5 Steps to God’s prescription.

by Gloria Copeland

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 (Proverbs 4:20-24).

This passage of Scripture reveals God’s prescription for life and health. It contains instructions that, if properly followed, can literally change your life and your physical condition from sickness to health.

So, let’s look closely at what God is saying.

1. Attend to My Words

“My son, attend to My Words….” That means you must give your undivided attention to God’s Word and pay heed to what He says. When you attend to something, you give your attention to it. Give your time to the Word. Give thought and meditation to the Word. Give action to the Word. Continually give the Word first place in your life.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Your mind will be free from doubt when you keep your attention on God’s Word. When you are trusting in His Word, you are trusting in Him.

God’s Word will keep you in perfect peace.

2. Incline Thine Ears

Next, God said you must “incline thine ear unto my sayings.”

You do that when you desire and go after the knowledge of God’s Word and open your understanding to His Word. Attending meetings where the word of faith is being preached and listening to faith-filled tapes are ways to “incline your ear” and get the Word in your heart. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing the preached Word.

As you listen to what is being preached, listen with your spiritual ears as well. In Mark 4:23-25, Jesus tells us:

If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. For to him who has will more be given… (The Amplified Bible).

Every man to whom Jesus was speaking had physical ears. He was referring to receiving God’s Word in the heart by listening to the Holy Spirit speak revelation knowledge.

You must listen with your spiritual ears as well as your physical ears.

Jesus was not talking about passively hearing. He said to listen, perceive and comprehend, and even be careful how you hear. The time you give to digesting the Word you hear will measure the return of the virtue (power) and knowledge that will come back to you through the Word.

The man who hears (or receives revelation knowledge) will be given more. If you desire to grow in the knowledge of God, be careful how you hear His Word.

3. Let Them Not Depart From Thine Eyes

It’s also vitally important to keep your eyes on the Word of God. Don’t look at circumstances or give your attention to feelings that are contrary to your healing. Look at and consider (or give thought to) the scriptures instead of your body. “Let them not depart from thine eyes.”

Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22).

The eye is the gateway to the body. Keep the Word in your sight.

If your eye, or your attention, is on the darkness—the sickness—in your body, there will be no light to expel that darkness. If you focus on darkness, your eye will be unsound; therefore, your body will be unsound.

But if your eye is single, focused on the Word of God, your whole body will be full of light. The single eye allows no darkness to enter.

Looking at and giving your attention to sickness brings death. Looking at and giving your attention to God’s Word brings life! In some cases, what you give your attention to could mean the difference between life and death.

4. Keep Them in the Midst of Thine Heart

Allow God’s words to abide in you. “Keep them in the midst of thine heart” by meditating on the Scriptures and acting on what you hear. The portion of God’s Word you act on is the portion of His Word that is living in you. Continually feed yourself with God’s Word in order to keep the Word producing the force of faith.

Inclining your ear and refusing to allow the Word to depart from your eyes keeps God’s Word alive in your heart. Proverbs 4 says, “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

The Word is God’s medicine.

Jesus said, My words “are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Attending to the Word with your ears, your eyes and your heart will cause you to live in divine health. It will become as hard for you to get sick as it once was for you to be healed! The power of the Word will be made life and health to your body continually.

So “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The forces (issues) of life come from the midst of your heart. The Word in your heart produces life and health in your body.

5. Put Away a Froward Mouth

Once your heart gets full, it begins to overflow. Then “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).

The last step in taking God’s divine prescription is to speak, not words of sickness and disease, but rather words of healing and life, faith and hope. “Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee” (Proverbs 4:24).

For faith to work, it must be in two places: in your heart and in your mouth (Deuteronomy 30:14; Romans 10:10). You must speak God’s Word!

Several times since I have learned to walk in faith, almost before I realized it, I became too sick to stay on my feet. (I have learned since to go to the Word at the first sign of a symptom and immediately take a dose of God’s medicine!) I got my Bible, turned to 1 Peter 2:24, read it aloud, and by faith received my healing. I also played the New Testament on tape. Usually, I went to sleep listening to the Word. In a few hours or by the next morning, I was completely healed.

God’s medicine effected a healing and a cure in my body.

To be sick and receive healing was not God’s best for me. To receive healing is good, but to live in divine health is better.

To fill God’s prescription for life and health, you must diligently attend to His Word. Give the Word the place of authority in your life and spend time in it every day. The forces of life and power that come out of your heart will be in direct proportion to the amount of Word that goes into you.

You can’t overdose on God’s medicine. In fact, the more Word you take, the stronger you become. You have nothing to lose but sickness and disease.

So, today, begin taking God’s medicine and putting His Word to work. It’s your personal prescription for life and health!

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A Confession That Jesus Is Your Healer

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© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Did you know that THE BLESSING has been God’s intention for mankind all along? 

God’s been trying to bless us since the day He created us.

He declared THE BLESSING over Adam and Eve when He said, “Be fruitful and multiply”(Genesis 1:28). In Hebrew, this scripture translates “to increase and have abundance in every way.”

As Kenneth Copeland explains, “The declaration, THE BLESSING…is the source of all any human being could ever need or desire forever. In Genesis 1:28, it includes all you could ask or think. It is the source of all human needs and desires. There’s not anything that THE BLESSING lacks.”

Can you imagine lacking NOTHING and having an exceeding amount of abundance in every area of your life? That’s God’s will for you (Philippians 4:19)!

Debts, demolished. Disease and sickness, gone. Finances? Rich and overflowing.

The Word says we should be bursting with wealth (hundredfold returns, an abundance of houses, land and businesses). We should lack nothing and have great peace (Proverbs 10:22).

You may be wondering…

How can I get THE BLESSING?                   

• Adam and Eve were declared to be blessed. They could have anything their hearts desired in the Garden of Eden. God only commanded Adam and Eve to be obedient in one area, which was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).
• God promised Abraham THE BLESSING should he choose to be obedient to Him. As Abraham obeyed God’s voice and His words, he increased and experienced great wealth and prosperity (Genesis 12:1-8).
• God gave Moses and the Hebrews commandments to obey, so they could experience an overflow of abundance in every area of their lives through THE BLESSING (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

That’s right! To qualify for THE BLESSING, obedience is required. There are commandments, or prerequisites, we need to follow before we enjoy THE BLESSING (Psalm 112:1).

Now, you may be wondering…

What are the prerequisites to qualify for THE BLESSING?

Jesus set a list of prerequisites for believers to follow in Luke 6:27-37. If we are obedient to these prerequisites, the Word promises us we will walk in THE BLESSING, where our good measure expands into great abundance throughout all areas of our lives (Luke 6:38).

If you’re ready to stop struggling and start living in great abundance, follow these 4 Ways To Qualify for THE BLESSING.

1. Love Your Enemies

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies and do something wonderful for them in return for their hatred.” –Luke 6:27 (TPT)

What does loving your enemies mean to you?

Would you refuse to criticize and gossip? Do nice things for them? Pray for them?

For Joseph, loving his enemies meant working diligently in Potipher’s house.

Joseph’s own brothers had betrayed him and sold him into slavery. He was a teenager who went from a loving home to being chained and alone in a foreign land. He was forced to work for complete strangers. Even so, he didn’t gossip about his brothers. He stayed silent and refused bitterness.

Joseph worked diligently while enslaved in Potipher’s house. As a result of Joseph loving all his enemies, THE BLESSING remained on him. Potipher recognized THE BLESSING that was on Joseph and promoted him, and the house prospered because of it (Genesis 39:1-8).

Why didn’t Joseph complain or demand to be sent home?

• Joseph knew he didn’t need to worry about avenging himself or seeking justice. He knew it was not his job to defend himself, it was God’s (Exodus 14:14).
• He knew the Lord was with him, and he would eventually be freed from slavery (Proverbs 11:21).

Many people think Joseph was blessed because he was a descendant of Abraham. But that’s not entirely accurate. Joseph’s obedience to God is what qualified him for THE BLESSING (Genesis 42:18).

Like Joseph, we must remember to obey God and His Word. If anyone persecutes us, we celebrate that the great I AM has our backs (Deuteronomy 32:4). This means that we never have to worry about qualifying or defending ourselves with others, regardless of what they say or do.

And since we don’t need to defend ourselves, we are free to love others as they are and where they’re at. Sometimes people are in very hurt places, and they need to see Jesus. And we need to see them through His eyes, no matter how they’re acting in the moment. That’s why we love our enemies.

2. Bless Those Who Curse You

“When someone curses you, bless that person in return. When others mistreat and harass you, accept it as your mission to pray for them.” –Luke 6:28 (TPT)

How did Joseph respond when accused of assaulting Potipher’s wife?

Joseph had been harassed over and over again by Potipher’s wife. When he refused to lay with her, she viciously lied about him. Potipher didn’t ask for Joseph’s side of the story. He sent Joseph directly to prison (Genesis 39:11-20).

At the same time, Joseph didn’t try to defend himself against Potipher, nor did he judge Potipher or his wife. Things were wrongly taken from Joseph, but he didn’t demand they be given back (Luke 6:30).

Instead, Joseph chose to continue in good works and to bless others, even if it was from prison.

Joseph understood that God must have a bigger plan than what he saw in that moment. It didn’t feel very good to go from running an official’s house to being confined in prison, but that didn’t stop Joseph. He continued to bless others in the prison, and as a direct result, he was eventually promoted to the second most powerful position in all of Egypt (Genesis 40-41).

God will promote you as you bless others (Psalm 75:6-7).

Why?

• It is an act of faith to bless and love others, even as they curse you (Hebrews 11:1.
• If you operate in bitterness, you’re responding to what’s in the moment. Instead, respond with your faith – and God’s Word. If your flesh wants to rise up, speak from 1 Corinthians 13:5.
• When you bless others, you are trusting that God will work everything together for your good (Romans 8:28).
• God has called us to a faith-filled, greater life. We reach out for our future eagerly, never looking into our past and becoming bitter (Philippians 3:12-14).

If you’ll be like Joseph and unshackle the chains of offense, reach for your future, and seek to bless others regardless of their actions—you’ll walk in THE BLESSING, too!

3. Be Merciful

“Overflow with mercy and compassion for others, just as your heavenly Father overflows with mercy and compassion for all.” –Luke 6:36 (TPT)

What did Joseph do when his brothers—who sold him into slavery years ago—came begging for food in the midst of a famine?

He blessed them! Joseph had been promoted to the second most powerful man in Egypt. He could have had his brothers arrested and beaten. Then he could have ordered someone to retrieve his father, Jacob. But he didn’t. He gave his brothers a chance to redeem themselves. Compassion for others is what promoted Joseph in Egypt, and that same compassion allowed the Lord to restore his family (Genesis 45:5-20).

Are you allowing the Lord to restore the things you’ve lost?

What would you like restored in your life? A relationship? Your finances? Your ministry?

As you are merciful and compassionate to others, it allows the Lord to restore what you’ve lost. We are representatives of the Kingdom. We’re to be merciful and compassionate while we’re here on earth (1 Peter 3:8-9).

It’s why mercy is a prerequisite to walk in THE BLESSING. As we are merciful toward others, we are practicing what He teaches us in the Word, and in turn, He is with us (Philippians 4:9).

As Brother Copeland says, “God shows Himself among the merciful…because He knows that the merciful of heart will never use His wisdom to hurt nor to injure nor to cause calamity, but will use it for deliverance. And just like Jesus, they’ll go to any length to get to the mercy because it’s the mercy that sets people free.”

As you walk in mercy, you’ll walk in THE BLESSING. You’ll have immense wisdom and shine your light in this dark world with an overflow of joy, peace and prosperity. The Word says THE BLESSING brings an anointing and abundance into all areas of our lives, no matter where we are or what we need (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Proverbs 10:22).

4. Forgive Freely

“Jesus said, ‘Forsake the habit of criticizing and judging others, and then you will not be criticized and judged in return. Don’t condemn others and you will not be condemned. Forgive over and over, and you will be forgiven over and over.” –Luke 6:37 (TPT)

Judgment is a habit that will pull you – and others – down fast. The quickest way to kick the habit of judgment and walk in forgiveness is to put your faith to work. Kenneth Copeland suggests that when you’re getting ready to judge someone, speak forgiveness immediately.

You can say something like, “Father I forgive that person right now. I receive Your mercy and grace in the Name of Jesus! I always walk in Your peace and love. Thank You, Lord!” (Luke 6:35).

Praise Him, speak His Word, and let His glory arise out of you. You will be surprised how quickly the sin of judgment will leave, and you will be able to walk in forgiveness consistently, just like Jesus.

And just like we’ve been forgiven in Christ, we are to extend forgiveness to others. We are in the Body of Christ and are supposed to be tenderhearted, forgiving and kind. In fact, the Word says we walk in great power when we walk in forgiveness, becoming righteous and producing wonderful results (Ephesians 4:29-32; James 5:15-16).

Kenneth Copeland often tells a story about Starr Daily, author of the book Love Can Open Prison Doors. Mr. Daily was a hardened career criminal who came to Jesus in solitary confinement. It was in prison where he learned to walk in forgiveness and love.

In that same prison, there was a mean, old lifetime criminal on his deathbed. Starr said he had to try very hard not to hate this old man—He was just that ugly to people.

One day, the man called Starr over and said, “Come help me; I’m sorry I’ve been so ugly to you.”

Starr was excited, thinking God was finally working on this man. As Starr approached, the man took his old hickory cane from underneath his bed and whacked Star’s shins, laughing hysterically.

The old man kept up this trick for some time. But Starr did something unexpected. Just as it says in the scripture above, he chose to forgive this man, over and over again. As Starr did this, he felt more and more love toward him.

One day, the man called Starr over again. Starr thought another beating to his shins was coming, so he approached slowly and kept his distance.

He got up near his bedside and the old man said, “Son, I’m so sorry. I’ve treated you like a dog. But what you got, boy, is real. Do you think there’s any way that Jesus would have me?” 

And Starr led him to the Lord. The brightness of God came on this old man’s face just moments before he passed away. Praise God! Walking in forgiveness never fails because God’s love never fails.

Starr Daily was later released from prison with $10 in his pocket during the Great Depression. With only a fifth-grade education, Starr rose to become a respected and well-known Christian author and speaker. THE BLESSING is tangible, and it is real!

As you grab hold of these 4 Ways To Qualify for THE BLESSING, you’ll stop struggling and start living in great abundance. Remember, THE BLESSING has been God’s will for you all along. Follow Jesus. Follow His Word and walk in obedience. You will see THE BLESSING become a reality quickly and effortlessly. There’s no more lack, only love, peace and great prosperity!

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10 Scriptures About the Power of THE BLESSING

The Key to Making Life Easy

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Just when you think you figured out how God’s going to do something—think again, because He often changes things up. Two incidents recorded in the Old Testament tell of how God’s Anointing came on two men, Sampson and Daniel, who each had a lion problem.

With Samson, the Holy Spirit’s power manifested as supernatural strength to tear apart a fierce, young lion with his bare hands when it suddenly attacked him (Judges 14). For Daniel, who had been thrown into a lion’s den as punishment for worshiping God, the Holy Spirit’s power simply kept all the lions at bay allowing Daniel to get a good night’s sleep (Daniel 6).

Same problem, same God, same results—but, two very different approaches.

Perhaps it was the apostle Paul who said it best (Romans 11:33, TPT):

“Who could ever wrap their minds around the riches of God, the depth of his wisdom, and the marvel of his perfect knowledge? Who could ever explain the wonder of his decisions or search out the mysterious way he carries out his plan?”

If there’s one thing Paul did understand about God, it was that He’s never limited in the way He does things, or the reason for which He does them.

Take the gift of healing: In the same passage where Paul describes different kinds of gifts, different kinds of ministries and different kinds of workings, he also mentions “gifts of healings…” (1 Corinthians 12:9 NJKV).

Notice, Paul didn’t say “gifts of healing” (singular). No, the Greek word he uses is the plural form, healings. The idea being that there are multiple applications for God’s power when it manifests as healing. Multiple applications for multiple reasons.

Short version: God’s got healing coming at you from all different directions—and for all kinds of reasons (some being obvious, others not so much).

So if you want to tap solidly into the “gifts of healings”—for your benefit, as well as the benefit of people around you who are in need—study up on these six reasons divine healing is more than a miracle. They will broaden your understanding of God’s ways and deepen your faith in Him and the reality of the access you have to healing.

1. Divine Healing Delivers the Sick

“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’ Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened…. But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.” (Luke 5:12-15, NLT)

When you’ve GOT IT, you’ve got it—and Jesus had it…and plenty of it!

As you’d probably expect, the primary reason for divine healing—as manifested in the various gifts of healings—is to heal sick people. Divine healing delivers us from every attempt of the devil to steal, kill and destroy our lives where our health is concerned (John 10:10).

King David’s writings in the Book of Psalms are full of prophecy about the coming Messiah (Jesus), and His healing power:

“Sick and feeble, unable to stand the sight of food, we drew near to the gates of death. Then we cried out, ‘Lord, help us! Rescue us!’ And he did! God spoke the words ‘Be healed,’ and we were healed, delivered from death’s door!” (Psalm 107:18-20, TPT).

Other translations of this passage say, “[God] sent His word and healed them” (verse 20, NASB).

God “sent His word” in the person of Jesus, who showed up at His hometown of Nazareth one day—right after going into full-time ministry—announcing, “[God] has sent Me to heal…” (see Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1).

God’s assignment for Jesus was simple: Preach, teach, heal (repeat). And it was Jesus’ diligence to fulfill that assignment that sealed our deliverance from sickness and disease, once and for all.

With the preaching and teaching of God’s Word—which builds faith—comes healing. Doing what it takes to stay in that Word guarantees a steady flow of divine healing in our lives.

2. Divine Healing Confirms Jesus’ Power To Forgive Sins

“Jesus, aware of their thoughts, responded and said…‘Which is easier, to say: “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.’ And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. And they were all struck with astonishment.” (Luke 5:22-26, NASB)

The Bible makes a clear connection between forgiveness and healing:

• “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight…. When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away.” (Psalm 32:1, 3, NLT)
• “‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)
• “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and…the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well…If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15, NIV)

Healing begins with forgiveness.

Jesus’ blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. His blood sealed His agreement with God, allowing Him to take our sins in exchange for His righteousness (Matthew 26:28). The stripes Jesus suffered from the beatings before He was crucified allowed Him to take our sickness in exchange for His peace and wellbeing (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

Every time we confess and repent of sin, every time we forgive an offense committed against us—that’s another step closer we are to God’s healing power flowing through our lives.

3. Divine Healing Authorizes the Message Preached by Jesus’ Servants

“The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. Then they began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him. Standing there with them was the healed man, and there was nothing further they could say.” (Acts 4:13-14, TPT)

Early on in His three-plus years of ministry on this earth, Jesus called many disciples to “follow” Him, so they could see and experience the plans and power of God firsthand. Then, when the time was right, He sent groups of them out to minister as He stayed behind and watched over them from a distance.

What did they do out there on the road without the Master around?

Simple: Preach, teach, heal (repeat)—which is what they continued to do after Jesus ascended back into heaven. And it continued to produce the same results…

“Believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria…Crowds listened intently to [him] because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did” (Acts 8:4-6, NLT).

Simply by spending time with [Jesus]—through the Word and His Spirit—that same boldness, courage and faith (And divine healing!) can rub off on you, as it did His disciples.

4. Divine Healing Establishes the Resurrection of Jesus

“Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 4: 8-10, NLT)

Just as there’s a clear connection between forgiveness and divine healing, there’s also a strong correlation between divine healing and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

By all accounts in the Gospels, Jesus became famous for all the divine healing He ministered to people while He was on this earth:

“When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill” (Matthew 8:16, NASB).

But then, Matthew goes on to point out: “This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: ‘He Himself took our illnesses and [removed] our diseases’” (Matthew 8:17, NASB).

So, again, while Jesus ministered divine healing so powerfully and extensively during His earthly ministry, He established and secured for all eternity our right to healing—whole, healthy lives—by His resurrection.

Divine healing begins with forgiveness, but it’s sealed by the resurrection (John 11:25).

5. Divine Healing Draws People to the Sound of the Gospel

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting….At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running….” (Acts 2:1-2, 5-6 NLT)

Kenneth Copeland quotes Brother Kenneth E. Hagin as having said years ago, “Healing is the dinner bell of the gospel—people come running when they hear it.”

Obviously, that was the case when the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, as promised by Jesus to His disciples:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).

Imagine all the questions they had as soon as they heard those instructions.

“When will He come?” “How will we know He’s here?” “What will the power be like?”

Well, all God had to do was ring the “dinner bell,” and all those questions got answered!

Acts 2:11, NLT, goes on to tell us that as the crowd started gathering, they were stunned by what they heard:

“We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”

Eventually, Peter stood up and preached the Gospel—and at the end of the day 3,000 people from around the world believed and were baptized.

Whether it’s “the roaring of a mighty windstorm,” tongues, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, or dead being raised (Matthew 11:4-6), we’re all drawn to the sound of God’s power.

6. Divine Healing Can Be Imparted by the Laying on of Hands

“Then [Jesus] told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved…. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe…. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’” (Mark 16:15-18, NLT)

Again, it was James who asked:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well” (James 5:14-15, NIV).

Brother Copeland tells how a small spot once appeared on the top of his left hand. It was a growth about the size and color of a grain of white rice. It wasn’t really painful as it was a nuisance. A doctor examined it and diagnosed it as cancer.

As soon as Brother Copeland heard the report, he took James’ advice and called the elders of his church. He set up a time with his pastor, George Pearsons, so he could lay hands on him, anoint him and pray for healing.

Brother Copeland says, “The moment Pastor George touched that spot with the oil on his finger, it was like an electric shock hit my hand…and no more cancer!” This report was confirmed by his doctor on a subsequent visit.

Remember, Jesus said, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe….” He didn’t say, “Divine healing will only accompany those who are called to pastor.”

Are you a believer?

Then like Jesus’ disciples—the 12, the 72 and all the others who followed Him—you are sent by Him to minister His Word and His power to the sick, hurting, dying world around you. To do that you can begin by becoming more grounded in the breadth and depth of divine healing. Divine healing truly is a miracle of God—but its eternal impact is far beyond the healing of our temporal bodies. Divine healing is more than a miracle—it’s God’s calling card to reach deep into the heart of all mankind and transform lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Psalm 91: 15 Steps to a Long and Satisfying Life

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

There’s a phrase Kenneth Copeland doesn’t like.

Undoubtedly, 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…God is sovereign.”

Of course, without question, God is sovereign. But what people are really saying behind that statement is, “You never know what God is going to do.”

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 to anyway, so we might as well go watch television and forget about it, right? Wrong.

According to Psalm 8:6, God Himself put mankind in charge, gave us dominion, and put all things under our feet. He doesn’t intervene in the affairs of the Earth whenever He wants. He respects the dominion and authority He has given us.

Are all things under your feet today?

If not, it’s time to take a closer look at what dominion really means.

1. Dominion Means Operating In the Anointing

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for he has anointed Me.” –Luke 4:18

Dominion is a God-given gift to His people that requires His supernatural Anointing. It belongs to you, but it isn’t automatic. It takes faith, walking in love, and operating in the anointing.

The word anoint means “to pour out on, put on or smear on.” That’s why we anoint with oil—it represents the pouring on of the Spirit of God.

Operating in the anointing is what gives you the ability to take dominion over every area of your life—to do things you’d never be able to do otherwise. The anointing is what gave Samson supernatural strength and the ability to overcome his enemies. The anointing is what enabled David to kill Goliath. And the anointing is what allowed Joseph the knowledge to run a major estate for Potiphar with notable success.

That same anointing is available to you today. Expect to operate in the anointing if you want to take dominion!

(Find 15 Scriptures About Dominion HERE.)

2. Dominion Means Prospering Financially

“The LORD will open for you His good treasure house, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.” –Deuteronomy 28:12 (AMP)

Dominion is what sets you apart from the rest of the world—especially financially. As a believer, you should always be the head of every situation—not the tail. That means you have money in abundance to take care of your own needs and to be a blessing to those around you. It means you’re the lender, NOT the borrower.

People should be able to see THE BLESSING of the Lord on you. They should see that you prosper in every situation, no matter what your job is or the state of the economy. It’s a testimony of the goodness of God!

What about you? Do you feel like you have financial dominion and authority over your finances? Or do bills, debt and work-related troubles seem to rule you instead?

Start seeing yourself as having dominion in the area of finances. When an unexpected financial situation comes your way, take your seat in the place of authority instead of falling into a victim mentality. When you start with the right mindset, you’ll respond with the right actions.

The right actions are believing for victory, speaking victory, and reaching out and taking what belongs to you. They involve resisting the devil, putting him under your feet, and refusing to accept anything less than God’s best.

3. Dominion Means Excelling to the Highest Place Possible

“And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down.”—Deuteronomy 28:13 (ESV)

To excel in the spirit of the Word is to prosper financially, physically and relationally. That’s the result of THE BLESSING.

Physically, that means you don’t settle for aches and pains, allergies, sickness, disease, or age-related setbacks. You excel to the highest place possible, which is a long life in a strong, healthy body.

Relationally, it means you don’t settle for strife in your home, a broken marriage, an unfulfilled desire for family, or rebellious children. You excel to the highest place possible, which is a family most people only dream of. Dominion looks different from the world. Our families should look different, as a result.

Financially, it means you don’t settle for lack, low pay, being stuck in the same job year after year, taking out loans, or living paycheck to paycheck. You excel to the highest place possible by continually INCREASING in your pay, your savings, your investments and your giving.

The very first thing a human ear ever heard was, “Be blessed!” That’s a mandate. It’s time to fulfill it.

4. Dominion Means Expecting to Be Blessed In Famine

“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year [during a famine] reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.” –Genesis 26:12 (NIV)

Maybe you’re good at expecting dominion and blessing…unless something like COVID-19 or an economic downturn show up. Then, you’re afraid of losing your job or watching the stock market fall like everyone else.

But dominion means you expect to be blessed even in famine.

The story of Joseph prospering in prison and during a famine isn’t just a nice story that is supposed to entertain us. No! It’s an example of how we are to expect to live ourselves—a call to live in dominion.

Watch Gloria Copeland and Pastor George Pearsons teach you how to thrive in famine.

Dominion means expecting to be blessed in famine. It means when layoffs are happening all around you—you’re expecting to increase anyway. When the stock market is fluctuating, you have peace, and you trust in the anointing to guide you and protect you.

Dominion means you aren’t subject to the times—the times are subject to you. And you know it!

5. Dominion Means Expecting to Be Healed

“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” –Luke 10:19 (NLT)

You have dominion over the devil. The devil is the author of sickness and disease. Therefore, you should EXPECT to live in divine health all the days of your life because you have dominion!

Take dominion over symptoms and negative doctors’ reports. Don’t for a minute let yourself feel like a victim. You have authority. Take it in the Name of Jesus. Speak it by the power of the blood of Jesus. You’re redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.

Every sickness and disease is under your feet. Expect healing to come to you, and then expect to live in divine healing all the days of your life.

6. Dominion Means Destroying Every Yoke

“…when thou shalt have the dominion…thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.”
—Genesis 27:40 (KJV)

Enemies, depression, the weight of sin, oppressive attempts of the devil. These are all yokes that must be destroyed. The devil wants to hinder your promotion, growth and increase. He wants to STOP what God has already set in motion in your life.

Dominion means destroying every yoke by tapping into the yoke-destroying anointing that is at your fingertips.

It’s time to get tough and break loose from bondage. Command failure, poverty, addiction or any other yoke to leave you NOW in Jesus’ Name. You have dominion.

Now that you know what dominion really means, it’s time to exercise and demonstrate it so others can witness it and become citizens of God’s kingdom themselves. Break off every yoke, get out from under every burden, and take your seat in THE BLESSING. Live a life of dominion!

Watch Kenneth Copeland teach you about walking in deliverance and dominion.

Related Articles:

15 Scriptures About Dominion

How to Use Your Spiritual Authority in Any Situation

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Do you have faith that gives glory to God or does it question His power and goodness? Find out how to develop fully persuaded faith and take God at His Word.

Faith. You can’t get saved without it. You can’t walk the Christian walk without it. You can’t win the victory without it. You can’t please God without it. Faith is a spiritual force that, when fully developed, subdues kingdoms, works righteousness, obtains promises, stops the mouths of lions, and quenches the violence of fire (Hebrews 11:33-34, NKJV). And faith doesn’t just deliver the victory into your hands—faith gives glory to God.

Not just any faith, but the kind of faith that honors God as trustworthy, faithful, powerful and loving. It means acknowledging His glory—His manifested presence, power and goodness. And it is also connected to love (Galatians 5:6). So, faith in God is expressing love to God. Imagine saying to your spouse or good friend, “I love you, but I don’t believe you.” That doesn’t sound much like love! “Love…always trusts” (1 Corinthians 13:7, EXB). If you aren’t trusting God—taking Him at His Word—are you really loving Him?

Faith works for the people who will put it to work. And it gives God glory in front of a cloud of witnesses. As Jerry Savelle says, “God wants to work wonders for you because it arrests the attention of others—especially nonbelievers.”

Faith that gives glory to God is faith that is fully persuaded, doesn’t consider the circumstances, acts on the Word and stays out of strife. Find out if you fit the bill, and if not, how to get there.

1. Faith That Is Fully Persuaded Gives Glory to God

“Being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform.” –Romans 4:21 (MEV)

Society is rife with skepticism these days. Negative sayings abound: “Don’t believe it unless you see it,” and “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.” Couple that with endless statistics about the low likelihood of success in any given area, and it’s easy to see why people struggle to have faith! So if you’re going to church and hearing encouragement one day each week, but you fill up on cynicism the rest of the week—your faith is in trouble!

You’ll want to believe, and you’ll even feel like you have faith—but you won’t be fully persuaded. If you’re fully persuaded, you don’t have one foot in faith and the other in fear. Fully persuaded faith is all in—there’s no middle ground. When you’re fully persuaded, you aren’t wishing or hoping—instead, you know that you know that you know that what God said is true and for YOU.

As Jesse Duplantis says, “When you expect nothing, don’t be surprised when you receive nothing.”

Find out How to Activate Fully Persuaded Faith here.

That seems like a high level of faith, so how do we get there? By renewing our minds. To renew means to “rebuild and re-energize.” It’s a continual process of rebuilding the truth of the Word of God into a mind that is constantly exposed to things of the world. One way you can help is by limiting that exposure!

Fully persuaded faith gives glory to God because it honors Him as trustworthy, faithful, just and final authority. That’s what Abraham did when God told him that he and Sarah would conceive a child in their old age. He could have come up with a lot of “logic” and “common sense” and medical data, family history, what happened to the neighbors, and so much more to counter this promise and let doubt creep in. But he didn’t. Instead, “he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20-21, KJV).

Being strong in faith is giving glory to God by being fully persuaded that He’s able to do what He promised (verse 21). It’s putting more trust in God and His Word than in anything else on this planet. God said, “I have made you the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5, AMPC). For Abraham, what God said was enough.

2. Faith That Doesn’t Consider the Circumstances Gives Glory to God

“He considered not his own body….”—Romans 4:19 (KJV)

Abraham “considered” not the circumstances. Consider means “to use the mind.” That’s using reason, natural facts, scientific studies, what happened last time or anything else you can think of. Instead, he chose to tune in to his heart. That’s where belief comes—in the spirit man.

You are a spirit, you have a soul (mind, will and emotions), and you live in a body (flesh). Your spirit is the born-again, re-created part of you with the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Your soul is the intellectual side of your being, and your body is the flesh, or carnal side.

So, when symptoms of sickness, for example, show up in your body, your flesh is very in tune with those symptoms. The spirit knows the truth about the matter, so that leaves your mind. Whichever way your mind goes—it’s two against one. So, if your mind sides with your flesh, you’re going to give more weight to your circumstances than anything else. But if you have a renewed mind—one that has been trained to come into agreement with God’s Word—you have two against one on the other side because your soul is now agreeing with your spirit. That is how you become fully persuaded.

Kenneth Copeland tells a story that illustrates this point:

We were in this prayer line, and I was going along laying hands on different ones. I started to lay hands on this man, and The LORD stopped me. He said, Ask him if he’s healed. Well, you know that’s kind of a funny thing to ask a guy who’s in the prayer line. He’s in the healing line, and you ask him if he’s healed. I said, “Are you healed?”

“No.” He said, “I’ve got this thing right here.” And he started describing whatever it was he had there on his side. And I heard The LORD say just as plain as before, Ask him again, ‘Are you healed?’ He said, “No.”

I said, “The WORD of God says, By His stripes you were healed.”

“Yeah, I know it says that.”

“Well, are you healed?”

“No, I tell you I’ve got this thing right here.”

Well, now I’m into it, you know, and I really don’t know what to do next. But I heard The LORD. The LORD just kept telling me, Ask him again. I said, “The Bible says, By His stripes you were healed.”

“Yeah. I know it says that.”

I said, “Are you healed?”

He said, “No!”

I said, “Well, then you never will be.”

This man’s natural mind was siding with his flesh instead of his spirit. His unrenewed mind was preventing him from having a revelation of his healing, and without the revelation, he couldn’t receive the manifestation.

So, when symptoms show up declaring sickness, lack, decrease, family failure or anything else against the Word of God, faith that gives glory to God won’t consider them. It won’t ignore them, but it won’t give them first place. When you say, “Yeah, but the doctor said…” or “Well, just look at my bank account,” you’ve already fallen off the faith line.

Is Your Faith Real? Find out here.

Kenneth Copeland continues his story.

I said, “If I agree with you, you’re going to keep that thing you’ve got on your side. If you will agree with the Bible, then you have God’s WORD that you’re healed.” Man, you could see the light come on.

“Yeah,” he said. “Praise God! Put your hand on me. I’ll be healed.”

I laid hands on him, and the power of God just knocked him sideways, brother, and he came up healed.

Does your faith honor and praise Him? Or does it question His goodness and His grace? Does it magnify Him, or does it believe symptoms, bank accounts and trouble in this world over what He has to say?

Faith that gives glory to God says to God: “You said it, and that’s enough for me.” Don’t glorify your circumstances—give glory to God!

Join Kenneth Copeland as he shares more about faith that gives glory to God.

3. Faith That Acts On the Word Gives Glory to God

“They went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.” –Luke 5:19 (NKJV)

Faith without action isn’t really faith at all. Some people might think they have faith, but they’re really just wishing or hoping. Real Bible faith will step out and act like what God says is true. That’s important because if we don’t give authority to His written Word, then even when we need Him to be on the scene right away, there are situations where we have blocked Him from helping us.

That happened in Jesus’ own hometown. He was just as anointed in Nazareth as He was anywhere else, yet “He could do no mighty work” (Mark 6:5, NKJV). Why? “Because of their unbelief” (verse 6, NKJV). Unbelief ran Him out of town. A refusal to believe what He said prevented the miraculous from taking place. They refused to believe Him. They gave His words zero place—none. And He left town and went to Capernaum, where they gave place to His Word and His life.

So, whatever you’re believing for, ask yourself, “Am I acting on that belief?” If you believe you’re healed, do you still tell people what you can’t do because of your condition? If you believe God is your Provider, are you staying up at night worrying about paying your bills? Whatever you’re wanting to receive by faith, find out if you’re really acting on it. If not, start today!

Kenneth Hagin Sr. once said, “Stop trying to make God’s Word work and start acting on the Word.”

When we act on God’s Word, we give Him honor and glory. Faith in the absolute authority of the Word of God requires no other evidence.

What God has already said and what God has already done, believe it in your heart, say it with your mouth, then act like it’s true. That’s faith that gives glory to God.

4. Faith That Stays Out of Strife Gives Glory to God

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” –Proverbs 10:12 (ESV)

What does strife have to do with faith that gives glory to God? Faith won’t work without love (1 Corinthians 13:2), and as long as you’re in strife—any kind of strife—you’re stepping out of love. Is it possible to go through life without strife? Yes! That doesn’t mean you won’t feel frustrated with someone now and then or disagree with others, but it does mean that you will work to keep out of strife. There’s an effort involved.

Why is this so critical to your faith? Strife is a blessing blocker. That’s why if the devil can’t get you any other way, he will work to get you in strife or unforgiveness. It’s how he brings confusion to your life and situation. It distracts you, gets you off that love line and out of position to receive what you’re believing for. “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16, KJV). That doesn’t sound like miracle-working ground!

That’s why the devil pushes strife so hard. Don’t tolerate even a little bit of strife. You don’t want even a tiny bit of dirt in your fuel tank because over time, it will blow your engine. Strife is the same way. One grain of sand, one bit of strife every day or two, will cost you.

Kenneth Copeland says, “Unrepented sins of strife, little grains of it at a time seem so insignificant that you may not even stop and deal with it until your spirit is so clogged up, God’s glory can’t flow through it.”

That’s the reason you have to be on guard—be watching for it all the time. Don’t even get in strife with the news commentator on TV. Don’t sit there and fuss back at the news. If you can’t be trusted with the news, cut it off. As far as it depends on you, stay out strife, stay in peace, stay in God’s rest.

Don’t let other people get under your skin and cause you to lose your love walk. Say, “No. I’m not getting off my love walk.” Then, pray for them right there. It’s worth the effort, and it produces the kind of faith that gives glory to God.

Watch Kenneth and Gloria talk about how faith in the love of God drives out fear.

Now you can develop your faith to the place where you are fully persuaded, don’t consider natural circumstances, act on the Word, and stay out of strife, to achieve the kind of faith that gives glory to God! Living by faith will achieve wondrous and miraculous things in your life. It will bring victory! More importantly, it will give glory to God. Isn’t that worth pursuing?

Related Articles:

3 Confessions to Build Your Faith

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

4 Notes to Self When the Unexpected Collides With Your Busy

Life’s moving along quite nicely for you…

You made it to work, the store or maybe the airport ahead of the crowd. You’re not rushed, and you just might have a little me-time before the big push of your day.

Or, maybe you finally got the kids off to school, to the grandparents or to bed, and now there’s definitely some me-time in sight.

But what do you do when the dog gets loose, you can’t find your keys, the babysitter cancels, you miss your flight or a Zoom call gets added to your already full schedule?

What goes off in your head when the unexpected collides with your busy, and suddenly, your day is thrown into slow motion, and all that momentum you had gets hijacked? Is it a delay or a divine interruption?

Imagine, for a moment, living a lifestyle where you actually went looking for—even anticipating—those kinds of unscheduled interruptions, with the idea that something extraordinary could come of them.

Take a closer look at the fine print of Jesus’ job description while He was on this earth, and you’re likely to find a disclaimer stating something to the effect: “All plans subject to change!”

In fact, if you randomly pulled a page out of Jesus’ Day Diary, it might look something like Luke 8:

• Impromptu teaching to large crowd that gathered spontaneously (verses 4-8)
• Follow-up meeting with disciples to explain teaching they didn’t get (verses 9-18)
• Mother and brothers showed up unexpectedly; got a little awkward (verses 19-21)
• Crossed lake with disciples; storm suddenly blew in and they lost it (verses 22-25)
• Demon-possessed man (naked, violent) immediately approached us (verses 26-30)
• Demons entered herd of pigs; pigs unexpectedly drowned in lake (verses 31-33)
• Town’s people spontaneously gathered; afraid, asked us to leave (verses 34-37)
• Crossed lake; man met our boat, begged for help, daughter dying (verses 37-42)
• Followed him (Jairus) home; on way, woman healed from bleeding (verses 42-48)
• Almost to house when messenger met us; Jairus’ daughter had died (verses 49-50)
• Arrived at house; full of mourners (had them leave); raised girl up (verses 51-56).

To Jesus, it was just another day in the life—a series of interruptions, unplanned events to which He willingly (even readily) submitted and subjected Himself.

To us it would have been a train wreck, a total loss of a day—chaos, even!

But if you study it out, on the backside of each of those interruptions Jesus encountered was significant impact by the Spirit of God, and all because Jesus made Himself available—to His Father, to the Holy Spirit and to the people around Him.

If you’re looking for more of God’s power to manifest in and through your life—to where you’re experiencing and effecting significant impact in the lives of people around you—consider making these 4 Notes to Self for the next time your day is interrupted.

Note to Self No. 1: Welcome Interruptions

“As Jesus went with [Jairus], he was surrounded by the crowds. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming upbehind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked.

“When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard herexplain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. ‘Daughter,’ he said to her, ‘your faith has made you well. Go in peace.’

“While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, ‘Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.’” –(Luke 8:42-45, 47-49)

Ticktock, lady!

Who would blame a desperate dad like Jairus for thinking something like that (if he did)?

Timing was everything—it was life or death, after all—and Jairus probably felt like he and Jesus were making good time, considering all the crowds.

Then, this happened! And no one saw it coming. Apparently, not even Jesus.

But notice how Jesus handled the interruption:

As soon as the messenger delivered the news about the girl, Jesus told Jairus, “Don’t yield to fear…keep on believing” (Mark 5:36, TPT).

Fear of what?

We’re too late! If it hadn’t been for this interruption! It’s no use now!

How many times has your head exploded with those kinds of thoughts in the middle of an unexpected change of plans?

Jairus could have blamed the woman for his daughter’s death because she interrupted them and slowed things down. But he didn’t. He stayed in faith—and it’s obvious he did, based on Jesus’ instructions to him. Otherwise, his daughter wouldn’t have lived. He wouldn’t have received his miracle.

Understand, breakthrough can happen in the interruptions of life. So, don’t curse your interruptions. Welcome them!

That’s how Jesus lived His life. That’s how He perceived and responded to interruptions at any given moment on any given day—and it resulted in Holy Spirit power.

Note to Self No. 2: Do a Reality Check

“When the truth-giving Spirit comes, he will unveil every truth [reality] within you. He won’t speak on his own, but only what he hears from the Father, and he will reveal prophetically to you what is to come.” –(John 16:13, TPT)

Brother Copeland read this passage for years, and it never really meant much to him, until one day the reality of it exploded on the inside of him:

You mean the Holy Spirit gives me access to everything God knows—and He’s willing to reveal it to me?

That changed everything!

When we get caught up in the busyness of life—and under its pressures—it can be a challenge to think straight and really see matters for what they truly are…what’s fact or fiction, reality or deception.

That’s when we need insight: What’s happening, here? What’s really going on?

The very first semester Brother Copeland started attending Oral Roberts University, he was hired as a pilot for the ministry to fly Oral Roberts and assist in meetings.

One day after a flight back to campus, he was riding in an elevator with Oral Roberts and Billy Graham, who were to be speakers at ORU’s graduation ceremony. On the ride up to the administrative offices, Brother Copeland smiled a big smile and thought to himself…

This is it—I’m going to graduate in four years, continue to work for Brother Roberts and be part of this ministry in Tulsa!

It wasn’t long afterward that God interrupted Brother Copeland’s plans and said, No, I’m ready for you now.

Again, that changed everything!

God’s Spirit is charged with getting over to us the truth of every matter, as well as any information we need to know of what lies ahead. Our responsibility—like Jesus’ and Jairus’—is to flex and go with the interruption, which will get us to where we really need to be so we can release faith and His power.

Note to Self No. 3: Be on the Lookout for God

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…. How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me…. But now it is too late…. Before long your enemies will…. crush you into the ground…. because you did not recognize it when God visited you [the time of your visitation].” –(Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 19:42-44)

As Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time (before going to the cross), He began to weep and cry out. He was grieved because the “chosen people of God” missed their visitation from God. The Son of God had been among them for more than 30 years, most never knew it, and few embraced it.

For nearly 2,000 years, Jews had been waiting, watching, praying for Messiah. Yet, in all their looking and longing, they missed Him.

People are still missing Jesus today.

Jesus says, “Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me” (Revelation 3:20, TPT).

How is it possible to hear Jesus’ voice?

“The one whose heart is open,” He goes on to explain, “let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying…” (verse 22, TPT).

Kenneth Copeland and Pastor Greg Stephens, professor at Kenneth Copeland Bible College^®, agree that “the day of your visitation” Jesus referred to in Luke 19 refers to the Holy Spirit—or, as Brother Kenneth Hagin used to say, “God in the now!”

When you learn to listen to and flow with God’s Spirit, He will lead and direct you into ALL truth. And the truth is—every day can be “your day of visitation” if you’re on the lookout for God, willing to allow Him into your day—and even interrupt it if necessary.

Note to Self No. 4: Get in Jesus’ Head—and Stay There

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan…. I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God…. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” –(1 Corinthians 2:1, 4-5, 10)

The power of the Holy Spirit—not the wisdom of man—is what reveals the mysteries of God to us. Those mysteries are knowledge and information that only God’s Spirit knows and only He can reveal.

Again, as we become more experienced in listening to the Holy Spirit and going through life with Him as Jesus did, we get to the place where, as the Apostle Paul describes…

“Those who live in the Spirit are able to carefully evaluate all things…. and we possess Christ’s perceptions [we have the mind of Christ]” (1 Corinthians 2:15-16, TPT).

That’s why—even after having flown aircraft for more than half a century—every time Brother Copeland gets in the cockpit of a plane, he prays…

“In the Name of Jesus, I exercise the mind of Christ to fly because You gave it to me, and called me to do it. So, I will not forget anything. I will not do anything unsafe. YOU trained me. YOU taught me. Now, I plead the blood of Jesus over this aircraft. I bind every evil spirit away from this aircraft, and declare every evil plan of the enemy is thwarted. Ministering angels, lift us up in your hands according to Psalm 91.”

To that, Brother Copeland would also say:

“As I diligently study, train and prepare for whatever it is God would have me do to fly, His power comes on me, and I get into the place of listening to God and responding to His every directive.”

Certainly, there are interruptions we can, and should, avoid in life. But there are those times when you look and look and look…and you just can’t seem to find your car keys!

“The Holy One has anointed you and you know all things” (1 John 2:20, NKJV).

This is why it’s important to pray over everything and seek, search out the mind of Christ in every situation. It’s yours. You have 24/7 access. Use it to get into that place of “listening to God and responding.”

While you’re at it, do what the Apostle John goes on to say…

“The wonderful anointing you have received from God…. remain in [it]” (1 John 2:27, TPT).

These simple 4 Notes to Self are what helped keep Jesus on track and in step with His Father—allowing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to flow freely—throughout His day. Day after day, they helped Him navigate ALL those interruptions. They turned the potential for aggravation into the possibility of a miracle.

They will do the same for you!

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Thank God for voice activation! You know, Seri, Alexa, Cortana, Bixby—those all-familiar voices we’ve come to rely on. They are our virtual friends who so amazingly and dutifully help us run the universe—and all hands-free. As long as there’s a smart device nearby, they’re always there for us—waiting for us to speak!

As a believer, you have far more than virtual assistants to get you through your day. You have the Spirit of Power with you 24/7! That’s why, just before He left this earth, Jesus assured His disciples (and us)…

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever” (John 14:16, AMPC).

You have all the creative force of heaven and earth available to you. It’s simply a matter of learning how to activate and effectively use all that power—just like Siri and Alexa. If you’re ready for the power of God to manifest in your life, you’re in the right place.

Below are 4 Ways To Activate the Spirit of Power on your behalf, ensuring that you reach your fullest potential and live your best life, every day.

Activator No. 1: Words Cause Action

“In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” –(Genesis 1:1-3, AMPC)

The Holy Spirit is always watching, always listening, always ready to move into action (2 Chronicles 16:9). But, notice, God’s Spirit never does anything except but what He hears.

At Creation, the Holy Spirit was busy moving, hovering and brooding; yet nothing happened until God spoke. But the moment He did, the Holy Spirit cut loose, and the universe started expanding at a rate of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light. (Do the math!)

Within the first 24 hours, the creative force of God’s words traveled nearly 17 billion miles—and science tells us that it still hasn’t stopped!

That’s power. That’s God’s Spirit of Power. And that’s the power of words.

• Words are powerful; they kill or give life (Proverbs 18:21)
• God’s words do everything He wants them to (Isaiah 55:11)
• God’s words bring into being things that did not exist (Romans 4:17)
• God sustains and expands the universe by the power of His words (Hebrews 1:3).

All power is delegated by God, and all power comes in the container of words. Even Jesus admitted:

“I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say” (John 12:49-50).

If the Holy Spirit and Jesus are bound by God’s Word (John 16:13-15), it makes sense that we are, too.

And so Jesus encourages us, as He did His disciples:

“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” (Mark 11:23, AMPC).

What happens next is up to you. So, pick your words wisely!

If you choose to speak God’s Word—in faith—you will activate the Spirit of Power you need to produce the abundance of life you want.

Activator No. 2: Saying Is Believing

“These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” –(Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NKJV)

Seeing is not believing—Jesus made that clear (John 20:24-29).

Rather, the words we continually speak prove what we really believe (Mark 11:23).

Since what we believe is what we say, it’s vitally important we program our hearts and minds with the right words, with life-producing words…with God’s Word:

• God’s Word on our lips and in our hearts produces life and prosperity (Deuteronomy 30:14-15)
• God’s Word in our hearts produces a long, prosperous, peaceful life (Proverbs 3:1-2)
• God’s Word in our hearts produces life, healing and health (Proverbs 3:1-2)
• Confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts produces salvation (Romans 10:9).

The process God taught His people thousands of years ago—how to develop faith by using words to program our minds and hearts—still works for us today. It’s a process Kenneth Copeland calls becoming God-inside minded. It’s when we read, meditate and speak God’s Word until it becomes the final authority in our lives—the final word or final say about any situation we might face.

So think about it: When the pressure’s on, when the emotional temperature in the room is high, when things aren’t going your way at all…

What will be the next words out of your mouth?

What will you say that—in the end—proves what you believe?

Activator No. 3: Believing the Love

“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit…. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” –(1 John 4:13, 16, NKJV)

As promised, once Jesus returned to Heaven, God sent His Spirit to be our Standby (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:4). He sent “the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, TPT).

God loves us, and He sent His Holy Spirit to empower us. He offers us 24/7 access to His Spirit of Power and His Spirit of Love. Our response and responsibility is simply to believe the love God has for us and receive His power. Sounds easy enough, but for many believers it’s not.

The day after Jesus miraculously fed about 20,000 hungry people, He had crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd tracked Him down. They had experienced firsthand this Spirit of Power in action through what Jesus had done the night before, so they asked Him…

“We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” (John 6:28).

“Jesus told them, ‘This is the only work God wants from you: Believe…’” (verse 29).

Activating the power of God always comes down to faith. And sadly, Jesus had to call all those people out that day because they really didn’t believe (verse 36).

When it comes to believing the love of God, know that…

• The faithful love of the Lord never ends (Lamentations 3:22)
• God loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
• God loved us even while we were sinners (Romans 5:8)
• God lavishes great love on us (1 John 3:1).

When it comes to receiving the power of God, know that…

• The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11)
• We are to be filled constantly with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
• The unlimited greatness of God’s power to us who believe (Ephesians 1:19)
• Believe in Jesus and you will do greater works (John 14:12).

When we’re convinced of God’s love and filled with His Spirit, there’s nothing we (He) can’t do!

It’s like Jesus told the crowd, if we’ll just focus on the believing (and receiving) part, God’s Spirit of Power will handle the rest (Mark 11:24).

Activator No. 4: Dressing for Battle

“The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm…. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.” –(Isaiah 59:15-17)

Jesus secured the final victory over our enemies—the demons of hell, hell itself and death (Revelation 1:18). But the battle isn’t over and we, as believers, have the responsibility of maintaining that victory while we’re in this world (Romans 8:12-14, 37; Revelation 12:10-11).

Certainly, we can be confident God still has our backs:

• The Lord Himself fights for us (Exodus 14:14)
• God redeems His people with His mighty arm (Psalm 77:14-15)
• God uses His people to display His power in the earth (Isaiah 55:4)
• The glory of the Lord is our rear guard (Isaiah 58:8).

At the same time, however, Almighty God has full confidence that we’ve got this!

You see, as beloved children of God, we get the final word, the final say in this battle against our enemy, and here’s what the Apostle Paul would advise us to say:

We are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10)!

To do that, and be that, we have to dress for battle—the same as the Lord did in Isaiah 59.

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies…. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil” (Ephesians 6:11-13).

What’s even better, we, as next generation believers, now have personal access to the ultimate weapon of choice—the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Power Himself.

Though the people of Israel did not have God’s Spirit living inside them, they had the hope of having Him alongside…

“He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream which the [Spirit] of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy]” (Isaiah 59:19, AMP).

Thank God for the blood of Jesus shed for us, because it affords us what the Apostle Paul calls the better covenant, with better promises (Hebrews 8:6). And one of those “better promises” is the Spirit of Power.

If you could use some hands-free assistance today—remember these 4 Ways To Activate the Spirit of Power. The Greater One (1 John 4:4) is ready to respond to YOU just as quickly, just as powerfully as He did to the Creator on the first day of the world. All you have to do is activate Him…using your words, expressing your faith, believing His love and dressing for battle. On the other side of that, you will find your help!

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How To Apply For Your Heavenly Grant Now

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

…so They’re ALWAYS Getting Results

Have you ever felt your prayers for help were like shooting a flare in the sky over a deserted island?

It looked impressive going up—even hopeful—but gravity eventually kicked in, and it was back on the ground in no time…with no noticeable impact.

God once warned the Israelites that disobedience to His Word would result in the sky over their heads becoming like bronze (Deuteronomy 28:23)—keeping rain from falling down and prayers from going up.

Thankfully, the blood of Jesus not only redeems us from that curse (a closed heaven), but it also guarantees us an unobstructed flow of heaven’s BLESSINGS (Galatians 3:13-14). And part of those BLESSINGS include the promise that God will always hear us (1 John 5:14).

The Lord once told Brother Copeland, Kenneth, I’m not trying to keep anything from you. I’m doing everything I can to get things to you!

That’s God’s attitude and approach to all of us who are in hot pursuit of Him, especially when it comes to prayer and keeping the lines of communication open.

Brother Copeland describes the Bible as a Prayer Book, loaded with all kinds of prayers for us to use in all kinds of situations. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV).

But maybe you’re not so convinced God’s all that interested in hearing from you.

Well, give these words—from the heart and lips of Jesus—a moment to sink in:

• Ask, seek, knock (Matthew 7:7-8)
• Always pray, never give up (Luke 18:1-8)
• Keep on asking and you will receive (John 16:24)
• God gives us what we ask for (1 John 5:15)
• God goes over and above what we ask for (Ephesians 3:20)
• You don’t have because you don’t ask (James 4:2).

Picking up on a theme?

Ask! God wants you to, and even expects you to.

Your heavenly Father is fully committed to receiving and responding to any S.O.S. you send His way. There’s NO hesitancy on His part. But maybe you could use a confidence boost before you start launching your next round of prayers and requests heavenward.

Again, there’s no one, set way to pray—except always in faith, always believing God. So, study and consider how to apply the following six different aspects of prayer that can connect you with God on new levels and bring the changes you so want in your world.

Prayer Boost No. 1: Heavenly Grants

“Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.” –(Mark 11:23-24, NASB)

To grant something is to allow it, permit it or give it (as with a gift). It’s where the lesser person in a situation is blessed by the greater one (Hebrews 7:7). But even if a grant is offered as a gift, it usually comes with conditions.

As we’ve already seen—when it comes to our prayers—there’s no doubt that God stands ready to grant whatever we ask. Yet, Jesus couldn’t seem to emphasize it enough…

“I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name” (John 16:23).

Here, what boosts our prayers to the Father is using the Name of Jesus—the Name above every name, the Greater One (Philippians 2:9-11; 1 John 4:4). The Greater One (God) grants our request when we use the authority we have in Jesus’ Name. His Name allows us access to the Father (John 14:6).

Just before He went to the cross, Jesus challenged His disciples: “You believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1, NIV).

