The Negative Confession

The Negative Confession

Bro. Lee Vayle - ?? - ?? 1965

Let's bow our heads in prayer now: Our Father, we come again at this time requesting, Lord God, that Thou dost hear us to the end of this Word may come forth exactly as It is written. Every thought expressed in the exact words, Lord, to help each one to know what the Word does say. In order, Lord, that man shall not live by bread alone but every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We commit ourselves therefore to you, Lord, this faithful steward of this Word that what is said is in Thee, O God, in the spirit given us of Thee also, so we may not lack. Knowing then, Lord, if Thee, Lord, build a house we labor not in vain in our building. Knowing, Lord, too that it's You who illuminate us and reveal to us Your Word which will become rich and real to us, become a part of us that we might in turn be those that are epistles read and known of all men.

We submit ourselves therefore to You this morning, O God, and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God expecting, because we believe in Jesus' Name. Amen. You may be

seated.

1. Now, this morning we continue not exactly with last night, but we will take another phase of last night and 'Faith and Confession', entitling this 'The Negative Confession', and once having heard this message, last night's message will become that much clearer to you. In Genesis 25:27-34, remember we're dealing with the measure of faith which is perfect in an imperfect vessel. We said to you that twenty-five cents or one dollar or what is it that you have is your assurance that you can purchase anything in America, or any nation that recognizes the American currency, you have the ability to purchase that article as long as it is for sale. It is your assurance that you can get it, because you have what it takes to get it.

Your measure of faith is your God given assurance that you can have every promise in the Bible which is extended to you in this particular age. But the reason that most of us are impoverished in the face of God's omnipotence is because of the imperfection of the vessel, and either his unawareness of what he has, or his inability to use what God has given him. And this morning we will discuss again from the standpoint of the imperfection of the vessel attempting to bring the vessel to perfection is order that the law of the spirit of faith may be implemented to bring the desired result.

2. So, in Genesis 25: beginning at 27

(27) And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

To begin with, we have a gross mistranslation here in the word 'plain'. This is the same word used of Abraham and Job where It says they were perfect. So the text should read, 'Jacob was of perfect man' dwelling in a tent. It's not that Jacob didn't have imperfection or problems, but God classified him as a perfect man. [correction]

(28) And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

(29) And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

(30) And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

(31) And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

(32) And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

(33) And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

(34) Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

3. Now, here is an example of the negative confession, or the confession of unbelief. Now, to understand this you will have to note that there were some very real and trying conditions that existed in the land to make Esau talk the way he did. You will notice in verse 1 of chapter 26, It says, "There was a famine in the land."

Now, the Bible was not divided in chapters and verses by the Holy Spirit. It was divided originally by a Roman priest who attempting to read the Bible found that it was easier to use the eye-span in smaller divisions. And so man put the Word of God into chapters and verses. And so, according now the way man works we have a very bad impression left here about Esau. We don't realize as we read this that there was a famine in the land. We have the idea that Esau came in one day and he was a little bit hungrier than usual, a little bit more tired than usual; and so like us he said, "Man, I'm hungry enough to eat a horse, if I don't get food I'm going to die."

And we sort of use that expression and apply it to Esau feeling that Esau was just a careless type of individual who did not have any reason to come in and sell his birthright. But the fact of the matter is that this scene is the reaction to some very grim and desperate conditions. Because the Bible said there was a famine in the land.

4. Now, a famine in that part of the country meant that there was no rain. And if there was no rain, then there would be very little if any food to be reaped from the ground. And as the animals, and remember that Esau was a hunter, he depended upon killing animals for his livelihood. And so as he attempted to hunt there was no food, for the animals would consequently move away from him faster towards water then he could possibly trail them.

And so after hunting for days he came in thoroughly and entirely exhausted not having eaten and despairing of his strength he said, "I am at the point of death." That is exactly true, because if a man doesn't eat, he gets hungry, and if he still doesn't eat he begins to starve, and after a sufficient length of time he will die of malnutrition, because the body can stand only so much. And he came in, in that terrible condition and he said, "I am dying, I haven't had any food for days, I have hunted and there is nothing available, and I must eat, or I going to die." So, we see that the conditions were very grim and very desperate.

5. Now, however there were some very real benefits set forth in God's Word. You will notice what I've said. There were some 'Word' benefits. There were some very real benefits, but they were 'Word' benefits. They were those things spoken of by God.

