The Holy Ghost was in Eden; we find Him in every book of the Old Testament and shining forth in every book of the New Testament. When Jesus, the Son of the Living God, came down from Heaven, He gave us the great introduction to the Holy Spirit, an introduction that had never really been given until then. He let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their teacher, their guide, their comforter; He would live on the inside and never leave them.

I want you to have understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit in both Old and New Testaments. He’s the one who will perform miracles through you, the one to help you send up prayers that the devil can’t keep from being answered. The Holy Spirit will teach you what to say, when to say it, how much to say, and when to stop. The Holy Spirit will help you keep the love bridle in all the time the rest of the journey; He will anoint your ears with His Spirit and His mighty power so you can hear what the Spirit is saying. Your ears will not want to hear gossip. To that which is not unto edification you’ll turn a deaf ear. The Holy Ghost will give you a strong backbone; He has it to give.

When the disciples recognized the fact they didn’t have enough boldness to meet their persecutors for fear of being beaten, put into jail, or even killed for the sake of Christ, they knew they had to have holy boldness. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word (Acts 4:29). That holy boldness came through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Paul and Silas were beaten, thrust into the inner prison, their feet locked in the stocks. Nevertheless at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. [The Lord let the Holy Ghost shake the very ground under them.] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed (Acts 16:25,26).

The Early Church had to go through much persecution and tribulation. What we in this last and final hour will have to go through only God knows, but Jesus said, Follow thou me (John 21:22). You can follow Jesus only as the Spirit leads you, as the Spirit pours the anointing of divine blood from your soul into your mind. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). That anointing flows for you any time that it’s needed.

Many of you have determination now to follow hard after Jesus, after the Master, and you’re in step with Him.

Ask What You Will

Jesus said to the disciples: And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23,24). Ask what you will.

Jesus is saying to the disciples: You’re going to walk in my steps; follow me. You’re asking a hard thing, but you’ll be able to ask what you will and it shall be done. They hadn’t yet asked anything in His name, but now they’re going to be able to use His name and receive so that their joy will be full. For the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Jesus Prayed

Jesus in His prayer, recorded in the seventeenth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel, said: I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do (John 17:4). Elijah was saying the same thing to God: I have glorified thee and finished my work. I know that I am leaving today; there’s no more work for me to do. I have used your power and now Elisha must use it.

To the Father the Lord Jesus was saying: I have glorified thee on Earth and finished the work which thou gavest me to do, but I have Elisha’s ready. They’re in my steps now, ready to take up the power from Heaven, the same power I’ve used, power to evangelize the known world. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them (John 17:9,10). When we really belong to the Lord, He can use us.

John 17:14-16, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

The disciples in the beginning made Jesus their example. They followed God the Father the way Jesus did, and by doing so they became our example. They followed the Lord, followed the truth, lived in the truth, stayed in the truth. Many were betrayed by their own kin, but they remembered the words of Jesus (recorded in the tenth chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel): Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).

The sword of the Spirit and the Word separate. Hold the Word close to you, closer than you’ve ever held your kin or so-called friends of the world, closer than you’ve held anyone before.

John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Sanctified means to be made holy. The Lord makes people holy through His blood. When He sanctified me with the blood, it gave me wonderful joy. The Holy Ghost would laugh through me; I’d never been so happy in my whole life.

Jesus made Himself holy before His disciples. John 17:18,19, As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Not that Jesus needed to be made holy; He was already holy, but He made Himself holy as an example to show others that they must be sanctified through the truth. Sanctification is the close link to divinity, the close relationship, closer than any human blood. It is a divine blood relationship that Jesus prayed for us to have.

Divine blood is the highest type of blood, the kind of blood that no medical person can use for a transfusion. It is the blood that cleanses a soul from all sin, gives life daily and life eternal. This blood contains all the miracles and healings you will ever need. All the joy, peace and help you seek are in divine blood. Divine blood makes you so nigh to Heaven that only one more step would take you there. There is but one step between all the Elijahs today and Heaven. One step could put you on the shore of sweet deliverance, but you’re not ready to go yet because you haven’t finished your work.

Jesus prayed not only for His twelve disciples, but for all who would follow Him, and that includes you and me. John 17:20,21, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. That unity, love and fellowship are what people of the world judge you by. Sinners may have money, fine clothes, homes, cars—earth’s possessions—but they don’t have this unity with Jesus, this fellowship and love. They recognize this love is a different kind of love from what they’re accustomed to. They think a mother’s love is the greatest love, but it isn’t. Although a godly mother’s love is the next thing to God’s love, God’s love is the love of all loves; it shines so brightly that the world has to take note of it. Whether they comment on God’s love or embrace it, they still have to notice it.

You notice a light that shines brightly through a dark night. You may resent the way that light is shining, resent where it is, but you have to accept what you see. People see Jesus’ love, the badge of consecration and dedication in true born-again Christians.

Love is the badge of real fellowship. When you wear that heart of love, the heart of God, people see it. Many resented Jesus, but they couldn’t get away from the way that He loved, healed and delivered. Jesus never made anyone sick, but He made a lot of people well. He never made anyone crippled, but He healed many who were crippled. He never made anyone blind; He gave sight to the blind.

I Beheld His Glory

The glory that Jesus gives unifies His followers. John 17:22, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I’m able to behold that same glory Jesus talked about, see it. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John got to see the glory; it was an awesome experience! Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light (Matthew 17:1,2). I had lived in those scriptures again and again before I ever actually saw His glory. What I saw couldn’t have been any more real.

John 17:23, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. The way we’re going to turn many to righteousness is through this great love. It was love that kept Elijah going, love for Jehovah God. It was hard for him knowing that such a little bit of love was in hearts for Jehovah God in those days. Elijah had said: How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word (I Kings 18:21). The Israelites would not take a stand for God for any length of time.

Endued with Power

Jesus said to the disciples: Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

Acts 1:4,5,8, Jesus commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence…ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Notice this carefully: After the Resurrection the disciples had gone with Jesus all the way to the mountaintop, talked all the way up. I don’t know how many minutes they were there before the Lord took His flight back to Heaven. Nothing but the power of God was able to separate the disciples from Jesus.

Keep the Unity of the Faith

I’m determined that nothing will separate me from God’s love. I won’t listen to anything people, even my own kin, have to say that would hinder me in any way. If people are going to talk to me, friend or foe, in the church or outside the church, it’s going to be unto edification or I won’t listen.

What should you do if someone begins to gossip, talk dirty or criticize your dedication to God? Simply say, I don’t want to hear it; it’s offensive to me, offensive to Jesus. Take on Holy Ghost boldness, blood boldness from On High, and stand tall like Jesus stood. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

Don’t listen to talk that weakens you; for if you do, seducing devils will take you over. Seducing devils are fierce, more dangerous than alligators. They’ll grab you before you can get fixed, take you down a stream of darkness, and before you know it, it’ll be too late to get safely back on shore.

Second Kings 2:7,8, And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two [Elijah and Elisha] stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. Elisha hadn’t realized how they would cross Jordan, but he knew it would be through his master, Elijah. The way Elijah went over Jordan, Elisha planned to go in the same way. Elisha knew thus far he had had the power from Heaven to keep up with Elijah.

When the mantle of power struck the waters, a dry road was made through Jordan; now Elisha knew for sure the power of God was in control. Do you think anything was going to turn him back? No. The sons of the prophets looking on from afar saw the waters separate, and yet they were not moved.

Elisha said [to Elijah], I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he [Elijah] said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so (II Kings 2:9,10). They had just crossed the Jordan River representing death, but it wasn’t death that would separate Elisha from Elijah. Elijah was going to Heaven alive and Elisha knew it. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11). It took the power of God to separate Elisha and Elijah. No thoughts, no opinions, and no persuasion, not even from the master Elijah himself, could part them. Elisha, stay here; you don’t have to go the extra mile, Elijah was saying. But Elisha replied: As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee (II Kings 2:6). See that determination? Elijah went up in a whirlwind to Heaven, and Jesus was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight (Acts 1:9). Isn’t this wonderful!

When you’re afar off like the sons of the prophets were, you’re not going to be moved by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. No matter what God does, some people are not going to be thrilled by His manifestations. They’re not close to God, don’t have a yearning for the greatness of God. They want to go to Heaven someday, but they don’t have salvation in their souls to get them to Heaven. Watching from afar off, they will never see the Rapture take place; they’ll only see Jesus when He comes the third time—if they live that long. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him (Revelation 1:7).

In His second appearance, Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (I Thessalonians 5:2). When a thief comes in the night maybe one or two people will see him, but not everyone in the world is going to see that thief. Elijah, taken into Heaven, went like a thief in the night, so to speak. Elisha saw him go; he expected to see that power take Elijah up because it was promised. This should let us know we must hold to the promises the Master makes us.

Jesus is your Master; every promise He made is valid, every promise is yours. But you have to put your foot on those promises, claim them. Israel had to claim the land of Canaan; they put their feet on that promise.

The Lord has said in the New Testament Will that His promises are yours, but if you don’t claim what someone has left you in a will, you won’t have it. You can refuse a promise, neglect it, be indifferent toward it; and it will never count for you. But if you go forth to claim what is legally yours, you can have it. Only you yourself can keep you from getting what’s in the Will that Jesus left you; all the promises of God are in the Will.

The Way Down

No one can go into the deepness of the Lord unless he or she bows down in all humility. Jesus was humble even to the death of the Cross. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). The way down of humility leads you into the Promised Land through the power of the Holy Ghost.

You’ve asked a hard thing if you’ve asked the Lord for His power. You must deny self and search your heart day and night; make self sacrifice any time and all the time. You’ve had some consecration, but now you must have the fullness of it, doing one hundred percent of the will of God.

Many people wonder why they don’t have the Spirit of God. In fact, a lot of preachers in pulpits today wonder the very same thing. They watch my television programs, see the Lord delivering the people, and don’t understand why they don’t have this power. It’s because they’re watching from afar off. They can’t have this power without the mantle, and they’ve never accepted the mantle of power; they haven’t even accepted the Holy Ghost baptism. Some have accepted Jesus into their hearts, but they won’t accept the mantle of power.

They Gave Their Whole Life to the Lord

About one hundred and twenty of the followers of Jesus went to the Upper Room to get the mantle. Jesus, remember, had told them to go to Jerusalem, that the mantle of power would fall there. It would be power from on High.

The power that made up Elijah’s mantle came from Heaven. When he struck the waters with that power they separated. The waters had to obey the power of God.

We read in the New Testament: And they [the disciples] feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him (Mark 4:41)? Everything in nature has to obey the power of God. Man would have had to obey, too, except God created man to be a free moral agent. Until that period of free choice runs out, the Lord won’t use His power to make man do His will. Man’s free choice is the only thing that God didn’t take away from him in the fall; you have to surrender it willingly.

Second Kings 2:12, And Elisha saw it [the chariot of fire], and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. Elisha had watched Elijah out of sight and now he must deny himself completely. Am I ready? He proved that he was. Taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them into two pieces: Now my whole life is yours, Lord. This is the way you surrender to God’s divine will: My whole life is yours, Lord Jesus! Some of you have never torn your garments in two, so to speak; you have never let self be crucified.

It’s not I that liveth, Paul said. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Galatians 2:20). Paul lived in obedience to the words Jesus gave His disciples: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

Elisha Didn’t Look Back

Elisha took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over (II Kings 2:14).

Elisha studied every step of Elijah. They were hand in hand, side by side; Elisha drank in every word. Read all about this in the second chapter of Second Kings, a wonderful, glorious chapter. Notice, Elisha yielded everything of self before he could have that power.

If you want the Holy Ghost, give everything into the hands of God. If your kin resent it, forget about them. If it’s husband or wife hindering you, put that one on the altar. As you may have heard it said: When you have Jesus you don’t need much else. Jesus is our everything. He became poor to make us rich, eternally rich, rich in the Spirit while here on this journey.

Elisha believed all that Elijah said. Not a word dropped from Elijah’s lips that Elisha doubted, and Elisha wasn’t looking back; he had no thought of going back or complaining about the journey. He didn’t say, It’s hot; can’t we rest? Why don’t we stay at Bethel a week or three? Why can’t we stay on this side of Jordan? There’s a cool breeze here. Why can’t we just camp out? No, Elisha didn’t say any of those things. He never mentioned the heat, the toil, the care, the troubles, or the aches and pains of traveling on. He didn’t talk to Elijah about all he had given up. He had given up his parents, tried to dry Mama’s tears when he was leaving, but he didn’t look back to family or friends; he didn’t look back, period. Elisha had complete dedication, and that’s what the Bride has taken on today. Complete dedication, complete consecration, complete yielding are all the Lord wants.

Jot these things down and check yourself daily. Are you dead to self? Are you answering the Master’s call? Does nothing matter but walking with Him? Do you walk in the steps of Jesus? Can you hear His call daily, Follow thou me, and will you answer that call?

Elisha didn’t ask: If I get that power I’m asking for, Elijah, what all will I have to do? The disciples didn’t ask that question either. Remember, it had been a separating time.

God Knows Your Motives

About everyone had separated from Jesus before He was crucified, hardly anyone was left—and He was the Son of God! He had gathered people in Heaven’s love, Heaven’s compassion, Heaven’s divine blood grace; He had fed them through a miracle of supply. Many knew He had performed a miracle for them, but they didn’t love Him. Some followed for a little while for the loaves and the fishes. Jesus told them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled (John 6:26).

There are people today who go to church just to get business contacts. I don’t know whether you could identify them as a part of the church of the Lord though. No, they have a form of godliness, but they’ve denied the power. You hear of some politicians going to church and you know it’s to enhance their political career. They lie to you on Saturday and go to church on Sunday, but many people are taken in by them.

Preacher, are you down on politicians?

I’m down on all liars. The Bible says all liars will be cast into Washington. Is that what the Bible said? No? What did the Bible say in the Book of Revelation? But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8). The Bible says all liars shall be cast into the lake of fire, the same lake containing all the murderers, the whoremongers, the vilest people who have ever lived on Earth. No one will ever enter Heaven unless he or she gets rid of that lying spirit, that lying tongue. People try to comfort themselves by saying, “It was just a little white lie.” There isn’t such a thing as a “white” lie. A lie is a lie, but the Lord can take a soul full of lies and make it white as snow; the blood can do that as long as the person is truly repentant.

Elisha Didn’t Ask the Price

What price am I going to have to pay to follow Christ? What is it going to cost me? The Elisha’s don’t ask what the price is; that question is for the sons of the prophets, for other people. Oh, they may go to church; the sons of the prophets were in a theology school of a sort; they were people the master Elijah had taught. Consider how many people Jesus taught. The greatest message that has ever been preached is the Sermon on the Mount. Thousands have heard it, but how many have followed Jesus and accepted that message, remembered all those “blesseds”?

Will I ever have a life of my own? people want to know. Jesus didn’t have a life of His own, and He’s your example. He promised you an eternal home, but He didn’t promise you a mansion down here. The Bible tells you to build on Him; He is the foundation. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). No other name under heaven can be used to get the work done through the power of the Holy Ghost. The blood won’t work through other names for people to be saved, and it’s the blood message we must take to the whole world.

No, you’re not going to have a life of your own, but blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). You do want to be blessed, don’t you, but how much do you want it? If the Lord says He’s going to greatly bless you today but you’re going to be persecuted, do you say, Never mind, Lord, I’ll live this day on my own? Are you afraid to spend a few minutes longer in the presence of the Lord, afraid He will talk you into going His way? Does the Lord have to ask you every day, Are you going my way?

Well, first I want to know which way you’re going, Lord.

Had Elijah been asked if he would be going the Lord’s way, one voice would have answered, Of course, Lord! There’s going to be one voice that will answer in this final hour, one voice that will be made up of many voices, the Bride’s voice: I’m going your way, Lord! Where you lead me, I’ll be there, and I’ll be in step.

Yield All to Christ

Don’t use your opinions until you take them to the Word of God to make sure they’re sanctified. I don’t give my opinions until I take them to the Word. If they stand the Word test, well and good, but if they just stand the self test, no, a thousand times no.

Self-pride? Get rid of it; be dead to what others think. Do you put much stress on what close relatives think, what your other kin think or what the neighbors think? When you were in sin you didn’t care that much what they thought. Some of you came home stirring up a ruckus in an early morning hour. You woke up the neighbors, but you just laughed about it, thought it was plain funny. Now if someone says something critical about your praying, fasting or going to church so much, you find a little dark corner, curl up in it and wish you could die. You’re not fit to die. You may decide you’re ready for Heaven, but Heaven’s not ready for you.

People think it’s being religious to say they’re ready to meet God. First and foremost, is God ready to meet them? That’s what counts. After all, it’s His Heaven they’re planning to go to.

When you visit someone’s home, you don’t expect to be the one who gives the welcome. You expect the homeowner to welcome you. God lives in Heaven and it will be up to Him to say, Come on in and share my glory.

Be a worthy guest; fall in love with your host. Decide it’s just Jesus and you for every day, every night you have left. Every waking moment make Jesus first and foremost in your life. Why would anyone want to live another minute without Jesus?

Check Your Attitude

Have you really answered the call to deny self, take up your cross and follow Jesus? And when he [Jesus] had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Mark 8:34). Jesus took that Old Rugged Cross and made it a glorious Cross for us. There’s great joy in carrying that Cross so Jesus won’t have to carry it anymore, and yet He stands ready to help you.

You’ve heard the call, what are you doing with it? Are you steadfast in your calling? Are you doing all you know to do? To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Disobedience is a sin.

What is your attitude? How often do you have a little pouting fit? Is that pouting spirit in you? Peter said he wrote to stir up pure minds. This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance (II Peter 3:1). I hope I’m stirring up your mind today; is it pure, God pure? If so, then you’ll rejoice that it’s being stirred up.

What is your thinking? If some of you would keep a journal of your thoughts and then compare those thoughts to God’s thoughts recorded in the Bible, you would see what a mess you’ve made out of your thinking for one day. Come out of bed saying, Holy Spirit, give me the deep thoughts of God today, thoughts of the power of the blood of Christ. This is the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings the reality of Heaven to Earth people.

Five Wise, Five Foolish

Following hard after Jesus, you realize that the virgins must be filled with the Holy Ghost. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:6-13). Many preachers have used this parable to give people the wrong interpretation. What is the right interpretation? The Lord was talking about Christians who would be ready for His coming and Christians who would not be ready—five wise and five foolish. The five wise were filled with the oil of the Spirit and the five foolish were not. The five not filled with the Holy Spirit were not taken in the Rapture. All the Elisha’s are wise today; there are no foolish virgins. The Elisha’s are not stopping to satisfy self or others, only to satisfy the master, Elijah/Jesus.

Take Life from the River of Life

When you have the mantle, you don’t run away or go home and do nothing. You stand by the river of humanity because the mantle gives you the power to help. You’re not like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. He said, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said (Luke 9:33). You can be in the glory of the Lord and still desire to do the wrong things. When you’re in the glory you have to know what the Lord desires and know why you’re in that glory. Build tabernacles on top of a mountain? The Lord said you would go down into the valley of human needs where you can do His work.

Elisha went over, and we’re going over all the pitfalls of the devil. Although looking onto the banks of death again and again, we’re going to live until the Lord says it’s enough. Decide to take healing, life, from the river of life. Jesus said from your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

The sons of the prophets acted humble, but they had such little faith that they wanted Elisha to send fifty men to search for Elijah. People have talking faith: Oh, I believe the Lord can do anything. I believe He can take a man to the top of a mountain and leave him stranded, but I don’t believe He could take him all the way to Heaven. I have all kinds of faith. They sure do. Earth’s “low calorie faith” is what they have; they’re not rich in faith and grace, and they’re not rich in getting their prayers answered, either.

Close the Door

Does a tiny ray of the world’s light shine through to this side of your life, or have you closed that door to the world completely? If the blood used by the Holy Ghost hasn’t sealed that door, then that little ray of light is a wrong light, a seducing light. It’s a light that draws you in the wrong direction, draws you back into the past. The light of seduction has destroyed many.

I’ve tried and tried to get people to close the door to seduction completely, to not carry grudges, bitterness and hard feelings. Turn all those destructive traits back to where they came from. Throw them all in the face of the devil and let the Lord take over; let the blood conquer hate and all deceit—the blood! the blood! the blood!

If you haven’t closed that door to the world completely, you will glance back. The Elisha’s are not looking back. If you have closed the door, your life proves it in the home, on the job, at church, in school or wherever you are. You do not look back to the world, but are following hard after the Lord. Your eyes are set on Jesus like Elisha’s eyes were set on Elijah. Draw on me and I will run after thee is your cry.

Drop your nets full of the wrong kind of music that gives you eyesight to look at the wrong things. Drop your nets and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him (Matthew 4:19,20). If that lake of the world you’ve been fishing in has you thinking you’re getting pleasure, pleasure, pleasure: Take another look and see how muddy and dirty it is.

Separate from the Ungodly

Elisha had the power of separation, but Israel’s downfall came because they wouldn’t stay separated from the ungodly. The wisest man on Earth, King Solomon, wouldn’t stay separated from that which was foreign to God. He wanted wives that God had said thou shalt not have. Hundreds of wives didn’t satisfy him. Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart (I Kings 11:2,3).

The Israelites wouldn’t separate. Why do you think the Lord made them march around the walls of Jericho seven days before those walls fell down? It took them that long to separate from doubt and go into thus saith the Lord, into the greatness of the high arm of God. God had to get all the human strength of self out of them so they would surrender completely to His will.

At last God had the Israelites in a condition that He could use them, but they had to keep their mouths shut. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout (Joshua 6:10). God didn’t trust the Israelites to say anything. The Israelites were not used to being separated into the work of God and out of self so God could use His power through them. For the Lord to use His power through the Bride, she will have to put everyone and everything on the altar, to be careful whom she is around and how long she stays around them.

Don’t set your sights on one soul and forget about all the other souls. If you can’t bless that person, there’s someone else the Lord is leading you to bless. Go forth, the spirit is crying, with this vision: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

Sin Separates

The Bible is a Book of separation, but in Eden there was no Bible. The Word was never used in Eden until man sinned. The Lord told the Israelites, your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). Sin separates people from God, separates them from the fellowship, the light, love, grace, strength, vision, hope, trust, and faith of God, from all that’s worthwhile. Sin separates people from eternal life, putting them into eternal darkness.

The word separation came to Adam and Eve. When God made man He didn’t know He would have to use that word; and when He did, it broke His heart. Therefore the LORD God sent him [Adam] forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Genesis 3:23,24).

How it hurt the Lord when He had to speak those words of separation. He had spoken those words in Heaven when He separated from Lucifer and the fallen angels. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations (Isaiah 14:12)!

The word separation had appeared in Heaven in big fashion, and I’m sure God cried that day, too. But I don’t feel God ever cried so hard as He did when the word separation had to be used on the man and woman He had made.

In the Wilderness

God gave a special diet to the Israelites to keep them separated. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan (Exodus 16:15,35).

The Israelites were not even to eat with the people of Canaan, dine with them, or have any fellowship with them whatsoever.

God told Israel what would happen after they got into the land of Canaan, how He would deal with them if they worshiped the gods of other people. When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you (Joshua 23:16).

Be Not Unequally Yoked

The Bible teaches that there is no fellowship between darkness and light. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness (II Corinthians 6:14)? Those who run around with sinners—and even marry sinners—are not Elisha’s. If you’re an Elisha you want to marry someone with the same spirit; you won’t settle for anything less.

Some of you who are already married, if you had it to do over again, would wait to marry someone who has the Elisha spirit, who believes in the mantle of power. You wonder why young people don’t wake up and wait for a consecrated, dedicated mate. I waited, and it worked. When you wait, Young People, it will work. And it doesn’t matter how many miles that mate is living from you because there is no space between God and people unless they put it there. Angel and I grew up in homes that were over six hundred miles apart, but the moment came when I was introduced to the girl God had prepared for me. When I looked into her blue, blue eyes, I didn’t know those eyes would be mine for life. Reaching to take her hand, I didn’t know she was the one God had chosen for me, that this was going to be one of the great moments of my life to look back on. Oh, that people would see the value of God’s divine plan for their lives before they mess things up! The Lord has His plan for each life, and that plan will be fulfilled if you follow in the steps of Jesus.

The plan that the Father had for His Son was fulfilled because Jesus made every step in God’s great love and carried out every plan that God had made for Him. They that wait upon the Lord are the ones the Lord will lift up. With wings He will fly them into His greatness. They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

If you don’t let the blood free you, nothing else will. Using the blood, you can get rid of the fleas, of those little things that get under your skin. Some people have “spiritual ticks”. If you’ve ever lived on a farm you know what a tick is: They take root into the hide, dig in and are hard to pull out. Ticks are dangerous to livestock, holding on and sucking out as much of the life from an animal as they can. Spiritual ticks, as well, are dangerous to everyone. Get rid of all those little ticks that worry you so much. Some people notice every little slight, real or imagined. They notice things I’ve never paid attention to, never dreamed of paying attention to, but they allow those barely noticeable ticks to have so much power over their feelings that ticks rule their lives.

They Saw the Fire

God gave commandments to the Israelites to separate them. And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them (Exodus 24:12).

God even came down to the Israelites and revealed Himself; they actually heard His voice, saw the fire and glory of Him. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice (Exodus 19:17-19).

The Israelites saw the might of God, but they didn’t want to be close to Him. Moses, tell God to never talk to us again. We don’t want to hear His voice! And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die (Exodus 20:18,19). God Himself had come down from Heaven, but the Israelites didn’t want Him. God would have to give His whole heart, Jesus, to make it possible for man’s heart to beat with the heart of God again.

Not sons and daughters of the prophets, the Elisha’s today are sons and daughters of God, for they are born new, new, new. Speaking no unkind words, their conversation is in Heaven. How clean and pure your conversation must be when it is like the words spoken in Heaven! For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).

Don’t Watch from Afar

Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18,19). The Spirit of the Lord is upon us as we come together to pull down Heaven on others. Don’t be like the sons and daughters of the prophets, watching from afar off; don’t accept salvation and miracles for others and not believe them for yourself. If you do, you’re looking from afar the way the sons of the prophets did, and the Rapture is about to take place.

Why didn’t the sons of the prophets come down that mountain? Why didn’t they hurry down? If they couldn’t get across Jordan, they at least could have come to Jordan’s banks. Because of their doubt, they didn’t get to see the miracle take place.

For you who are not Elisha’s, the Rapture will take place before you know it because you’re watching from afar off. You say you believe, but do you believe enough to get ready for the Rapture? You say it’s real, but do you let it be reality to you? You claim to believe in the Holy Ghost, but have you really let Him live night and day on the inside of you? Have you done everything He bid you do? Have you kept part of yourself in reserve with the excuse of looking out for family, friends and social activities as you seek to make a life for yourself? The Lord said, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25).

Do you know why the Elisha’s are so happy today? We’ve found our life in Christ Jesus and we’re not worried about tomorrow; God is the God of tomorrow. If the sun comes up tomorrow it will be a victorious sun for us, and if the cry comes before sunrise, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him (Matthew 25:6), it’ll be Heaven’s sunrise for us. Either way, the sun will come up in our hearts, our spirits and our lives; so with great anticipation we look forward to finishing our work for the Lord.

Two Visions

When I think of the Rapture, I think how I felt in the vision of the Rapture that was so real I’ve never gotten away from it—wouldn’t want to get away from it. That vision was just as real as if it had actually happened. I was in the air and people were everywhere as far as I could see, to the left, to the right, behind me and in front of me. They were shouting one word: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I was close enough to see the eyelashes on some of the faces—and what glorious faces! Yes, they had been changed in a moment and a twinkling of an eye. In the vision, the Elisha’s were going up just like their Master, Jesus, had gone.

