AT FIRST THE DISCIPLES HAD THE POWER, BUT NOT THE FAITH TO USE THE POWER: WHAT ABOUT YOU and ME?

Matthew 10:1-8 (kjv)
 
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. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Matthew 17:14-21 (kjv)

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. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.


Excerpts from the Sermon 'Perfect Faith 63-0825E' by William Branham Preached at Branham Tabernacle Jeffersonville, IN

"Now, now we see, at first the disciples didn’t have this Perfect Faith. They didn’t have it, because they’d had Christ, walking with Him; but then afterwards, Christ was in them. And so, you see, it’s hard then to have this Perfect Faith without the Holy Spirit; It has to bring it, It does. Now, you say, “The disciples didn’t have Perfect Faith?” No; for they had an epileptic child there, that they were trying to cast this devil out of him, and they couldn’t do it.

52 And the father seen Jesus coming, and he said, “We have
brought my son to_to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.”
See?
53 And afterwards, the disciples asked Jesus, saying, “Why could
not we cure him?”
54 And Jesus said, “Because, of the lack of faith, of your unbelief.”
That’s right. “Because of your unbelief at...”
55 Now remember, they had the power. Jesus had given them power to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and cast out devils, just a few days before that. They had the power, but not the faith to use the power. Now, there’s the Branham Tabernacle! There’s the Church, the Bride, today! The Holy Spirit is here with the power, but you, haven’t got that faith to move it. See what I mean? It takes faith to move it.

56 Here: I got a shell that I hand-loaded. I know what it’ll do by
ballistics, like the Word, but I’ve got to fire the gun. The fire has
to get to the powder. The powder’s got the power, but it’s got to
have the fire to light it off. And the same thing, the powder’s in the
shell, but it needs faith to charge it and throw it out. That’s what it
takes, see, Perfect Faith to ignite the power of the Holy Spirit which we have now, since He’s come upon us; faith to ignite, to see great things, is to.... the faith, something that presents it to you.


57 With a heart full of joy, you walk into the sickroom, knowing
exactly what you’re going to say. Walk in there and know what’s
going to happen, something’s already been revealed, and you know
it. And you walk in, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, rise up from there. THUS SAITH THE LORD!” There you are; that’s Perfect Faith. If there’d be ten million people standing there saying it wouldn’t happen, you know it’s going to happen anyhow, ’cause you know it. It’s going to happen. Regardless of what anybody else says, you’re the one that’s got the faith.

58 Could you imagine, Joshua, he’d call the elders of Israel together and said, “Uh, brethren, we are the servants of the Lord, I would like for you to say a ... ask the Lord if it’d be all right if_if He’d give us a little more sunlight, see, and hold the sun a little while”?

59 Nah; he had need of it (and without prayer, without anything),
he had need of it, and he just commanded the sun! He said, “Stand
there! I have need, and I’m in the service of the Lord, and He sent
me over here to do this job, and I’m doing the best that I know how,
and the enemy is routed, and they’re out in here; if I let the sun go
down, they’ll get together and cause me more trouble. So, stand still! And, moon, you hang there!” Amen; she hung there for twenty-four hours.

60 Now, if the world’s turning and he holds it up, and the sun
stayed in a place and it don’t run, what happened then? Now, you
made yourself an infidel, if you say of this; and then if you don’t,
you sure do fool with science, ’cause they said if the world stopped,
it dropped. So now what? And if you say God’s Word is not right,
then you’re an infidel. See? But it happened, that’s the main thing. I
don’t know the mechanics of it, but it happened!

61 I don’t know the mechanics of the Holy Ghost, but I know It fell
on me. I_I can’t tell the mechanics of It, but I know the blessings
of It. That_that’s all I_I care to know about, is the blessings of the
Holy Ghost. And mechanics, He works them. That’s His secret.
62 This boy could not be healed, because...The disciples had power; Jesus gave them power to heal all manner of sickness, to cast out devils, to cleanse the lepers, and to raise the dead. He gave them power, but they didn’t have faith to operate the power that they had. And then they questioned Jesus and said, “Well, now, why couldn’t we do it?”

