 978-1-60616-816-5

ISBN-10: 1-60616-816-9

Copyright © 1998 RHEMA Bible Church

AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Electronic Edition Published 2013.

The Faith Shield is a trademark of RHEMA Bible Church, AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and therefore may not be duplicated.

Lesson 1

Faith in Action (Part 1)

Bible Texts: Joshua 6:2–5,16,20; Luke 5:18–20,24–25

Central Truth: Great miracles are wrought by those who act upon God’s Word.

In both the Old and New Testaments we see examples of how God’s people were able to accomplish mighty deeds by putting their faith into action. Great miracles were wrought by humble men who acted upon God’s Word in simple, believing faith.

Faith in Action in the Old Testament

JOSHUA 6:2–5,16,20

2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him . . . .

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city . . . .

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

In verse 2, we read that God told Joshua He had given the city of Jericho “into thine hand.” This didn’t mean, however, that Joshua and the children of Israel could sit back and relax while the city automatically became theirs. They had to do something.

God gave them explicit instructions how to go about possessing the land He already had given them, but they had to believe that word and act upon it. Their acting upon the word was their faith in action.

They were to march around the walls of the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. Then, when the musical instruments sounded, they were to shout.

Notice that they shouted while the walls were still up! Anybody can shout when the walls are down—it doesn’t take any faith to do that. But they acted their faith. They “shouted with a great shout,” and the walls fell down!

Too many people are sitting back waiting for something to come to them. They are more or less inert, with a passive faith instead of an active faith, waiting for something to happen.

I met a man like this years ago in Colorado. He had no job. He had a wife and five children, and he was just waiting for something to turn up. But the only thing that turned up was more bills. He needed to get busy. We all have certain obligations. We can’t just stay at home and expect something to come to us. But if we pray, believe, and then act, something will happen.

Faith in Action in the New Testament

LUKE 5:18–20,24–25

18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee . . . .

24 . . . I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

While Jesus was in a house teaching, some men brought their friend to Him to be healed. The man had palsy and was bedfast. The crowd was so large that these men could not get to Jesus. But rather than give up, they determined to find some way to get their friend to Him. They climbed onto the roof and through an opening in the tiling they lowered the bedfast man into the room before the Lord.

By whose faith was this miracle brought about: the man on the cot, or the friends who brought him to the Lord? The scripture says, “And when he saw THEIR faith . . . .’’ The word, “their” is plural. It was the faith of all of them. It would have been easy for the man’s friends, upon seeing the great throng surrounding Jesus, to have shrugged their shoulders, given up, and gone back home, saying, “Well, at least we tried. We did the best we could.” But they didn’t give up that easily. They found a way to get their friend to Jesus.

The sick man demonstrated great faith, too, because how many invalids would allow themselves to be carried up on a rooftop? Furthermore, when Jesus told him to rise and walk, he wasn’t any better. He lay there just as helpless as ever. He could have said, “Rise and walk? Why, didn’t you see these men carry me in here? I can’t possibly get up. You’ll have to heal me first.” But, no, when Jesus told him to rise, he began to move, and when he did, healing was the result. If he had refused to act on the word of the Master, he would not have received healing. But because he acted, he received.

Faith in Action in the Twentieth Century

In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, a woman evangelist was ministering to four people in wheelchairs. In a very quiet voice she said, “Rise and walk in Jesus’ Name.” Three of these people got up and walked. The fourth said, “I can’t walk.”

“The others couldn’t walk either,” the evangelist said, “but they did.”

“I know they did,” the crippled woman answered, “but I can’t. You see, I haven’t walked in years.” And the evangelist had to walk away and leave her sitting there. The others acted their faith and reaped the results.

In one church where I was ministering, there was a man who had been burned over the lower part of his body, leaving him unable to walk. He just scooted his feet along on the floor. During the healing service one evening, this man came forward for prayer. The Lord had told me what to do, and when I came to him I asked him, “Can you run?”

Astonished at such a question, he said, “Oh, no, I can’t even walk, much less run.”

Then I said, “The Lord has told me to tell you to run.” The man didn’t even give it a second thought. He just turned and started scooting up the aisle as fast as he could. He scooted around the church in this manner three or four times, and by the time he got back to the front, he was walking normally. He was perfectly healed! He had acted his faith.

In the service the next night we saw another miracle as the result of the first. Two elderly gentlemen responded to the invitation—something which is not often seen.

I learned later that these men were brothers, ages seventy-two and seventy-four, who lived next door to the man who had been healed the night before. When they saw their crippled neighbor out working in his yard the next day, they thought he had crawled out there. But then they saw him get up, straight and well, and walk around the house. They hurried over to find out what had happened. He told them about his healing and what the Lord had done for him. As a result, both men came to the service that night and gave their hearts to the Lord.

One of the best definitions of faith is: If you believe, you will act. If you believe God’s Word, you will act as if it is true. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Faith is giving substance to the thing hoped for.

Memory Text:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” –Heb. 11:1

Lesson 2

Faith in Action (Part 2)

Bible Texts: Acts 19:1–6; 1 Corinthians 14:14

Central Truth: The formula of faith in action can

apply to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit

just as it does to receiving all of God’s gifts.

In the previous lesson we talked about how faith is an action; it puts God’s Word into practice. Many miracles of healing have come about as people have acted on their faith, stepped out on God’s promises, and received from God.

The same thing applies to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In order to receive this mighty enduement of God’s power, we also must step out in faith and lay claim to the promises of the Father.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit: Already Given

ACTS 19:1–6

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

As we study the Book of Acts, we notice that after the Day of Pentecost, the disciples always asked believers the question, “Have you received the Holy Ghost?” They didn’t say, “Has God given you the Holy Ghost?” God is not going to give you the Holy Ghost. As far as He is concerned, He already has. It is up to you to receive. It is something you do yourself.

Some say, “I just wish it were as easy to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as you make it sound.”

But just how difficult is it to receive a gift? If a man were to ask me for a book which I held, I would hand it to him. I would be giving him a gift of the book. But suppose he were then to start crying and begging, “Please, oh, please, Brother Hagin. Please give it to me!” Of course, people would think he was crazy. They would wonder why he didn’t just reach out and take it.

Spiritual things are just as real as material things. God offers us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to cry and beg for it. God says, “Here is the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you are born again, you can receive now. You don’t have to wait; you’re ready now to receive the Holy Spirit!” “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). We have His promise in the Word. Faith is acting on the Word.

During a meeting which I was conducting in a town in Texas, a woman came forward for prayer to receive the Holy Spirit. I laid hands on her and prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon her, but she wouldn’t respond. I laid hands on her a second time and prayed, but again she wouldn’t respond. I opened my Bible to Acts 2:4 and asked her to read that verse of Scripture aloud. She read, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’’

“Who does the scripture say did the speaking in tongues?” I asked.

“It says the Holy Spirit did,” she answered.

I told her to read it again. Finally, after reading it four times, she saw what she had missed before. Astonished, she looked at me and said, “Why, they did the speaking in tongues! I had always thought that the Holy Spirit did the speaking.”

Then I said, “Let’s read several other scriptures, too,” and I pointed her to Acts 10:44–46: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.’’

We then turned to Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.’’

“Now I want to ask you a question,” I said. “When I laid hands on you earlier, did the Holy Spirit come upon you? Did you feel the power of God upon you?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

“Did your tongue want to say something that wasn’t English?” I asked.

“Why,” she said, “it was all I could do to keep from it.”

“You’re not supposed to keep from it,” I said. “You’re supposed to cooperate with it.” (Some people seem to think that they are supposed to fight against that urge as long as they can and finally be overpowered by the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, you must have faith to act.)

Some time ago I was talking to a fellow who had been tarrying for some fifteen years. He said, “You can’t tell me one thing about tarrying. I know all about seeking God.” He knew all about seeking but nothing about receiving. And there is a great deal of difference between the two.

A minister friend of mine told me about a man who said to him, “I’ve been seeking the Holy Spirit for nineteen years.”

The minister replied, “You haven’t done any such thing. Jesus said, ‘Seek, and ye shall find’ (Matt. 7:7). If you had been seeking, you would have found. All you’ve been doing is just hanging around the altar.” It seems that this is all that many are doing—just hanging around the altar. It’s time to quit hanging around and start acting on the Word of God, because faith is acting.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit: A Spiritual Experience

1 CORINTHIANS 14:14

14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

Your body is the temple or house of your own spirit. When you become born again, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your spirit. Therefore, your body then becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to the New Birth. Receiving this baptism of the Holy Spirit is a spiritual experience, not a mental or a physical experience.

You cannot contact God with your mind. God is not a mind. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man . . . .’’ This means God is not a physical being. He is a spirit.

Notice that He is not “spirit,” but He is “a spirit.” The word “spirit” to many people means an influence or an atmosphere. But God is not spirit. Jesus said, “God is a Spirit. . .’’ (John 4:24). He is a divine personality. We cannot contact God with our minds; we cannot contact Him with our bodies. We contact God with our spirits, because He is a spirit.

This is where many people have difficulty in trying to receive the Holy Spirit. They try to receive the Holy Spirit mentally or physically. They want a physical experience, but it is a spiritual experience. The only physical part of it is the actual speaking in tongues. He will give you utterance, but that utterance comes out of your spirit, and you speak the words.

Paul said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Cor. 14:14). The Amplified Bible reads, “My spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays.” In other words, it is the Holy Spirit within you who gives you the ability to speak with other tongues.

Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). He comes in to live and dwell in you, and you must learn to respond to Him. He will give you the utterance. Many people fail here because they rely on their natural senses—what they can see, hear, or feel. They will not believe they have the Holy Spirit until they speak with tongues. However, you believe and receive the Holy Spirit first; then you speak with tongues as a result of having received.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost . . .’’ (Acts 2:4). Notice this scripture says they were filled. Then, after they were filled, they began to speak with other tongues. This is the very thing that many people stumble over. They want to talk in tongues first and then believe that they have the Holy Spirit. But you have to believe first.

In order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as to receive anything from God, you have to step out in faith, putting your faith to work. Then you will have faith in action.

Memory Text:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” –Heb. 11:1

Lesson 3

Confession: Key to Unlocking Faith

Bible Texts: Matthew 3:5–6; John 16:7–11;

Matthew 10:32–33

Central Truth: Confessing the lordship of Jesus

Christ is the very heart of the Gospel.

Few Christians realize the place that confession holds in God’s scheme of things. And it is to be regretted that whenever we use the word “confession,’’ people invariably think of confessing sins, weaknesses, and failings. That is the negative side of confession. There is a positive side, and the Bible has more to say about the positive aspects of confession than the negative!

The dictionary says that to confess means “to acknowledge or to own, to acknowledge faith in.” To confess, according to the dictionary, means to make confession of one’s faults, but it also says it means to make confession of one’s faith.

There are four kinds of confessions spoken of in the New Testament: (1) the teachings of John the Baptist and Jesus regarding confession of sins of the Jews; (2) the confession of the sinner today; (3) the believer’s confession of his sins when he is out of fellowship with God; and (4) the confession of our faith in God’s Word.

Confession of Sins of the Jews

It is important to make the distinction between the sins of the Jews under the first covenant, to whom Jesus and John the Baptist were talking in Scripture, and the sins of the unbeliever today who has never met Christ.

MATTHEW 3:5–6

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Here we see the picture of God’s covenant people confessing their sins and being baptized by John. This was not Christian baptism. Jesus had not died and risen.

John did not baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He baptized only in the Name of the Father. These people were Jews under the law.

Confession of the Sinner Today

JOHN 16:7–11

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9. Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Notice the words of Jesus in verse 9: “Of sin, because they believe not on me.” Jesus shows us that the sinner will be convicted by the Holy Spirit of only one sin, and that is “because they believe not on me.”

How many times have we insisted that the sinner confess all the sins he has ever committed in order to be saved. However, he couldn’t confess all the sins he has ever committed. He couldn’t remember everything he has ever done! The chief confession the sinner must make is the lordship of Jesus.

In Acts 19:18 we read, “And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.’’ These were Gentiles. It doesn’t say what they confessed, but it is evident from the verse that follows that they were confessing the magical arts they had been practicing. “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men . . .’’ (v. 19). They were not confessing these things to get saved, because they already were saved. They gave them up because they were now saved.

So many times people have gotten the cart before the horse. They tell unsaved people, “You are going to have to quit this, and you’re going to have to give up that before you can get saved.” But the main issue is that they accept the lordship of Jesus. Then those other things will take care of themselves.

In the last church I pastored, there was a family in which the wife was saved but the husband wasn’t. When I visited in the home and invited the husband to come to church, he said, “No, I don’t want to come to church, because when I do, I feel uneasy. I get under conviction. Just this morning my wife asked me why I didn’t give up this and that and get saved. She doesn’t know it, but for weeks at a time I have tried giving up these things, but I always go back to them. I’ve tried and failed. There’s no use in my coming to church. I just can’t live it.”

Here is an example of confession in reverse. He was trying to clean up his life and quit all his habits—he was trying to do it all himself—so he could get saved. But what he should have done was just confess the lordship of Jesus. “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” (Rom. 10:9).

The sinner has served Satan. He is guilty of only one sin in the sight of God: the rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. God demands that the sinner confess the lordship of Jesus. Confessing the lordship of Jesus is the very heart of the Gospel.

To demand that a sinner confess his sins before God can make him a new creature makes no more sense than it would for the governor of a state to say to a convict in prison, “I will parole you if you will confess that you are in prison.” It is a self-evident fact that he is in prison.

Likewise, it is self-evident that the sinner is a child of the devil. What he must confess is the lordship of Christ. He must be truly sorry for the sins of the past and turn from them, forsaking them completely and acknowledging his need of a Savior. Then he must let Jesus dominate his daily life.

Notice also the words, “Thou shalt confess with thy mouth . . . .’’ There must be a vocal confession. The lips must frame the words. Confession is not only for our sakes, but it is also for the sake of the world and for the sake of Satan, who has ruled our lives.

While I was conducting a meeting in Dallas, Texas, a number of years ago, some men in the church came to me asking prayer for a certain man who still was unsaved, although he had been coming to their early morning prayer services five days a week for six months.

I met him a few nights later at a Saturday night Bible class I was conducting especially for men who worked and couldn’t attend our day sessions. The Lord immediately spoke to my heart and showed me what the problem was. We had a few testimonies in this meeting, and then I asked this man to stand and give his testimony. Startled, he stammered, “Why, I can’t. I’m not saved yet.”

I asked him to turn in his Bible to Romans 10:9–10 and read these verses aloud. He read, “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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” When I asked him to read the last phrase again, he repeated, “And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’’

I said, “Certainly you can’t be saved until you confess. It is with the mouth that confession is made unto salvation, according to the scripture which you have just read. Now stand and confess that you are saved.”

“But I don’t feel that I am saved,” he replied.

“Maybe not,” I said, “but you have been coming to this church early every morning for six months praying to be saved.’’

“Yes, I have repented and prayed, cried and begged God for forgiveness,” he said.

“Then all you lack is standing on this verse,” I said.

Somewhat reluctantly he stood and said, “Well, I do believe these verses that Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead, and that God raised Him up for my justification. So I take Him as my Savior and confess Him as my Lord.” Then he quickly sat down.

To direct attention away from him, I called on another man to testify. Several others testified as well. Glancing back at him, I noticed his face was shining with the glory of God. I turned to him and said, “Now would you like to testify again?”

He leaped to his feet and said, “When I made that statement—when I confessed Jesus as my Lord—something happened inside of me,” and he went on to praise the Lord joyfully.

I told him, “Most assuredly something happened to you! Eternal life was imparted to your spirit.”

Confession in Public

MATTHEW 10:32–33

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Notice in these verses Jesus states our confession must be public. Public confession is really a break with the world. It defines our position. It shows our change of lordship. The confession of the lordship of Jesus puts us immediately under His supervision, care, and protection. Before this, Satan was our lord, but now Jesus is our Lord. Not only do we confess this to ourselves and to the world, but we confess it to the devil. In this way we overcome his hold on us and have victory through Jesus.

Memory Text:

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

–Rom. 10:10

Lesson 4

Confession Restores Broken Fellowship

Bible Texts: Psalm 137:1–4; 1 John 1:3–10;

James 5:14–15; Hebrews 10:1–4

Central Truth: Faith has no song when

fellowship is broken.

In our studies on the subject of confession, we have covered the first two types: the confession of the sins of the Jews, and the confession of the sinner today.

In this lesson we will deal with the confession of a believer who is out of fellowship with God.

In Psalm 137 we see a dramatic example of broken fellowship. As a result of sin, Israel had been carried away into Babylon.

PSALM 137:1–4

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

In this passage of Scripture, Israel laments her captivity. God’s people remember Zion, but they are now in sorrow, and their harps are hung on the willows. They cannot “sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.’’

Faith cannot sing when fellowship is broken. We lose our testimony the moment we sin. Sin always puts the light out.

Confession Brings Forgiveness

1 JOHN 1:3–10

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Many use these verses only when dealing with the unsaved. However, they were written to the believer, and they should only be used in connection with Christians who are out of fellowship with God because of sin in their lives.

Notice that the word “fellowship” is mentioned four times in these verses. They were written to the believer, not the sinner, first, as a warning against broken fellowship; and second, to show the way back into fellowship with the Lord.

Verse 6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.’’ In other words, if we are out of fellowship and declare that we are all right, we are not telling the truth.

But He says that if we will confess our sins, He is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’’

One point we should make clear here is that if you have sinned, you will know it.

The instant you do wrong, something on the inside of you will tell you. Your recreated spirit will instantly let you know you have committed sin. If you miss the mark in some way, do not wait. Stop right then and ask the Lord’s forgiveness. He will forgive, and you may continue walking in fellowship with Him.

Forgiveness Restores Fellowship

When you confess your sins, He forgives you at that moment and you stand in His presence as though you never had sinned. It is not necessary to keep confessing these same sins over and over again, because this builds weakness, doubt, and sin-consciousness into the spirit.

If you confessed it once, He forgave you and He forgot it. He has no memory of it: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isa. 43:25). And in Jeremiah 31:34 we read, “. . . for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’’

If God has no memory of the sin that broke your fellowship with Him, why should you? It is not the Holy Spirit who is convicting you. It is Satan trying to take advantage of you.

Psalm 103:1–3 says, “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.’’

Sometimes people ask me to pray for them and say, “I don’t know if the Lord will hear me or not, because I sinned and failed.” However, if they have asked God’s forgiveness, He doesn’t remember that they have done anything wrong. So why should they remember it? They have needlessly talked themselves right out of faith. The believer also must be willing to forgive himself just as God is willing to forgive him. Too many people have robbed themselves of faith because they are not willing to forgive themselves.