When I think of that vision, there’s one thing that always puts a hold on me. No matter how hard the battles, how much the devil is fighting, I know there are still mountains of souls that must be brought in. I’ve seen them in another vision, the great vision of 1954: People were everywhere, beyond what the eye can behold. I was going through the crowd crying, Come to Jesus! Come to Jesus! Suddenly I started to cry, Come to Jesus! another time, but nothing came out. My Bible closed in my hand, and the Lord took over. It wasn’t Ernest Angley talking now, it was God talking, telling the people, I don’t want you. I’ll never want you. I did want you, but you didn’t want me and now I don’t want you. Oh, my God! The people we don’t rescue are going to hear that voice of judgment! God will never get over His Son dying for the ungodly, for those who trample that precious blood underfoot. Until He takes His seat of judgment, gives the wicked the judgment they deserve and casts them out of His sight into eternal damnation, God will be angry.

Walk in the Blood Steps of Jesus

The Elisha’s have the burden of a lost world, and it won’t get lighter. We must carry that burden with the joy of Jesus. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). For the joy of knowing we could be saved, Jesus carried that Cross for us.

This is a joyful hour in the Lord. It is so joyful it’s almost unreal, and yet it is real. It’s wonderful, greater than any dream. I’ve waited so long for this hour, struggling, praying, weeping, fasting; but it had to be.

Angel would ask, “How much does God expect of you?”

“I don’t know, Honey,” I would answer, “but I will pay.”

I didn’t know part of the payment would be surrendering Angel. You don’t know what you’ll have to face, but the Elisha’s decide it matters not. I’m not leaving you, Lord. I’m in your blood steps, Jesus.

Many of you are in the blood steps of the Lord. You’re being tried, but Jesus was tried, too. You’re being tempted; He was tempted, and He made it. You can make it as well. You must make it; souls are at stake and you can’t let them perish, can’t let them go to hell. Some of them are your very own. You can’t stop now.

Your help is in the blood. You have the blood if you are born again; now use it. Through the blood you have victory; there’s power in the blood, all the power you need to keep you free, to give you peace, joy, happiness, health, strength.

Prayers for Salvation and Healing

If you don’t have that blood in your soul, let me pray the sinners’ prayer with you now: Oh, God, save my soul! I’m so sorry I sinned against you, but I’ve come home. I’m going to serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. I believe that the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins right now! Come on into my heart, Jesus! Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, He has come. Rejoice, you who have found the Lord today, and rejoice, all who know Him!

One drop of the blood of Jesus has all the life of Heaven in it, all the joy, peace that you could ever use for all eternity. It’s through divine blood in Heaven that you will have life, that you will never be sick. Why not use that divine blood and get well now? Healing is in the divine blood.

You who are sick and afflicted, the Bible says, With his [blood] stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). I’m not a healer; I’m a believer in God’s truth. Healing is in His truth. If you have cancer, heart trouble, if you are crippled—God heals every manner of sickness, disease and affliction. Our God is able, but the devil is a cheat, a liar, a thief. Don’t let the devil steal from you. You have the blood power, the blood of Jesus to trample the devil under when you are saved. In that blood power is deliverance over sickness and disease. Jesus spoke, and sickness was destroyed; it was blood power coming forth in His voice. He spoke and the devils had to obey, had to come out no matter how many had bound the person. Jesus came to destroy sickness and disease. The works that Jesus did then He is still doing today. All things are possible to those who believe. I believe God with you for your healing.

Lord, here they are, the sick, the afflicted, those suffering with HIV/AIDS, the blind, the crippled, the little deformed babies who will never be normal without your touch. You have given that healing touch again and again. In the name of Jesus, in the holy name of Jesus, from your gift of miracles, from your gifts of healing it comes through the power of the good Holy Ghost: Heal! Heal! in the name of Jesus, in the all-powerful blood name of our Lord.

The healing power is flowing. That power will linger in your body or in the body of one you have prayed for, bringing complete deliverance if you believe the truth. Notice all changes daily, then write and tell me about them. Know that through His blood you have not only healing for your soul but for the mind and body. Start using the blood, and take on the mighty anointing that is in the blood of Jesus. Use the precious blood of Jesus and be victorious in your separation from the world. Rest assured, one glorious day Heaven will be yours!