Unleashing the Power of a Positive Confession
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1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Introduction
Introduction
The best definition I have of positive is the “definite existence of a thing rather than it’s absence, which is negative”. It comes from a latin word which means “a question of law settled by agreement”.
“Profession” in the original is “confession”.
A confession is a statement of belief about something.
Illustrate: “I’m going home after the service”
Why can I make that positive statement? Because I have the keys in my possession.
Rapture
We can only positively confess what we have.
What do we have?
We cannot physically prove we are saved or healed.
What we possess is faith. (Quarter for bread)
Faith is the purchase price of everything contained in the atonement.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Now, here’s where many people fail to receive their healing, or what they’re asking for, because they take faith to be something that it is not. See? They don’t believe it. It’s not imagination. It is a actual substance.
Now, listen close! See, it is not what you imagine. It’s just as real to you as any sense of your body will declare anything else. It’s just as real as my eyes says, “This is a piece of paper.” It’s just as real as to say that “that is a light.” It’s just as real as to say, “I feel my coat.”
It’s just as real as I hear that baby talking there, or making its noise. See, just that real, as music playing. It’s just as real as I taste anything in my mouth. It is that real, only you can’t show it to somebody else. You have it alone. Amen! It’s yours. Faith is the substance; see, not just a myth.
Notice, it is something that you possess; not imagination, if you really have it. It’s just as real to you as any other thing that could be. It’s just as real as you know that you’re riding in your automobile.
It’s just as real as you know that you’re setting in the church. It’s just as real as you hear my voice. It is a substance, not an imagination, not an emotion; but something that you have, and it comes to you by hearing the Word of God, and That only.
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.” That puts it back to where your faith, then, is not in some individual. It’s not in a man. It’s not in a organization. It’s not in a group of people. It’s in God, because God is the Word. See? Your faith is in God. 63-0825E - "Perfect Faith"
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
How does a sinner or a sick person unleash the power of a positive confession? By possessing faith, and confessing what you have.
Medicine doesn’t heal. You take the life out of there, there’s no healing. Life is the Healer. And Life is God. Jesus came that you might have abundance of Life, more Life than what your normal life is, to believe on Him to be healed by faith.
The right mental attitude towards any promise of God will bring it to pass. There it is. Say, “What are you talking about gifts for?”
Gifts are to edify. They’re additions. Here is the first and only foundation for Divine healing or anything from God, is the Bible. If you get off of that, you’re out of God’s will.
And Divine healing isn’t a hocus-pocus affair. It isn’t saying a few mystery words over somebody and hypnotizing. It’s the truth revealed through Jesus Christ is Divine healing. That’s right. 50-0822 - "Faith Without Works Is Dead"
Faith, you must believe. And upon believing, the only way that faith can be based sanely and sensibly for Divine healing, is upon the written Word of God. This is the Foundation. 51-0508 - "Faith Is The Substance"
The foundation of faith is God’s Word. That is the absolute of faith, whatever God says.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
A positive confession is a scriptural confession that whatever the Word says is true about me.
I possess faith that the Word of God will materialize in my life the same way His Word framed the worlds. His Word becoming material in His creation.
When God says something, it is already accomplished. He is eternal. The problem is, we are creatures of time.
Peter tells us that scoffers would rise saying “His Word isn’t true, because time has passed and it hasn’t happened yet.”
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
By the Word.
(Eclipse)
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
By the same Word.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Time doesn’t matter to faith because faith is part of who He is. It’s an attribute of the eternal God.
Your salvation and healing was already bought and paid for before time even existed. The lamb was slain before the foundation.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Jesus said, “He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me has Eternal Life, and shall never come into the Judgment, but has passed from death unto Life.” On that Rock I stand tonight, no matter how I feel, or what the devil says.
God’s Word: “Heavens and earth will pass away, but that Word will never pass away.” Amen. I trust His Word, nothing else I know but His Word, That’s what I believe in.
And I don’t go how I feel, the devil makes, would make me feel sometime I wasn’t saved, and the devil make me feel I wasn’t healed, I don’t care what he says, I can beat him on that Word every time.
(Jesus in the wilderness)
I say, it’s “THUS SAITH THE LORD. Look at That, boy! Yes, sir, you can’t move That.” 60-0724 - "The Unchangeable Word Of God”
Take Him at His Word, believe it, confess it, no matter how you feel, believe it anyhow. He said so.
