|
WEEK OF AUGUST 9-15
Luke 8:11 The seed is the word of God. Pay attention to what you say! Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” Matthew 12:35. Simply put, positive words produce positive results, and negative words produce negative results. Words are seeds, and remember, every seed produces after its own kind. That’s why the Bible admonishes, “You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth” (Proverbs 6:2). Our words are seeds. They are vehicles; they are carriers that drive us to our destiny. The only way we can change the directions we are going in is by first changing our words. Let’s learn this lesson! It’s very important that we learn this lesson. We have got to change our words! SPEAK GOD’S WORD I’m sure you’ve read God’s promise in Mark 11:23. You may have memorized it. “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Mark 11:23. How many of you are experiencing this promise in your life? Well, are you going on and on about how it’s not working for you? Are you talking to your friends or whoever will listen to you? Needless to say, brace yourself, close your mouth! Pardon me! We need to learn the vocabulary of silence. What does “Learn the vocabulary of silence” that mean? It simply means this: If you can’t speak the Word of God, don’t say anything. You’ve been sowing the wrong kind of seed out of your mouth. Sometimes God has to shake us up to get our attention. That is a valuable lesson about being a sower. If you take charge of your mouth, you can take charge of your destiny. Set aside some time to watch this teaching by Kenneth Copeland. “What You Speak Is WhatYou Get”. Reach out to your family. Send them the Link, and discuss it. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+what+you+speak+is+what+you+get+copeland&view=detail&mid=A481FFD000B96B4228CFA481FFD000B96B4228CF&FORM=VIRE&cc=US&setlang=en-US&cvid=e07e88183f55488d97c58ae417ed7d74&qs=SW&nclid=309503DFBE20141F2332DF9838839712&ts=1592582848353
0 Comments
WEEK OF AUGUST 2-8 When we hear the phrase seedtime and harvest, the first thing many people think of is finances. The reason so many of God’s people are not having the kind of results they should be having with their finances is that they are only applying part of the law of seedtime and harvest. They think they will just sow some money and then become instantly wealthy.  Although the law of seedtime and harvest certainly applies to finances, money is only one type of seed that we have available to sow. If we truly want to change our lives and destinies, then we also need to take charge of our thoughts, our words, and our attitudes. Only then will we be able to allocate our finances and material goods in line with God’s will for our lives. Did you know that: YOUR THOUGHTS ARE SEEDS? Did you know that: EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE BEGAN AS A THOUGHT? That should cause you to begin at once to change the way you think! The Word of God says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This scripture tells us that our lives tend to go in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. Whatever we think about the most is the way our lives will go.  Let’s consider a scenario. Nobody just wakes up and decides one day to embark on a life of sin and crime. That kind of life begins with a thought: A person might think, I can steal that pack of gum and nobody will ever catch me. Now that person may cast down that thought at first, but then it comes back and he meditates on it for a while. Then he actually pictures himself doing it. Next thing he knows, he’s sitting in a prison cell, serving time for robbery and wondering how his life went in that direction. Granted, that’s perhaps an over simplification, but you get the point! It began as a thought.
