And I discovered when I got tired, that is, after I preached the sermon like I’m preaching now, and then I made the invitation to the unsaved, and great numbers would come down the aisle, and I’d pray with them, and then we opened up for the healing line. And just prior to that I would go out into the invalid tent or area where there were possibly two hundred invalids brought every night for me to lay hands on.  And that’s how Kenneth Copeland got his start, by being by my side.  The first one he ever prayed for was a person dying with cancer, when I said, “Ken, this is yours.”  And he was eager to do it, thank God.

And when I got tired, I noticed my faith was weak.  And I learned that people were disappointed, that if I kept on praying there were not many healings, if any.  So I would abruptly dismiss the meeting and rush to my car, to the room, and get in bed and get to sleep as quickly as I could to recover for the next night.  And that became a rhythm in my life.

But the people never understood that.  They thought because I was anointed, I never got tired, but I did.  And the people would follow me to the car.  They’d grab my clothes, and I’d shake loose.  And they would touch me.  And in the Bible they were touching Jesus all the time and pulling at His clothes and all that, but I was so holy I didn’t want them to do that to me. I didn’t want the criticism of, you know, of the word getting out, “Oh, you can just touch Oral’s clothes or just touch him and you’ll be healed.”  So I was trying to walk that straight path and be free of criticism, so I didn’t want anybody pulling at me or touching me.  Besides, I didn’t want them disappointed because I was tired.

And it came to a climax one night when a woman came up behind me, took hold of my clothes, and whirled me around.  And I couldn’t get loose.  And I started to explain to her that when I’m tired I can’t pray for you.  I don’t have the faith.”  And she shook it off.  She said, “I have to go home tomorrow hundreds of miles away.  I’ve come here.  I’m deathly sick.  You’ve got to pray for me.  I’ve got to be healed.”

Well, I’m almost through.  I’ve got two more points.  I’ll quit now if you tell me to.  (No)  Shall I finish the last two? (Yes)  I’ll have to.  I’m out of water.

Number eight, very precious.  He said, “You tell the people I’ll never leave them or forsake them.”  And He took me back when I was 20 years old.  I’d been healed of tuberculosis since I was 17, and the church in the little town where I lay sick for five months in the bed called me to give my testimony.  And I went there, and there was a woman with her two daughters.  The oldest

daughter had tuberculosis and had been in the Oklahoma state sanitarium for TB over here in the mountains of Talihina.  And they had arrested her case.  She wasn’t cured, but she had an arrested case and she was home for a few weeks.  So she brought her to hear my testimony in case her faith might rise and she’d be healed.

Well, they invited me to spend the night with them, and I did.  I went to sleep, and at two o’clock, she woke me up.  She said, “Oral, you must get up and dress and leave.  I’m so sorry to tell you.  My husband has just come in.  He’s a good man, but when he drinks, he’s mean.  And he heard you’re here.  He doesn’t believe you were healed.  He’s scared to death for our daughter, so you’ve got to dress and leave.”

And it was dead winter, and I wasn’t dressed for it.  And I walked the streets of that little town two hours.  I nearly froze to death.  And I remembered the name of a family, and I knocked on their door.  And Brother Sorrels came to the door.  And I said, “Brother Sorrels, could you take me in?  Please take me in.”  They took me in and put warm blankets around me and thawed me out and put me to bed, gave me a good breakfast the next day, and I went on my way.

And this is what the Lord said to me.  He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  I don’t know what that means to you tonight, but when God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” He means exactly what He says.

Now the final one, number nine, He said, “You tell the people this.  You give them Romans 4:17, call those things that be not as though they were.”

And Evelyn and I took one of God’s weapons, Matthew 18:18, “Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  We knelt and we bound this man.  We never told a human being, just God and us two.  “Lord, when he eats, don’t let the food digest. When he sleeps, give him no rest.  When he works, give him no fulfillment until he makes this right and takes his hand off God’s anointed.”