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. The baby never come till twenty-five years later. But he still give God praise for it, before it come. He was strong in faith, giving praise to God. Yes, that’s it.
But you look at your symptom. Just a minute. You look at your symptom. You say, “Well, look here, I was prayed for, for a crippled hand, my hand is no better.” That’s no sign you’re not healed. God said so. That’s it.
No matter what, that hand takes place, it’s what God said, it ain’t from my hand. See? It’s what God said. I accepted it, and I’ll stay with it, that’s all. Now, He could open it up, or He, today, tomorrow, He, might be twenty-five years, but you let your testimony be positive.
Every time you get sick, and you were prayed for, and you go out and get a little sick, you say, “Well, I guess I lost my healing.” Then your testimony becomes negative. And Jesus can’t say no more for you.
(He can only speak for you according to His Word)
He’s the High Priest of your confession, setting there, making intercessions on your confession, what you believe.
All of you in here that’s saved tonight, you just get in your head that you’re not saved, and go around saying, “No, I’m not saved no more.” You’re not saved.
That’s a big word for a Baptist, isn’t it? But that’s true. You’re backslid whenever you do that. That’s right, that’s right. I believe you can backslide. Sure.
But, you see, you’ve got to have your testimony and your confession positive, “Not according to my feelings, but according to what He said.” 54-0813 - "Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever"
Just as planets materialized around His positive confession “let there be light”, so your body reacts to your positive or negative confession.
Now, it’s a strange thing that this is so much thought of people; they say, “Well, I’m weak; my faith is not very much; I’m not a very good Christian.” That’s just what the devil wants you to say. You’re just talking his language right then.
You mustn’t never say that. Don’t never let your testimony be negative; let it be positive all the time. “I am saved. I have God in my heart. I believe Him with all my heart.” Do you believe in Divine healing? “With all of my heart.”
Let your testimony always and your thoughts, everything…Never permit a negative thought to come in your mind if you can help it. When it starts that, don’t entertain it.
Well, you say, “I can’t help the thoughts from coming.” Well, that’ll be like the farmer that said he couldn’t stop the birds from flying over his place, but he could sure stop them from roosting.”
You can’t help the thoughts when they come, but don’t entertain them; just pass it on. “No, sir. Jesus Christ is my Saviour; all things are mine by God. And I’m going to keep them. I’m going to testify of them.”
And God can only bless you as you confess that He has done it for you. See, He’s the High Priest of our confession. Is that right? Hebrews 3. He said that He’s the High Priest of our confession. He can only do for us as we accept it, and believe it, and confess it. 55-0115 - "Law"
Even when Jesus was here, people were only healed according to their faith in Him, and He is the Word.
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
You might say, if faith was enough, why did He touch them? Why did the woman have to touch the hem of His garment? Why do we have prayer cloths and prayer lines?
In the beginning, before the Spoken Word could take effect, the Holy Spirit brooded over the waters to create an atmosphere that faith could work in.
The Word is a seed that only grows in a Holy Ghost Atmosphere.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Remember your bodies was laying here when the Holy Ghost begin to brood in the first place. If It didn’t, where did it come from? You’re calcium, potash, and cosmic light, and petroleum, the life here on the earth…God has put you together.
And no else could do it. You can’t get potash and calcium and pull it together and make a man. It takes the Spirit of the Life of God to come into the man to make him what he is.
My friends, don’t you be deceived. God doesn’t run His church upon intellectuals. It’s the brooding of the Holy Ghost, trying to say, “Do you love Me? Do you believe Me?”
And if He brought me what I am, without me having any choice, how much more will He give me back my life with Eternal Life with it. If I brood back to Him, say, “Yes, Holy Spirit, I don’t care what the world says. I love You. I love You. I love You.”
How much more will He watch the calcium and potash in that great day. He will speak and that body of flash back again: every hair on the head, every bit of the strength that was in my body when the Immortal Life will come forth again.
Yes, brother. God gave the Holy Ghost the job of taking care of the church.
When the evil spirit goes out of a man he walks in dry places.
The reason that you have your ups-and-downs is when the unclean spirit goes out, that’s just as far as you go; you get a new heart or something.
You got a face to show. You got something you put-on, a little something outside. And when he comes back, he finds you still living in old tin can alley with all your temper and all your indifference and everything.
(Bob Mabry)
He refused to throw cans in the trash where they belonged.
But when the Holy Ghost moves in there, God sends His big bulldozer down from heaven, and He turns that thing upside down, scrapes it all off, and terraces it out.
