But you know what? I love the joy set before me. I love those chocolate chip cookies.  The split second they came out of the oven, they were in my mouth. But you know what? They wouldn’t have gotten there

RR: How many?

LR: Never mind. They would not have gotten there an abundance they would not have gotten there without the stirring.

And we have got to stop grumbling and griping and whining and complaining because God does not honor even though the situation may not be where you want it to be, God doesn’t honor our grumbling and griping and whining and complaining.  He honors our faith.

RR: Lindsay, Paul and Silas were stuck in a dark, dingy cell after being nearly beat to death, in chains, in stocks.

LR: And what did they do?

RR: Well, I tell you what they did, they whined, they griped no, they didn’t. They began to praise God even in the midnight hour when the blood no doubt was flowing from their bodies. You can imagine the conditions of that jail cell. We’re talking two thousand years ago, the jail cell conditions there in that area of the world.

What did they do? They didn’t gripe, they didn’t whine, they didn’t complain. In the midst of that terrible condition, they began to praise God. And when they praised God, those jail cells opened up when an earthquake hit. I’ll tell you, when the praise goes up, the walls come down. We’ve got to change our attitude and get what you used to call “an attitude of gratitude.”

LR: That’s right. You know the Bible talks about being a shaking. We compare that to an earthquake today. But let’s think about that.

RR: Well, it’s just a symbol of a shaking in our lives.

LR: It said “a shaking.” And, I tell you, the Bible says, “God inhabits, lives in and dwells in the praises of his people.” When they began to praise God in the midst of that situation, those walls had to start shaking. Because I believe the glory of God came in, and I believe when the glory of God comes in, things get shaken. I believe that.

RR: The world says sometimes when things shake, bad things happen. But when God does the shaking, look what happened. Not only did the jail cell open, but the jailer and his entire family gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Now when God shakes things up, He’s shaking it up good. The world may shake things up for bad, but I’ve got news, God shakes things up for the right reason and brings miracles into people’s lives.

 

And so there is no question that the world has to figure out, you know, “Who are we talking about?”  Or “I heard that, but I’m not sure about this.” There’s a look on her face that draws their attention upward, because she is looking in His face.

RR: Now, Terri, as a minister of the Gospel yourself, how does a Christian who is out there in the world  we’re in the world, but we don’t have to be of it, but we’re in the world  facing struggles every day, like she faced and also much, much deeper struggles, sickness, disease, fear, doubt, discouragement, bills piling up, not enough money at the end of the month, how does a person stand on the Word of God and believe God and, in the words of Jordan, “I refuse to give up,” how does a person do that? That’s easy for somebody to say, but how do they do it?

TP: Well, it begins with relationship with God. I’ve seen people who have heard the message of faith, which is the foundation of our ministry and in yours, preaching faith and preaching the Word of God and teaching people the principles of the Word of God. But so many people want to take those principles as though they were some formula and work them apart from a relationship with God. And, you know it’s impossible. You can’t work the will of God apart from knowing God and walking with God, having a relationship with God.

And like Madeline said, being so focused on your relationship and knowing Him. When you know God and then you begin to see the principles of how God operates, it’s not a hard thing to do to think of God first. It’s not a hard thing to do to obey God.

You know you were saying that we can have the Bible in our hands but not have it in our heart. But there are people that can put the Word in their heart, but they don’t act on it. They don’t obey. And Jesus said, “If you love me, and if you know me, then you do what I tell you to do. You’ll do it.”  And walking with God is that knowing Him and then doing what the Bible tells you to do.

 

OR: a hundred percent payment of all debt. The important thing about that is, it’s wonderful for the students so you don’t have to raise the tuition as much.

LR: Got a lot of hallelujahs out of there.

RR: You got some amen’s in the crowd on that.

OR: Yes, yes, yes, yes.  But the greater thing is, once we do it through Seed Faith, people will learn about it and they will start Seed-Faithing to get out of their debts, to become debt-free themselves.  Right now they’re hung up and they don’t know how to get out of debt and to get out of the bad attitude.

And some of them even blame God at times.  But if you know you’re planting your seed and you’re giving God your best, then you have an absolute right to expect God to give you His best.  And you put your hands out and say, “Thank You, Lord.  I receive your best because I gave you mine.”

RR: Dad and Mother, the other day I met a businessman, stopped me here in Tulsa.  He said, “Richard, I’m a tither.  I tithe into my church as the Bible teaches me.”  But he said, “My wife and I have been praying about doing something for Oral Roberts University.”  He said, “We feel it in our hearts,” and he handed me a check for $1,000 for Oral Roberts University.  He said, “This is our seed for ORU.”

OR: You know

ER: Something great will happen to him.  Something great will happen to him.