63 Now, remember, they had the Word; and the Word was Flesh
then. And the Word told them, “I give you power.” Amen! “I give
you power.” And they had the power, but they didn’t have faith to
operate the Word that was in them. See what I mean? But Jesus had it, He was the Word, and He had faith that what He said would happen. He said, “Oh, bring him here. How long will I suffer you?”
64 He had faith, with His power. How did He? He said, “I can do
nothing in Myself.” Why? He relied upon what He was; He relied
in knowing that He was the Word. And He had faith in God, Who
made Him the Word. He was God (the Word), and they was in Him,
and that give Him faith because He understood His position. He
knowed what He was, because the Scripture had said He was this.
And here every Scripture tied in, to prove that He was exactly what
the Scripture said He would be, and He knew what He was.

65 Therefore, He relied upon what God had made Him. And if He
did that, then can’t we rely upon what God made us as believers?
“These signs shall follow them that believe!” He had faith in what
He was. And if you are a believer, you have faith in what you are:
you are a believer! And if you’ve got faith in God, the Bible says
over here in... “If our_if our hearts condemn us, then we can’t
have faith; but if our hearts don’t condemn us, then we have faith, we have confidence towards God.” If you want to read that, found in Saint John 3:21. I got the Scripture written down there.

66 Now notice, Saint John...I mean First John 3:21. Notice....if our hearts condemn us not, then we have confidence towards God.
67 But as long as you’re doing things that’s wrong, you can’t
have confidence towards God. So, you see, you can...you’ll
automatically know that you’re wrong. You automatically put
yourself back there a sinner, by knowing that you’re wrong. But when your heart don’t condemn you, and you know you are a believer, and there’s nothing between you and God, you can ask what you will and know that it’ll be given, because it’s the Word that’s given to you just like it was to those disciples.

68 Now, the only thing you have to do then, is have faith in what
you are. Have faith in what the Word says you are! And Jesus had
faith in the Word of God, that said what He was, “It is written of
Me.” Didn’t David, in the Psalms; and the prophets, and all of them
speak of Him? “I am the Bread of Life that come from God out of
Heaven.” Amen! “I am that Tree of Life from the garden of Eden.
I am all these things, I AM THAT I AM.” And He knew with that
Perfect Faith, that He was the anointed Messiah, that the Spirit of
God was upon Him. He said, “Now, I, in Myself, do nothing; but it’s My faith in God.” And God was in Him, the Word made manifest. And when the Word of God comes in you, It’s made manifest, for you are a believer. See? And a believer is “the faith of God that moves in you.”

69 You like that? I_I_I like when you...I like teaching of where
the...how to...what faith really is.
70 Knowing Who He was, without a shadow of doubt, He knew
He was the Son of God. He knew it, for the Word identified. The
Word of God identified Who He was. He said, “If I do not the
works of My Father, then don’t believe Me; but if_if I don’t do
them works, don’t believe Me. But if I do, then believe the works,
for they are the manifested Word promised.” Oh, if you could just
wake up to that, a minute! You see, the Word Itself identified Him,
Who He was. And He said, “Who can condemn Me of sin?” In
other words, “Who can show Me that My life and My works don’t
fulfill exactly what Messiah should do?” Nobody could say nothing; for He was. Then He had faith to believe, then; of whatever He said, it would happen.

71 Then He turned around and said, “The works that I do, shall
you also. A little while, and the world seeth no more; yet you shall,
because I’ll be with you, even in you. Take no thought what ye
shall say, for it’s not you that speak, it’s thy Father that dwelleth
in you; He’s the One Who does the speaking. And It’s not Me, It’s
the Father That dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” See what I
mean?

