Richard Roberts wants to share something to you.In 1863, at a time when America was being torn apart by the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day…a day of giving thanks and praise to our “beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Even in the midst of what must have been a devastating time, Lincoln found the strength of character to lead this country in acknowledging its many blessings and the part that God played in them.

He made it clear Who he believed was the Source of America’s blessings when he said, “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God.” I thank God for the faith of Abraham Lincoln, and for his gift to this country of Thanksgiving Day. We believe it’s an honor and a privilege to set aside this one day of the year to give God glory and honor and thanks for all He has given us in this great country.

Our family is just like other families on Thanksgiving Day. We enjoy getting together for a turkey dinner, watching football, and spending time with family and friends. And we appreciate all of the tradition associated with that day. But Thanksgiving is really about giving thanks to God and acknowledging that He is the Source of all the blessings we enjoy. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, James 1:17 NKJV tells us, and comes down from the Father of lights.

There are many reasons for giving God thanks on Thanksgiving Day…and every other day of the year, as well. But here are four of the most powerful reasons I know of:

1. When we repent, He forgives our sins. Not only does God forgive our sins (1 John 1:9), but He also blots them out and breaks their power and control over our lives (Isaiah 43:25).

2. Through Jesus’ blood, we can be healed. He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). He also told us to lay hands on the sick and they would recover, making our hands an extension of His own hands of deliverance (Mark 16:18).

3. He gives us faith to overcome life’s obstacles. God is the giver of faith and the banisher of fear. He has given every person the measure of faith(Romans 12:3), and when we use the power of our faith, it can drive out any fear that we’re facing.

4. He provided the way for our prosperity. God has made our giving a seed we sow, not a debt we owe. He paid our debt on Calvary. Now when we sow seed to Him, He multiplies that seed and brings the increase (2 Corinthians 9:10).

We have so many benefits as God’s children; it’s hard to remember them all. God forgives, heals, protects, satisfies, renews our youth—and crowns us with His love and mercy! How blessed we are! In this Thanksgiving season, I and Richard Roberts encourage you to stop for a moment and begin to praise God for what He has already done in your life, and what you’re going to trust Him to do in the future.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
—Psalm 103:2 NKJV

Richard Roberts wants to share something with you. I remember Mr. Beale, my first banker, and the enormous influence he had in giving me a practical demonstration of God’s financial laws in the secular world. The Lord brought him across my path at the right time to help me better understand the revelation which God inspired me to call Seed-Faith. I’ll never forget the day Mr. Beale sat me down in his office and said, “I have a story I want to tell you that I believe might help you in your life and ministry.”

Winter Night Crisis

He went on to tell me that one winter he was returning from another city when his car had a flat tire. It was late at night and very cold. As he got out to fix the flat, he discovered that he didn’t know how to use the jack or remove the wheel. He tried to flag down other cars, but no one stopped. So he got back in his car and turned up the heater. He soon realized that he was dangerously stranded and his life could be in serious trouble. But almost out of nowhere, a big 18-wheeler drove up and stopped. The driver got out and said, “Are you in trouble?”

Mr. Beale said, “Yes, I am,” and when he told him his problem, the driver said, “I can fix your flat in 10 minutes.” And just as he said, in about 10 minutes, the tire was fixed. When he finished, Mr. Beale offered to pay him. Amazingly he replied, “Oh, no, that was my good deed for the day.”

Mr. Beale said, “Wait just a minute.” He wrote him a receipt for $200. As he handed it to him, he said, “You don’t know me, but I’m a banker. If you ever have need for $200, you just bring this into my bank in Tulsa. You’ll find this amount deposited to your account.”
The receipt is a wonderful thing to think about if you ever need it, but the real power is not in the receipt itself—it’s when you cash it in.
How nice it is to have a piece of paper that says you have money in an account if you ever get desperate.

But, oh, what a huge difference it is in having that nice piece of paper in times of need, and you can get the actual money to pay the bill. Mr. Beale said, “A few months later, I heard a discussion between one of my cashiers and a man I recognized as the trucker who had helped me, and possibly saved my life.

“The cashier had the receipt I had signed for the man. She asked him if he had an account in this bank. He replied, ‘All I know is that the president of your bank signed this receipt for me, and said if I ever needed $200, to come to this bank and cash it.’ “Immediately I said to the cashier, ‘Mrs. Jones, that’s my signature on that receipt. He has an account with me, and I personally put the $200 in his account, so please give him the money.’”

A Valuable Lesson

That day, I learned a very valuable lesson about seed and harvest, and holding on to a receipt that is honored by the most available power behind it. I thought of Philippians 4:13-19 KJV. God tells us we have a heavenly account, according to verse 17: Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit [or resources or provision] that may abound to your account. I’ve told this story many times. Still, it continues to remind me that each time I give, God Himself is writing out my receipt on the “bank” He heads in heaven. It’s directly connected on earth to my Christian walk with God—and it’s connected to every one of us, as we give to God.

Richard Roberts I believe that right now you can start a new life with God meeting your needs and challenges that may not otherwise be met. And I believe this principle can be applied in every area of your life, beginning at this moment.

Richard Roberts and I wants to share something to you. Revelation is a book that speaks to God’s people in every generation, including ours today. In this one book the Holy Spirit gave its author, John, the sweeping purpose of God from beginning to end. It sums up everything that went before it and everything that is coming. It tells of the judgment of the nations, the revelation of the antichrist, the false prophet, the mark of the beast, and how Jesus Christ Himself shall return from heaven. If you were to ask many Christians what the book of Revelation is, they might say, “It’s a mystery.” But in reality, Revelation is the greatest love story ever told. It tells where we come from, where we are today, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there.

Background and Setting

When John wrote the book of Revelation, the world ruler in Rome at that time was Nero. Nero had become very active in his persecution of the early Church—he had killed all of Jesus’ apostles, except John, and had banished John to the tiny, barren island of Patmos, off the coast of Turkey. I really believe that Nero thought by banishing John the beloved apostle, he could destroy Christianity. But notice that God knew where John was. He dispatched His angel to him, and something stupendous happened. John was called upon to write down the revelation of Jesus Christ which the Father had given to His Son.

Why did God give this revelation to Jesus? I believe the Father was showing the risen Christ all the things that are to come. And in doing do, He has shown it to us as well through His written Word.

Revealed by the Spirit

Richard Roberts and I personally believe that the Book of Revelation is written, for the most part, in code. For example, John used the number 7 fifty four times. I believe there are many code numbers and code words in this book. And I believe God has placed them in a special way to reveal special meanings so that it could be deciphered and understood only by those who know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Then through them, the message of Revelation should be shared with the world.

That Glorious Day

Revelation 1:7 says, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him. It’s going to be some scene, my friend, when Jesus appears in the clouds! It is the most precious day to believers and the blessed hope of all the children of God. If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart, or if you’ve walked away from your relationship with Him and want to return, this is a perfect time to do so. Let’s pray this prayer together right now: Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner, a backslider. I have walked away from You, and I ask Your forgiveness. I turn away from my sins, Lord, and I turn toward You. Come into my heart, Jesus, and be my Lord and Savior.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

My mother was a tiny woman, barely reaching 5 feet tall, and I towered over her by more than a foot. But however small she was physically, she was a giant when it came to having godly wisdom. I remember one time, early in my ministry, when my parents came to one of my crusades. They didn’t let me know they were in the audience they just sat in the back and watched as I preached. They wanted to be sure that what I was doing was in harmony with the way God had shown them I was to fulfill my mission on earth. My mother was especially concerned, for she felt she had a lot at stake she had dedicated my life to God before my birth.

A short time after the crusade, my parents came to visit Evelyn and me. “Oral,” said Mamma, “I asked God if this is what He’s called you to do, and He told me that it is. So I want to tell you two things: “First,” Mamma continued, “always obey God.” She must have known that there was something about her youngest child that might lean toward being disobedient on occasion! She gave me the Scripture in Isaiah 1:19 KJV: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.

To this day, obedience to God has been my #1 concern. Before making any major decision, I always take time to consider, What does God want me to do? What does His Word say about this? “The second thing,” Mama told me that day, “is to always stay little in your own eyes.” She was concerned that when success came, I might get the bighead. And she knew if that happened, I could dishonor God and lose it all.

I always did what Mamma said. This is what I teach to Richard Roberts. And I’ve always remembered that without God, I am nothing. Through the years when people have complimented my preaching or remarked about the healings that occurred through the ministry, I’ve always said, “It isn’t me. I’m only obeying God. Only He has the power to save, heal, and deliver.” From a very tiny woman came godly advice that helped shape my life and my ministry. And along the way I’ve learned that it’s always good to do what Mamma says.