I HOPE TODAY THAT AS WE HAVE PROGRESSED IN THIS SERVICE, THAT YOU'VE BEEN REMINDED OF SOME THINGS THAT THE LORD'S DONE FOR YOU. YOU SEE, IT'S GOOD TO REMEMBER THOSE THINGS THAT GOD HAS DONE. BECAUSE, THEY WILL HELP TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH AND TO LET YOU KNOW, THAT IF GOD HAS DONE IT ONCE, HE CAN DO IT AGAIN. TODAY, YOU MAY BE IN NEED OF A MIRACLE. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT YOU CAN HAVE THE MIRACLE THAT YOU HAVE NEED OF. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS EXERCISE SOME FAITH. PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD. AND THEN WATCH WHAT THE LORD WILL DO. NOW, AS WE TURN TO THE WORD OF GOD, THAT MAY BE THE ISSUE THAT HINDERS, OUR FAITH. I WANT YOU TO HEAR ME TODAY AS I SHARE WITH YOU THIS MESSAGE THAT SIMPLY IS ENTITLED: "FAITH WORKS". YOU ARE LISTENING TO A PREACHER TODAY, THAT STILL BELIEVES, FAITH WORKS. THE REASON I BELIEVE THAT IS BECAUSE I BELIEVE GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES. AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO TO RECEIVE A MIRACLE, IS TRUST THE LORD. PUT OUR FAITH IN HIM. IT'S AMAZING TO ME HOW MANY TIMES, WE DO THINGS THAT HINDER OUR FAITH. THAT ROB US OF OUR FAITH. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE TODAY, THAT YOUR FAITH IS DIMINISHED BECAUSE YOU'VE JUST NOT MADE THE EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH. NOW AS I ASK YOU TO TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS, CHAPTER 4. WE'RE GONNA READ A FAMILIAR PORTION OF SCRIPTURE. BUT AS WE TURN THERE, LET ME JUST REMIND YOU, THAT FAITH, IS ASKING GOD FOR HIS HELP. FAITH IS BELIEVING, THAT WHEN YOU ASK HIM FOR HIS HELP, HE WILL HELP YOU. FAITH IS BELIEVING THAT GOD CAN PERFORM THE KIND OF HELP THAT YOU HAVE NEED OF, IN THE MIDST OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TODAY TO ENCOURAGE OUR FAITH AND TO BUILD UP OUR FAITH, TO MAKE IT STRONG. WE OUGHT TO DO. NOW HAVING SAID THAT, THE BOOK OF MATTHEW TELLS US, THAT ALL WE HAVE TO HAVE IS THE FAITH AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED. AND WE COULD SAY TO THE MOUNTAIN BE CAST INTO THE SEA AND IT WOULD BE CAST INTO THE SEA. WELL, THAT'S NOT MUCH FAITH. IN FACT, IF I HAD A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED IN MY HAND. UNLESS THE CAMERA ZOOMED RIGHT IN VERY CLOSE TO IT, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN SEE IT IN MY HAND, THAT'S HOW SMALL IT IS. YET WITH THAT KIND OF FAITH, WE CAN SPEAK TO MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAINS WILL BE REMOVED. SO AS I TALK TO YOU ABOUT FAITH TODAY. I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF A PROMISE THAT GOD MAKES TO US IN THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS. PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSE 19 SAYS THIS, NOW, THAT IS A BOLD STATEMENT. THAT GOD WOULD SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEED. WHEN YOU READ THAT WORD, ALL, IT SPEAKS TO WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN IN OUR LIFE WHERE A NEED IS MANIFESTED. IT MAY BE A PHYSICAL THING, IT MAY BE A DOMESTIC THING. IT MAY BE SOMETHING ON THE JOB, IT MAY BE SOMETHING AT HOME. IT MAY BE SOMETHING IN THE PLACE OF CONFINEMENT WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. MAYBE YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS SERVICE FROM A PRISON CELL. MAYBE YOU'RE LISTENING FROM A HOSPITAL BED OR A NURSING HOME BED. WHERE EVER YOU ARE TODAY, HOWEVER THOSE NEEDS MAY PRESENT THEMSELVES, GOD HAS MADE US A BOLD PROMISE, THAT HE WOULD SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEEDS. WHAT THAT SIMPLY MEANS IS, IS THAT GOD HAS AN ANSWER FOR THOSE NEEDS IN OUR LIFE. HOW IS GOD GOING TO DO THAT? I CAN'T BEGIN TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. THAT ANSWER ENCOMPASSES TOO MUCH, FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO CONTEMPLATE AND DISCUSS IN THIS SERVICE TODAY. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU THAT GOD WHEN HE WORKS, HE WILL WORK ACCORDING TO A PERFECT PLAN. THAT'S RIGHT. WHEN YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD, YOU CAN TRUST HIM. WHEN YOU PUT YOUR FAITH IN HIM, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. BECAUSE AS FAITH AND TRUST WORK TOGETHER, GOD, THROUGH HIS PERFECT PLAN, WILL MEET THE NEED OF YOUR LIFE. THE WONDERFUL THING I'VE NOTICED ABOUT HOW GOD MEETS OUR NEEDS IS THIS, THAT WHEN GOD MEETS ONE NEED, MANY TIMES, HE'S MEETING MANY NEEDS. SELDOM IT SEEMS TO BE, THAT GOD JUST DOES ONE THING AT A TIME. MANY TIMES WHEN HE COMES, HE HAS COME WITH MULTIPLE BLESSINGS IN HIS HAND. MULTIPLE MIRACLES. MIRACLES BREED MIRACLES. NOW THAT MAY SEEM LIKE A STRANGE STATEMENT TO YOU. BUT I BELIEVE, AS GOD PERFORMS ONE MIRACLE, IT ENCOURAGES FAITH FOR THE NEXT MIRACLE. AND THAT MIRACLE COMES AS A RESULT OF THE MIRACLE GOD HAS JUST PERFORMED. WHEN GOD WORKS IN YOUR LIFE TODAY HE'S NOT WORKING JUST FOR THAT VERY SINGULAR MOMENT. GOD IS WORKING FOR YOUR TOMORROWS. WHAT GOD DOES TODAY, HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON TOMORROW. WHAT THAT MEANS IS, IS TOMORROW'S NEEDS, MAY NOT BE THE SAME AS TODAY'S NEEDS. BUT WHEN TOMORROW'S NEEDS COME, FAITH WILL MEET THOSE NEEDS HEAD ON. BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE TO HELP YOU, TODAY. NOW THE BIBLE HELPS US WITH THIS THING CALLED FAITH. FAITH IS MENTIONED 246, AH, EXCUSE ME, 264 TIMES, IN 248 DIFFERENT VERSES OF SCRIPTURE. NOW IF THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT FAITH THAT MUCH, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND I TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT. WHAT IS GOD SAYING? GOD IS SAYING THAT FAITH WORKS. THAT FAITH ACCOMPLISHES WHAT WE NEED GOD TO DO. NOW HEBREWS 11:6 HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT FAITH IS. FIRST OF ALL, FAITH MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS. WHO IS? FAITH MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS. WHEN WE TURN TO JOHN CHAPTER ONE, VERSE ONE. WE'LL READ THAT IN THE BEGINNING, WAS GOD. WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT VERSE OF SCRIPTURE MEANS WHEN IT SAYS "WORD," IS IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE LIVING WORD, TALKING ABOUT GOD. WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, WE MUST BELIEVE FIRST OFF ALL, THAT GOD IS. THAT BEFORE TIME BEGAN, GOD WAS. NOW THAT WE ARE HERE, GOD STILL IS. AND SHOULD THE DAY EVER COMES WHEN HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS AWAY. GOD WILL BE THE