Well, we moved to Tulsa.  That was the month of May.  The following December, I had a crusade in this city.  And I was preaching one night like I am now, and a man got up near the back and came down the middle aisle, stumbling and almost falling.  It was this young man, 29 years old.  And he came and threw his arms around my legs and he said, “Oral, I eat, but my food doesn’t digest.  I sleep, but I can’t rest.  I work, but I’m not fulfilled.  If you don’t loose me, I’m going to die.”  And he cried so hard, there were puddles on the floor.

And I called him by name.  I said, “Do you really understand what you’ve done?”  He said, “Yes, I do.”  “Are you ready to repent of this thing and never touch a man of God again?”  He said, “I’m not only ready, I have poured my soul out to God and I’ve driven over here for you to loose me or I’m going to die.” “If you really mean it.”  “I really mean it.”  And there before that whole crowd, I loosed that man with a weapon that is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.  (Applause)  You are not without weapons.

And the fourth thing God said to write down, He said, “There’s been a slight decline in My healing power, but I’m going to bring healing back big time, including creative miracles.” Healing big time is knocking at the door.  We all know there’s been a slight decline.  But, friend, it’s coming back.

Right here three or four days ago I was going through Joyce’s seminar, and she began to pray for people.  There were tremendous miracles just broke out right here on this stage.  And there were miracles here this afternoon.  And before this thing is over, it just may explode.

But when He said, “including creative miracles,” I didn’t relate to that because I’d never had faith for creative miracles.  I thought that was for the resurrection of the body from the dead.

RR: … out toward the seed that we are sowing into the kingdom of God through the International Charismatic Bible Ministries Fellowship.  Thank You, Lord, for this seed.  It is blessed and made holy unto You.  Lord, it shall do a great work through the ICBM.  Lord, it is now sown into the kingdom, and You are obligated to watch over Your Word to perform it.  And You said when we bring it in, You would pour it out.  And we take You at Your Word and we thank You that as we have sown the seed, You bring out blessing into our lives, spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally, in our families, in our marriages, in our businesses, in our jobs, in our ministries, in every area of our lives.  Thank You, Lord.  By faith we receive the harvest in advance.  And we have it by faith to do what You’ve called us to do, in Jesus’ name, let everybody say amen.  (Response)

Well, give the Lord a handclap of praise.  Thank you, men and women.  (Applause)  Turn to the person next to you and say, “How did you enjoy the ministry of Joyce Meyer?”  Just turn to them, ask them.  (Response)  God bless you.  And you can be seated.  Wow!  That’s all I have to say after your ministry, Joyce.  I receive it.

I don’t know if you have noticed the way the Holy Spirit is leading, but so far this ICBM is extremely practical.  Did you notice that this afternoon and tonight?  Wow!  This is wonderful!

I am happy to present the man that God has raised up with a message for your deliverance, author, educator, evangelist, and my father, Oral Roberts.  (Applause)

OR: Thank you.  Be seated.  Something good is going to happen to you.  (Response)  Say that to somebody on both sides of you, please. (Response)  Something good’s going to happen to you.

Well, I want you to know that my darling wife, Evelyn, is here, that I’ve been married to 59 years.  Honey, stand up.  Turn around, let people see you.  (Applause)  Honey, remain standing, please.  This is a white woman, I want you to notice.  She is German.  And this is my son, Richard, who is a white man, mostly of German descent because of his mother.

RR:  What are you?

OR: What am I?  Well, I’m a person of color.  I was chosen the Indian of the Year of all the tribes of America in 1962.  I am a full one eighth Cherokee Indian, and now the reason that I’m telling you this is, my daughter, who took after me, is here and she graduated from the ORU law school and is practicing medicine … not medicine … (Laughing) … practicing law for the charismatic community of Tulsa, and she’s making more money than her daddy and her brother put together.  And she’s enjoying every moment of it.  Honey, stand up and let them see that you have Indian, that you’re like your daddy, Indian.  (Applause)  That’s Roberta Ann … Ann … Jean, Roberta Jean Potts.  And I’m so glad she’s here.  Did you notice that dark color of hers?  We people of color have to stand together, you know.  (Response)