That’s the same challenge we face today as praying believers. Jesus made some BIG promises while He was on this earth—but God will back every one of those promises by granting our requests when we use the Name of Jesus in faith.

Prayer Boost No. 2: Earthly Agreements

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” –(Matthew 18:19-20, NIV)

Notice, Jesus started off by saying, “Again, I tell you….”

In other words, “I’m going to tell you this over and over until you get it!”

The principle and power of agreement was a done deal in Jesus’ mind and the Father’s. We’re the ones who need to wrap our minds—and faith—around it.

For the past 55 years, Brother Copeland has told us that the most powerful force on the face of this earth is a covenant agreement between two or more of God’s people, particularly a husband and wife. It’s on the same level of impact as God’s covenant with Abraham, or even His covenant with Jesus (mind-boggling, but true.)

A verse earlier (Matthew 18:18), Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

This is heaven and earth coming into agreement. So, we’re not talking about global impact. Jesus was thinking way beyond that. We’re talking all creation—that’s the level of influence your prayers can have!

Still, the challenge is the “agreement” part (right?).

Later, we will see another prayer boost that’s a big help in finding—and staying in—that place of agreement. For now, just allow Jesus’ (and the Father’s) level of commitment to sink in as you are willing to link hands, faith and prayers with another believer in the power of agreement. God will see those prayers through to fulfillment!

Prayer Boost No. 3: Faith

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” –(Ephesians 3:12)

Faith is a booster simply in the fact that it gives us the boldness and confidence to enter into God’s presence.

And when we get there, well, what do we do then?

Certainly, we behold our God and Father. We praise and worship and honor Him.

But while we’re there, the apostles remind us…

• “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16)
•  “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, RSV)
• “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well” (James 5:14-15).

Those are some friendly reminders that prayer changes things—and FAITH is what makes it happen. Faith is that boost our prayers need.

Prayer Boost No. 4: Forgiveness

“Prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” –(James 5:15)

There’s a critical link between faith and forgiveness.

Forgiveness can boost your prayers toward heaven, accomplishing what you’re believing God for; whereas unforgiveness—leaving an issue of sin unresolved (either by not confessing yours or not forgiving someone else’s)—will send your requests tumbling back to the earth, with no hope of ever really getting off the ground.

One day, the room got really awkward when Jesus pushed back on some religious scholars over this very issue. He put them to the test by asking…

“Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or, ‘Stand up and walk!’?” (Matthew 9:5, TPT).

They were speechless, especially when He went ahead and healed the man He was referring to. His point: It takes as much faith (and authority) to forgive someone as it does for them to be healed.

The Apostle James took that revelation to the next level by telling us to…

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).

So, we have to be in right relationship with God—and each other—to keep sin from obstructing our prayers and get the answers we’re looking for.

Prayer Boost No. 5: Praise and Worship

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!… Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” –(Philippians 4:4, 6)

Praising and worshipping God is prayer. It’s the highest form of prayer.

King David wrote more songs about God than any other person who ever lived. He was a God-worshipper who became a young warrior and wrote songs about his victories. His songs were his prayers. The book of Psalms—the largest book in the Bible—is full of David’s songs.

Psalms also contains two songs written by Moses, Psalms 90 and 91.

In Psalm 90, Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites who were dying prematurely before reaching their Promised Land. Their sin against God while crossing the desert was cutting their lives short.

In Psalm 91, however, Moses turns his prayer of intercession into a prayer of praise and worship…

“This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (Psalm 91:16).

As Moses finishes his song, God joins in and says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer…” (verses 14-15).

So, essentially, Moses sang the problem, then he sang the answer.

Brother Copeland quotes Kenneth E. Hagin as saying, “If you praise God long enough, the Spirit of glory will come. And when the Spirit of glory comes, the miracles, signs and wonders will follow.”

Brother Hagin called this the “praise cure” because, more than once in his life, he was healed while praising God. Brother Copeland has experienced those same kinds of healings—and you can too, when you add praise and worship to your prayer life.

Prayer Boost No. 6: Weapons

“We do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” –(2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NIV)

We have weapons—loaded with divine power—that guarantee results specifically in prayer. These weapons include:

• The Name of Jesus (John 14:13-14)
• The Word of God (John 15:7)
• Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1)
• Jesus, our Advocate (1 John 2:1)
• The Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)
• The armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)
• Praying in tongues (Ephesians 6:18).

We are in a war, and your prayers can be divinely empowered to demolish enemy strongholds, arguments, deceptions and any attempt to get into your head.

But first, when it comes to spiritual warfare—you need to know, really know…

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” (Numbers 23:19).

Again, Jesus made some serious prayer promises, yet God has been faithful to back each one and make them good.

You also need to understand that once God has released His blessing, there’s nothing the enemy can do to reverse it, except to try and convince you otherwise (Numbers 23:20).

God has given you an arsenal, a cache of spiritual weapons at your disposal to reinforce the victory Jesus has already secured for you. Consider them a boost, a leg up, even an unfair advantage over your enemy, the devil.

So, when you go to your heavenly Father in prayer—go confidently. Then, do what Brother Copeland recommends: Take time to get still and listen.

What’s the next step the Holy Spirit is nudging you to take?

Should you write your request out as a grant, making it a declaration of faith and including some scriptures?

Do you need someone to agree with you? Or is there someone you need to forgive?

Maybe you sense you should spend time with God…and worship Him.

The point is: Listen. Then you’ll know what to do. As you take that next step, you’ll find that extra prayer boost you need—and the answers you seek.

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A Confession for Getting Your Prayers Answered

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

In our social media world of friending, following, emojis and gifs, how do we guard against relationships becoming too virtual, with not enough real to them?

For example, God sent the ultimate “friend request” in the form of His Son, Jesus:

“I am the Way,” Jesus said. “I am the True Reality, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me” (John 14:6, TPT).

An offer to get “next” to God? Awesome opportunity, but how is that even possible?

Jesus went on to explain, “To know me is to know my Father too. And from now on you will realize that you have seen him and experienced him” (John 14:6-7, TPT).

So, the “friend” offer is real, but how does God expect us to “experience” Him?

Proverbs 18:24 tells us that “there are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

This “real friend” is what the Bible would classify as a covenant relationship, like the friendship David and Jonathan had (1 Samuel 18). It’s also the kind of relationship God had with Noah (Genesis 6), Moses (Exodus 19), David (2 Samuel 7) and Solomon (1 Kings 9).

But probably the most amazing covenant relationship we see in Scripture is the one God and Abraham had:

• “The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do…. For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own]’” (Genesis 18:17, 19, AMPC).
• “O our God…did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?” (2 Chronicles 20:7).
• “But you, Israel…whom I [God] have chosen, the offspring of Abraham My friend” (Isaiah 41:8, AMPC).
• “The scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God’…and he was called God’s friend” (James 2:23, NIV).

“Friend of God” was not an honorable mention given to Abraham by family and friends after he died. It was an endearment God used for him personally.

When it comes to taking Jesus up on His offer to get next to God, maybe you’re thinking that level of relationship is WAY out of your range. It’s not that you wouldn’t want something like that—it’s just you can’t imagine getting THAT close to Him (you know, full transparency and all that).

Oftentimes, we’re encouraged not to look back to the past for danger of getting stuck there and not being able to move forward in our faith and life to what lies ahead for us as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

But this is one of those times you need to at least look over your shoulder and catch a glimpse—or, better yet, a full-on gaze—of what God was up to back in the day. Once you do, you’ll probably want to course-correct (do whatever it takes), so you land yourself in the middle of a friendship with God like you never thought possible.

If you dare to look back, here are 3 Things To Expect When You Become Friends With God:

1. You Belong Next to God

“God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” –(Ephesians 2:4-6, NKJV)

Notice how the Apostle Paul speaks to us from the past—“When we were dead….” God “made us alive….” God “raised us up….” God “made us sit….”

This is all past tense. It’s all in our rearview. It all happened long before we said Yes! to Jesus’ offer to come “next to the Father.” God sealed the deal long before you showed up, which is all part of a covenant relationship. It’s when one party (the Greater One), does for the other party (the lesser one) what they couldn’t possibly do for himself.

Paul drives the point home in Philippians 2:5-7, NASB:

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.”

Why did Jesus forfeit His “equality with God”?

He did it so He could restore us to our original level of equality with God, to the level of relationship Adam and Eve had with Him before their “fall” (from equality with God) in the Garden of Eden. Jesus lowered Himself so He elevate us back to our children-of-God status (Romans 8:29).

So, just to be clear—God “made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

That doesn’t sound optional, does it?

There’s no debate. No discussion. No confusion as to the seating arrangements. (If there is, see Matthew 22:44; Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:18-23; Revelation 3:21.)

Long, long ago, God made and reserved a place for you next to Himself. That’s where He saw you then. That’s where you need to see yourself now—in a place of power, authority, honor and glory.

That’s what only a covenant relationship—friendship—can do for you.

2. You’re in Good Company

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” –(Colossians 3:1-3)

As followers of Jesus, there’s an assignment we will ALL be working on for the rest of our lives on this earth—“setting our sights on” and “thinking about” the realities and things of heaven; and that’s to be expected. It’s something that even Jesus had to do while He was living down here (John 15:19, 17:14-16).

We’ve made the commitment to follow Jesus, and He has led us all the way into the throne room of heaven by having raised us to a “new life” with Him. Now it’s time to settle into our new home and new way life—our new way of relating to God, our new way of relating to people.

All that to say, each one of us is in transition. Our spirits were transformed, or reborn, the moment when we took Jesus’ offer. Our souls (mind, will, emotions) and bodies, however, are another matter. Those will take more time to transition, and that’s where we have to maintain our commitment by staying in process (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24).

Again, Paul explains it like this:

“You were…[alienated] from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God…. But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away [were made] near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12-13, NASB).

One moment we were far from God: the next, we’re up-close and personal. Now, it’s just a matter of taking some time for the rest of our being—our consciousness, awareness and thinking—to reprogram and catch up. It’s about focusing on and getting accustomed to the idea of being close to our heavenly Father.

Sadly, too many believers (though born again) still live as “aliens” and “strangers” to their covenant promises. They’re simply unaware of the potential their covenant relationship with God affords them, which is what prompted the Apostle Peter to write this:

“[God] has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness. As a result of this, he has given you magnificent [covenant] promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous [covenant] promises we can experience partnership with [His] divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4, TPT).

That’s why you’ll hear Kenneth Copeland say that we need to be covenant-minded ALL the time—that is, if we’re going to experience the same closer-than-a-brother kind of friendship Abraham enjoyed with God.

3. It’s All on God

“The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am [El Shaddai]; walk before Me, [having integrity]. I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly…. And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” –(Genesis 17:1-2, 4-5 NASB)

Abraham was 99 years old when God appeared to him and established this covenant. A year later, Sarah gave birth to their son, Isaac—and the covenant unfolded from there.

When God introduced Himself to Abraham as El Shaddai (“Almighty God”), it’s no coincidence that the phrase refers to a nursing mother. A nursing mother is everything to her child. She’s that baby’s origin of life, source of nourishment and guide to all the world that baby is about to experience.

God was telling His friend Abram, “I’m your Everything—I’m All you’ll ever need!”

“Not only that, Abram [which means’exalted father’], but I’m changing your name to Abraham [father of a multitude] because I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”

See how God was speaking to Abraham (like Paul spoke to us) from the past?

God had already determined Abraham’s destiny. He had established it—and now—He was declaring it already fulfilled!

Again, this was the result of their covenant relationship. It was the Greater One acting on behalf of the lesser one.

Brother Copeland tells the story of how Napoleon Bonaparte was reported to have been reviewing his troops on horseback one time, when the massive stallion he was riding suddenly bolted. Immediately, a young private stepped out from formation and gained control of the horse, calming it and potentially saving his commander from harm.

“What’s your name, Captain?” Napoleon asked the young soldier.

“Sir, I’m a private,” the soldier replied.

“What’s your name, Captain?” Napoleon asked, but this time with emphasis.

Napoleon knew he was speaking to a private. But with one word, he promoted him on the spot. As commander, Napoleon had the power and authority to make this soldier—someone he obviously could count on—what he wanted and needed him to be.

In the same way, God—with one word, Abra-ham—made an old, heirless sojourner what He wanted and needed him to be. And He will do the same for you if you will let Him.

In 2 Chronicles 20:21, AMPC, we find a common phrase used throughout the Old Testament to describe God’s covenant love for His friends…

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”

The Hebrew word used in that phrase, chesed, describes God’s love as an obligatory love, something He has to do. Because you are in covenant with Him, God is obliged to love you, no matter what. What’s more, He goes around looking for reasons to love you.

So, you have God’s “friend request” and maybe you’ve already clicked “accept.” But if the relationship seems at all distant, or maybe a little too virtual, take Paul’s advice:

“Set your sights” and “think about” where you really belong, whose company you’re in, and what all God has done—and continues to do—to keep the friendship up close, personal…and real.

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Over the years I have learned some truths about prayer. I don’t know all there is to know about it, but I have learned key principles from the Word that have helped me walk in victory. These principles will work the same for you.

Before I go further, understand that I’m not saying you will never have any problems or challenges. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Challenges will come. But the problem is never with God. Nor is it with people. The problem is in the area of receiving. We also must wrestle with the forces of darkness—the devil.

By the grace and mercy of God and the power of your faith, you can overcome those obstacles and receive prayers answered. Thank God you have the Name of Jesus, God’s Word and the power of His Spirit—“the weapons of our warfare”—that guarantee results when you pray (2 Corinthians 10:4).

In the many situations my family and I have had to pray our way through, we have learned that believers can live victoriously in Christ Jesus, overcoming the problems. If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you have victory in Him.

#1 – God’s Will Is Heaven on Earth

But first, you must establish your thinking in the truth that when you were saved, you were set free from the curse and all its effects listed in Deuteronomy 28. Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.”

You may wonder why the effects of the curse are still on you if that’s true. They are on you because you haven’t cast them off. You haven’t believed and received what is yours.

The effects of the curse are here on the earth, but they don’t have any right to dominate you or have any power over you unless you yield to them and don’t take advantage of what is yours in Christ Jesus. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” Verse 3 goes on to say, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” Just like a bank has set procedures for withdrawing money, God has given us a proper way to pray so that we will see results.

When you begin to see that, you will realize the world’s idea of prayer is not prayer at all. Prayer is not trying to get God’s attention. Prayer is not trying to get God to do something. He has already done it. He sent Jesus to the cross.

Prayer is communication with God, believing and receiving what He has already given you in Christ Jesus. Everything you will ever need is in Jesus, and when you made Him Lord of your life, it was given to you. All that remains is for it to be received. It has to be brought from the spiritual realm to this natural, physical realm. Philippians 4:19 declares, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

God’s plan for answered prayer is what Jesus was telling us when He prayed, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). God created the earth for man as a copy of heaven, a place to live like God lives. But because of the curse that came on the earth, not everything here is in line with God’s plan. God didn’t create man to be burdened with the effects of the curse like sin, sickness, fear, unbelief or evil spirits. His will is that heaven and earth run parallel to one another.

#2 – Live a Life of Prayer

So prayer—real Bible prayer—must be a lifestyle, not just a backup plan. In Luke 18:1, Jesus taught in a parable that “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” He wasn’t talking about using prayer and faith as an escape hatch after everything has come apart. He was saying that your entire life should be built around prayer.

The Apostle Paul agreed. He said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Don’t leave it up to your pastor to do your praying for you. Don’t wait until things become bad to pray. Build a communication with God every day. Listen to Him. Learn how He talks, what He does, how His prayer system works.

Prayer is always available to everyone. There is no situation that disqualifies anyone from prayer, because God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Acts 2:21 declares that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

According to Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” God is an equal opportunity blesser. He doesn’t just hear “good” people. The deepest of sinners in the deepest sin can pray the prayer of repentance and receive Jesus as Lord. From that point on, he is qualified to continue in the other fields of prayer.

The only situation from which there is no deliverance is the rebellious refusal to pray at all. “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2).

Don’t let that be you. Instead live a life of prayer, receiving what God has for you.

#3 – Come Boldly…Through Jesus

When you pray, you don’t have to get God’s attention. You already have it. According to Hebrews 7:25, Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

God knows all about you and your situation. That is vitally important to your prayer life. Verses 14-16 go on to say:

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, then your prayer life, your approach to God, is through Him. You pray to the Father, in Jesus’ Name. It’s in His righteousness, in His Name.

You pray in His “new and living way” as Hebrews 10:19-20 says: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”

Why can you come so boldly to the throne of grace? Because Jesus is your High Priest. You don’t come based on how good you are. Jesus’ blood has put you in right-standing with God. You’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). First Peter 3:12 says, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.”

You have a right to pray and expect results. Jesus made this promise: “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).

#4 – You Have a Right to Believe and Receive

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, you have a right to believe.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus died for the whole world. If you are a human being, you have a right to believe that Jesus is Lord.

Once you step over into the realm of declaring Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have every right before God that Jesus has when it comes to praying, believing and walking with God. You share with Him in every privilege of having God lead, teach and develop you, keep you well and keep your family.

Galatians 3:29 says, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” If you have made Jesus Lord, you are the seed of Abraham, and you have a right to believe and receive the promises of God.

Romans 4:16 says, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” If you are the seed of Abraham, God’s promises are sure in your life. A sure promise is one that comes to pass when you stand on it.

The Word of God is a concrete foundation you can stand on. It undergirds all effective prayer. So make it final authority in your life. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

#5 – Always Start at the End

Base your prayer life on what God has already said and done. God’s Word—the sword of the Spirit—is His part of your prayer life, and it’s available to “whosoever will.” The Word is a copy of your covenant with God, signed in Jesus’ blood between God the Father and Jesus His Son. There is no failure in either of them.

It’s easy to believe God if you know what He said. Faith comes when you know what is His will for you to have. And His will is His Word. Find promises in the Word that cover your area of need, and pray based on those promises. When you do that, you are starting with the answer. You are starting with the truth.

Always go to God based on the answers you find in the Word. When you have faith in God and what He has said, faith will begin to grow up on the inside of you. Once you know what God said about something, believe you receive it. Believing is an action word, so praise and thank God for the answer.

Praying in the Name of Jesus, based on what God has said, puts you in position to receive from Him. It licenses Him to function in your life. It isn’t based on feeling. It’s based on believing what God said—believing is the key.

Remember, you have a right to pray and you have a right to believe. Jesus died for the whole world so whosoever believes can receive the victory He has paid for. God is no respecter of persons, but He does respect faith.

Learn to pray and stand on His promises for your every need. When you take God at His Word, He will answer.

Related Articles:

A Confession for Getting Your Prayers Answered

How to Pray the Prayer of Faith

© 1997 – 2022 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.