OR: I didn’t intend to say this at this time, but it’s a good time because we’re talking about where you live, about your bills, the money you need, the answers to problems that you don’t have, both spiritual and physical and financial and family.  We’re right down to where we live, each of us lives right now.

Each month Richard and I write a teaching letter to the people who write to us, called partners.  Whether they give a little or they give much, we treat them all the same.  But as we write the letter, we include something personal back to them when we answer their letter.  And this is the May letter that you and I have just completed, and it’s called “His Healing Touch.”  It’s our teaching letter.  And, Richard, there is his picture.  He does the first part of the letter, and then this is the way we used to do it   this was before we didn’t know it was sanitary, unsanitary, and unsanitary.

 

MRS. BLACK: Yes, Brother Roberts.  When I took Gary for a checkup not long ago, the doctor said that the bone had completely healed.  And at the time of his healing, he could hardly believe it.

OR: Well, Gary, do you have any other word to say?

G: Nope.

OR: That’s it.  God bless you.  Who do you give the glory to?

G: Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

OR: Thank you, son.  He’s the one who deserves it.

RR: I can’t watch that except feel, so many times I was there.  I saw those miracles.  You know, Gary, Gary grew up, went to Vietnam.

OR: Twice.

RR: Twice.  Worked in construction.  He’s living in Ordville, California, and he’s on the phone right now.

OR: Oh, no!

RR: Gary.

G: Yes.

RR: Gary Pridemore?

G: Yes sir.

RR: Gary Pridemore, I want you to meet my dad, Oral Roberts.

G: Oral.

OR: Gary.

G: You still out there, Buddy?

OR: Are you there?

G: Yes sir.

OR: Is this you?

G: Yes sir.

OR: How old are you now?

G: Oh, you don’t want to know.

OR: You are, you are, I’ll tell you, 43, 49.

G: Thank you.  Fifty, Sir.

OR: Well, I missed it a year.  But you were six, I believe, when they brought you.

G: You bet.

OR: And when did you give your heart to the Lord?

G: Well, I’ve been giving my heart to the Lord all my life, sir.

OR: But when you came back from Vietnam, I heard that you were not really serving the Lord.

G: To some degree I wasn’t.

OR: But you are serving Him now.

G: No, actually, He’s been a part of my life from day one.  It’s just, you came along and, you know, Oral, I tell you, that, you know, anytime, anywhere, any place, it just seems like whether especially in this part of my life, I’m realizing that there is a God.  I just went through a two and a half month program where I lost my right leg, my right leg.  And, oh, I thank, I thank God every day for what I have.  And there isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that you’re not a part of my life.

ER: Gary, do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Have you really committed your life to Jesus?

G: Yes.

ER: Well, that’s good.  Praise God for that.

OR: Richard, I didn’t know you were going to do this.  I haven’t talked to Gary since that night.  I haven’t known, except by a friend who told me he had been to Vietnam on two different missions

RR: Well, today, yesterday, actually, we began a search and we found him in Northern California.

 

RR: Lindsay, there are people that are watching right now that have needs in their lives of their children, sickness, disease, fear, things that come on their children.  As a mom, I wish you’d just stretch out your hands right now and pray over children.

There’s one thing we do every day.  Every night we put a Holy Ghost prayer covering over our children, that no harm shall come against, no plague shall come near our dwelling, against our family.  I wish you’d just pray a prayer cover over children right now.

LR: Father, in the name of Jesus, I just lift up babies right now. You know, your baby may be 50 or 60 or 70, but they’re still your baby.

RR: Or two or one.

LR: Or two.

RR: Six months.

LR: Your children will always be your children, it doesn’t matter if they outgrow you or taller than you are or older than, older, but it doesn’t matter, they’re still your children; they’re still your babies.  And I believe God has a special place in mother’s hearts, and I believe He honors a mother’s prayer.

And I speak in the name of Jesus, not my name my name will come and go but in the name of Jesus, the name that’s above every name named in heaven and earth, I speak life and health and most of all protection, a Holy Ghost prayer cover over your children, from the crown of their head to the soles of their feet, for your children to grow up and serve God, for your children to grow up and be healthy and strong.

And maybe your children have run away from God.  Maybe they’re still running.  Maybe they’re running away for 50 or 60 years, but in the name of Jesus, I speak according to the Word of God and I ask the Father to send the right people to cross their paths.

RR: To comfort them.

LR: To lead them into the kingdom of God.  I speak healing into your children, protection into your children.  Maybe your children are in a situation that scares you.  I speak peace of mind to you and protection to your children, in the name of Jesus.

RR: In Jesus’ name.  You might want to call and let us know the name of that child.  Here’s Joe calling from Daytona Beach, Florida. “Watching your program.  I had an allergic reaction on my elbow, itching, painful, scar, but when you prayed, the scar is gone and the pain is stopped.  The scar is totally disappeared.  I’m healed.  And, also, while the prayer partner was praying for me, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit.