[00:00:00] Again, I ask you the question, how do you respond when a real crisis kicks in? And let me give you the definition of crisis, when life suddenly increases in pressure and problems with no immediate resolution or relief in sight.
[00:00:16] So I'm going to help you with your crisis in life, because here's the fact, your next crisis is likely brewing and you cannot avoid it, but you must know how you can overcome by God's grace.
[00:00:30] I've said to you the times of David who overcame crisis, he wrote, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise should continue to be in my mouth.
[00:00:42] Now if you were to really learn how to overcome crisis, David declared it, we must praise the Lord, he said, at all times. Up times, down times, dark times, bright times, yes, at all times.
[00:00:56] And that's my appeal to you today. I was recently on the national television program, It's Supernatural.
[00:01:04] I was interviewed by Sid Roth, and one of the real issues that was dealt with was about crisis in my life that I had known and how God gave victory and blessing.
[00:01:16] I, for instance, he wanted to know a great deal about my friend William Freeman, the man who God laid upon his heart for me to become his associate.
[00:01:26] It was while I was a Bible college student at Bethany University in San Francisco that William Freeman, with his associate Gordon Lindsay, came to the city for great meetings.
[00:01:39] Each night, I was one of the students in the prayer room praying with people to receive Christ as Savior.
[00:01:47] And then I wrote an article about how the Lord was using this crusade to impact people.
[00:01:54] I was the editor of that paper, and William Freeman was impressed and blessed by it.
[00:01:59] He told me that he wanted me to come and travel with him, to be his associate, and, of course, to be editor of his national magazine.
[00:02:09] Well, I praise God that after a time, I went with him, and it was overcoming that crisis of pride that I accepted the invitation.
[00:02:19] And thank God I learned so much through this man's ministry.
[00:02:24] The Lord had caused him to become a pastor after he had become or had been for years a railroad workman, a brakeman, I believe it was.
[00:02:36] And then he became a full-time pastor and gave up the railroad job.
[00:02:42] And he shared with me how that he devoted eight hours a day to prayer that replaced his eight-hour workday on the railroad.
[00:02:51] And perhaps that explains how his ministry became so powerful, people encountering God's presence when he ministered.
[00:03:00] And it was in the climax of that intense prayer life of William Freeman that he had a most wonderful personal visitation from whom?
[00:03:11] From an angel of the Lord.
[00:03:13] I heard him share it perhaps hundreds of times, for I worked with him for five solid years.
[00:03:20] And here is briefly what the angel said to him.
[00:03:23] I am an angel of the Lord, sent by God to give you a gift of healing.
[00:03:28] You are to go and stretch forth your hand and bring healing to the people.
[00:03:32] If you can get them to only believe, not one thing will stand before you, not even cancer.
[00:03:37] There is a great sleeping and slumbering in the land, and there must be an awakening, because Jesus is coming soon.
[00:03:44] But William Freeman launched into that ministry that was impacting cities all over the world, wherever he went.
[00:03:53] And then having the opportunity to travel with him was a real moving life for me.
[00:04:00] And now, when I talk about crisis, perhaps this doesn't sound like a crisis,
[00:04:05] but I became convinced in my own heart that I could be used by God, but I didn't know how.
[00:04:11] And I knew the name of Jesus was the ability to produce astounding miracles,
[00:04:17] but I thought that was limited to a person like William Freeman and Oral Roberts and others.
[00:04:24] But one day, I was determined I was going to pray until God personally visited me in a very powerful way.
[00:04:33] I was on my knees for hours that day, but nothing happened
[00:04:36] until I opened my Bible to the book of Philippians chapter 2,
[00:04:41] and I read these words.
[00:04:43] They changed my life.
[00:04:44] Listen to them.
[00:04:45] The fact that God has given Jesus the name of every name in heaven, earth, and hell.
[00:04:53] That's the essence of what Philippians 2, 9, 11.
[00:04:56] And God highly exalted him and gave him the name of every name in heaven, earth, and hell,
[00:05:03] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess
[00:05:08] that Jesus Christ is Lord, the glory of God the Father.
[00:05:12] When I read that passage, it ignited my heart,
[00:05:15] and I knew that I could become one used by the precious Lord,
[00:05:20] because I could speak his name.
[00:05:22] And this is what you can do, beloved friend.
[00:05:24] Please honor the name of Jesus, the name above every name.
[00:05:28] Speak his name often.
[00:05:30] And when I had received this visitation of God,
[00:05:35] I could hardly wait until I had my first opportunity
[00:05:38] to really put it to the test, as it were.
[00:05:41] And a dear grandmother, Grandma Davis, we called her,
[00:05:46] called me on the phone, and she said,
[00:05:48] I have a nine-year-old grandson who has brain tumors
[00:05:52] and is expected to die very soon.
[00:05:55] Would you please come to my home and pray for him?
[00:05:59] Well, I can never forget this event when I arrived at that home.
[00:06:03] Again, it was a crisis because a boy's life was at stake.
[00:06:07] And in that home, all the family members had gathered,
[00:06:11] and the atmosphere was like a funeral tone.
[00:06:15] But then I knew the name of Jesus,
[00:06:18] the name above every name, above even brain tumors.
[00:06:21] And I laid my hands upon that boy,
[00:06:24] and I spoke with authority.
[00:06:26] In the name of Jesus, I rebuked these brain tumors.
[00:06:30] You foul spirits of affliction,
[00:06:32] I commend you in the name of Jesus
[00:06:35] to loose your death hold upon this boy
[00:06:38] and to go in Jesus' name.
[00:06:41] Well, there were no visible signs of a miracle right then,
[00:06:44] but I felt confident.
[00:06:46] The name of Jesus had been spoken.
[00:06:49] And those dear parents took their son back to that hospital.
[00:06:54] And when the examination was made,
[00:06:56] the doctors declared all the brain tumors were gone.
[00:07:00] Well, I followed that boy through his family.
[00:07:03] He grew up to become a healthy adult
[00:07:06] who had a family of his own.
[00:07:08] And every believer, you and me,
[00:07:10] you listening to me today,
[00:07:11] you have the authority to use Jesus' name,
[00:07:15] to administer release from every captive spirit.
[00:07:18] You have the ability to speak the name of Jesus
[00:07:22] for healing of the sick
[00:07:23] and see God's miracles done.
[00:07:26] So you need to boldly speak the name of Jesus
[00:07:29] into doing all other names,
[00:07:32] cancer, diabetes, heart trouble, high blood pressure,
[00:07:36] to use and speak the name of Jesus
[00:07:38] against every satanic device.
[00:07:40] And for God has highly exalted him
[00:07:43] and given him the name above every name.
[00:07:47] Thank God for this wonderful truth.
[00:07:49] And then I had the occasion in my own life
[00:07:53] when I launched out in ministry,
[00:07:55] how the name of Jesus continued to manifest.
[00:07:58] And then there came a time when,
[00:08:00] a period of a couple of years,
[00:08:02] I suffered extreme pain because of headaches.
[00:08:07] And that was in 1976
[00:08:09] when I was plagued with these headaches.
[00:08:12] I used every God principle
[00:08:15] that I had preached and practiced.
[00:08:17] And then I went to the doctor
[00:08:19] and asked him for pain medication.
[00:08:22] However, that didn't bring any release.
[00:08:25] And I refused, however, to give up.
[00:08:28] I continued to speak the word of God,
[00:08:31] to pray and praise, but no relief came.
[00:08:34] And later on, when I was on overseas mission,
[00:08:38] after and during daily pain,
[00:08:39] I was ready to give up.
[00:08:42] When I speak about a crisis,
[00:08:44] this was a real one to me.
[00:08:46] And I can never forget that night
[00:08:48] when I went to bed.
[00:08:50] I said to my wife,
[00:08:51] I'm going to pray God will take me home to heaven
[00:08:54] while I sleep tonight.
[00:08:56] Because of the tense, intense pain,
[00:08:58] I think I'd prefer to die
[00:09:00] than to go through another day.
[00:09:02] Well, I realized that I was being confronted
[00:09:05] by a give up spirit.
[00:09:07] And when I awoke the next morning,
[00:09:10] I discovered my prayer had not been answered.
[00:09:13] I was still very much alive.
[00:09:15] However, there was in my heart
[00:09:17] a Holy Spirit drive to go into
[00:09:19] the prayer closet in my host's home
[00:09:22] that I would lock the door
[00:09:24] and I would not leave until I was healed.
[00:09:27] I can always remember so vividly
[00:09:30] how that I lay there on a carpet
[00:09:33] crying out before God.
[00:09:35] And then the Holy Spirit dealt
[00:09:37] with a spirit of pride
[00:09:38] that operated my life,
[00:09:40] hindering my ability to receive healing.
[00:09:43] You see, what had happened
[00:09:44] had become self-sufficient.
[00:09:46] Instead of relying on the Lord
[00:09:48] and His daily bread,
[00:09:50] I was feeling that I was so self-sufficient.
[00:09:54] And that morning,
[00:09:55] after 45 minutes of repenting
[00:09:57] and then rejoicing before the Lord
[00:09:59] for this understanding,
[00:10:01] I looked up
[00:10:02] and I saw a man in the room.
[00:10:05] I turned to look at the door.
[00:10:06] It was still locked
[00:10:07] as I had done.
[00:10:09] And I didn't know who the man was,
[00:10:11] but he came over
[00:10:12] and laid his hand on my head.
[00:10:14] And when he did,
[00:10:16] it was like a warm,
[00:10:17] penetrating oil
[00:10:18] permeating my head.
[00:10:20] And suddenly,
[00:10:21] all the pain was gone.
[00:10:24] Now, I didn't understand fully
[00:10:26] who the man was,
[00:10:27] of course,
[00:10:27] by any means.
[00:10:28] And I knew this was something supernatural.
[00:10:31] And I asked an unusual question to him.
[00:10:34] I said,
[00:10:35] Are you the Apostle Paul?
[00:10:37] Well, that was a far-out question.
[00:10:39] But I was deeply moved
[00:10:41] what had happened.
[00:10:42] And the man simply responded,
[00:10:44] I am an angel of the Lord
[00:10:46] sent to minister to you
[00:10:47] who is an heir of salvation.
[00:10:49] I knew many scriptures
[00:10:51] about the angel of the Lord,
[00:10:53] that we are,
[00:10:54] that angels are ministering spirits
[00:10:56] sent to minister to them
[00:10:57] who are the heirs of salvation,
[00:10:59] Hebrews 1.14,
[00:11:01] and many other scriptures.
[00:11:02] And I was suddenly aware
[00:11:04] that this was happening
[00:11:06] in my life.
[00:11:08] And thank God,
[00:11:09] when the man had placed
[00:11:10] his hand upon my head,
[00:11:13] all the pain left.
[00:11:14] And then the man,
[00:11:16] the angel of the Lord,
[00:11:18] disappeared,
[00:11:18] and I never saw him again.
[00:11:20] And more than that,
[00:11:22] I never had another headache
[00:11:24] after that.
[00:11:24] Praise God.
[00:11:25] God.
[00:11:26] My beloved friend,
[00:11:27] I don't know what your crisis is.
[00:11:29] It may be that you have headaches.
[00:11:32] Maybe you have a cancer.
[00:11:33] Maybe you have some other ailment.
[00:11:35] It may be members of your family
[00:11:37] who are oppressed.
[00:11:38] Well, be assured that God
[00:11:39] wants to help you.
[00:11:40] Father, in Jesus' name,
[00:11:42] I pray for every person
[00:11:43] who's confronted by crisis,
[00:11:45] that you'll minister reliefs.
[00:11:47] In the name of Jesus,
[00:11:50] Amen.
[00:11:51] Join me as we together
[00:11:53] praise our wonderful Lord.
[00:11:55] Praise the Lord.
[00:11:56] Amen.
[00:11:58] Praise the Lord.
[00:11:59] Amen.
[00:12:00] Praise the Lord.
[00:12:02] Amen.
[00:12:03] Praise the Lord.
[00:12:05] Amen.
[00:12:07] Amen.
[00:12:10] Praise the Lord.
[00:12:12] Amen.
[00:12:13] Praise the Lord.
[00:12:15] Amen.
[00:12:15] Praise the Lord. Amen.
[00:12:20] Praise the Lord. Amen.
[00:12:23] Praise the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah.