Don't Serve the Problem : Kenneth Copeland
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him.
– Isaiah 55:7
You can't win a victory as long as the problem is the biggest thing in your life!
The Lord woke me up to that fact a few years ago. At that time I was facing some difficulties in my ministry that seemed so big to me, I thought about them from morning till night. Even though I was standing against them, I was thinking more about those problems than about the scripture promises I was standing on.
Then I saw something in Matthew 6:24-25:
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life."
I'd read that scripture hundreds of times, but that day I saw something I'd never noticed before. I saw that immediately after Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters," He said, "Take no thought." Suddenly it hit me: We serve our thoughts!
That's why Isaiah 55 says for us to forsake our thoughts, and by the Word, take God's thoughts. That's why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to cast out thoughts that challenge the Word and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Do you want deliverance from your problems today?
Then quit serving them! Quit allowing them to consume your thought life. And don't wait until circumstances change to do it. Instead, realize that circumstances won't ever change until you switch from wrong to right thinking.
I know that's not easy to do, especially in the midst of heavy darkness and trial. But you can do it if you'll do these three things:
First, remember you aren't alone. You have the Word (God's thoughts). You have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and you have the mind of Christ.
Second, get around people who are full of faith. Instead of rehearsing your problem, let them do the talking. Make yourself listen. Join in with their faith and resist darkness.
Third, praise God. Do whatever it takes to make yourself praise. When you begin to praise, God's presence will turn back those worried thoughts and make them fall!
Your problems are not the biggest thing in your life. Jesus is. Serve Him with your thoughts and He will set you free!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Don't Serve the Problem
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
You Don't Have to Fall
You Don't Have to Fall----Kenneth Copeland
Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.
– 2 Peter 1:10 You shall never fall. When you think about it, that's a startling statement, isn't it? Most of us have been tripped up by the devil so many times we don't like to think about it.
But the Word of God says it doesn't have to be that way. He says there's something that can keep us on our feet. What is it? Diligence.
If you haven't already, you need to realize how important diligence is. You need to face the fact that you simply can't live a life of victory without it.
You can't stand strong on the Word of God and not pick your Bible up during the week. Sunday morning alone isn't going to get the job done. Yet most believers try to get by on that. That's precisely why we have thousands of churches all over the world filled with born-again people who don't have enough faith to blow their hats off. No diligence.
I remember several years ago when I ministered to a lady who was healed of cancer. She'd gotten into the Word, taken a stand of faith, and had been delivered. But several years later she called me and said, "Brother Copeland, I wish you'd pray for me. This cancer has come back on me again."
Right away I recalled the scripture the Lord had given us to stand on those years before: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." So I said, "Get your Bible and let's go back to Isaiah 54:17."
In the background I could hear her whispering to someone else in the room, "Where's my Bible?" When I heard that, I almost cried out. I knew she wasn't going to make it. Why? No diligence.
Listen, this is a daily thing. The devil's out there 24 hours a day devising ways to make us fall. Jesus is on the throne 24 hours a day giving us power to resist him, and we need to be exercising our faith all the time.
If you're going to stand in the days ahead, you're going to need a lot more than Sunday school faith. You're going to need some full-grown, mountain-moving faith, and there's only one way to get that: By giving yourself to the Word more diligently than you ever have before.
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure; and no matter how slippery the situation gets, you won't have to fall!
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-10
Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.
– 2 Peter 1:10 You shall never fall. When you think about it, that's a startling statement, isn't it? Most of us have been tripped up by the devil so many times we don't like to think about it.
But the Word of God says it doesn't have to be that way. He says there's something that can keep us on our feet. What is it? Diligence.
If you haven't already, you need to realize how important diligence is. You need to face the fact that you simply can't live a life of victory without it.
You can't stand strong on the Word of God and not pick your Bible up during the week. Sunday morning alone isn't going to get the job done. Yet most believers try to get by on that. That's precisely why we have thousands of churches all over the world filled with born-again people who don't have enough faith to blow their hats off. No diligence.
I remember several years ago when I ministered to a lady who was healed of cancer. She'd gotten into the Word, taken a stand of faith, and had been delivered. But several years later she called me and said, "Brother Copeland, I wish you'd pray for me. This cancer has come back on me again."
Right away I recalled the scripture the Lord had given us to stand on those years before: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." So I said, "Get your Bible and let's go back to Isaiah 54:17."
In the background I could hear her whispering to someone else in the room, "Where's my Bible?" When I heard that, I almost cried out. I knew she wasn't going to make it. Why? No diligence.
Listen, this is a daily thing. The devil's out there 24 hours a day devising ways to make us fall. Jesus is on the throne 24 hours a day giving us power to resist him, and we need to be exercising our faith all the time.
If you're going to stand in the days ahead, you're going to need a lot more than Sunday school faith. You're going to need some full-grown, mountain-moving faith, and there's only one way to get that: By giving yourself to the Word more diligently than you ever have before.
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure; and no matter how slippery the situation gets, you won't have to fall!
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-10
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Joseph's life-Excerpts from RBC
Root of bitterness is hate, symptom of bitterness is sarcasm, result of bitterness is manipulation.
Joseph distinguished himself as a young man of skill and ability, but it became clear that those talents were not the key to his life. The real key was " The Lord was with Joseph".
God's presence was the difference.Trials often come on the heals of our greatest successes.
Joseph looked beyond the immediate to the ultimate, recognizing the consequences that such sin would have on his relationship with God.
Joseph did not flirt with sin, argue with it or reason with it, he fled from it.
Often life isn't fair- but our responsibility is to do right and leave the consequences to God.
Joseph's character was under construction as he was shaped by adversity, punished by men and honored by God.
He recognized that he belonged to God.He recognized sin's affect on others.He recognized sin as defiance against God.
Life in a falled world seldom rewards right living.
God is in control of our lives.Nothing happens by accident.
Single most important character of a true leader: He was "a man in whom is the spirit of God."
Qualifications of a true leader are not merely physical, they are spiritual. It is not just about talents or skill but about character and relationship with God.Key character qualities of a great eader are internal, not external. They deal with knowing God, not with being great.
Joseph distinguished himself as a young man of skill and ability, but it became clear that those talents were not the key to his life. The real key was " The Lord was with Joseph".
God's presence was the difference.Trials often come on the heals of our greatest successes.
Joseph looked beyond the immediate to the ultimate, recognizing the consequences that such sin would have on his relationship with God.
Joseph did not flirt with sin, argue with it or reason with it, he fled from it.
Often life isn't fair- but our responsibility is to do right and leave the consequences to God.
Joseph's character was under construction as he was shaped by adversity, punished by men and honored by God.
He recognized that he belonged to God.He recognized sin's affect on others.He recognized sin as defiance against God.
Life in a falled world seldom rewards right living.
God is in control of our lives.Nothing happens by accident.
Single most important character of a true leader: He was "a man in whom is the spirit of God."
Qualifications of a true leader are not merely physical, they are spiritual. It is not just about talents or skill but about character and relationship with God.Key character qualities of a great eader are internal, not external. They deal with knowing God, not with being great.
Step Into the Light
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
– Psalm 119:105
As long as you live by the Word of God, you never have to be in the dark again. You never have to remain in confusion about which path to take. You never have to grope blindly along, struggling to find your own way.
Isn't that great? Isn't it exciting to know that the Word of God will give you all the light you need every day of your life if you'll allow it to?
Build your faith in that Word and renew your commitment to it as you make this confession today:
"Father, in the Name of Jesus, I commit myself to walk in Your Word. I recognize that Your Word is integrity itself-- steadfast, sure, eternal--and I trust my life to its provisions.
"You have sent Your Word forth into my heart. I let it dwell in me richly in all wisdom. It does not depart out of my mouth; I meditate in it day and night so that I may diligently act on it. Your Word is an incorruptible seed, abiding in my spirit, and it's growing mightily in me now, producing Your nature, Your life.
"I thank You, Father, that Your Word is my counsel, my shield, my buckler, my powerful weapon in battle. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It makes my way straight before me, and I never stumble or fall for my steps are ordered by Your Word.
"I recognize the strategies and deceits of Satan and I put a stop to them by speaking Your Word out of my mouth in faith.
"I am confident, Father, that You are at work in me both to will and to do Your good pleasure. I exalt Your Word. I hold it in high esteem and give it first place in my life. I boldly and confidently say that my heart is fixed and established on the solid foundation--the living Word of God. Amen!"
– Psalm 119:105
As long as you live by the Word of God, you never have to be in the dark again. You never have to remain in confusion about which path to take. You never have to grope blindly along, struggling to find your own way.
Isn't that great? Isn't it exciting to know that the Word of God will give you all the light you need every day of your life if you'll allow it to?
Build your faith in that Word and renew your commitment to it as you make this confession today:
"Father, in the Name of Jesus, I commit myself to walk in Your Word. I recognize that Your Word is integrity itself-- steadfast, sure, eternal--and I trust my life to its provisions.
"You have sent Your Word forth into my heart. I let it dwell in me richly in all wisdom. It does not depart out of my mouth; I meditate in it day and night so that I may diligently act on it. Your Word is an incorruptible seed, abiding in my spirit, and it's growing mightily in me now, producing Your nature, Your life.
"I thank You, Father, that Your Word is my counsel, my shield, my buckler, my powerful weapon in battle. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It makes my way straight before me, and I never stumble or fall for my steps are ordered by Your Word.
"I recognize the strategies and deceits of Satan and I put a stop to them by speaking Your Word out of my mouth in faith.
"I am confident, Father, that You are at work in me both to will and to do Your good pleasure. I exalt Your Word. I hold it in high esteem and give it first place in my life. I boldly and confidently say that my heart is fixed and established on the solid foundation--the living Word of God. Amen!"
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