And you know, because He’s there, there ain’t no more tin cans there; there ain’t no more hatred there; there ain’t no more malice there.
(Not one scratch of ought)
And he finds a great, big mansion that the Holy Ghost is living in. And because He’s there, His Presence there, brings up beautiful flowers all around on the terrace, flowers of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness.
That’s not a pigpen any longer; it’s a place where the Holy Ghost dwells. Hallelujah. 57-0324 - "Why Some People Can't Keep The Victory"
Bro. Branham is going to show you how to unleash your positive confession:
How many of you is believers? Raise your hand. Hallelujah! Then put your hands on one another, and do just as I tell you now. Now be real quiet, put your hands on one another.
Now, I’m going to say the prayer, surely, I know what it’ll take to defeat your enemy now, I’m going to put words in your mouth, and you repeat them back from your heart. You pray them, I’m going to say them:
“Lord God, Creator of Heavens and earth, Author of everlasting Life, Giver of every good gift, forgive my sins of unbelief, and give to me of Thy mercy.
I believe in Thee, I accept Thee as my Saviour, my only salvation, I need Your strength for my health, I cannot go forward without You, I now accept You as my Healer.
“I renounce the devil and all of his works. From this time henceforth, I will think positive, I will believe every promise, the Scripture that says, ‘By His stripes I was healed,’ I now accept It, I believe It, It is mine.
I thank You, Lord. I will continue testifying of my healing until I’m perfectly well.”
Now, now hold still, keep your hands on one another now. Now you pray, now shut yourself in with God, going to see something happen now.
All right, brethren, ministers, everybody, are you ready? Now, if God will hear my prayer here, He hears it anywhere.
Now, you prayed, you’ve made your confession, just like you would coming as a Christian, you’re ready now, if you was a sinner, you’re ready for baptism, now, being that you are a Christian, you’ve made your confession, and now you’re ready for healing.
Now, what does it take? Now, God is ready to give it to you, there’s just one thing above you, that’s a little, thin shadow of doubt. Now, if we can break through that now!
(Jet airplane and the sound barrier)
Now, if you can just rise yourself above that little doubt barrier there, oh, brother, what will take place! You will run free, you will be healed.
Now, I want you to be real reverent, Hold your hands on one another, and keep shut in with Christ now, like nobody is around you but Him, and just imagine in your heart, now, you see Him come walking right down to you, standing right in front of you.
Now open your heart and let Him in, while I pray and cast away this little shadow of darkness over you. And when it breaks, you’re out of the sound barrier then, just rise and give Him praise, every time when you feel your soul pass through that unbelief, then you’re free in Christ.
Heavenly Father, thanking You for all that You have done, for the many healings, for the great power of God, for the many that’s been saved, for the fellowship of the ministers, and above all things, the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.
You have not failed us one time, but has told us the truth every time, confirmed Your Word with signs and wonders following.
And now, Father, this little group has staggered out through this slick roads and rains, tonight, to come here to see Jesus. We’ve seen You, we felt You, we know You’re here, we got Your Word in our hearts.
They have confessed, they have openly, publicly confessed that they believe, and have accepted You as their Healer.
Now their souls are struggling, Lord, to get through that little barrier there, that little thing yonder that’s shaking them, “Wonder if it could be me? Wonder if it’ll be lost?” And, O Lord, may the power of Jesus Christ raise them up right now, break away that barrier!
Satan, get back, you’re losing the battle, let the Church come through! In the Name of Jesus Christ, Satan, rise away from here, I cast you out!
In the Name of Jesus Christ, rise to your feet and claim your healing! Claim your healing, and all the barriers will go!
I commit you to the Lord God, Jesus Christ, in His precious Name. I pronounce you healed, every one of you! Rise and accept your healing now, in the Name of Jesus Christ. 61-0125 - "Why?"
Oh, you say, “If I only had Bro. Branham here to cast away that shadow of doubt”. If only that pillar of fire was here.
The Spirit and the Word cannot be separated. The Logos (Word) is the Pillar of fire, and He is the Holy Ghost.
The Angel of the Lord accompanies the message always. 59-0611 - "The Time Of Decision"
And we do have today, by God’s help, the perfect interpretation of the Word with Divine vindication! 64-0823E - "Questions And Answers #2"
Conclusion
Conclusion
Do you believe He is here? Then rise up and claim your healing. The atmosphere has been created, now you speak the Word and He will intercede on your positive confession.