You’re in Charge

Kenneth Copeland 

Thou [God] madest him [man] to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet. Psalm 8:6


There is a particular phrase I’ve heard spoken countless times over the
years, and I like it less every time I hear it. No doubt, you’ve heard it
too, usually in drawn out, religious-sounding tones—when circumstances
seem to fall short of what God has promised us in His Word. 

“Well, Brother, you have to remember...God is sovereign.” 

As spiritual as that phrase might sound, it really bothers me. It’s not
that I don’t believe God is sovereign. Certainly He is. According to
Webster’s Dictionary, sovereign means “above or superior to all others;
supreme in power, rank or authority.” Without question, God is all those
things. 

But all too often, when people refer to the sovereignty of God, what
they’re actually saying is, “You never know what God will do. After all,
He’s all-powerful and totally independent, so He does whatever He wants
whenever He wants.” 

The problem with that view of sovereignty is it releases us of all
responsibility. After all, if God is sovereign, He will do what He wants
anyway, so we might as well go watch television and forget about it,
right? 

Wrong. After 41 years of studying the Word and preaching the gospel, I’ve
come to realize that God does very few things—if any—in this earth without
man’s cooperation. Even though it belongs to God—it is His creation and He
owns it. 

According to Psalm 8:6, God Himself put mankind in charge. He doesn’t
intervene in the affairs of earth whenever He wants. He respects the
dominion and authority He has given us. So, until man’s lease on this
planet expires, God restricts His power on the earth, taking action only
when He is asked to do so. 

Since the people who do the asking (the intercessors) are often very quiet
people who do their praying in secret, it may appear at times that God
simply acts on His own. But regardless of appearances, the Bible teaches
from cover to cover that God’s connection with man is a prayer and faith
connection. When you see Him act in a mighty way, you can be sure there
was someone, somewhere praying and interceding to bring Him on the scene.

Scripture Reading: James 5:13-18

Be Willing!

Gloria Copeland 

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah
1:19



A healthy body. Enough money to pay all your bills and extra to invest in
the work of the gospel. A godly marriage and happy, healthy children.
Peace of mind. God has prepared a banquet full of blessings for you. 


But those blessings are not just going to fall in your lap. You must be
willing as well as obedient if you're going to eat the best from God's
table. 


So, be willing! 


Don't be willing for Satan to put sickness on your body. Be willing,
instead, to be well! In honor of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary, refuse to
accept anything less than divine health. 



Don't be willing to live in lack, but be willing instead to live in divine
prosperity and abundance. Refuse to allow Satan to stop the flow of God's
financial blessings to you. 



Be willing to receive God's best plan for your marriage and your children.
Don't settle for the "norm" in the world. Live above it in a home full of
love and harmony, a home that is what God meant it to be. 


Don't allow Satan to substitute anxiety and ulcers for the peace and
undisturbedness that Jesus bought for you. Be willing and obedient to cast
all your cares on Him, for He cares for you. 


Refuse to be robbed of the banquet of blessings that have belonged to you
since you became a believer. Be willing to eat the good of the land!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8:5-20

Don't Tell It Like It Is

Kenneth Copeland

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21

Words are serious business. And, as believers, we need to get serious about learning how to use them. We need to begin to put them to work for us like God Himself does. The Bible tells us that He uses words to "call those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17).

Most of us don't have the faintest idea how to do that. We've spent our lives "telling it like it is." We've constantly used our mouths to report on the sorry state of affairs around us. Thus, the very thought of calling "things which be not as though they were" seems a little crazy.

"You mean I'm supposed to say, 'I'm healed' when I'm feeling sick? I'm supposed to say, 'I'm prosperous' when I'm penniless?" we say. "That sounds like lying to me."

No, no. There's a vast difference between lying and speaking by faith. A lie is meant to deceive someone. It's designed to make someone believe something that's not true. But to speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the Word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It's speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.

As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak" (The Amplified Bible).

Now that's important. Read that verse again. "I have believed, and therefore have I spoken."

There are some folks who speak the words, but they don't have the faith to back it up, and as a result, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. They didn't actually "call things that be not as though they were." They called things that be not the way they wished they were.

Those are two very different things. The words may be the same. But just wishing and hoping won't get the job done. You've got to "believe."

Begin today bringing both your tongue and your heart in line with the Word. Stop "telling it like it is" and start speaking and believing the promises of God. Put the power of words to work for you.

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 15

Faith Cometh by Hearing

Kenneth Copeland 

Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

One of the greatest healing evangelists I’ve ever known once said to me,
“I don’t understand it. I have laid hands on more than 2 million people.
I’ve seen miracles of every description. But I’m the last guy in the world
to ever get healed.” 