Anything that has the potential of growing and becoming bigger than its present state is a SEED. An acorn is an oak tree that fell to the ground, held its ground, and then grew into a giant tree. That little acorn got its beginning as a thought in the mind of God. As you set out to become a sower, God said, if you don’t get your thoughts, your words, your actions, and your attitude in line with His Word, then, the money seed you sow will have nothing but weeds around it, and it will be choked out. So, let’s begin filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God so that God’s thoughts will become our thoughts. Our finances will flourish! SCRIPTURE: Ye know the house of Stephanas…and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. – 1 Corinthians 16:15
TODAY’S MESSAGE: I want you to begin to develop an addiction today—an addiction to the Word of God. That may sound odd to you, especially if you don’t have much of an interest in the Word right now. But, believe me, it’s possible. I’ve done it myself and I’ve seen others do it, time and again. All you have to do is make a decision to give yourself to it. To focus your time and attention on it. The more you give yourself to it, the more your desire for it will grow. Eventually, it will consume your thinking. Faith To Faith 8th June 2020 Devotional by Kenneth CopelandSurprised? You shouldn’t be. That happens with anything you totally give yourself to. It happens, for example, with people who give themselves to pornography. As they focus their attention on it, the spirit behind it moves in on their consciousness and eventually draws them from mental activity into physical activity. Finally, they come to a place where they can’t be satisfied. They can’t get enough. That same principle works on the positive side when you begin to give yourself to God’s Word. You can give yourself to it to the point where it totally consumes your mental and physical life. The more of it you get, the more you want. The Spirit behind the Word, the Holy Spirit, will draw you and lead you closer to Jesus than you ever imagined possible. I’ve never yet met anyone walking in faith and power who at some time hadn’t developed that kind of addiction by giving themselves totally to the Word for an extended time. I don’t mean just a few minutes here and there either. I’m talking about some serious time. So determine to do that. Determine to become a “Word addict.” Once you do, you’ll never be willing to live without it again. Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:1-12 Kenneth Copeland
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. 2 Timothy 2:15 A lot of people have been playing games when it comes to the Word. They claim to be faith people in public. But, in private, they never open the Bible at all. Then, when a time of trouble comes and they try to stand on the Word, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. Well, the time for playing games is over. It’s time for us to realize that real faith involves action. James 2:20 says faith without works [or corresponding action] is dead. If you want the kind of faith that will keep you on your feet when others are falling around you, you need to take some action where the Word is concerned. First, you need to study. You can study the Word in many ways. Not only can you read it, you can dig deeply into it with concordances, Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and other study guides. What’s more, if you have a media player, you can walk around half the day listening to teaching. It’s only one way of study, but it is a powerful one. The second thing you need to do is go where the Word is being preached. When Romans 10:17 says “faith cometh by hearing,” it’s talking about the preached Word. STUDY THE MANUAL Gloria Copeland 2 John 6NAS “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments…” We hear a lot of talk about love these days. But, the truth is, few people really know what it is. For most, it’s an emotional phantom that appears – then vanishes – without warning. Illusive. Undefinable. Forever sought but rarely found. Even Christians seem to be confused about it at times. But they don’t need to be. The WORD of God reveals clearly what love truly is. It tells us, quite simply, that love is keeping the commandments of God. It is knowing and obeying His WORD. Thank heaven, God didn’t leave us wondering about love. He didn’t make us struggle along with some indefinite, hazy idea about it. He made it clear and easy to define. Throughout the Bible He gave us instructions so we could know how to love as He loves. He gave us His Manual in black and white! All we have to do is follow it, and we will be walking in love. This is especially important for us to know these days because as the world around us grows more sinful, people are becoming increasingly confused about love. They think doing anything that feels good is loving. They even excuse immoral lifestyles, all in the name of love. Becoming a Christian doesn’t make you an instant expert on love, either. Although the love of God was born within you the moment you made Jesus Christ The LORD of your life, initially you are a spiritual baby. It’s only by feeding on The WORD of God and learning how love acts that you leave spiritual infancy and develop the maturity to walk in love. Nothing-absolutely nothing-is more important than learning to love. So study the Manual God has given you. It will teach you how to make the love that is inside you show up on the outside. As you act on God’s WORD, His love will be perfected in your life, and others will see Jesus in you. Reread “LOVE IS THE BEST AND HIGHEST WAY! (Part 1) (Last month’s LOVE blog).