In Genesis 25:32, which we read, "Esau said, what shall this birthright profit me?" What will it profit me? In other word profits suggests a benefit. It suggests a gain. It not only suggests but implies, but it determines that there is a reality of aid and substance. And Esau looked at what God had given him by means of the Word. And he said, "What is this going to profit me, what will It do for me?"

6. Hebrews 12:16-71 says,

(16) Lest there be any fornicator, or (heathenish) person, as Esau, who for(a) morsel of meat sold his birthright.

(17) For (you) know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, (that he would have gained the profit that God's Word said exempted and was available to them) he was rejected: for he found no place (for) repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

God had said, "That there is a blessing that I am going to give and not a curse." And Paul warned us to cast not away our confidence in order to receive the blessing that God's Word said was available to us.

7. Now, I want you to think a moment here, because we are too prone to read this Bible and simply pass this over as an illustration, or as a story. And we are apt to be very smug in our own so called judicial appraisal of this situation and say, "Now, if I'd have been there, I wouldn't have done that."

Well, (just) let's stop and think a moment. What would you do if there was a famine today? There is going to come a day when the antichrist system is going to demand that you either take the mark of the beast in the hand, in the forehead, or either you don't eat. Now, it's very easy to sit here very smug this morning and say, "Well, I'm going to be in the Rapture, going to miss it." How do you know you will be in the Rapture and miss it? How do you know there won't be a pressure so placed upon you before the Rapture? Even before the mark of the beast, that you'll begin to wonder what you are going to do about your very existence?

8. Now, there was a famine in the land, the Bible said so. Not like we have in America. We had a famine in the '30's which was a famine for money. They burnt the coffee in heaps, they destroyed the wheat, they told the farmers to stop raising so much food, that was the main attitude in America. You couldn't get the food. I know that little kids had dysentery, because all they could eat was wheat. The hungry '30's when there was an abundance of food.

I saw people in the church literally sell themselves for a dollar bill. Why they'd vote for Roosevelt right today and yet on that terrible night of October, (I think the) 30th at twelve o'clock in 1933, Roosevelt ...?... in contrary to our constitution, and apart from the working of our government signed a treaty with Molotov, and when communism was our last leg failing, Mr. Roosevelt, the great god that America seemed to loved so much, signed America with an antichrist nation. We've been in ...?... ever since. I've heard Holy Ghost people say, "At least one thing, he put food in our stomachs."

America sold their birthright for a piece of bread. The church has the nerve to listen to Esau's little story and say, "Esau, you are a rat, if I'd have been there, I wouldn't have done it." How do you know you wouldn't have done it?

9. See, this is serious what we're talking about. We’re not talking about bedtime stories now. We're talking about the reaction of people to trying conditions. We then come to the conclusion as to what a negative confession is, or what it means to confess unbelief in God. It is first of all to admit to a condition. You heard what I said? It's to admit to the condition. I'm not talking Christian Science now, but it's to admit to the condition considering and believing in their natural conclusion, rather than to confess what God has already said about the conclusion of that condition.

Esau said, "There is a famine." And there was a famine. He said, "I have hunted and found no food." That is exactly correct. He said, "I am faint, and I am going to die." That also was exactly correct in view of the circumstances. All this was true, because if you have no food, you can't eat, and if you don't eat you will starve, and if you starve you will die, and if you die, what good it the promise of God? No good.

10. Now, God does not want us to think and to reason and to speak this way. Let's go back to Genesis 15:1-6

(1) (And) After these things the word of the LORD came (to) Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy... (protector and thy provider, believe me.)

(2) And Abram said, LORD (if You are my protector and my provider what are You going to do about my need, I've got a need, I'm) childless, (if I don't have a son this) steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus... (is going to get all my possessions.)

(3) And Abram said, Behold, to me (God, You have not made Yourself what You said You are, that You are my protector and my provider because I have a need. And I do not want this man to be my heir, and he will be if You don't do something about it.)

(4) And, behold, the word of the LORD...

Now, here is where everybody gets confused. They say, "I don't want Word, I want action. I want action. I want action. I want action. God do this, God do that, God give me, God give me." Shut up! Hold it, quiet right down. If you were a Christian, you're not a Word Christian.