Just think, that evangelist had seen Jesus face to face more than once.
His hand had been set on fire with the healing touch of God. But he
couldn’t live on those experiences. He had to learn, just like you and I
do, to walk one step at a time confessing, believing and standing on the
Word of God. 

“Well, maybe that’s true,” you say, “but I still think I would have more
faith if Jesus would appear to me like He did to that evangelist.” 

No, you wouldn’t. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and
yet have believed” (John 20:29). Blessed means “empowered.” So, according
to Jesus, you’ll have more power if you’ll believe before seeing a
physical manifestation. 

Why is that true? It’s because for you to believe something you don’t see
with your physical eyes, you have to turn inward. You have to activate
your spirit being. When you do that, the part of you that is like God
rises up and gets stronger. 

Am I saying you should avoid the spectacular manifestations and displays
of God’s power that are occurring around us in these final days? 

Absolutely not! Enjoy them to the fullest. Go to every meeting you
possibly can. Be a part of the move of God. But don’t lay down your faith
in the process. 

Keep standing on the Word, first and foremost. The Word will work when the
gifts are flowing and when they’re not. The Word will work in the daytime
and in the dark. The Word will work for any man, woman or child who will
put it to work. It is eternal, settled in heaven and earth forever. 

Remember this: Faith—the everyday kind of faith you use for living—doesn’t
come from moving in the gifts of the Spirit. It doesn’t come from seeing
Jesus or having special visitations and experiences with God. It comes by
hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God.

Scripture Reading: John 20:24-29

There is a Cure to Worrying

Wisdom to Change 
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:27

I have the cure to stop worrying. No really, I do. It’s so simple you
would have to be a fool to not get this. I couldn’t believe it when I came
across it. It was so simple I couldn’t believe how come I did not see
this. But let me warn you, whatever you do don’t say I’ve heard that
before or I know that. If you do, you don’t have an open heart to receive
the things of God. This is really a cure for worry. Just like a headache,
we know to take a couple of pills for it, but what about worry. 

And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). 

Here's the cure to worry. 
Let the peace of God permanently keep your heart and mind THROUGH Jesus
Christ.
Declare that you will not worry but trust what the Father says in His Word.
Think the right things. 
Keep your mind STAYED on God. Can you do this all throughout the day and
meditate ONLY on those things that bring peace to your heart and joy to
your soul. 
We have spiritual weapons that are at our disposable to combat any degree
of worry. 
Have the God kind of faith. You know it did not worry God a bit when he
saw darkness on the face of the earth. He opened His mouth and SPOKE to
darkness and said light be. 
Live and walk in the Spirit.
Do not cast away your confidence.
And the golden nugget of them all, cast the care upon the Lord. Hey
listen, He CARES FOR YOU. Did you hear me, HE CARES FOR YOU! 

Your Father does not want you sitting up or having sleepless nights
worrying about anything, cast that care on Him. Give it to Him, release
the worry and let it go. Why in the world would you want to keep something
that causes damage to your body-stress, anxiety, dizziness, fatigue,
headaches, irritability, nervousness, sweating, just to name a few. So you
see, God has given us the cure to worrying, we just have to take a dose of
His Word every single day in order to alleviate all symptoms. 

Have a Beautiful Day

It’s Best to use the right Material

Wisdom to Change

Let each one take heed how he builds; if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, each one’s work will become clear for the Day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.  1 Corinthians 3:10b,11,12,13

Have you ever watched the program “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”? I find the program very interesting. Ty and his team review the video of the family who needs a makeover, arrives with a megaphone waking everyone up and they walk through to see the conditions of the home. Next they send the family on their way for a well needed vacation. Now what amazes me is how they build the home in one week. They choose the right crew to build a home that will last with quality material. They even have many people on hand to help assist in completing the building of this home.

Our spiritual house is somewhat the same when it comes to building up our spiritual man. We will need an architect, construction crew, an inspector, welders and many others. The crew includes the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Angels, well grounded God fearing friends and the Word. Our spiritual house cannot be built by ourselves. That’s why the Father places people in our lives to help us in building with the right materials. To know if we are building with the right material, check the people you have in your life. Have you grown spiritually in the last year? Are you more sensitive to not sin against a Holy God? Do you recognize His voice when He speaks? Is there a difference in your conversation? Do you find yourself wanting to spend more time with Him? Do you have a desire to see more of His goodness in your life? Are you quick to ask the Father for forgiveness? Is there a strong desire to please Him more? If so, you are building with the right material.

