FATHER DIVINE
It was not until after the midnight Holy Communion Services, that Father granted this interview to Miss Fannie Cooker, a delegate to the Elks Convention. She was well aware of the fact that she could be blessed by Father, and realized that it was worth sacrificing some of her sessions, and missing her friends, and waiting on Father all day and all night, if she had to, so as to receive a blessing.
For Thy precious words of wisdom, Dear Lord, we thank Thee.
The foregoing statements are those of the transcriber, and the interview follows:
Secretary: Father, this is Miss Fannie Cooker.
FATHER: Peace, Miss Cooker.
Miss Cooker: Peace Father. I am very glad to see You.
FATHER: Pleased to meet you, Miss Cooker. Take a seat.
Miss Cooker: I am a visitor in the city, Father. Of course, You know everything. I have been here almost a week. I have been here since Sunday. Of course, I have partly forsaken my work to see You. Part of my friends left me, and I missed my meetings. Of course, I have enjoyed it. I have taken meals here, and I have been waiting all day to see You. I was to church Monday, and my people left me. I saw the pictures. I was to church to-night. I want You to bless me. I waited all day and tonight. And I was going to wait in the morning, because it is worth the blessing. For I know You can bless me.
FATHER: I see.
Miss Cooker: Father, I was out and I came back down. I was so uplifted with Your Wonderful work, I just wanted You to bless me. I know You can.
FATHER: Have faith, and I will be with you.
Miss Cooker: My people even left me tonight. My people even left me--some of my friends were here tonight with me, but they left about two or three o'clock. I was going to wait because I want to be blessed before going back. I know You can bless me and I know the blessing is worth waiting for.
FATHER: I see. So glad! Well, it is according to Your faith. It is not anything I do as a person; as it is written, it is the work of GOD, unadulterated. And I do not make a physical effort to accomplish or do anything in the way of blessing the people. And I do not use material methods, and I do not use material remedies. But, I let whatsoever be done--let it be done by the Spirit. 'It is not by power nor by might, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord. So, therefore, if one makes a mental and spiritual contact and has faith, as you seem to have, the very desire is heard . . .
Miss Cooker: Yes.
FATHER: . . . before you speak it. It is written: 'Before they call I will answer, and whilst they are yet speaking I will hear.' All you must needs do, is to have faith and un- shaken confidence, and rely on the promises of GOD, and make up your mind to live the life. If you have been living it, make up your mind to live it anyhow--yea, as it is written in the four Gospels. And if you have not, just make up your mind to live it.
As I was telling a man some time ago: it is not that he must, say, have to be holy to get a blessing, but if he makes up his mind to trust Him who is holy, and live the life, you see. Simon--whose name was changed afterwards to Peter--when he saw Jesus walking on the water, he came and he walked too. He told Jesus, if He bid him, he had faith and he would come. He said it, and he walked too, until be began to doubt himself, and look upon himself. Then be began to sink. But as he was looking upon Jesus diligently, he walked as Jesus upon the water. So it is with each and everyone who looks upon Jesus--looks upon this evangelical truth without prejudice and without biased-ness, and has implicit faith and unshaken confidence. As Jesus said:
'He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.'
So, it is a wonderful blessing and privilege to have access in this great recognition wherein I stand, where your prayers and desires are actually heard and answered. Before you openly call, the answer is forthcoming even though you may not observe it.
At times the blessings are delayed or belated by the enemy. You see in the Scripture where it tells about a man praying twenty-one days, and his prayers were not answered apparently, but GOD had answered the prayers; and the angel was going down and came in conflict with Lucifer, the wicked angel. The wicked angels held him these twenty-one days in the parable, until the holy angel eventually overcame the wicked angel; then he could go on his mission and carry the blessing to the one who had sought it. So it is today. All you have to do is to have substantiated Faith, and unshaken confidence, and press on, and I will be with you.
Miss Cooker: Thank You, Father. Peace, Father. Peace, Father. After traveling home, I shall write to You, and keep in contact with You, because I certainly have faith I shall be blessed in my undertakings.
FATHER: Yes. Just write and tell Me anything you want to tell Me, and it is very helpful to others when others see how others are blessed, you see. Because it is a free gift to the world, and it is gratis to mankind. Just as you see these letters here--these are just a few; I cannot get caught up with them.
Miss Cooker: But, I want mine caught up with.
FATHER: It is Wonderful! You are from Ohio?
Miss Cooker: From Barnesville.
FATHER: You have a family?
Miss Cooker: I have a little adopted boy I took when he was seven weeks old. That's all.
FATHER: Well, anyway, it is a blessing to come in contact with others. Even if you do not have a family, as you say; as I mentioned here last night, I believe it was, concerning a brother who had paid two thousand dollars, and he has not had a chance to talk with Me yet, since he has been here. And My Spirit caused him to do it all the way across the continent. And I said, for every dollar he paid, the germ of honesty went out with it, the same as ill-gotten gains go with the germs of dishonesty and debauchery.
And gains that are gains from the Spirit, from GOD, in the spirit of honesty, competence, and truth, they carry through the thought of the one who is doing it, the germs of honesty, competence, and truth, and those who have handled or received it, if they are receptive, they also become to be contagionized--I mean affected by it--and will be just as the other one was, and do as he did.
I saw a clipping from the paper today. There is a policeman--chief of police, I believe--he did not claim to know Me, but thirty years ago--this was a clipping from a mortal paper, an outside paper--I do not mean THE NEW DAY--but it said, thirty years ago they were driving--I think they said they were driving sheep or something like that--no, cows and calves; there were a lot of them, and they were driving them, and just drove one out of the drove, you know, out in the field where this man was; and he got this calf. And so it was thirty years ago or more, and he has gone back and paid this bill, and the policeman could not see why he did it. But My Spirit just supernaturally went out and contagionized the inhalation of the atmosphere. When he was inhaling, he became contagionized automatically. So, it is a blessing beyond a reasonable doubt for criticism.
Miss Cooker: Father, YOU pray the blessings of GOD upon me.
FATHER: Keep the faith and I will be with you.
Miss Cooker: I thank You, Father. It is Wonderful! Peace, Father.
FATHER: Peace.
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