Forgiveness in Healing

JAMES 5:14–15

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

These verses often are used in connection with prayer for healing, and rightly so. But let us not overlook the last part—“and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’’

Many times when we see someone become ill whom we know to be out of fellowship with the Lord, we think, He has done wrong; now he’s going to reap the results of his wrongdoing. He is sick because of his sin. Sometimes broken fellowship will cause sickness, but the Word of God says, “. . . and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’’

I have known people who thought they had to lie on the bed of sickness indefinitely because they had failed and sinned. This is not necessary, however. The scripture says, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; AND IF HE HAVE COMMITTED SINS, THEY SHALL BE FORGIVEN HIM.’’ There is forgiveness in healing.

HEBREWS 10:1–4

1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

This is the story of the failure of the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. Their blood could only cover it. It left the sin in the hearts of men. And with the sin was sin-consciousness.

But in our redemption in Christ, God has redeemed us from sin-

consciousness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

You should have no more knowledge of your sin. God doesn’t; why should you? You can see with what confidence and boldness you can come in prayer, knowing with certainty that He hears you.

Memory Text:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’’ –1 John 1:9

Lesson 5

Confession of God’s Word Builds Faith

Bible Texts: Mark 16:15–20; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 119:28,130; Mark 11:23

Central Truth: Confession is faith’s way of expressing itself. Faith’s confession creates reality.

It is always possible to tell if a person is believing right by what he says. If his confession is wrong, his believing is wrong. If his believing is wrong, his thinking is wrong. If his thinking is wrong, it is because his mind has not been renewed with the Word of God.

All three—believing, thinking, saying—go together. God has given us His Word to get our thinking straightened out. We can think in line with God’s Word.

In our studies on the subject of confession we have dealt with three types of confession: the confession of the sins of the Jews, the confession of the sinner today, and the confession of a believer who is out of fellowship with God. In this lesson we will discuss the confession of our faith in God’s Word.

As we mentioned in the previous lesson, whenever the word “confession” is used, we instinctively think of sin and failure. But that is the negative side. It is important in its place, of course, but there is a positive side, and the Bible has more to say about the positive than the negative.

Confession is stating something we believe in our hearts. It is giving evidence to something we know to be true. It is testifying to a truth we have accepted.

Confession’s Five Parts

Our confession should center around five things:

(1) What God has done for us in the plan of redemption.

(2) What God has done in us, through His Word and His Spirit.

(3) What we are to the Father in Christ Jesus.

(4) What Jesus is accomplishing for us now at the Father’s right hand, where He is making intercession for us.

(5) What God can accomplish through us.

Confession at Work—Preaching the Word

MARK 16:15–20

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

God works through us by His Word through our lips. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” That is the way God works through us.

We carry the Word to the lost. If we do not carry the Word to the world, then we waste our time praying for God to do something. In other words, it would be useless to pray for someone who is lost if we do not carry the Gospel of salvation to him.

If we could just pray and get people saved, we wouldn’t have to send missionaries all over the world. We could just pray all the heathen into the kingdom. However, the Holy Spirit works only in connection with the Word.

In obedience to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach, the disciples went forth preaching the Word everywhere, and the Lord worked with them, confirming the Word with signs following. God didn’t do a thing until the disciples preached the Word. Then signs followed.

Signs don’t follow an individual; they follow the Word. Give the Word out and the signs will take care of themselves. You don’t follow signs. Signs follow the Word.

In the last church I pastored, I became greatly concerned that there weren’t enough signs following my ministry. I shut myself away in prayer for several days asking God for more signs.

Finally the Lord spoke to me and said, “You have been praying that I would confirm my word and that signs would follow. But all you have to do is to preach the Word and I will confirm it. If you will preach the Word, signs will follow. If the signs aren’t following, you are not preaching the Word.”

I was startled by this, but upon closer examination of my preaching, I discovered it was true. I had mingled a lot of tradition and personal opinion into my sermons. And God won’t confirm tradition with signs following.

As I began preaching more and more of the undiluted Word of God, I began to see more signs following. The more Word I preached, the more signs I had!

God moves only in line with His Word. He has magnified His Word above His Name. And we cannot expect to get help from God if we are taking sides against His Word, even though it may be an unconscious act on our part.

We should treat the Word of God with the same reverence we would show to Jesus if He were present in the natural.

Confession Dispels Fear

ISAIAH 41:10

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Have you ever noticed, in reading the Bible, how many times God told His children “fear not”?

When Jairus sought Jesus to heal his daughter, the Lord said to him, “FEAR NOT: believe only, and she shall be made whole” (Luke 8:50). When Jesus was preaching to His disciples, He said, “FEAR NOT, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

When the Lord appeared to Isaac in the Old Testament, renewing the covenant He had made with his father Abraham, the Lord said, “FEAR NOT, for I am with thee, and will bless thee . . .” (Gen. 26:24).

If God had just said, “Don’t be afraid,” and had left us there, we might say, “But I can’t help being afraid.” But not only did He say “fear not”; He also said, “I am with thee.” Can we really believe He is with us and still be afraid? No, if we are afraid, it is because we are doubting Him.

“But,” someone might say, “I am so weak.” God said, “I will strengthen thee.”

“But I am so helpless,” someone else might say, God said, “I will uphold thee.”

PSALM 119:28,130

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word . . . .

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

It is true that in ourselves we may be weak and helpless, burdened down with cares and problems. But in our weakness we look to His Word for strength, for “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

Our confession can be, “God is with me.” We can say, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4) and “If God be for me, who can be against me?” (Rom. 8:31).

You may be facing some problem that seems impossible. Instead of talking about how impossible it is, look to Him who is inside you and say, “God is in me now.” You’ll find your confession of faith will cause Him to work in your behalf. He will rise up in you and give you success.

The Master of Creation is in you! You can face life fearlessly because you know that greater is He who is in you than any forces that may be arrayed against you. This should be your continual confession.

Confession Increases Faith

There is no faith without confession. Confession is faith’s way of expressing itself.

Faith, like love, is of the heart—of the spirit. And we know there is no love without word or action. We cannot reason love into people, nor can we reason love out of them. It is of the heart. As faith, too, is of the spirit or heart, we can safely say that there is no faith without confession. Faith grows with confession.

The confession of the believer does two things for him. First, it identifies him. Second, it sets the boundaries of his life. He never will have more than his confession.

MARK 11:23

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 WHATSOEVER HE SAITH.

If we say we can’t do something, then of course we can’t. But if we say we can, then we can. According to Mark 11:23, we can have whatever we say or confess, whether it be belief or unbelief, success or failure, sickness or health.

The reason the majority of Christians, although sincere, are weak is because they never have dared to make a confession of who and what they are in Christ. The must find out how God looks at them and then confess it.

These privileges are found mostly in the New Testament epistles, because they were written to the Church. When you discover all that God has for you, boldly confess what the Word declares you are in Christ. As you do this, your faith will abound.

The reason faith is held in bondage is because you never have dared confess what God says you are. Remember, faith never grows beyond your confession. Your daily confession of what the Father is to you, of what Jesus is doing for you now at the right hand of the Father, and of what His Holy Spirit is doing in you will build a solid, positive faith life.

You will not be afraid of any circumstances. You will not be afraid of any disease. You will not be afraid of any conditions. You will face life fearlessly, a conqueror. And to be a conqueror you must confess you are one: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

Looking again at the key scripture in Romans 10:10, we see in capsule form God’s law of faith: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

In seeking anything from God, you first must believe in your heart, because the Word said it. Then you must confess with your mouth that it is so.

For example, to be saved, a man must believe in his heart and confess with his mouth that Jesus died for him according to the Scriptures and was raised from the dead for his justification. Third, he will receive (or see) the answer to his prayer.

Believe it; confess it; receive it. “Whosoever . . . shall BELIEVE that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH” (Mark 11:23).

As you study God’s Word and learn what His Word says you are, who you are, and what you have in Christ Jesus, even though it may not seem real to you at first, start confessing, “Yes, that’s mine, according to God’s Word.”

You will then find that faith’s confession creates reality.

Memory Text:

“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.” –Mark 11:23

Lesson 6

Confession of the Believer’s Privileges in Christ

Bible Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:7–8;

Acts 17:28

Central Truth: When we know what we are in Christ and think in line with that—when we believe and confess that—there can be no failure for us.

We briefly touched on confession’s five parts in our last lesson, but we will go into more detail on these in our study for today as we endeavor to learn more about what we are to confess. Our confession centers around these five things:

(1) What God in Christ has wrought for us in His plan of redemption.

(2) What God, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, has wrought for us in the New Birth and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

(3) What we are to God the Father in Christ Jesus.

(4) What Jesus is doing for us now at the right hand of the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession for us.

(5) What God can do through us, or what His Word can do through our lips.

Discovering Our Privileges in Christ

As we have said, confession is testifying to something we know. It is impossible to testify to something we don’t know. And it is what we know personally about the Lord Jesus Christ and what we are in Him that counts.

First, we can know Him personally. It is of primary importance to be born again. But just because someone has been born again does not necessarily mean he is a successful Christian. He also must know what he is in Christ Jesus. When we know what we are in Him, think in line with that, believe and confess it, there is no failure for us.

To discover what we are in Christ, we must look to the Word of God. Go to the New Testament, primarily the epistles written to the Church, and underline with a red pencil every scripture that has the expression “in Him,” “in Christ,” or “in whom.” Better yet, take several sheets of paper and write down all of these scriptures.