11. You people claim to believe Bro. Branham remember this: Bro. Branham's statement given to him by the Holy Ghost was this: "that the Bride is a Word Bride." And she approaches unto her Head-stone by the Word of God. And by that Word she becomes like Him in order to be united to Him. Then the works will be found in her. There are too many people like Esau, they're heathenish. The word 'profane' in the Greek means 'heathenish'. Give me, give me, do this, do that, hear me, hear me. Come, come, come. Now, now, now. This is this, that, that, that! Act God, act. Act God, act. And everybody can quote, commands your need concerning the works of my hands. But you don't know what you're talking about.

Here's what the Word says,

(4) ... behold, the word ... came (to) him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

(5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward (the) heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall (shall, future tense, shall, shall) thy seed be.

(6) And he believed (God); ...

What did he believe God? He believed the Word and that ended it. And he didn't see one thing, he just said, "God, if You said so, that takes care of it, and God put it on the Books." And said, "Abraham you don't only get your seed, but you're righteous. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, so therefore everything that is of faith is righteous, and as long as you act and walk in faith you've got to be a righteous person."

12. For the Bible says, "That was the promise of God." Furthermore, let's read in [Genesis 15:] verse 18-21

(18) In the same day (that) the LORD made a covenant ...

What is a covenant? It is a word agreement that certain action, or material will follow.

(18) (God) made a covenant with with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

(19) The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

(20) ... the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

(21) And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, the Jebusites. (All this land.)

Now, what was the promise? The promise was 'seed'. The promise was not land. Land without seed doesn't mean a thing. But there cannot be seed without land. So therefore, the promise was what? Seed! If the promise was seed, then Jacob not only would live, but Esau would live. Because He called them forth and said, "Thy seed will be like the stars of the heaven, and as the earth for multitudes, there would be an earthly people, and there would be a heavenly people.

13. And the promise to Esau was: "You are going to live. This is your land, you are going to dwell in it." The promise of God to Esau was life and not death, and Esau lived to regret that he didn't believe God. He regretted his confession of unbelief. What led him to say what he did? The condition led him to say what he did, when he thought about them. When he thought his own thoughts about them, when he drew his own conclusions, and he spoke those conclusions.

But, Jacob was not a such confessor as was Esau. He confessed right. He said, "Give me God's Word." In the face of any material benefits, or any material condition, whether it be beneficial seemingly, or whether it be non-beneficial seemingly.

There's where Eve made her mistake. The devil came and he said, "Now, this looks good,. it's pleasant, good to eat, make you wise." He appealed to what looked good, and she took it, and she walked in unbelief.

14. The Scripture says concerning Moses that he spurned the pleasures of Egypt. He spurned them, and God gave him a mighty benefit. Now, we'll go over this again. God does not want us to talk about and evaluate the conditions of life and ponder therein. He wants us to look at His promises and where they lead, to look for the good and not for the bad. (See?)

Now, this is exactly what the Word teaches. See, we've been too haphazard. We're Niicolatian, we're Laodicean. We come out of the Philadelphian Age. The Philadelphian Age that swung into the free moral agency of man to the end that it was ridiculous. Just because the Age before had swung into the sovereignty of God until men were saying, "you cannot assuredly know you're born again, you got to wait for the judgment." They swung too far, the pendulum went too far, and now until this age the pendulum has gone to the other extreme where everything that man says is right, and they're telling God. And they're all wrong, God's a sovereign God, you don't tell Him anything. "Who art thou oh man to reply against God?" [Rom 9:20a] You listen. Esau wouldn’t listen. Esau shared in that covenant of Abraham. But Esau wouldn't listen. He took his own right to think what he wanted to think.

15. Do you know what's wrong with the people in the pews maybe right in this church? You've got your own ideas what you're going to hear from a preacher. What do you think God sent preachers that preach for teachers to teach for prophet to prophesy for?

Do you know that people in America and all over the world repudiated Bro. Branham the minute he rose up and said one thing contrary to what they believed? They said, "Huh, who does he think he is?" Where was their vindication? Where's du Plessis' and Lindsay's vindication in Chautauqua, Ohio, when they got up and they said, "Listen, when Bro. Branham's in the trance telling you what's wrong with your tonsils or your toenails, your fungus in your appendix or someplace, he's a real prophet, but don't you believe in that Word, because he's all messed up."

