Throughout the ages God’s Spirit continually has striven with a wicked people. At more than one point God was close to annihilating the entire human race. Noah is an example of how obedience saved mankind from being destroyed from the face of the earth.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast…for it repenteth me that I have made them (Genesis 6:5-7).

But He remembered Noah. Noah became the man of the hour. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:8-9).

One man saved the human race—one man who dared to be obedient to God. Noah was the last righteous man on earth. God waited as long as He could. He waited until there was only one righteous man left. Think about that!

Thank God, Noah did not do like many people today and say, “There is just too much pressure for me to live in this evil generation. After all, I’m only one man. What can I do?”

Noah heard the voice of the Lord and he obeyed. God said, “Build an ark,” so Noah built an ark. The people around him scoffed and made fun of him, but that did not stop Noah. Walking in obedience to God was more important to him than what other people had to say.

In Genesis 7, God said to Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation” (verse 1). “And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him” (verse 5). Because of one man’s obedience, the entire human race and the animal kingdom were saved from destruction.

And they went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh, in which there was the breath and spirit of life. And they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded [Noah]; and the Lord shut him in and closed [the door] round about him (Genesis 7:15-16, The Amplified Bible).

The future of the race of man was in Noah’s hands. He was faithful to do all that God asked of him. He and his family were supernaturally preserved because he obeyed God.

While we are on this earth, evil circumstances will try to rush in like a flood and overcome us. But as long as we are walking in obedience, God will make an ark around us for protection. He will shut the door to evil and nothing can open it. The same principle will work in reverse when we disobey God. The door will close, only this time in front of us, keeping us outside, unable to live the kind of life God wants us to live.

Gloria Copeland

One of the greatest enemies of real faith is a thing I call mental assent. People who operate in mental assent read the Word and think they believe it, but when pressure comes, they don’t act on it.

Mental assenters say, “I believe the Bible from cover to cover. I believe I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus because the Bible says so.”

But when sickness actually comes and attacks their bodies, they stop saying, “By His stripes I’m healed,” and start saying, “I’m sick.”

Real faith believes what the Word says even though your eyes and your feelings tell you something different. Faith doesn’t care what the symptoms are. It doesn’t care what the circumstances look like. It’s not moved by what the banker or the doctor or the lawyer or the bill collector says.

Faith in God’s Word will change the symptoms. It will change the bank. It will bring the money to get the bills paid. Faith will turn every defeat into victory. It is God’s success formula!

But you have to give that faith an opportunity to work. You have to keep God’s Word in your mouth and meditate on it in your heart “that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (AMP).

Gloria Copeland

Mark 11:22-24
Once you have planted God’s healing Word in
your heart, you can pray with confidence, knowing you
will receive your healing. Yet, to get results, you must
believe you receive when you pray. That is when God’s
healing power is released in your body.

KJV—And Jesus answering saith unto
them, Have faith in God. For verily I say
unto you, That whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he
shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them.

Amp—And Jesus replying said to them,
Have faith in God (constantly). Truly, I tell
you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted
up and thrown into the sea! and does not
doubt at all in his heart, but believes that
what he says will take place, it will be done
for him. For this reason I am telling you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe—
trust and be confident—that it is granted to
you, and you will [get it].

Moffatt—Jesus answered them, “Have faith
in God! I tell you truly, whoever says to this
hill, ‘Take and throw yourself into the sea,’
and has not a doubt in his mind but believes
that what he says will happen, he will have
it done. So I tell you, whatever you pray for
and ask, believe you have got it, and you
shall have it.”

NEB—Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in
God. I tell you this: if anyone says to this
mountain, “Be lifted from your place and
hurled into the sea”, and has no inward
doubts, but believes that what he says is
happening, it will be done for him. I tell you,
then, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe
that you have received it and it will be yours.’

Mark 6:5-6
KJV—And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands upon a
few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled
because of their unbelief.

Amp—And He was not able to do even one
work of power there, except that He laid His
hands on a few sickly people [and] cured
them. And He marveled because of their
unbelief—their lack of faith in Him.

Moffatt—There he could not do any miracle,
beyond laying his hands on a few sick
people and curing them. He was astonished
at their lack of faith.

NEB—He could work no miracle there,
except that he put his hands on a few sick
people and healed them; and he was taken
aback by their want of faith.

Gloria Copeland

Galatians 3:5
KJV—He therefore that ministereth to you
the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law, or by
the hearing of faith?

Amp—Then does He Who supplies you
with His marvelous (Holy) Spirit, and works
powerfully and miraculously among you, [do
so on the grounds of your doing] what the
Law demands, or because of your believing
and adhering to and trusting in and relying
on the message that you heard?

Moffatt—When He supplies you with the
Spirit and works miracles among you, is it
because you do what the Law commands or
because you believe the gospel message?

NEB—I ask then: when God gives you
the Spirit and works miracles among you,
why is this? Is it because you keep the
law, or is it because you have faith in the
gospel message?

Proverbs 4:20-24
KJV—My son, attend to my words; incline
thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not
depart from thine eyes; keep them in the
midst of thine heart. For they are life unto
those that find them, and health to all their
flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for
out of it are the issues of life. Put away from
thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put
far from thee.

Amp—My son, attend to my words; consent
and submit to my sayings. Let them
not depart from your sight; keep them in
the center of your heart. For they are life to
those who find them, healing and health to
all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance
and above all that you guard, for out
of it flow the springs of life. Put away from
you false and dishonest speech, and willful
and contrary talk put far from you.

Moffatt—My son, attend to what I say,
bend your ear to my words; never lose
sight of them, but fix them in your mind;
to those who find them, they are life, and
health to all their being. Guard above all
things, guard your inner self, for so you live
and prosper; bar out all talk of evil, and
banish wayward words.

NEB—My son, attend to my speech, pay
heed to my words; do not let them slip out
of your mind, keep them close in your heart;
for they are life to him who finds them, and
health to his whole body. Guard your heart
more than any treasure, for it is the source
of all life. Keep your mouth from crooked
speech and your lips from deceitful talk.

Gloria Copeland