The moment you find them, begin to confess that this is who you are and what you have in Christ. If you will do this, I guarantee that your life will be different after just a few days.

While neither time nor space permits us to go into all these scriptures, let us look at a few.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Notice the expression “in Christ.’’ What a revolutionary thing that is for believers to believe and confess!

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. We are not just forgiven sinners. We are not poor, weak, staggering, sinning, barely-getting-along church members.

We are new creatures, created by God in Christ Jesus. We are new creatures with the life of God, the nature of God, and the ability of God in us!

At the age of seventeen, as a new Christian, I never had the problems so many have, because I was quick to tell everybody, “I am a new creature.” I was quick to witness to Christ’s saving grace in my life wherever I went. I found that the more I talked about it, the more real the new creation became to me, because that is who and what we are.

I was active in soul-winning—preaching in jail services, on the streets, and working in the church.

While I was standing on the street corner one day, a boy I knew came up to me and asked me to do him a favor.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do this,” he explained, “but I’m running late now and I promised my girlfriend that I would bring a date for her cousin who is visiting from out of town. Would you come along and help me out? I’ll always be grateful, and I’ll promise that we won’t stay over thirty or forty minutes, and that we won’t have any smoking, drinking, or dancing while you’re there.” Reluctantly I went along to help him out.

When we got to this girlfriend’s house, she introduced me to her cousin. We had barely gotten seated when they put a record on the phonograph and started dancing. When the girl’s cousin asked me to dance, I said, “No thank you. I don’t dance.”

She looked at me as if I had just come from Mars and said, “You don’t dance? Why?”

“Because I’m a new creature,” I answered.

“What do you mean, you’re a new creature?” she asked.

I quoted Second Corinthians 5:17 to her. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.’’ I said, “There was a time when I was interested in things like dancing, but now my life is different. I have been made a new creature in Christ, with new interests and new desires.’’

While the record continued to play and the other couple was dancing, I continued to give the girl my testimony of faith in Christ. The words began to grip her heart with conviction, and she started crying. When the record stopped, the boy saw what was happening. He turned to me and said, “Let’s go!” and took me right home.

It didn’t matter where I was— whether in the jails, on the streets, at school or church—I was quick to witness to everyone I came in contact with that I had been born again and was a new creature in Christ Jesus. And if we will confess that, it will make a big difference in our lives. I wasn’t tempted by the things of the world, because I constantly confessed that I was a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Redemption from the Curse of the Law

EPHESIANS 1:7–8

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.

Notice the words, “In whom we have redemption . . . .’’ How thankful we can be that we are not trying to get it; we already have it. We are not going to have it sometime; we have it now.

Satan’s dominion has been broken. He lost his dominion over our lives the moment we became new creatures. We received a new Lord. Jesus Christ reigns over us. Satan was our lord, but now Jesus is our Lord. (Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus . . .’’ or “Jesus as Lord.’’) Satan’s dominion ended, and Jesus’ dominion began the moment we accepted Him as Lord and were born again.

From what and from whom are we redeemed? When asked this question, many people say, “I am redeemed from sin.” And that is part of the answer, but not nearly all of it. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” We are redeemed from the curse of the law.

To find out just what the curse of the law is, we must go back to the first five books of the Bible. There we see that the curse or the punishment for breaking God’s law is threefold: poverty, sickness, and the second death.

God has redeemed us from the curse of poverty, the curse of sickness, and the curse of death—spiritual death now and physical death when Jesus comes again. We need have no fear of the second death.

ACTS 17:28

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being . . . .

What a vast storehouse of power we overlook so many times! In Christ our Savior and Lord, we have life, energy, and strength for impossible tasks. It does not say that we can do these things in ourselves. It is through Him—through His power—because it is “in him we live, and move, and have our being.’’

Deliverance from the Power of Satan

Then let us look at two Scriptures that, although they do not contain the words “in Him,” “in whom,” or “in Christ,” nevertheless convey something of the same message of what we have in Him.

“Who [God] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13). This verse says we are delivered from the authority of darkness; from the power of Satan.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The Old Testament counterpart to this scripture is Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’’

Then in the New Testament we find, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). We can take this as a personal message for ourselves. Because we are under the New Covenant, we can say, “Thank God, He is in us.” This is the best reason I can think of for not being afraid.

One woman said to me, “But it isn’t so in my life. I know it is not.”

I replied, “God says it is so; you say it isn’t. Therefore, either you or God is lying. If you were to stand before your mother and call her a liar, you would feel bad, wouldn’t you? How can you expect to feel right when you stand before God and say, ‘Your Word is not true. It isn’t so. You’re a liar’? To remedy this situation, you must start confessing that His Word is so, whether you feel like it is so in your life or not. Then it will become a reality.”

We must get our thinking in line with God’s Word, and then our believing will be right. When our believing is right, we can confess—say, affirm, witness, testify—to what God’s Word says about us. Then we will succeed. Then life will be different for us!

Memory Text:

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being . . . .” –Acts 17:28

Lesson 7

Right and Wrong Confession

Bible Texts: 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 8:17

Central Truth: The confession of our lips will give either God or Satan dominion over us.

The Bible is the Word of God and contains God’s thoughts. And, of course, God’s thoughts are different from man’s thoughts.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9).

As we study God’s Word and know His thoughts, we can dare to think God’s thoughts after Him as we get our thinking in line with His Word!

Studying about confession, we learned that if our confession is wrong, it is because our believing is wrong. If our believing is wrong, it is because our thinking is wrong. And if our thinking is wrong, it is because our mind has not yet been renewed with the Word of God.

Sometimes the teachings of the Word of God may not seem reasonable to the natural man, but that is because his mind has not been renewed by the Word.

Mark 11:22–24 says, “. . . Have faith in God [or the God-kind of faith]. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say . . . and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe . . . shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

In The Amplified Bible, verse 24 reads, “For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].”

The greatest things that will ever happen to the Christian will be when he moves out into the spiritual realm. His intellect and physical senses will fight him every step of the way to keep him from entering that realm, because if the natural mind is not renewed by the Word of God, it wants to hold him in the natural realm. But there is a spiritual realm, and this is really the realm of the Christian.

Right and Wrong Confession

Looking into the matter of wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong confessing, let us ask the question: Just what is a wrong confession?

Wrong confession is a confession of defeat and failure and the supremacy of Satan. Talking about how the devil is keeping you from success, holding you in bondage, or keeping you sick is a confession of defeat. And such a confession simply glorifies the devil.

As we have said in previous lessons, confession is witnessing for a truth that we have embraced, testifying of something we know, and affirming something we believe. Many times our confessions admit defeat and glorify the devil rather than witness to what God’s Word has to say about a matter.

Few of us are like the dear old sister who stood in church to testify, “The devil has been after me all week, bless his holy name.’’ Yet many of our testimonies do more to witness to the supremacy of Satan in our lives than to Christ’s dominion!

When we testify to what God has done for us, we glorify Him; by the same token, when we talk about what the devil is doing, and we list our failures and defeats, we glorify the devil. Many people lose the blessing that God has for them just by making a wrong confession. They are defeated, and life becomes a grind to them.

Actually, a confession that glorifies the devil is an unconscious declaration that God is a failure! Such a confession destroys our faith and holds us in bondage. The confession of Satan’s ability to hinder and keep us from success gives him dominion over us.

Therefore, with your mouth you either give God or Satan dominion over you. The confession of your lips that has grown out of faith in your heart will absolutely defeat the devil in every combat.

When we are saved, we confess the lordship of Jesus. He begins to have dominion over us and rule in our lives. But when we confess Satan’s ability to hinder and keep us from success—even though we may be Christians—we are giving Satan dominion over us. He is the god of this world, and he will move right in, because we permitted him to do so. Even though it may be a permission of ignorance or an unconscious consent, it is nevertheless consent. And when Satan has dominion, we are filled with weakness and fear.

Overcoming Fear and Doubt

2 TIMOTHY 1:7

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Even though we sometimes may feel afraid in the natural, we never should confess fear. Fear is not of God. The above Scripture says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, “but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’’

Fear is not something that comes from inside you. It is something that comes from outside, trying to get hold of you. It is from the enemy. We should not confess fear; rather, we should confess power, love, and a sound mind.

The same thing is true of doubt. Don’t confess your doubts. This is not to say that you should not admit doubts if you have them. Just don’t say anything about them. Doubt is of the devil. Doubt is contraband goods. Doubt is evil. The Christian has no business talking about doubt, because it doesn’t belong to him.

Many people think they are being honest when they confess that they doubt. You may have been tempted to doubt, but you can put the devil on the run by resisting him.

So don’t confess doubt; confess faith. Start talking about who you are and what you are in Christ. You are a believer. You are a new creature. Talk that; believe that; think that. And if you are tempted—and none of us is above temptation—“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Refuse doubt in the Name of Jesus, and it will leave you.

Confessing God’s Word

Instead of confessing doubts and fears, confess what God’s Word says. God said, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee . . .’’ (Isa. 41:10). Therefore, you can say, “I am not afraid. I am a child of God, and He is with me. He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I am not a doubter; I am a believer.”

Stop talking the devil’s language of doubt and fear. Start talking God’s language of faith. God is a faith God. We are faith children of a faith God.

In one of my meetings a woman told me about her sister, who was in a mental institution. She said, “She is not too bad, but she does need institutional care. She understands what is said to her. Occasionally I can bring her home for two-week periods. I am going to bring her home now so she can attend these meetings. I believe they will help her.”

I never prayed for the sick woman during those two weeks, but she was in every service. Just from hearing the Word, her mind became clear and she never had to return to the institution. The doctors released her, giving her a clean bill of health. In the past she had been confessing defeat, fear, and doubt until they had become a part of her. But as she listened to the Word preached, she saw where she had missed it. She began to confess the right thing, and she was healed.

Seeing the remarkable recovery of this woman, another woman in the church was inspired to bring her neighbor, who was about to be admitted to the state mental hospital. Neither the woman nor her husband was a Christian, but he consented to let her attend our services with her neighbor. Within a week the woman had been saved, healed, filled with the Holy Spirit, and she never did go to the mental hospital.

People can become sick mentally as well as physically, and God can heal mental illnesses as easily as He can physical illnesses. We must recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear. We must learn to stand against the enemy.

Remember, confession of fear gives fear dominion over you. Your fears become stronger and you slip more into bondage to the enemy. But if you confess your Father’s care, confess His protection, confess His Word, boldly confess that what God says about you is true, confess that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, you will rise above satanic influence every time.

When you confess your doubts and fears, your weakness and diseases, you are openly confessing that the Word of God is not true and that God has failed to make it good. His Word declares that by His stripes you were healed.

1 PETER 2:24

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

MATTHEW 8:17

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

If instead of confessing that Jesus “took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses,’’ we declare that we still have them, we will remain sick. But when we start confessing that He already has done something about our sicknesses, we will receive healing.

Too often we accept the testimony of our physical senses instead of the testimony of God’s Word. We must practice God’s Word for it to work for us.

Memory Text:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” –2 Tim. 1:7

Lesson 8

Six Enemies to Faith

Bible Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:17,21; John 16:23–24; Romans 10:10; Mark 11:23–24

Central Truth: When we “fight the good fight of faith,” we can step out of the narrow place of failure into the boundless power of God.

Our lesson today discusses the Christian’s “good fight of faith,” as mentioned in First Timothy 6:12.

I have heard people say they were going to fight the devil. I don’t know why, because, in the first place, they were no match for him. Second, Jesus already has defeated the devil for us. Jesus was our Substitute.

I also have heard people say they were going to fight sin. But I am not going to fight sin; I’m going to preach the cure for sin. Jesus is the cure for sin.

The only fight the believer is called upon to fight is “the good fight of faith.” If there is such a fight, that implies there must be enemies or hindrances to faith (for if there were no enemies to faith, there would be no fight to it). In this lesson we will deal with six enemies to faith.

Enemy No. 1—Failure to Understand What It Means to Be a New Creature in Christ

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

A lack of understanding of what it means to be a new creature hinders our faith life. Many people do not realize that they actually are new creatures. They think that when they were saved, God simply forgave them of their sins.

It would do little good if this were all the sinner received, for he is a child of the devil and still would go to hell. He has to be born again. He has to become a new creature, putting off his old, sinful ways.

No, we are not just forgiven sinners. We are not barely-getting-along church members. We are not living at the end of the block on Struggling-to-Get-to-Heaven Street next to Grumble Alley. That’s not for us!

We are new creatures, created by God in Christ Jesus with the very life and nature of God in our spirits. We are children of God, sons of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus.

Enemy No. 2—Failure to Understand Our Place

Everywhere I go, I suggest that Christians go through the New Testament—particularly the epistles—and write down the phrases “in Christ,” “in whom,” and “in Him.” Writing them down will help you remember them.

There are approximately 140 such expressions in the New Testament. If you will read and meditate on these scriptures until they become a part of you, life will be different for you.

As you read these verses, say to yourself, “This is who I am. This is what I have in Christ Jesus.”

In one church I visited, there was a woman whom the pastor described as one of the most outstanding Christian workers he had ever known. She had a degree in Christian education from a leading seminary, and she gave her time to the church free of charge.

During our revival there, I urged the people to begin memorizing and claiming these verses. After a while, this woman came to me and said she had been confessing twenty-five of these scriptures, and she had become an entirely different person. She said she didn’t worry anymore. She said she thought and acted differently. She felt differently. She was amazed at herself.

I told her she was only then beginning to walk in the light of what she had had all the time. Like many Christians, she didn’t have an understanding of what Christ was in her life. This hindered her faith. Getting this understanding cured her of her worry habit.

Enemy No. 3—Failure to Understand Righteousness

2 CORINTHIANS 5:21

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Therefore, by the New Birth, we become a righteous new creature. We know God did not make any unrighteous new creatures. We are created by God in Christ Jesus, and He made us righteous new creatures.

We are sons and daughters of God as though we never had sinned. We can stand in His Presence without sin-consciousness; without any feelings of guilt or shame. We don’t have to be paralyzed with fear. We can come into God’s Presence because we belong there.

When we were born again, our sins were remitted, because our past life stopped existing. God said He wouldn’t remember our transgressions (Jer. 31:34). And if He doesn’t remember them, why should we?

Some might ask, “But I have committed sins since becoming a Christian. How can I be righteous?”

The answer to this question is found in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’’

When the believer who has sinned confesses his sin and asks for forgiveness, the Lord does two things: (1) He forgives him; (2) He cleanses him from all unrighteousness.

When we sin, we feel guilty and have a sense of unrighteousness. We feel unworthy to come into God’s Presence. But when we confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses us. We regain our right standing with Him.

The word “unrighteousness” is simply the word “righteousness” with the prefix “un” in front of it; it means “not righteousness” or “non-righteousness.” If we are cleansed from “non-righteousness,” we are righteous again.

Enemy No. 4—Failure to Understand Our Right to Use the Name of Jesus

JOHN 16:23–24

23 . . . Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

When we fully realize the power of Jesus’ Name—when we understand what that Name will do—then we can defeat Satan and enjoy victory.

In Mark chapter 16, Jesus told His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe . . .” (Mark 16:15–17).

These signs shall follow those who believe the Gospel—not just the Early Church, not just the apostles, not just the preachers. All believers can cast out devils in His Name. All believers have authority over evil spirits in the Name of Jesus. In His Name they will speak with new tongues. In His Name they will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

The Name of Jesus has authority and power today, and that Name belongs to us!

Enemy No. 5—Failure to Act Upon the Word

If we know that God’s Word is true, and we act as if it is true, it becomes a reality in our lives.

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). All that is necessary for us to ask is, “What does God’s Word say?”

People often ask me why they don’t receive healing. They quote such scriptures as “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses’’ (Matt. 8:17), and “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

They tell me they believe these scriptures.

Then I ask them, “But have you ever acted like these scriptures are true?”

When he was in his forties, A. B. Simpson, a Presbyterian minister who later founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance, was told he was dying of a heart condition and had only a few months to live.

He took a vacation to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where he could spend time studying the Word of God on the subject of divine healing, a subject that had gained his interest. He writes in The Gospel of Healing, “. . . the summer I speak of I heard a great number of people testify that they had been healed by simply trusting the Word of Christ, just as they would for their salvation. It drove me to my Bible. I determined that I must settle this matter one way or the other.

“I am so glad I did not go to man,” he continued. “At His feet, alone, with my Bible open, and with no one to help or guide me, I became convinced that this was part of Christ’s glorious gospel for a sinful and suffering world, and the purchase of His blessed Cross, for all who would believe and receive His Word.”

Simpson solemnly vowed to God that he accepted healing without question; that he took Jesus as his Healer; and that he would preach and minister healing in any way God asked him to.

Two days later, Simpson was invited to speak at a service in New Hampshire. He testified about Jesus and His faithfulness to heal and shared that he had just taken Jesus as his Healer.

The next day he was invited to go mountain climbing. His first reaction was that he couldn’t go because of his heart condition. Then he remembered he had declared his healing, so he accepted the invitation. Until this time, he had not felt his healing; he had just declared it.

He battled all the way up the mountain. Every time he got his mind off the scriptures, he felt weakness, pain, and fear. But as he overcame these feelings and claimed his healing, the symptoms would leave. He fought this battle all the way to the top of the mountain—and walked away victorious.

He went on to lead an active, energetic life in God’s service, and he suffered no more symptoms. “I needed to step out and claim my victory,” he concluded.

Real faith is the child of the knowledge of God’s Word. Simpson acted on the Word and got real faith from it. Instead of trying to believe, he acted upon the Word.

Enemy No. 6—Failure to Hold Fast to Our Confession of Faith

ROMANS 10:10

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

MARK 11:23–24

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 whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when you pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

A young minister in St. Louis once said to me, “I am thirty-two. Doctors have said it is impossible for my wife to have children. Will you talk and pray with us?”

As we talked and prayed together, his wife said she would confess that they would have a child. In the past she had always said she would like to have a child. Now she would say that they would have a child.

Twelve months later I received a letter announcing that they had had a bouncing baby girl. All they needed was to act upon the Word.

Faith is measured by our confession. Our usefulness in the Lord is measured by our confession.

Eventually we become what we confess, whether for good or bad.

There is a confession of our hearts and a confession of our lips, and when these two harmonize, we become mighty in our prayer life.

The reason so many Christians are defeated is because they have a negative confession. They always are talking about their weaknesses and failures, and invariably they sink to the level of their confession.

There is a scriptural law I discovered from the lips of Jesus in Mark 11:23–24, which is quoted above. This is the law that our confessions rule us. We are what we say.

The woman with the issue of blood, whose story we find in Mark 5:25–34, said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.’’ Jesus said, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.’’ What she said was her faith speaking—and it came to pass.

When we fight “the good fight of faith,” as the Apostle Paul admonishes us, we can step out of the narrow place of failure and weakness in which we live into the boundless power of God.

Memory Text:

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.’’ –1 Tim. 6:12

Lesson 9

Actions That Correspond With Faith

Bible Texts: James 2:14–22; Matthew 7:24–27

Central Truth: The actions of a doer of the Word coincide with his confession.

One of the greatest mistakes believers make is to confess their faith in the Word of God, yet, at the same time, contradict their confession by wrong actions.

We say we are trusting God to provide for our financial needs. But at the same time we worry about how we’re going to pay our bills. One minute we confess that the Word of God is true, and the next we repudiate everything we’ve said by wrong actions. Our actions must correspond with our believing if we are to receive from God.

Faith Made Perfect

JAMES 2:14–22

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Weymouth’s translation of verses 14 and 22 reads, “What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? . . . You notice that his faith was cooperating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected . . . .”

Some have thought the Book of James was written about salvation and was addressed to the unbeliever. However, James was not writing to the unsaved, but to believers. James said, “What doth it profit, MY BRETHREN. . . .’’ James was writing to his brothers and sisters in Christ, pointing out that faith without corresponding actions won’t work for them, even though they are believers.

James said, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Another translation reads, “. . . deluding your own selves.”

There are many self-deluded people who blame their problems on the devil or some individual when really they have deluded themselves. This is because they are not doers of the Word.

The actions of a doer of the Word coincide with his confession!

The Storms of Life

MATTHEW 7:24–27

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon

a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The storms of life come to us all. They may be storms of sickness, financial difficulty, family problems, or some other test. It isn’t the storms of life that defeat us, however. If storms defeated us, they would defeat all of us. No, it’s our reaction to the storms that defeats us.

As the winds blow and the floods come, he who is a doer of the Word will hold fast to his confession of faith, because he knows God cannot fail. If sickness comes, he stands his ground and refuses to accept it. Others may be defeated in the same test.

Those who are not defeated by life’s storms act on God’s Word. Those who are defeated may be truly saved, yet their actions do not correspond with their faith.

The same wind and storm came upon both houses in our text. The reason one was destroyed and the other wasn’t is because the wise man was a doer of the Word, and the foolish man wasn’t.

Many profess Christ and declare they believe the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, yet they are not doers of the Word. They are talkers about the Word. There is a difference.

The “talkers” have mentally assented that the Word of God is true, but it doesn’t do them any good, because they are not making it their own. They are not claiming its promises.

Trusting in the Lord Is Trusting in His Word

The way to make God’s Word your own is to act upon it. Do what it says. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:6).

You cannot trust in the Lord without trusting His Word. God and His Word are one, just as you and your word are one. If your word is not good, you are not good. If God’s Word isn’t any good, He isn’t any good. But His Word is good, and He watches over His Word!

“Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jer. 1:12). Another version reads, “. . . I watch over my word to perform it.”

If you don’t take the Word to be yours, God doesn’t have anything to use to bring good to your life. He wants you to have what His Word promises. But if you don’t act upon His Word, then He doesn’t have anything to work with to bring good into your life.

When I trust in the Word with all my heart, stop leaning upon human reasoning, and stop looking to people for deliverance, I have actions that correspond with my faith. My actions are in perfect fellowship with my confession of faith.

It has taken some of us a long time to learn this, and it will take others longer, because they have been walking in the wrong pathway. Their minds are so cluttered with human reasoning that it will take a while to renew their minds with the Word of God until their actions correspond with their confession of faith.

Until there are corresponding actions, there will be continual failure in life. I can confess and say that God is the strength of my life, but if I continue to talk about my weaknesses and lack of faith, I will be defeated, because there is no corresponding action.

Resorting to human methods instead of trusting the Lord brings confusion to my spirit. It brings weakness and failure to my life. There is just one thing to do: turn to God’s Word and act upon it.

Our worst enemy is the flesh. The flesh and natural human reasoning limit us to our own abilities. We look to circumstances, problems, tests, and storms, and say we can’t. The language of doubt, the flesh, and the senses is, “I can’t. I haven’t the ability, the opportunity, or the strength. I’m limited.” But the language of faith says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13).

Paul didn’t say he could do all things because he was an apostle and had special power or grace. He said, “I can do all things through Christ . . . .’’ We have this same access to Christ.

Paul said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). You are a new creature in Christ, too. Christ doesn’t belong to Paul any more than He belongs to you.

The language of faith says, “I can do all things through Christ. Our Father strengthens me. I cannot be conquered, and I cannot be defeated.”

If natural forces come against you, they cannot defeat you, because there aren’t enough natural forces in all the world to conquer the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. “. . . Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). You are fortified from within!

I have learned how to put the Greater One to work for me. Not only am I born of God and a partaker of His love, but I have dwelling in me the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead.

I have God’s wisdom, strength, and ability in me. I am learning how to let His wisdom govern my intellect. I am allowing Him to govern my mind and speak through my lips. I am daring to think God’s thoughts after Him.

I am daring to say in the presence of my enemies, “God is my ability.”

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies . . .” (Ps. 23:5). “. . . The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’’ (Ps. 27:1). God has made me greater than my enemies. God has made me put my heel on the neck of weakness, fear, and inability.

The strength of God is mine. I am not trusting in my own strength, because the Bible doesn’t say a word about my being strong. It says that God is my strength.

Many people are struggling and are trying to do something themselves. They get up to testify, and they ask everyone to pray that they will “hold out to the end.” But God doesn’t want you to hold out like that. He wants you to let Him do it. Wrap yourself in the promises of God!

I once heard the story of a man who was walking down a railroad track with a pack on his back. When he came to a section gang repairing the railroad, he thought the foreman was going to order him off the track, so he showed him a ticket. The foreman told him that it didn’t give him the right to walk down the track.

Many people are on the right track—but they ought to be riding instead of walking. Also, they should check their baggage, because the Bible says they don’t have to carry it: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Memory Text:

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? . . . .’’ –James 2:14

Lesson 10

How to Write Your Own Ticket With God

Bible Texts: Mark 5:25–34; 1 Samuel 17:45–47,49–50,54; Luke 15:18–20,24

Central Truth: If we find ourselves at the bottom of life’s ladder, it is because that is all we have believed for. When we talk and believe right, we will climb to the top.

The four steps to faith outlined in this lesson are so simple, they almost seem foolish. But in Jesus’ ministry on earth, He talked in terms that even the uneducated could understand. He talked about vineyards and orchards, sheepfolds and shepherds. He illustrated spiritual truths in such a simple way that the common people could understand them. His message was clear and concise, never complicated.

MARK 5:25–34

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Step 1: Say It

What is the first thing this woman did? Verse 28 says, “For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.’’

Someone had told this woman about Jesus. She knew He was healing people. Having this information, what was her first step in receiving healing? The first thing she did was to say it.

There is God-ward side and a man-ward side to every battle, every victory, and everything else we receive from God. We have our part to play. There is something we must do. God will not fail. If there is any failure, it is on our part. However, if we do our part, we can be sure there will be an answer and a victory.

This woman could have made a negative confession, and that would have been what she received. She could have said there wasn’t any use; she had suffered so long and had been to so many doctors. She could have said that perhaps it would be best for her to die.

But she did not speak negatively; she spoke positively. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” And it came to pass—because we can have what we say.

Therefore, the first step in writing our own ticket with God is: Say it. If we are defeated, we are defeated with our own lips: “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth” (Prov. 6:2).

Step 2: Do It

It wouldn’t have done this woman any good whatsoever to have said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” without also acting upon it. Our actions either defeat us or put us over. According to our actions, we either receive or are kept from receiving. The woman with the issue of blood said it and acted upon it. She touched His clothes.

Step 3: Receive It

First, the woman said it. She confessed her faith. Then she acted upon that faith by reaching out and touching the Master. Step three, she received her healing. She felt in her body that she was healed of the plague.

Notice that the feeling and the healing followed the saying and the acting. Most people want the feeling and the healing first, then they think they will have the saying and the doing. But it doesn’t work that way. You have to have the saying and the doing first. Then you will have the feeling and the healing.

Jesus perceived that power had gone out of him. The whole world has become concerned about nuclear bombs because they release radioactive material into the atmosphere—power that cannot be seen or felt, but power that is deadly and dangerous. Yet there is an unseen power at work in the earth that is neither deadly nor dangerous. That power is always present everywhere. That power can deliver us from anything that binds or hurts us. It is the power of God.

Step 4: Tell It

Verse 33 tells us that the woman with the issue of blood acknowledged what she had done. She “. . . told him all the truth.’’ Jesus wants us to tell it so others might receive.

The first step in writing our own ticket is: Say it. The fourth step is: Tell it. There is a difference. At first the woman said what she believed. Then she told what had happened.

We have to say some things in faith before we ever receive them from God. People say the wrong thing because they believe the wrong thing. When they start believing and saying the right thing, that is what they will have.

1 SAMUEL 17:45–47,49–50,54

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with the sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands . . . .

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him . . . .

54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem . . . .

When David slew the giant with his shepherd’s sling, he knew he could write his own ticket with God. He knew God would do anything He said. And in the above verses, we see how David used these four steps to write his own ticket with God.

First, he said it: “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine

hand . . .’’ (v. 46). David had faith—not in his own strength, but in the strength of his God. David knew that in his own might he was powerless against this Philistine. But he was not trusting in his own might; he was trusting in the Lord.

Then David acted upon his faith: “And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth” (v. 49).

If David had been led by his natural senses—if he had listened to human reasoning—he would have known it would be impossible to kill a giant with a shepherd’s sling. But he was tuned to the inner voice of faith, not the outer voice of human reasoning, and the victory was his. He received victory for the Israelites over their enemies the Philistines. (This is step three.)

Then David took step four. News of the day’s great victory was published throughout the land: “And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem . . .’’ (v. 54).

Too few people know they can write their own ticket with God. The reason God hasn’t done any more for them is because they haven’t said more; they haven’t acted more. All they have today is the result of what they said yesterday.

If you are at the bottom of the ladder, it is because that is all you have believed for. If you will talk right and believe right, you will climb to the top.

Can a sinner use these four steps to write his own ticket with God? Can the sinner take these four steps to salvation? The following passage proves he can.

LUKE 15:18–20,24

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him . . . .

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

In this story Jesus told about the prodigal son, we see that the first thing the son did was to say it: “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him . . .’’ (v. 18). He confessed his faith and his need. Then he acted: “And he arose, and came to his father” (v. 20). He picked himself up from the squalor of his sinful life and returned home.

When he did so, he received full pardon and was restored to his father: “. . . his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (v. 20). The rejoicing father was quick to tell the good news that his wandering son had come home: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found . . .’’ (v. 24).

If those who are out of fellowship with God the Father will humble themselves as the prodigal son did and will take these four simple steps to salvation, God will run to meet them, and He will bring them into full fellowship with Himself.

Memory Text:

"And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” –Mark 5:34

Lesson 11

Doubt: The Thief of God’s Greater Blessings

Bible Texts: Matthew 14:22–31; Matthew 17:14–20; Mark 4:35–40

Central Truth: Doubt will rob the believer of God’s best for his life.

In today’s lesson we will concentrate on some examples of doubt we find in familiar Bible stories.

Faith to Walk on Water

MATTHEW 14:22–31

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were

troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

In this story, Jesus sent His disciples across the sea while He went alone to a mountain to pray.

In the fourth watch of the night (between 3 and 6 o’clock the next morning), the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. Thinking they were seeing a ghost, they cried out with fear. Jesus spoke reassuringly, “It is I; be not afraid.” Impetuous Peter shouted, “Lord, if it is really You, bid me come to You.” Jesus answered with one word: ‘‘Come.”

Peter started out in faith—and as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he did just fine. But when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the circumstances surrounding him—the wind whipping the sea about him—he became afraid and began to sink. “Lord, save me!” he cried.

Jesus took Peter’s hand and led him back into the boat, rebuking him with the words, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Faith is acting upon the Word of God. As long as Peter acted on Jesus’ word to him, he was all right. But when he began to doubt—when he became afraid and quit acting on the words of Jesus—he began to sink.

Jesus didn’t intend for Peter to sink. He meant for Peter to walk back to the ship with Him. Doubt robbed Peter of this blessing.

Doubt and fear go hand in hand, but faith and love also go hand in hand: “. . . perfect love casteth out fear . . .’’ (1 John 4:18).

Faith to Cast Out Devils

MATTHEW 17:14–20

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

In the above passage, what was Jesus’ explanation for the disciples’ failure to heal the demon-possessed boy? It was because of their doubt or unbelief (v. 20). But did the disciples actually have the power to cast the demon out? Yes, according to Matthew 10:1, “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.’’

We often hear Christians say they need more power to do more for God. However, that is not their trouble at all! If they have the Holy Spirit, they have the power. They think if they had more power, it would work automatically—but it works by faith. The problem is a lack of faith, not a lack of Power!

It is doubt that is robbing people of God’s best. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples that their failure to cast the devil out was because they didn’t have the power; He said it was because of their unbelief.

How much faith does it take to cast out demons? Jesus said in the above scripture passage that faith no larger than a grain of mustard seed could move an entire mountain.

Every Spirit-filled believer has within him enough power to claim God’s very best for his life! If he is living beneath his privileges, it is not because of a lack of power, but because of a failure to release that power through faith.

Faith to Still a Storm

MARK 4:35–40

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

One evening, after a full day of preaching to the multitudes, Jesus told His disciples, who were gathered about Him in a boat, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” He was weary and promptly fell into a deep sleep in the back of the boat, oblivious to the storm that arose. He continued to sleep peacefully despite the waves that pounded the little boat. His disciples were anything but peaceful. As the howling winds grew and the boat filled with water, the disciples awakened Jesus, saying, “Don’t You even care that our boat is about to sink and we’ll all die?” They had forgotten Jesus’ words as they had started out on their journey.

Jesus stood up, rebuked the wind, and stilled the storm. The Sea of Galilee became calm and peaceful once more. Then He turned to His disciples and rebuked them: “Why did you doubt Me? Why are you so full of fear? Where is your faith? Didn’t I tell you at the outset of this journey that we would cross to the other side? Why didn’t you believe Me?”

The disciples had allowed doubt and fear to come into their hearts, driving out faith in Jesus’ promise that they would make it safely to the other side. Once again the thief named Doubt had triumphed.

Let us notice the similarities in these three biblical illustrations. In each one, Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief (Matt. 14:31; Matt. 17:20; Mark 4:40), and in each one He solved the problem the disciples, through their lack of faith, had failed to solve.

In all three instances, the disciples possessed the power to handle the circumstances.

In each instance, the thief of doubt kept the disciples from receiving God’s best for them. His highest and best was for them to receive by their faith.

If we, too, will only utilize the power that is within us and act on God’s Word, we will achieve the blessings God has planned for our lives.

Memory Text:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear . . . .” –1 John 4:18

Lesson 12

You Can Have What You Say

Bible Texts: Mark 11:23; Numbers 13:17–18,25,27–28,30–32; Numbers 14:6–9

Central Truth: It was not the giants in the land of

Canaan who kept the Israelites out, but the giants of fear in their hearts.

Our text for this lesson, Mark 11:23, is one I frequently use in teaching on faith, because in it we see the “faith formula” for moving whatever mountains may be present in our lives.

Whether your particular mountain is sickness, unsaved loved ones, financial difficulties, or family problems, you can find the solution in this verse of Scripture.

MARK 11:23

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 whatsoever he saith.

The last phrase says, “he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.’’ In other words, you can have whatever you say you can have. What you SAY is your faith speaking. This works in a negative way just as it works in a positive way, as we see in the Old Testament story of the twelve spies who were sent into Canaan to spy out the land.

A Report of Fear

NUMBERS 13:17–18,25,27–28,30–32

17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many . . . .

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. . . .

27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou

sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. . . .

30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

Of the twelve spies who went into Canaan to search out the land, only two, Caleb and Joshua, were men of faith and vision. They said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

The other ten came back with a negative, fearful report of giants in the land. The Bible calls their report “an evil report.” Why? It was a report of doubt and fear. What, then, is a good report? A report of faith.

The ten fearful spies were in the majority, and the children of Israel accepted the majority report. When they did, they were saying they couldn’t take the land. And they got exactly what they said.

These spies and the rest of that generation of Israelites—with the exception of Joshua and Caleb—never saw the Promised Land. They believed that they couldn’t take it, and they didn’t. They wandered in the wilderness until they died. What they said came to pass!

Theirs is an example of faith in reverse. After all, even when you doubt, you are believing something! You are believing in defeat. You are believing the wrong thing.

You always get in your life what you believe for and what you say. If you don’t believe what you are saying, you shouldn’t say it, because if you keep saying something long enough, those words eventually will register on your spirit. And once they are registered on your spirit, they will control your life.

A Report of Faith

NUMBERS 14:6–9

6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.

Notice the good report of Joshua and Caleb. Their trust was in the Lord, and their hearts were filled with faith that God was able to bring them into the land He had promised to their forefathers. Twice in verse 9 they admonished the people not to fear. And what was the result of their report of faith? They were the only two men of their generation to enter the Promised Land! You can have what you say.

Many people ask me why they can’t get healed. I always smile and tell them they already have said they can’t. Their words give them away. You can locate people by what they say.

Before praying for people, I usually try to get them to make some kind of a confession of their faith. I ask them if they will be healed when I lay hands on them and pray. If they answer that they hope they will, I tell them they won’t because they are in hope, not faith.

Others make a confession with some hesitancy, and that hesitancy is what defeats them. (It is “the little foxes that spoil the vine.”) Those who have a quick confession full of faith receive almost instantly.

It is not something big that keeps God’s children from being healed. It wasn’t the giants of the land of Canaan who kept the children of Israel out. It wasn’t the giants who defeated them. If it had been the giants, they would have defeated Joshua and Caleb also. No, the people defeated themselves by their own wrong thinking and their own declaration of unbelief.

So it is not the giants in life who defeat you. It is not the storms of life that defeat you. If you are defeated, it is because you have defeated yourself. You have defeated yourself by wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong speaking. You can have what you say.

Caleb and Joshua said they were able to overcome the giants. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and after all the people of that generation who had accepted the evil report of the ten spies had died, Joshua became the people’s leader. He and Caleb led them to victory.

When Caleb came to Joshua and said, “Give me this mountain,” Joshua looked back over the years and realized that their talking right had won them victory before. Wanting to locate Caleb, he asked him if he were able to take the mountain. (Joshua wanted to hear Caleb’s confession of faith.) He told Caleb that there were giants in the mountain. But Caleb, full of faith, said that he was well able to take it—and he did take it.