16. What did a prophet ever do but bring the Word? If you sit here this morning and you think you knew more than that man, I'm going to ask you one question, where's your vindication honey? Typical product of Laodicea. Independent thinkers, "I can think what I want." Women preachers, women cutting their hair. Women running their husbands, wearing shorts, slacks. Go ahead and take your independence and you men. You had them doing that like a bunch of milksops. I championed women the other night when I said, "Men ought to help their wives and they ought to." Women lead a man around by the nose and tell them to do women's work if he doesn't, and other things like that, "you do this." Women, you are perverted. God will whip you before this is over. He'll bring you down. Men taking those things Bro. Branham said, and thinking they can do what they want.

A preacher phoned me up and he said, "According to Bro. Branham I can get married again." According to Bro. Branham he couldn't get married again. Even though he said, "Let a woman cut her hair, a man could divorce her." And that's exactly right. Let a woman step out, he could divorce her, that is exactly right. But that man and woman made a vow, till death do you part, you humble yourselves. Sure you could. You can do a lot of things, but God said, "You don't do it."

17. Here's what we're dealing with this morning. That's why this measure of faith doesn't work, because too many of us got our own minds made up. You say, "Well, I can read can't I? I can study, can't I? I can hear can't I? I can see can't I? I can teach can't I? I can think." Yes, you bet you can, and that's what Esau did and God said, "You heathenish person, You profane individual."

We don't stand up here this morning and tell you the life isn't real, and life isn't bothersome, life is, it's rough, it's hard, it's getting rougher. God said, "I expect you to do it, My Word said in spite of it."

You say, "Yes, but this is too hard, this is too tough." It's not too hard, it's not too tough, because God said, "There is no temptation taken you but common to all men. And He'll not test you but what you're able to bear, but with the testing make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (I Cor 10:13]

18. You look back in your life where you failed and you'll know if you've got an ounce of insight this morning. You know you did it, ...?... when you failed. I thought I had it tough when I quit preaching. Got so fed up with these big mouth tongues talking rope skipping Pentecostals. Bunch of hard backslidden missionary Alliances. Yeah, and the Nazarenes were just as bad as the rest of them, only their sinning was sanctified. Ha, ha, ha! Man and woman was both sanctified, they could have sanctified adultery couldn't they? You think they didn't? I knew incest in their church. They screamed about being sanctified, the Methodist the same way. Baptist living in their rotten sins. I came out of Canada where the Methodist and the Presbyterian 's got together called, 'The United Church'. They were re-united alright, united to the devil, to each other. Denying the Blood, cutting each other's throats. Sure I saw it all.

And I confess my sin like the Bible said. You look at me say, "Well, you jerky rat, I didn’t expect it of you, ...?... " I wonder where they are today? Because I don't prophesy, but I know that the same men would fall in the ditch, even worse than I fell. And I said, "I'm sick to my stomach, I'm finished, I'm through. If this is Christianity take it." I told God what He could do with it, and I'm sure it wasn't put it on the Mercy Seat and glorify. You know what I mean. And I walked out for nine years, but I looked back now and I'm sorry that I walked out, because as I know my own heart, I can say this, "I ought not to have walked out."

19. There wasn't one condition too hard, because that God who answered my prayer, day by day we lived by faith. I told you I started out not knowing where I was going to preach. And no money to get there, but God took me. When the going got tough, and there was big snow on the ground and no food in the house, we prayed, and pretty soon I'd hear the old sleigh creaking in the snow, the wagon wheels rolling, somebody would bring us something to eat. Sure we never fail God never failed, but I drew my own conclusion that day and walked out.

And God and I suffered nigh unto death, where I was ready to commit suicide, had it all planned out. Couldn't sleep at night, couldn't rest during the day, no peace, no nothing but heartache, mental torture; physical torture, dying of TB of the pituitary gland. But God, by the time I got through suffering I knew one thing, don't you put yourself out on a limb, God will cut the limb off. Don't fool with God.

20. Esau thought I could think what I want to think. Go ahead this morning, go ahead, I'm not going to change your mind. If God doesn't, I can't do a thing for you, go ahead. Go ahead and exalt yourself. Make yourself a big deal, you'll see what's going to happen. Esau sought, cried, repented didn't do any good. He called God a liar. (Uh?) You felt sorry for yourself, but you read this and sneered didn't you? Esau ...?... Well you ...?...