We need to realize that walking in love is more profitable than walking in the flesh. We gain much more when we walk in love! To “stay in love,” you must spend time with God every day so you can receive a fresh infilling and a fresh enabling. Don’t use up all of the “current” without refilling your spirit (reconnecting to the power source) each day. You refill by reading, praying and meditating on the Word. Knowing God involves taking the time to commune (maintain living contact) with Him. It is listening to Him and then obeying what you hear. It is learning to live in a way in which God can talk to you, and you are able to hear His voice at any moment of the day. Maintaining a peaceful spirit is the way to hear from God. What you have in your life tomorrow is determined by what is in your heart today. Be sure to fill your heart with the Word of God and with thoughts of love. Then you will be able to abide in Him every day, feasting on His promises and enjoying His presence. Instead of chasing after the blessings of God, you find that they are chasing and overtaking you at every turn! We are in the last of the last days. Every minute of every day counts for God. A great man once said, “Count each day lost that you have not used for loving God.” We must focus on how we extend ourselves to God and to mankind, because in the end, nothing else will have mattered.
Walking in love is very important. Stay in love. Regardless of what comes your way, you are to do that. Stay in love. Make certain that you don’t let anything or anyone distract you from walking in love. Jude 21 says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God…” Therefore you must guard yourself and avoid straying from God’s law of love at all costs.” First John 5:18 says, “…that wicked one toucheth him not.” When you abide in God’s love and protection, you hinder the devil’s access to your life by refusing to walk in hatred, bitterness, envy, strife, malice, unforgiveness, and so on. God’s power and protection are too important for you to act that way. This is the quickest way to short-circuit the power of God in your life. You can go through all the motions and yet lack results. It’s like flipping on a light switch. Regardless of how many times you flip the switch, unless you have a power connection, there will not be any light. This is how it is for many Christians who know how to engage biblical principles, but don’t have the power of God flowing through and working in their lives. If you aren’t experiencing any manifestation, look at this area of your life. Get out the measuring stick and see if this is the reason why it’s not working. It is time for the body of Christ to be convinced that love is the best and highest way. John 6:63 says, “…the flesh profiteth nothing…” We need to realize that walking in love is more profitable than walking in the flesh. We gain much more when we walk in love! But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:5-6
There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that is more important than learning to love. In fact, how accurately you perfect the love walk will determine how much of the perfect will of God you accomplish. That’s because every other spiritual force derives its action from love. For example, the Bible teaches us that faith works by love. And answered prayer is almost an impossibility when a believer steps outside of love and refuses to forgive or is in strife with his brother. Without love, your giving will not work. Tongues and prophecy will not work. Faith fails and knowledge is unfruitful. All the truths that you have learned from God’s Word work by love. They will profit you nothing unless you live the love of God. First Corinthians 13:4-8 paints a perfect picture of how love behaves. It’s patient and kind. It’s not jealous or proud. It doesn’t behave rudely or selfishly and it isn’t touchy. Love “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? But don’t despair. You are a love creature. God has re-created your spirit in the image of love. And He has sent His love Spirit to live in you and teach you how to love as He loves. You can live the love life. Begin today. Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6
We are faith people, who believe deeply in the importance and power of faith. Yet, faith, by itself, is not enough to make us more than conquerors. We must also have love because the Bible clearly tells us that faith works by love. Love actually inspires faith. It gives faith a foundation to build on. You might even say, love gives us reason to believe. Think about the love of God, for example. His love for us is the foundation of our faith in Him. John 3:16 says He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,” so that by believing in him we wouldn’t perish but have everlasting life. Imagine it! God sacrificed His very own Son for us, and what prompted Him to do it was love. Actually, it’s His great love that prompts Him to do everything He does for us. It’s His love that provides exceeding great and precious promises that bless us both in this life and in the life to come. It’s His mighty love that causes His mercy to be new toward us every morning. You might have noticed that people who don’t grasp God’s