ONE THING THAT REMAINS. TODAY, WE MUST BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE MUST BELIEVE, THAT HE IS. WHEN JOHN 1:1 SAYS IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE READ DOWN THROUGH UNTIL WE REACH VERSE 14. WHERE JOHN 1:14 SAYS, "AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH". NOW THE QUESTION THAT, THAT BEGS IS, WHY? WHY DID THE WORD BECOME FLESH? WHY DID GOD BECOME FLESH? MANIFESTED IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. WELL, IT'S QUITE SIMPLE. WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHO GOD WAS, GOD NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE TIRED. GOD HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THE FEELING OF WEARINESS AND WEAKNESS. GOD NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE HUNGRY. HE NEVER KNEW WHAT IS WAS TO BE COLD. HE NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO EXPERIENCE LONELINESS. HE NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO EXPERIENCE AFFLICTION. HOW COULD HE UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS CREATION WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH. IF WE WERE TRULY MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND WE WERE, THEN GOD HAD TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE, AS HIS CREATION, WAS EXPERIENCING. HE COULDN'T DO THAT IN HEAVEN'S THRONE ROOM. HE SENT JESUS CHRIST. YOU SEE, THE BIBLE HELPS US TO KNOW THAT JESUS WAS SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. WHICH SIMPLY MEANS, BEFORE THIS WORLD WAS CREATED, IT WAS THE PLAN OF GOD, THAT JESUS CHRIST THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, WOULD COME TO EARTH. ONE OF THE THINGS HE EXPERIENCES WHEN HE COMES TO EARTH, IS ALL THAT MAN GOES THROUGH. TODAY IF YOU'RE TIRED, YOU'RE WEARY, YOU'RE WORN, YOU'RE WEAK, GOD UNDERSTANDS THAT. IF YOU'RE LONELY AND IN DESPAIR, GOD UNDERSTAND THAT. IF YOU'RE AFFLICTED BY MANY, MANY THINGS, GOD UNDERSTANDS THAT. IF YOU'RE ON THE EDGE OF DEATH AND YOU HAVE BUT JUST HOURS OR MAYBE DAYS TO LIVE, GOD UNDERSTANDS EVEN WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE. HOW? HE UNDERSTANDS IT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. NOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT, WE HAVE TO ALSO ACCEPT THIS, THAT BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH, WHEN HE PROMISES THAT HE WILL MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS. THERE IS A REALITY TO THAT PROMISE THAT FIRST OF ALL HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT OUR NEED IS. THIS MAY BE THE HARDEST THING YOU'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH. THE TRIAL, THE CIRCUMSTANCE, THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE IN. MAY BE GREATER THAN ANYTHING THAN YOU'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. BUT GOD UNDERSTANDS WHERE YOU'RE AT TODAY. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE FEELING. HE KNOWS EXACTLY THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER THAT YOU'RE ON. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH AND BECAUSE HE DOES, HE HAS A MIRACLE JUST FOR YOU. WHEN HE GRANTS THAT MIRACLE, THAT MIRACLE WILL BE CUSTOM MADE FOR YOUR SITUATION. NOW THE REASON I SAY THAT IS THIS, THAT WHEN GOD MEETS YOUR NEED, IT WILL FIT THE NEED THAT YOU'RE IN. IT WILL FIT THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE ENDURING. GOD WON'T GIVE YOU SOMETHING THAT WON'T WORK. GOD WON'T DO SOMETHING FOR YOU THAT WON'T FIT YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. NO, GOD DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. FAITH HELPS US TO REALIZE THAT WHEN GOD RESPONDS TO THE PRAYER OF OUR HEART. HE RESPONDS WITH THE EXACT THING THAT WE HAVE NEED OF. NOW, WHEN WE LOOK TO THE WORD OF GOD, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN MAN BELIEVED GOD. WHEN MAN EXERCISED FAITH, MIRACLES HAPPENED AS A RESULT. YOU CAN GO FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION. AND YOU WILL SEE, OH, SO MANY TIMES, WHERE ALL MAN DID WAS BELIEVE GOD. AND GOD CAME TO MAN'S RESCUE. I BELIEVE TODAY, THAT THOUGH THE CRISIS YOU'RE IN, IS WORSE THAN ANYTHING YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. THE ANSWER IS, BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. IF YOU WILL EXERCISE FAITH, GOD WILL SHOW YOU, THAT FAITH STILL WORKS. WHEN YOU READ THE STORY OF MOSES AND YOU READ HOW GOD WAS WITH THE ISRAELITES, BRINGING THEM OUT OF BONDAGE. GOD PERFORMING MANY MIRACLES TO ACCOMPLISH THAT TASK. FRIEND, YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT TODAY. YOU MAY BE IN A PLACE OF BONDAGE. IT MAY BE, THAT SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE COME AND IMPRISONED YOU. YOU MAY FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A CAPTIVE TO THE CRISIS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. BUT IF GOD DELIVERED A PEOPLE FROM THE BONDAGE OF EGYPT. I BELIEVE GOD KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER YOU FROM THE BONDAGE THAT YOU ARE IN TODAY. HE KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE CAPTOR. NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE CAPTIVITY. GOD STILL, CAN BRING YOU OUT OF THAT LAND OF BONDAGE THAT YOU'RE IN. WHEN WE TURN TO THE NEW TESTAMENT AND WE SEE THE WORKS OF CHRIST. OH, HOW MANY TIMES DID THE LORD COME BY SOMEBODY WHO WAS SICK AND AFFLICTED. AND WITH ONE TOUCH OF HIS HAND OR ONE WORD FROM HIS LIPS, WERE THEY DELIVERED FROM THEIR AFFLICTION. WITHOUT A DOUBT TODAY, THERE ARE SOME OF YOU THAT ARE GOING THROUGH LIFE THREATENING AFFLICTIONS. MAYBE THE PHYSICAL THING THAT HAS COME TO YOU, IS ABOUT TO ROB YOU OF LIFE. BUT FRIEND CAN I REMIND YOU THAT,, THAT WAS THE CASE MANY TIMES, WHEN PEOPLE IN THE WORD, CAME TO CHRIST. BUT, CHRIST DELIVERED THEM. HE HEALED THEM OF ALL THEIR AFFLICTIONS. OH, I'VE GOT TO STOP RIGHT HERE FOR A MOMENT, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEBODY LISTENING YOUR AFFLICTION IS NOT OF A PHYSICAL NATURE. THE AFFLICTION HAS BEEN UPON YOUR EMOTIONAL MAN. THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE FACING. SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE CONTENDING WITH, YOU'RE FIGHTING A BATTLE TO SURVIVE. BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS THAT WERE SAID TO YOU. OR SOME THINGS THAT WERE DONE TO YOU. HEAR ME MY FRIEND TODAY, THERE'S EVEN A MIRACLE FOR YOU. FOR GOD KNOWS HOW TO REACH WHERE NO MAN CAN REACH. GOD KNOWS HOW TO SPEAK TO YOU, THE WORDS THAT NO COUNSELOR COULD EVER SPEAK. HE KNOWS HOW TO BRING LIFE AND