How many times have you failed God? How many times have I failed God as soon as the chips were down? Listen, the chips were down, this man had a bloated belly. Have you ever even fasted in a few days? (Uh?) Just fast a few days and see how you like it. See what happens to your body. Headaches, aches, pain, you won't feel good at all. This man was hunting day after day had gone by. And now stumbling in and the heavens were brass, there didn't seem to be a whisper of God coming in that house, he saw a little bit of food, and he said, "Give me something to eat or I'm going to die." And that's exactly true.

21. And Jacob said, "If I give you this food, then I'll die, because that's all I've got." But he said, "I'll tell you what Esau, I've heard the Word of God and I believe It. My God doesn't work by condition, He works in spite of conditions. And if you give me that birthright..." You see, he knew that trusting God's Word gave him omnipotence, because God stood behind His Word. If God fails in that Word, then God fails. God is going to go down too. He said. "When God goes down, I'll go down. But not...just give me that birthright, give me that covenant, give me what God said concerning you, because you're the firstborn."

And Esau said, "What good is the Word, I can't eat It. It sure like it's failing. This is contrary to what it can, (he said) I'm going to live, and any fool can see that I'm going to die, I'll trade you, I'll trade you." And he traded him. But you know, I've got news for you neither one died. God provided for Jacob.

Do you know what Jacob did? He deliberately took a calculated risk. He said, "I'll give it, and I'll put my life in jeopardy if so be that God is a God of jeopardy." And he put his life right in the hands of God apart from material sustenance, contrary to every bit of decent (I use that word loosely) reasoning, and God saved Jacob's life and called him 'a prince'. But He called Esau 'a heathenish' person. I submit this morning that many of us as Christians have heathenish lives. Because we sell out to a material concept, rather than a spiritual.

22. We go over this definition once more. God does not want us to talk about and He evaluates the condition of life to ponder their end. He wants us to look to His promises and where they lead, to look for the good, because that's what God's a good God doing good things and not for the bad. This man could have said in this day, "I can see where this is leading." That's what I said when I quit preaching, I said, "I can see where this is leading, this goes from trouble to trouble, not from glory to glory." I didn't know that trouble led from glory to glory. I didn't know that faith went from faith on the grounds of trials. I said, "I can see where this is going, and I'm getting out before it gets there." (Uh?)

You know that more people get killed thrown from a car than those that stay in the car? That's the way it is with ...?... when it gets rough and accelerates don't jump, you're going to get hurt, stick with the vehicle. Stick with it. Go with God, because God doesn't leave His Church.

23, Let's take another illustration: let's turn to the Book of Numbers 13: This is the story of the twelve presbyters of Israel, the leaders, none the less. Beginning in 13:30-33, It says:

(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; (because ) they are stronger than we (are.)

(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, (the) land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

(33) And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight, (like grasshoppers.)

Reading on in chapter 14:

(1) And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

(2) And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! would God we had died in this wilderness!

(3) And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

(4) And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and (go right back to) Egypt.

(5) Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

(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.

24. Now, I want you to notice here the promises of God and the actual situation that faced the people. Do you realize that a very, very trying condition existed here? And once more we must not delude ourselves into simply reading and say, "Well now, isn't that tragic the way they acted? My, my, my, my, my! If we'd have come up through Egypt the way they did; if we'd have see the miracles of Moses the way they did; if we'd have gone through the Red Sea and seen Pharaoh defeated like they did; if we'd been there, we wouldn't have done that, no sir!"

Well, quite easy to read about it, but it's another thing to be there. It's quite an easy thing to read Scripture, it's another thing to go through them. You see, we are confronted once more with God's Word promising us benefits which God has sworn by Himself we would receive. At the same time we are confronted with conditions which being overwhelming when we face them. Such condition when faced and pondered will absolutely grip us to tear us from what God said is our portion.

25. Let's go back to Genesis again, 15: and see what God has said about this people, beginning at verse 13

(13) And (God) said unto Abram, Know of a surety (no for positive that) thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve (those strangers;) and (those strangers) (will) afflict them four hundred years;

(14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward they (will) come out with great substance.

(15) And thou shalt go (in peace) to thy fathers...thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

(16) But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

(17) And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

(18) In the same day the LORD made a covenant (a word bargain with) Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

And He's going to destroy all those people:

(19) The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

(20) And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

(21) And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites... Jebusites. (And all the people in the land.)