Many things happen because we expect them to happen a certain way. They happen because we believe and talk it until it comes to pass. I have found this true in my own experience.

Some time ago I read that when one gets older, the arteries in his brain aren’t as soft as they were when he was younger; they gradually keep hardening.

I had reached the place where I couldn’t remember things as well as I once did. I went along this way for a while until I realized there wasn’t any need for it. The mind is part of my inward being and spirit, and it never grows old. The very moment I started believing right and talking right, I could quote all the Scripture I had ever known, and my memory actually improved.

We fail sometimes because we get ready to fail. We prepare to fail. We think it, believe it, and then do it. As believers, however, we have no business talking failure or doubt. We should talk faith.

Memory Text:

“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.” –Mark 11:23

Lesson 13

How to Train the Human Spirit

Bible Texts: Joshua 1:8; James 1:22; Proverbs 4:20–22

Central Truth: God will use our own spirit to guide us.

Just as the human mind can be trained intellectually, so the human spirit can be trained spiritually. It can be built up in strength just as the body can be built up.

In this lesson we will look at four ways this can be accomplished:

1. Meditating in the Word of God.

2. Practicing the Word of God.

3. Giving the Word of God first place.

4. Instantly obeying the voice of our spirit.

As we apply these four principles to our daily lives, we can come to know the will of God even in the minor details of life.

God communicates with our spirit, not with our reasoning faculties. As we instantly obey our spirit, we will find we are obeying the Holy Spirit. God said in His Word, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20:27). This means that God is going to use our own spirit to guide us. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.

Rule 1: Meditating in the Word of God

JOSHUA 1:8

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.

When God anointed Joshua to lead the children of Israel after Moses’ death, God told him at the outset the importance of meditating in the Word. Another translation of the last phrase of Joshua 1:8 says, “You will be able to deal wisely in the things of life.” Certainly we wouldn’t have good success if we could not deal wisely in the things of life. God told Joshua if he would meditate in the Word, God would make his way prosperous and he would have good success.

The most deeply spiritual men and women I have known are those who give time to meditation. One cannot develop spiritual wisdom without meditation in God’s Word.

One pastor once told me he had been trying to make a success of his church. He flew all over the country, visiting many of the larger churches, studying their methods, and trying to find out what made them successful. He brought their programs and ideas back to his church, but they didn’t seem to work.

After hearing me teach about meditating in God’s Word, he decided to try it. Rather than asking God for things, he set aside a certain time daily for meditating in the Word.

After thirty days had passed, at the close of his Sunday morning sermon, a landslide of souls was at the altar. More people were saved in that one service than had been saved in that church in the previous two years. The people were revived, and the pastor began to have good success.

His testimony can be that of any believer who will follow his example and spend time meditating in God’s Word. Shut the world out. If you have ambitions to do something worthwhile, I suggest you begin by taking ten or fifteen minutes daily for meditation. Begin the development of your spirit.

Rule 2: Practicing the Word of God

JAMES 1:22

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Practicing the Word is what James called being “a doer of the Word.” Some people think that being a doer of the Word is keeping the Ten Commandments. Under the New Covenant, however, we have one commandment: the commandment of love.

If you love someone, you won’t steal from him. You won’t lie about him. Paul said that love is the fulfilling of the law. If you walk in love, you won’t break any law that was given to curb sin.

In this verse of Scripture, James is urging believers to do primarily what is written in the epistles: to act upon this Word.

For example, Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

The Amplified Bible says, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”

Usually we practice only part of this. We don’t mind practicing the part that tells us to pray, but if we practice one part and not the other, we are not practicing the Word. We are not a doer of the Word.

First, the Lord said not to fret. If we’re going to fret and have anxieties, it isn’t going to do any good to make requests. If God said not to fret, this means we can keep from it. God is a just God, and He won’t ask us to do something we can’t do.

There was a time when I believed that I could make my requests known to God, but I had difficulty believing that I needn’t fret.

God, however, said we don’t have to fret. So I say, “I refuse to fret or have any anxiety about anything.” I take my requests to Him, and then I thank Him. This quiets and pacifies the troubled spirit that the devil would try to make me have. If inner turmoil persists, I simply go right back to this verse and read it again. I keep claiming it.

If we follow Paul’s advice and “do not fret or have anxiety about anything,” we can believe God for the promise of the verse that follows: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

Many people want what this seventh verse talks about, but they don’t want to do what the sixth verse says to do to get it. However, to receive this “peace . . . which passeth all understanding,’’ we must “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (v. 6).

“God’s peace . . . shall garrison and mount guard” is The Amplified Bible’s translation of verse 7. It will keep guard over your heart and your spirit.

The education of our spirits comes by practicing the Word. Can you reap the results and have peace without being a doer of the Word? No, you really can’t. Be a doer of the Word, and you’ll grow spiritually.

Rule 3: Giving the Word First Place

PROVERBS 4:20–22

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

With so many different voices surrounding us, it is difficult to stop and listen to the voice of the Word of God. Family and friends always are ready to give us their opinions and advice. However, an essential part of training the spiritual man is learning to listen to what God’s Word has to say to us. It is giving the Word first place in our lives.

In the verses quoted above, God tells us to do three things with His Word: (1) listen to it; (2) read it; and (3) memorize it. In verse 20 we read, “incline thine ear unto my sayings.’’

Anytime the Bible is being read aloud—in church, in family devotions, on a Gospel radio or television program—give careful attention to its words.

Verse 21 tells us, “Let them not depart from thine eyes.’’ In other words, spend time alone reading God’s Word. Let it sink deep into your thoughts and your heart. Memorize it, as verse 21 tells us: “Keep them in the midst of thine heart.”

If we do these three things, we will find that God’s words are “life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (v. 22). We will enter into the abundant life in Christ Jesus. We will find physical healing for our bodies. All we need to do is give God’s Word first place in our lives.

Rule 4: Instantly Obeying the Voice of Our Spirit

The human spirit has a voice. We call that voice conscience. Sometimes we call it intuition, or we call it an inner voice of guidance. It is our spirit talking to us.

Every man’s spirit has a voice, whether he is saved or unsaved. But the New Birth is a rebirth of the human spirit. Your spirit gets its information as you meditate upon the Word. Learn to obey your spirit.

Your spirit has the life and nature of God in it, because the Holy Spirit dwells within you. The devil can’t be giving you the information, because he is not in you; he is on the outside of you.

God has to communicate with you through your spirit, because that is where He is. He isn’t in your head. He isn’t in your reasoning faculties. He is in your spirit. Your spirit gets its information through Him. Learn to obey your spirit.

Some people say that conscience is not a safe guide, but this isn’t always true. The conscience is a safe guide in the Spirit-filled believer because God is dwelling within that believer. The believer’s conscience, the voice of his spirit, becomes the voice of God. God is speaking to him. Paul said he obeyed his conscience (Acts 23:1).

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord . . .” (Prov. 20:27). God will use your spirit to guide you. He will use it to enlighten you. As your spirit meditates and feeds upon the Word, it becomes a safer guide. It is trained in the Word.

The Holy Spirit does speak a little differently to those of us who have certain ministry gifts. As a rule in the lives of believers, the inward voice is the voice of the human spirit speaking; not the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit often speaks to me about others, but I never hear Him for my own benefit. Why? Because a prophet’s ministry isn’t given for his benefit; it’s given for the benefit of others. I have to receive guidance for myself just as does any other believer: through the inward voice.

As we learn to obey the voice of our spirit, we will come to the place where we know what we should do in all phases of life. The Lord will guide us. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’’ (Prov. 3:6).

Memory Text:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” –Prov. 20:27

About The Author

Kenneth E. Hagin

Kenneth E. Hagin ministered for almost 70 years after God miraculously healed him of a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease at the age of 17. Even though Rev. Hagin went home to be with the Lord in 2003, the ministry he founded continues to bless multitudes around the globe.

Kenneth Hagin Ministries’ outreaches include The Word of Faith, a free magazine; Rhema Bible Training College; Rhema Alumni Association; Rhema Ministerial Association International; Rhema Correspondence Bible School; and the Rhema Prison Ministry. Rev. Hagin’s son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth W. and Lynette Hagin, co-host Rhema Praise, a weekly television broadcast; Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program; and Living Faith Crusades held around the world.

More Information From KHM

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Visit www.rhema.org/wof

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Visit www.rbtc.org

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Table of Contents

Walking by Faith

Faith in Action (Part 1)

Faith in Action (Part 2)

Confession: Key to Unlocking Faith

Confession Restores Broken Fellowship

Confession of God’s Word Builds Faith

Confession of the Believer’s Privileges in Christ

Right and Wrong Confession

Six Enemies to Faith

Actions That Correspond With Faith

How to Write Your Own Ticket With God

Doubt: The Thief of God’s Greater Blessings

You Can Have What You Say

How to Train the Human Spirit

About The Author

More Information From KHM

Table of Contents

Walking by Faith

Faith in Action (Part 1)

Faith in Action (Part 2)

Confession: Key to Unlocking Faith

Confession Restores Broken Fellowship

Confession of God’s Word Builds Faith

Confession of the Believer’s Privileges in Christ

Right and Wrong Confession

Six Enemies to Faith

Actions That Correspond With Faith

How to Write Your Own Ticket With God

Doubt: The Thief of God’s Greater Blessings

You Can Have What You Say

How to Train the Human Spirit

About The Author

More Information From KHM