To continue with our spiritual construction, we will build bridges in our lives for others to cross, for our life is a testimony to others. Make sure not to use wood, hay and straw, for they come easy-little work, little seeking and no travailing. Now if we want to build something that will endure, we will need the good stuff like gold, silver and precious stones. To find these materials we have to go searching for them, for they are not easy to come by. It’s not an easy task to search for these materials. There’s much digging in the Word, seeking the Lord’s face and a whole lot of travailing and laboring. In the end when it’s all said and done, the bridges we build in life will help other in their spiritual construction. It shouldn't matter if it takes awhile to find these precious materials, we are not alone. We have the best treasurer hunter in the universe with us-Jesus!

Have a Beautiful Day

Forgiveness is a Payment

Wisdom to Change

Hereby we perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16

I had a conversation with my cousin and it went something like this. She state I can’t forgive, they hurt me. I’ll never forget what they did to me. I’ll forgive but I won’t forget. I can’t get over this. This will take some time before I even let this go. For all those who know me, I heard loud and clear what the Lord was telling me to tell her and no beating around the bush went on here.

When you say you can’t, then you’re telling God his Word is not true. Because the bible I’m reading says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And to say you can’t forgive because they hurt me, doesn’t justify in not for forgiving. With His strength you can forgive anybody. If you’ve read 1st Corinthians 13th chapter, it tells you just how to walk in love towards those who hurt you. Love keeps no record of wrong. So you're not to hold on to it. It's not hard at all just ask God to help you keep your mind on things that are lovely, honest, pure and of a good report. Who are we to keep a record of everything someone has ever done to us? This is crazy, let it go! Everytime you don't let go, you're hurting Jesus by holding on to something that's meaningless. Hold on to the truth of His Word and love like Jesus loved, with His whole heart.  

You say you’ll never forget but you’ll forgive. Well, well, well. The Father said he will have compassion upon us; eliminate our iniquities and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. What the Father is saying is he threw everything into the depths of the sea and forgot about everything we've ever done when we asked Him to forgive us. What right do we have to hold things against people? They’re going on with their lives not realizing we're holding on to something that happened many years ago. Let it go! If we don’t forgive, neither will the Father forgive us. Not forgiving also causes setbacks in our lives. Remember in Mark the 11th chapter, Jesus was telling the disciples to have faith in God? He told them how they could speak to situations in their lives that looked like mountains and how they could remove them just by speaking to it. He also mentioned when they stand praying FORGIVE, if they have some things they’re holding on to. But if we don't forgive, NEITHER will the Father forgive us. Unforgiveness is what causes setbacks and unanswered prayers. As long as we don't forgive and come to the Father with our prayer request, our praying will be in vain.  

Now, that’s serious. We have to forgive and forget. We have no right holding on to things which causes us to be bitter and resentful. Release it and let it go. It’s not worth your prayers being unanswered. It’s not worth going through life thinking about what they did to you. But it’s worth it all to forgive just like the Father forgave us. Jesus paid the price by giving His live as a ransom making total payment in full by saying, Father forgive them.

Have a Beautiful Day

Don't Get In A Hurry

Don't Get in a Hurry
Kenneth Copeland 

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt...talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest
up. ...and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Deuteronomy 6:6-8


One of the reasons Gloria and I have seen the results we have in our lives
and in our ministry is because when we realized what the Word of God would
do, we literally immersed ourselves in it. We turned off the radio and
television, we put down the newspaper, and spent nearly every waking
moment of the time available either reading the Word, listening to tapes
on the Word, or thinking about the Word. 

All that time in the Word eventually had a powerful effect on us. It began
to revolutionize everything about us. It began to turn failure into
success. 

All that didn't happen overnight, however. It took time. A great many
believers don't realize that. They start out devoting themselves to the
Word, but they make the mistake of expecting instant, miraculous results,
and when they don't see them, they get disappointed and fall away. 

Don't do that. Be patient. Give the Word time to do its work. 

Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). The Word of God
feeds the spirit man just as bread feeds the body. Food has to be built
into your body. The vitamins and minerals it contains have a cumulative
effect on it, don't they? In fact, almost anything that affects your body
instantaneously is considered dangerous. 

Much the same thing is true with the Word of God. It has a cumulative
effect. Yes, at times God will act instantly and perform a miracle, but
only to get things back on track. What He really intends is for you to
feed on His Word to grow in strength and in faith and to bear fruit in due
season. 

So don't get in such an all-fired hurry. Stay in the Word. Be patient. The
results will come!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7:11-23