love aren’t able to have much faith in His WORD. They struggle and try to believe, but when push comes to shove, their faith falters and fails. Why? Because they don’t have a revelation of love to back it up! On the other hand, when we truly begin to understand and experience how full of compassion God is toward us, we can easily believe He’ll keep His promises to us. When we know how much God cares, we can trust Him to do what He says. We can have faith that He’ll take care of us in every situation. F.F. Bosworth wrote in His Book Christ the Healer, “I have seen faith rise “mountain high’ when the truth of God’s present love and compassion begins to dawn upon the minds and hearts of the people. It is not what God can do, but what we know He yearns to do, that inspires faith.” Remember that when you find yourself struggling to trust the LORD. Spend some time in fellowship with Him, feeding on His words of love for you. Receive and act on them in your relationship with others. You will soon see for yourself that faith truly does work by love. 1 John 2:3-6NAS
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. A great many people claim to know God. They call themselves Christians and say, “The LORD told me this… “or” “The LORD told me that….” Yet, it’s not just what we say that proves we know Jesus, it’s how we live. The Bible says if we are abiding in Him, we will live as He lived. How did Jesus live? First and foremost, He lived a life of love. Jesus didn’t live for Himself. He didn’t seek to do His own will. He lives to do the will of His Father. He lived to pour out His life for others. You might say it this way: Jesus lived to give Himself away. Worldly people don’t understand that kind of life. They’ll warn you against it. They’ll say, “If you live like that, you’ll be miserable…. You’ll never have any fun…. You’ll never get anywhere…. You’ll be a weakling, and people will walk all over you!” But don’t listen. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Jesus lived like that and His life was wonderful! He walked the earth in total victory. He defeated Satan and destroyed his works at every turn. Everywhere He went He loved people. He made the blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk. He cast out demons and raised the dead. He made people know the love of God. No matter how the world tries to convince us that it’s more rewarding to live in sin and selfishness than in love and obedience. Jesus proved it’s not. He lived the most rewarding life in history. If you’ll live the life of love by faith in Jesus, you’ll have the same kinds of experiences He had. Jesus said in John 14:12 you’ll even do the works He did. You won’t be cheated out of the good things in life. On the contrary, you’ll enjoy the most thrilling life of victory you could ever imagine. You’ll experience God pouring His power out through you. You’ll know the joy of The LORD. Now, that’s what I call a life worth living! Excerpt from “LIMITLESSLOVE” by Kenneth & Gloria Copeland Ephesians 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
To walk in love, we have to maintain a strong spirit. We must continually nourish our hearts with The WORD of GOD. Just as we deplete our natural strength when we exert ourselves physically, and have to eat natural food, when we exert ourselves spiritually by walking in love (and it does take real spiritual exertion to do it!), we deplete our spiritual strength. So we must continually replenish it by feeding on The WORD. One way we do that, is by spending time alone reading the Bible. We don’t have to wait for someone else to feed US, we can get into God’s WORD for ourselves. But it’s also important for us to go somewhere where we can hear someone especially called and gifted by God to teach and preach His WORD. When we receive The WORD that way, there is an extra anointing and impartation on it. That anointing will cut through some of the mixed-up thinking we may not have previously been aware of. It will straighten out and renew our minds. The anointing God has given to that minister will add something to us that we just can’t get on our own. That’s the reason we go to many church services. That’s why we have a collection of CDs and DVDs. We can listen to messages that we have had for years and have listened to them many times before. When we hear them again, the anointing is still on them to strengthen and build us up spiritually. Some people don’t understand that. They think you just listen to ministers preach The Word so you can get new information. But actually, you listen to get revelation. You might think you know all there is to know about love, for instance. But, when you hear someone preach about it under the anointing, more revelation on it will come. You will get more light and insight about it, and you will walk out of that meeting (or away from the CD or DVD) more empowered and equipped to walk in love than you have ever been before. As Romans 10:17 says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by The WORD of God.” So, find some good, anointed preaching, and keep your spirit strong with a continual feast of The WORD! Excerpts from “LIMITLESSLOVE” by Kenneth & Gloria Copeland |
Archives
August 2020
Categories
|
RSS Feed