26. Now, I want you to notice that once more as far as these men were concerned, as concerning human reasoning, they were absolutely right in what they said. They were. They said, "The cities are fenced, we can't overcome the land. Now, that was true, Israel was a shepherd people, they were not allowed weapons of war in Egypt. They did not have the weapons to fight with, they were absolutely unschooled in the way of warfare. As far as invading Canaan's land they were sitting ducks. Absolutely sitting ducks, just like a machine gun in a duck pond, in a blind. When the ducks land, just mow them down.

They couldn't overcome a walled city. If they looked too tough for multitudes, if there were a number of them to chew their way through the wall, they never could have done it. If there were enough people in masses to like human fleas, come upon the city once they got in and just push the breath out of the field by sheer forces, they couldn't have got into the city to do it. They never had a chance. The people in Canaan were giants. One great big burly old fellow could whip maybe a hundred Israelites.

27. They never had a chance. They had no weapons, they had no skills, they were inferior inside, and in fact they were inferior in numbers, because they said the land was so big, if we go in there, it'll simply swallow us up. That's the problem that Napoleon had, and Hitler had with Russia. They went in there, the land was too big, they couldn't overcome it.

The land itself, never mind the Russians. The land itself defeated both Napoleon and Hitler. And now these Israelites they weren't moved. They went in, they looked the land over and out of the twelve people ten came back and said, "We've got to be honest, that place is no push over, the cities are walled, can't even get in. That means when they want to, they'll come out and beat us up, so we can't seem to beat them up. We've got no weapons, the people are too big. The land is too big."

28. And they said, "Do you mean to tell us that God said that we were to go over there in the face of those conditions?"

And they said, "That's what God said."

They said, "Is he crazy?"

Not faith struck their hearts by the Word, but fear, because the Word struck their hearts.

And they said, "That's ridiculous, that's crazy, that's suicide. They don't even know that we exist, but let's go in there and start something. You know what they'll do? They'll kill us, they'll take our wives and our children."

That's exactly the truth too. It's exactly right. And they became so concerned with, and involved with, and so fully convinced of the conditions which were against them and where those conditions lead. Because believe me, humanly speaking a small bunch of people unprepared for war, go into a great big land and start a fight with a fenced city, they just run out there and knock the men on the heads, take the women for rape and all those things, the kids for slaves. Kill the men and say, "Whoopee we took over!"

29. And they said, "Oh boy, anybody knows that this is ridiculous, even coming from God." But you see, you know what happened? God turned on them. You want to know what God did? Turn to Hebrews 3: and beginning at verse 7

(7) Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, ('Thus Saith the Lord') To day if (you) will hear his voice,

(8) Harden not your hearts,...

Do you know that the Word of God can harden you? You want to hear His Voice today? If you do you better be prepared for a shock. Because God's Voice doesn't say, "Honey, ain't nothing to this, all it is, is to sit under a tree and a slave will fan your brow, and they'll pop grapes in your mouth, all you've got to do is slumber and sleep and say, 'Isn't He wonderful, hallelujah, love You Jesus'." That's exactly what you're not going to hear, although you have been taught that's what you do hear.

God's Word doesn't talk to a plate of mush. Or people with spines like cooked macaroni. Earth worms structure. It says, "Today if you'll hear his Voice, be prepared that your hearts might be hardened."

Oh, how they ran to hear Bro. Branham. Oh the miracles. Oh, we'll talk about them tonight. What's wrong with miracles? Nothing really, it's the people that get them. Oh, how they ran for the miracles, just like they did to Jesus. Then they said, "We want to hear this man preach." But they didn't know that the Word of God can harden your heart. Did you know that? Hardened Pharaoh. You're hardened?

30. This morning you can sit here, you can soften your heart by His Word and say, "God I hate myself, because I didn't know that's the way the Word was. I didn't know that's the way You wanted me to live. I understood wrong, forgive me. I want to be softened up, I want to be crucified."

You can leave here and say, "Vayle, ha!" You don't 'ha,' me, I ain't going to meet you in heaven. I have no problem with you or anybody else. You want to hear His Voice? Better look up. You mean men, and you bossy women, maybe we better quit here before you hear any more of these words, because it's going to harden you. Oh yes It will. Because I know that's what the Word does

31. [Hebrews 3:]

(7) ...(you) will hear his voice,

(8) Harden not your hearts, as in the (day of) provocation, in the day of (the) temptation in (your) wilderness (experience.)