REPLACE IT,, REPLACE DEATH THAT SEEMS TO BE OVER TAKING YOU. YOU MAYBE EVEN THOUGHT OF ENDING YOUR OWN LIFE THINKING YOU'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD THAN ALIVE. BUT DON'T GIVE INTO THAT TODAY. NO, EXERCISE YOUR FAITH, TRUST IN THE LORD. FOR GOD KNOWS HOW TO HEAL EVEN THOSE TYPES OF AFFLICTIONS. YOU SEE, WHEN HE SAID WE WOULD SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEEDS, HE REALLY MEANT IT. ALL, OF OUR NEEDS. I COULD STAND HERE UNTIL NEXT WEEK AT THIS SAME TIME JUST LISTING NEED, AFTER NEED, AFTER NEED. I HAVE IN MY OFFICE A STACK OF LETTERS THAT THICK. I TOOK OUT THE ONES THAT WERE JUST COMPLIMENTING THE MINISTRY, OR WAS JUST ASKING FOR SOMETHING FROM THE MINISTRY. I JUST KEPT THE ONES THAT WERE ASKING FOR PRAYER REQUEST. THAT SOME WHERE IN THAT LETTER SAID, PRAY FOR US. YOU MAY HAVE DISCLOSED THE NEED, YOU MAY NOT HAVE DISCLOSED THE NEED. IT MAY BE, AS WE SAY IN CHURCH LIFE, AN UNSPOKEN REQUEST. BUT IN THAT STACK OF LETTERS I BELIEVE THERE IS A MIRACLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. TODAY, I BELIEVE THERE IS A MIRACLE FOR YOUR SITUATION. I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS FAITH. NOT JUST FAITH IN ANYTHING, BUT FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. FOR AS YOU BELIEVE IN THE LORD HIMSELF. YOU'RE GOING TO DISCOVER THE REALITY OF PHILIPPIANS 4:19. WHERE GOD WILL MEET THAT NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. JESUS CAME THAT HE MIGHT DIE ON AN OLD RUGGED CROSS. HE DIED ON THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS AND ASCENDED TO THE FATHER, THAT HE MIGHT STAND AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD MAKING INTERCESSION FOR YOU AND I. HMM! HMM! OH, TURN TO THE BOOK OF ACTS AND READ THE STORY OF STEPHEN. STEPHEN WAS ABOUT TO LOSE HIS LIFE. AS THEY HURLED STONE AFTER STONE, WHAT DID STEPHEN SEE, AT A MOMENT WHEN DEATH WAS ABOUT TO TAKE HIM? THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT STEPHEN HAD A LITTLE GLIMPSE INTO GLORY. AND THERE HE SAW JESUS STANDING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT, THAT MOMENT WHEN STEPHEN NEEDED GOD THE MOST, HE HAD GOD'S ATTENTION AND GOD HELPED HIM. EVEN THOUGH THAT THING TOOK HIS LIFE, I BELIEVE STEPHEN WENT OUT IN GLORY, THANKING GOD THAT FAITH STILL WORKS. STEPHEN FULL OF FAITH AND FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SAW THE DIVINE INTERCESSION, EVEN AT THAT MOMENT WHEN DEATH WAS ABOUT TO OVER TAKE HIM. YOU SEE, WE'RE ALL LIVING TO DIE. DEATH IS GOING TO TAKE US OUT OF THIS WORLD. WE MAY GO THROUGH THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH. BUT MANY OF US WILL GO BEFORE THAT MOMENT COMES, UNLESS THAT MOMENT COMES RIGHT NOW. HOW WE GOING TO MAKE IT, HOW WE GOING TO SURVIVE EVEN THEN, WHEN WE ARE FACED WITH LIFE'S MOST DIFFICULT TRIAL AND CIRCUMSTANCE? WE'RE GOING TO FACE IT THROUGH FAITH. FAITH IN GOD STILL WORKS. I WANT TO CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY MY FRIEND. HEAVENLY FATHER, YOU KNOWS THAT ARE STRUGGLING. YOU KNOWS THOSE IN GREAT NEED TODAY. I ASK YOU TO REACH DOWN INTO THEIR LIVES TODAY AND HELP THEM WITH THEIR UNBELIEF. ENCOURAGE THEIR FAITH, LET THEM KNOW FAITH STILL WORKS. MANIFEST YOURSELF IN THEIR LIFE I PRAY, IN JESUS NAME WE ASK IT AMEN.