72 Now, the identification of a Scripture Christian, these Words
said Jesus: “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Now, how can you call yourself a believer, a people, and deny those Words? How can you call yourself a believer and deny any of this Word? See? You can’t do it. You’re not a believer, therefore signs can’t follow, because you just accept what you want to believe and let the rest of It...you won’t_don’t believe It. But you got to take the
whole thing, and believe It. And when you truly believe (not make
believe, but really believe), then these signs follow them that believe.

73 Oh, could you compare a Christian today with them Christians
of long ago? How them disciples walked in the power of the Spirit,
moved by the Holy Ghost, do it. Just a prisoner, as I preached on
the other night, a prisoner to the Word and will of God; he couldn’t
even move until God moved him. Wouldn’t you like to see a Church rise like that? It’s going to; going back. It’s_it’s got to come. That’s right. It’s go-...It’s on its road now, I believe.

74 For the Word identified, identified Himself, what He was; and
the same Word identifies us. See? “If a man loves Me, he keeps
My commandment. And if he says he loves Me, and keeps not My
commandments (that’s all of them), he’s a liar, and the Truth’s not
even in him.”
75 You say, “Well, I don’t believe all...” Well then, that...you’re
just an unbeliever, that’s all. If the Bible said so, that makes it right,
that settles it Eternally. What the Bible said, is the Truth.
76 Notice where He said to us, “If ye abide in Me, and My Word in you.” Saint John 15, “If ye abide in Me,...” See, have faith in Him. “Ye abide in Me, and My Word abides in you, then you ask what you will.”

Child Raised From The Dead: A Testimony from Zimbabwe

 

Testator: Str Abigail Makumbe
Date: 01 January 2015

My fellowship in Masvingo South at Zveuru Congregation and our pastor is brother Mundowa. My child fell sick in March 2013, with diarrhoea and vomiting. When I took him to hospital they gave him the sugar and salt solution and we returned home. The child did not improve and after four months we went to a bigger hospital (Masvingo General Hospital) but we were referred back to Chivi Hospital. When I got back home I heard that there was an outreach prayer meeting. The pastor asked me to bring the child but I was hesitant because the child had deteriorated so much. He had lost weight from 11kgs to just around 4kgs. I was now ashamed to carry the baby around in public. However, on the Sunday I attended service. The following day the child improved but on Tuesday he started vomiting and having a running tummy again. I took the child to hospital. On the way I met my sister. She was not happy to see the child in that condition. She started blaming the message for the child’s illness. She really ran down the message. This pricked me to heart. 

 

On my way back home I was desiring that God do something about the situation that His name may not be berated. The testimony of Florence Nightingale came into my mind. When I got home I asked the pastor for the book Prophet Visits South Africa. He gave me and the next Sunday I took the child to hospital again. On the way I noticed that the child had passed on. I prayed to God telling Him that if the child dies the message would be reproached. The child started breathing again. A sister came to accompany me to the hospital. On the way the child would get worse and we would stop to pray. The hospital is about 14km from our village. Finally we arrived and the childs temperature was about 42oc. They chose to admit the child. While they were working on the admission papers I noticed that the child had passed on again. When the nurses came they checked the child and declared that he was dead. They started wrapping him up to take him to the mortuary but I asked them to give me 30 minutes with the baby. They refused and insisted I hand over the child. I could not so they went to fetch the mortuary attendant. I took this opportunity to kneel down and pray. Within minutes the child’s life was restored. When they returned they were shocked to see the child alive. They started to look for the childs veins so that they could put him on drip. They said his veins had collapsed so I too the book Prophet Visits South Africa and put it under his head and the book Souls that are in Prison Now on his hand. I called them to look again. Then they found the veins. After the 4th drip he regained his strength. He began to improve from the on. I stayed in the hospital till the weekend. 

 

On Sunday I was worried I would miss service. Around 9 in the morning I saw someone peeping into the ward. T was not visiting time yet but he came in and greeted me by name. He told me the child will be well and asked me to open my Bile to Psalms 127 and Mark 16. He began to preach to me verse by verse. After he left I realized it was the Lord who had visited me. The child was discharge and is now well.

 

Source:  http://www.eastleatabernacle.org/pages/testimonies.php

Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.

John 9: 1 - 41 (ESV)

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Did you know that God hates a powerless religion?

"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” [I Corinthians 4:20]

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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.”[Mark 16:17-18]

"Now, for instance, what if–if we were going to go back to Tucson this afternoon, now, and each one of us had a–was going to go in a–a big Cadillac, brand new; and all of the seats were made out of–of doeskin (softest of the leather, soft and easy to set in); and the floorboards was plush; the steering wheel were nickel-plated and had diamond studs all over it; and the engine was mechanically tested to be exactly the right engine; and the wheels were–all had bearings and greased up; and the tires were all puncture-proof and blow-out free, that all had been tested scientifically. They had been pushed off the assembly line, both of them, and both of them filled up with gasoline. That's the running power, the gasoline, because in it is the octane. But now, when you're going to start them, although both of them look just alike, but there's one of them don't have any spark, any firing power."Well," you say, "the power is in the gasoline, Brother Branham." But I don't care how much power is in the gasoline, unless there's a spark there to manifest that power, less there's a power there to confirm that that's gasoline, it just might as well be water.  Until… No matter how much theologians claim, how well you got your church set, how much education you got, how much like the Bible, until that wave Sheaf, until the Holy Spirit comes upon that person to quicken that Word (The gasoline represents the Word; It's the Truth.); but without the Spirit it won't move.We've put too much stress on the mechanics and nothing on the dynamics. It needs the dynamic power of God, the resurrection power of Jesus Christ upon the church to manifest and to bring to pass that this is gasoline. It might be in a gasoline can; it could still be water. See? But the only proof of it is put the Life on it, and it'll prove whether it's gasoline or not". ~WMB ~It Is The Rising Of The Sun (65-0418M)

“Paul said, "The Gospel come to us not in word only, but through power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost." Yes, sir. When He said, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," He also said, "Demonstrate the power of the Holy Ghost in all the world." Yes, sir. It never come to us through Word only. The Word's got to be quickened and made alive in the demonstration of the power of the Holy Ghost. I said, "Then if you call that the greater things, surely you can do the lesser things then. Go heal the sick. Pray for the sick. Cast out devils. Do those kinds of work." Jesus said, "The things that I do, shall you also." And if you'll do them, He will do them. "The things that I do, shall you do, and greater then this; for I go to My Father." To be greater would be more of you... more of it. Oh, my. Isn't He wonderful? Now, believe Him tonight while we pray.” ~WMB~ Led By The Holy Spirit (52-0727)

"And that's what's the matter with the church today. We're full of theology, without any dynamics in it. That's right. See?In other words, you've got to have the spark to the gasoline, or the gasoline is no more than... It's not even as good as water, as long as it hasn't got the spark to fire it. So that's the way.No matter how well we're taught, how well we'll believe, and how much of the Bible that we say is true, and we believe it all true; it's got to be the--the dynamics has got to be there, the spark, to set that Word afire and make it start rolling. It's got to have that. If you don't, the church sets still, the car sets still, you'll set still. But no matter how much you say, "I sympathize. I believe every Word of That." You've got to have something to spark that off to make that one hundred octane go to firing, and the big Church of God go to moving on. It's got to take the dynamics with the mechanics. Nothing wrong with the mechanics, but lacking dynamics.And I think that's what's the matter with the church today; we're lacking that dynamical power to press this Word and make It live for this day". ~WMB~ God's provided place of worship (65-0425).

"God hates a powerless religion. It's got to be power. Certainly. It's a power to save a man from sin. It's a power that can do signs and wonders and miracles as Jesus Christ promised. They zeroed in on the Word of God back there and believed it, and it hit the target. You zero the same way on the Word of God, and it'll hit the target again. It's got to, because He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. God don't like a powerless religion. God does not want that. God wants to perform. God wants to show Hisself alive. Our very hopes is the resurrection. Is that right? Our hopes of life is resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus Christ". ~WMB~Pardoned (63-1028) 

"God never did ordain us to go out and have schools. He never. He never told us to build hospitals. They're good. He never told us to build libraries. No, sir. He never. He said, "Preach the Gospel." And the Gospel is manifesting, demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, "The Gospel come to us, not through word only, but through the manifestation and demonstrations of the Holy Spirit." Paul said, "I never come to you with great words of wisdom by some doctor of so forth, but I come to you in power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit, that your faith would not be in the wisdom or knowledge of the men of this world, but in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ; because He lives, the same yesterday, today, and forever." God help up to believe the same thing, and God vindicate the same thing as He has been doing". ~WMB~God of this evil age   [65-0801M]

The tears was dropping off his cheeks ...and he said "Billy, lead me to that Jesus that you know."

Now notice. I used to go up there to hunt with a fellow called Burt. He was a good hunter. You didn't have to worry about him. He was a crack shot and a good hunter, and you didn't have to worry about him being lost. He knowed where he was at.

I got up there late, one year, to hunt with him. There's only one fault I found to Burt. He was a good hunter, but he was the meanest man I ever met in my life. He had eyes like a lizard, them, kind of like slanted eyes, you know, like some women paint their eyes today, over, kind of like a cat, and she had. Had them kind of eyes, you know, kind of funny-looking eyes. And he used to be so cruel. He used to shoot fawns just to make me feel bad. And he used to say to me, "Aw, you preachers are chicken-hearted bunch," See?

 

 And I said, "Burt, if the law says you can kill a fawn, that's all right, 'cause the--the size or the sex of the animal doesn't matter if the law says you can do it." See? I said, "There's nothing about killing a lamb. Abraham killed a lamb and fed it to God. That's right." I said, "Nothing about killing a fawn. But, Burt, you do it just to be mean. You shoot one, then shoot another, then shoot another. That's mean. That's not right to do that. That's murder."

He said, "Ah, Billy, get next to yourself. You're chicken-hearted like the rest of the preachers." Oh! He was cruel.

 

 But that day when I went up there, my wife was with me. We went to the little cabin, lodge there, and the women folks, and get ready. And Burt and I left that morning. We always carried a--a--a thermos bottle full of hot chocolate, and a sandwich. And we'd hunt up till about noon, and then we'd separate, going up over the Presidential Range, and Mount Wilson, Mount Adams, and so forth. And then we'd separate and come back and get in the camp that night. We hunted the whitetail deer, really fine deer. So we...

 

 That year, he said to me, when we left that morning, said, "Hey, Billy, I got a surprise for you. I'm going to get them this year."

 

 I said, "What's that, Burt?" Reached down in his pocket and pulled out a little whistle that he had made, sound just like a little baby deer calling for its mammy. You know, the little fawn calling, that little "whee" noise made.
I said, "Burt, you wouldn't use something like that."

 

 He said, "Aw, there you are. You're still chicken-hearted, aren't you?" And so we went on.

 

 And it kind of late in the season. Them whitetail deer, when they are shot at, a few times, oh, my! You talk about hiding! Houdini was a amateur. So how they can hide! And so then we--we went till eleven o'clock. There was about six inches of snow on the ground. Didn't even see a track. They were really hid good.

 

 So, along about eleven, twelve o'clock, there was kind of a drift of snow, and an open place, something the size of this room here. And Burt just was in front of me. He just stooped down like this, and started reaching back in his coat here. And I thought he would, we'd eat our sandwich, and then we would separate and go back to the camp, get back that night. He was feeling back. I thought he was going to get his bottle out, you know, with his hot chocolate, so I reached back to get mine. And when I did, he come out with this little whistle.

 

 He looked up at me with them lizard eyes, you know, and put that little whistle in his mouth, like that. And he blowed it, just like a little fawn, or little fellow calling for its mother. And when he blowed that whistle, just across that clearing, a big mother deer, a doe, stood up. That's the mother deer. She jumped up. She heard that call of the baby. I could seen him look up at me, like that, and grin. I thought, "Burt, you won't do that. Surely you won't." And he duck his head down. He blowed again.

 

 I can just see her big ears, them big brown eyes. She walked right out in that open. Now, that's strange for a deer to do that, especially that time of day, and right out when hunting season is in, to walk out like that. But she walked right out into that opening, a little clearing, a little meadow. That's very unusual for her to do that. But why did she do it? She was a mother. She was actually born a mother. And that call of her baby, she didn't think about danger. She was thinking about her baby.

 

 And when I seen her turn broadsided; Burt, I heard him let the bolt down on that.30-06, and he was a dead shot. I seen him raise around and put the cross hair of that scope right across her loyal heart.

 

 I thought, "Burt, how can you do it? How can you do it? Surely you won't do it." I thought, "That mother, walking out there to take up for her baby, and then you would blow that loyal heart out of her. How can you do it, Burt?" And I stood there.
I see him quieten himself down, leveling down like that.

 

 I thought, "Oh, my! I--I can't watch it." I thought, "That mother, she can't help it." She's not acting smart. She's not putting on a show. She's a mother, in her. Her--her--her part, in her, she's a mother. And that was a baby calling, in trouble, and she's hunting for it.

 

 And when the bolt fell, the deer turned and looked to the hunter, 'cause he had raised up. That still didn't excite her. She was ready to die. She...
Oh, if people could just be like that!

 

 I turned my head. I couldn't watch him shoot her. I turned my head. And I started praying, silently, 'cause I knowed he'd bawl me out if I tried to run her away. I--I turned my head like that, and I said, "Father God, help him. Help him. Don't--don't let him kill that mother, trying to hunt for her baby, and it crying like that. Don't--don't let him kill her." And I was turning, like this, and I noticed.

 

 I was listening, to hear the gun go off, any minute, but the gun never went off. I waited and I waited. And when I turned around, to see, he was holding like this. I seen the gun going like this.

 

 He turned around, looked up to me, and out of them cruel-looking lizard eyes, the tears was dropping off his cheeks. He throwed the gun on the ground. He grabbed me around the trouser leg. He said, "Billy, lead me to that Jesus that you know." Right there on that snow bank, I led that cruel hunter to Jesus. He's a deacon in a Baptist church up there now.

 

 Why? What was it? It wasn't a preaching. It--it--it wasn't the songs that he heard. But he seen something that wasn't a put-on, something that wasn't a front. He seen something that was genuine. "If they hold their peace, the rocks will cry out." He saw that there was something somewhere that could send a person in the face of death, a love that could send that mother deer in the face of death, and yet not fear to die, because the love of her fawn calling. He wanted to know if there was a--a God that could give him that kind of love, and he found it that day.

 

WMB - 63-0605, Greater Than Solomon Is Here, Ramada Inn, Tucson, AZ

THE LORD TOOK OFF [he didn't loosen] THE WHEELS OF THEIR CHARIOTS

Exodus 14 (KJV)

14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

² Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
³ For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
⁵ And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
⁶ And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
⁷ And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
⁸ And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.
⁹ But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
¹⁰ And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
¹¹ And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
¹² Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
¹³ And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
¹⁴ The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
¹⁵ And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
¹⁶ But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
¹⁷ And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
¹⁸ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
¹⁹ And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
²⁰ And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
²¹ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
²² And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
²³ And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
²⁴ And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
²⁵ And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
²⁶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
²⁷ And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
²⁸ And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
²⁹ But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
³⁰ Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
³¹ And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

The Lord was NOT in the great and strong wind, NOT in an Earthquake, NOT in the fire BUT in the STILL SMALL VOICE

1 Kings 19 King James Version (KJV)

19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

² Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
³ And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
⁵ And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
⁶ And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
⁷ And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
⁸ And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
⁹ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
¹⁰ And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
¹¹ And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
¹² And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
¹³ And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
¹⁴ And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
¹⁵ And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
¹⁶ And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
¹⁷ And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
¹⁸ Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
¹⁹ So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
²⁰ And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
²¹ And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.