And it looked like God lead you in a trap. That's what It said.

(9) When your fathers ...

Now notice, they turned around when God was testing them, they turned around with hard hearts, and tempted God. I'm glad He deals in grace, or He'd have slain me long ago.

(9) When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

(10) Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

(Good heavens, well, I won't say it.)

(11) So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

This is the most agitated day the world has ever seen, because people just got hardened over God's Word.

(12) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

What makes an evil heart of unbelief? Looking at conditions which are contrary to God's Word then believing those conditions rather than God's Word in hardening your hearts. Because you say. "God couldn’t have meant what He said. What's He doing this for?" (See?)

(13) But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

What sin? Unbelief ! There's only one sin and it's unbelief. Everything comes out of unbelief. (See?)

(14) For we (we have been made fellows, not) partakers (in the sense you took a part of, but fellow companions) of Christ, if we hold (fast) the beginning of our confidence stedfast (to) the end;

(15) While it is said, To day if (you) will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

(16) For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came (with) Moses.)

(17) But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, ...(what sin? Unbelief.)

When do you not believe God? When the conditions get rough and are contrary to what you think they should be in the fight of God's Word.

(17) ... was it not with them that had sinned, (in unbelief) whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

(18) And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

(19) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (See?)

32. Proverbs 6:2 says,

(2) Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

This illustration shows us then that these people tempted God, because they dared to draw their own logical conclusions. You know why a lot of people couldn’t stand Bro. Branham's ministry? They drew their own conclusions . I sat with a young man ...?... for a long time. In fact the reason I could feed him good, is because a friend of mine gave me twenty dollars so I could live pretty high on for a couple of days. And I knew the only way that I could make him feel good is if I buy him a steak. Because I knew that he didn't have much money, he's sure think a lot of me if I was nice enough to buy him a steak. And I knew that he didn't understand Bro. Branham, and he didn't believe that he was a prophet or anything else about him. In fact he said, "He can't be a prophet, because I happen to know that a man that he traveled with was a homosexual who tried to destroy me."

And I said, "I know the man that you're talking about." And I said, "He's one of the most rottenest hypocrites in the world and absolute avowed to homosexuals, there's nothing to him, except a big mouth."

He said, "If Bro. Branham was a prophet why didn't he stop him doing it?"

You show me one prophet, or one man of God that ever stopped anybody from doing anything. Not his job. Let the tares grow up with the wheat. You don't uproot the tares less the wheat be uprooted, let them grow side by side.

33. The mark of a man isn't that he gets out here and can stand away from everybody. The mark of a man is to walk through the cesspool of this world and come out as clean and sweet smelling is as when he went in. But Bro. ...?... couldn’t see that for a long time. I said, "He knew all about him, don't worry." I said, I'll even go a step further, he knew that one of his managers got drunk." But he committed those people to God.

You know, I couldn't understand Bro. Branham, for years I wondered why he wouldn't fight my battles. He knew when people gave me a rough time, he wouldn't say one word. Because he knew that Lee Vayle had to learn to stand on his feet, let the tares grow with the wheat. Not uproot the tares, less the wheat be uprooted just go on. That doesn't mean a thing to you. Sure, people draw their own conclusions. You don’t dare draw your own conclusions, you say what God said, you draw God's conclusions.

These people here had every right humanly speaking to say what they said, and yet God cursed and destroyed them. Where does that leave us when the chips are down, the going is rough. It leaves us in the same place. God will not brook whatsoever adverse criticism about Himself, because He has ably equipped us to stand every storm. We have the measure of faith and the power of God.

34. I want to take one more little illustration. Let's go to 2 Kings chapter 7:1-2

(1) Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

(2) Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, ...(has it ever happened?)

How is He going to do it? Pour down grain out of heaven?

(2) ... And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat (of it.)

Now, what were the conditions that brought about the destruction of this nobleman?

35. In 2 Kings 6:24-31

(24) And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

(25) And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces...(those are little roots that grow in the ground.)

(26) And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman...saying, Help, my lord, O king.

(27) And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, out of the winepress?

(28) And the king said... What (ails you?) She answered, This woman said (to) me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.

(29) So we boiled my son, and did eat him: I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

(30) And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

(31) Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. (For they all got to blame somebody, not themselves.)

What were the conditions in Samaria? The conditions in Samaria were that they were besieged by literally hundreds and thousands of soldiers well fed and well clothed and well able to sit there until every man in the city died. There was absolutely no food. If you had all the money in the world you couldn't buy it. This was a real famine. It came to the place where people turned cannibals, they ate the flesh of each other. When somebody dies, they simply take what's needed in order to save themselves.

36. Now, the prophet of God came and he said tomorrow at this time, as there is a scarcity today, there will be that much in abundance tomorrow. As you cannot get food to buy at any price, there is going to be so much food that nobody will want to buy it. And the fellow said, "Ha, oh boy, if I ever heard wild tales, this is the wildest."

"What's he going to do? I suppose your God could open the heaven and flop, flop, flop, flop, it'll all come down." Elisha said, "Go ahead and sneer, sneer, go ahead." I've got news for you, you're going to see it. But you won't get one mouthful. You'll see. On judgment day in the second...the White Throne Judgment at the General Resurrection, all the wicked dead, and all the devils will stand and see what God's heritage is in the Saints. And they'll see what the inheritance of the Saints are in Christ. They'll see it, but they'll never have it, just like this man here.

37. Now, I said the conditions were real. But you know something? The promise of God is realer. The promise of God is greater. You say. "I do not have what I need." My Bible says, "My God shall supply all of your needs." [Phil 4:19a] "For if God spare not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?" [Rom 8:32]

God wants to actually give us all things. But in His arrangement He has demanded that we accept His Word without controversy, without doubt, in spite of every condition that humanly indicate that God is not going to do what He said. And if you fail at this point, you will not get what God's Word said.

Tonight I will explain to you why it is that in spite of what I'm saying, and you've looked around and you've seen many a hypocrite, many a contrary sinning person come and get healing when you couldn't get it. And I'll show to you tonight why they can get it, and you can't. It stems on what I'm bringing to you in this series tonight, we climax it and it'll bring all the strings together. But God expects you in spite of every single obstacle, and every condition that loudly screams, "Look, God's Word's failing!" You stand in the breech and say, "No, let me die, I'll stick with that Word."

38. 'The Negative Confession', let's turn to Psalms 91:

(1) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

( 2) I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

(3) Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

(4) He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

(5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

(6) Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

(7) A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

(8) Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

(9) Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

(10) There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy (thee.)

(11) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

(12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

39. We like that, don't we? We surely do. We say, "Yes Sir!"

(1) He that dwells in the secret place of the most High (He) shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

( 2) I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

And then you forget that He says here, He'll deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Some- how we read It this way: "There won't be any more snares of the fowler, no more pestilence, (no, bless God) no terror by night ever scare me again, and no arrows to pierce me by day old." Hallelujah, I love that. You're in the Millennium when you talk that way. Kid, you're not dead, you're alive. The Bible says, "There's going to be a fowler there, there's going to be a pestilence, there's going to be a terror. There is going to be an arrow, and there's going to be darkness, there's going to be destruction, there's going to be evil. Bur It says, "If you stand steady, God will take you through." But when all this comes, in spite of God being God, He cannot be God to you if you back away from that Word that Israel did. God said, "Go in and take the land I have given to you, you are more than able." But in the space of conditions they backed off, and when they did they fell in the wilderness and God said He called them carcasses. He didn't even call them bodies, just carcasses, and carrion.

40. We have our lesson here this morning that we as Christians must learn to go the Word in every time of trouble to find out what God hath already said about our situation. Never mind what any-body else says, go to what the Word says about your situation. Meditate upon what God has said about the situation, then confess it, and walk in that Word with your eyes on God and surely you will come out as conquerors.

Remember, in weakness we are to confess our strength. In sickness we are to confess our health. In time of need we are to confess His provision. In time of failure we are to confess His righteousness. No matter what our minds would think concerning any situation, we must bring every thought into captivity. To think what God has already thought is outlined in His Word. And to say what God has said in the faith of everything which is against His Word, and to keep It up until God vindicates His Word.

Never forget this, think you must, you cannot stop from thinking. It is impossible not to think. Talk you must, you have to communicate. But think and talk the way God said to, because life and death are in the power of the mind and tongue. And the choice is yours and mine, it's up to us. If we're on the Lord's side we had better think It and talk It, and God will bring It to pass. Let's rise and be dismissed. [Tape ends]