When the pressure is on

 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

– Malachi 3:16

Have you ever noticed that those who have the most exciting, faith-inspiring testimonies are those who've been under pressure at some time in their lives? They're the people who stayed faithful when the pressure was on. They're the people who believed God's promises of prosperity in the midst of desperate financial situations or trusted God for healing in the face of a terminal disease.

My friend, when you get into a hard spot, that's not the time to back out on God and begin to say, "Well, God, why did You let this happen to me?" It's not the time to step back and reevaluate His faithfulness.

What I'm saying to you is this: When tough times keep dragging on and the situations around you seem to refuse to get in line with the promises of God, don't reevaluate God! He's not missing it, and He's not failing.

If you're going to reevaluate anything, reevaluate yourself! Look and see where you may have failed. If you still can't find out what the problem is, just say, "God, I don't know what's wrong here, and I'm asking You to show me. But one thing I know, the problem's not with You, and I continue to be moved by Your Word and not by circumstances." Then, when He reveals something to you, be quick to make changes.

I want to encourage you to stand firm and to keep honoring God with your words. The Lord is listening to you when the pressure is on. What is He going to hear?

Scripture Reading: Psalm 62

Stake your claim

 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

– Psalm 112:1,3

I'll never forget the time Gloria discovered that scripture. We didn't have any money at the time, and the walls in our house were as bare as they could be. But she was ready to decorate. So she took that promise, "Wealth and riches shall be in his house" and laid claim to it by faith.

Suddenly, everywhere we went, somebody was giving us a painting or some other little treasure for our house.

Unfortunately, most believers aren't as quick to believe God for that kind of thing as Gloria was. Some even claim God doesn't promise us New Testament believers physical prosperity, just spiritual. But the truth is, you can't separate the two. That's why Jesus says, "If you'll seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these [material] things will be added to you." He knows the spiritual realm and the material realm are connected.

The physical world cannot operate independently from the spiritual world. What happens in one is simply a reflection of what happens in the other.

Obviously, your spiritual standing profoundly affects your financial standing. That's why, when you get hold of the gospel and begin to prosper spiritually, you can begin to prosper physically and materially as well.

Don't let anyone talk you out of God's promises of prosperity. You don't have to choose between financial and spiritual prosperity. Both belong to you. Lay claim to them by faith. As a born-again child of God, dare to reach out and receive the riches that belong to you!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7:8-13

Powerhouse of protection

 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

– Isaiah 54:17

No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Isn't that great news! Isn't it good to know that no sickness, no circumstance, no problem that rises against you can successfully bring you down?

Some years ago, one of our friends was facing a lawsuit. He and I prayed together according to this scripture and agreed it was the final word in the situation, not the allegations against him. We stood in faith, believing that lawsuit had to fail.

Sure enough, when my friend went to court, they just couldn't beat him. He didn't win that case because of his keen and witty lawyers. He won because he was innocent and because he had believed that powerful promise of God.

Follow his example. When the devil attacks you in some area of your life, don't sit around crying and begging God to save you. Open up your Bible to Isaiah 54:17 instead. Remind yourself of what God has promised you. Use that promise to strengthen you against sin and every other evil work the devil would like to use to keep you bound.

Then establish yourself on it through prayer. Say, "Lord, I refuse to be afraid of this weapon the devil has brought against me because I know that according to Your Word, it cannot prosper. I trust You to protect me, and I thank You for it now. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Don't let the powerhouse of God's protection go to waste. Put it to work in your life. It is your rightful heritage as a servant of the Lord.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54:10-17

The inner witness

 The Spirit itself [Himself] beareth witness with our spirit.

– Romans 8:16

Do you ever have trouble hearing from God? Do you find yourself caught in confusing circumstances needing guidance, and yet even after praying and reading the Word--you're still not sure what God wants you to do?

I've had that experience. I knew His written Word and acting on it changed my life. But I was uncertain when I had to make decisions about things the Word didn't specifically address. Things like whether to move to one city or another, for example.

What held me back was my ability to know that I was doing the right thing. You see, God's written Word and the inward witness are two different things. They never contradict each other, but they're both a vital part of our walk with God.

God expected Israel, for example, to obey His written Word. But He also said to them, "Obey my voice" (Jer. 7:23) because He wanted them to know His will in specific situations. That's what happened when Israel invaded Jericho. They heard God's voice. Where else do you think they would have gotten that strange battle plan? It wasn't written in the law of Moses. And certainly, no human being would suggest a seven-day march around a city as the most effective form of invasion!

But exactly how, you may wonder, does God speak to us? Does He just shout down at us from heaven?

Not usually! Romans 8 says the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. That means that God's directions come from inside, not outside, of you.

At times when you hear His guidance, you may even wonder, "Was that me, Lord, or was that You?" That's because God doesn't normally inject thoughts directly into your mind from the outside. Instead, He speaks to your spirit, and your spirit translates it into a thought.

Tune in today to that inward witness, to that quiet knowing, that urging, prompting and leading arising within you.

If when you hear it, it sounds like you, don't be surprised. It is you! It is your spirit being influenced by the Spirit of God! After you're born again, your spirit is a safe guide because you are born of God's Spirit. You have His nature. And the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit to teach you and to give you direction.

Scripture Reading: Joshua 6:1-20

God's message

 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day 


of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

- Psalm 27:4-5

God is with you all the time

 Today, God’s message for you is release fear. Though life provides difficulties to strengthen your spirits you do no face them alone. God is with you, beside you, and surrounding you. He will provide all the help you need, he will hold you up. His source of comfort, security, and infinite love knows no end.

hidden things of God

 Blessed art thou...for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

– Matthew 16:17

Remember when you went to school and learned your ABCs? You learned them by using your five senses and your logical abilities to gather information and sort it out. That kind of knowledge is called natural knowledge and it's the only kind most people know anything about.

But in the kingdom of God, there's another kind of knowing. One that works its way from the inside out instead of from the outside in. It's called revelation knowledge.

Jesus spoke about this kind of knowledge in Matthew 16. He'd just asked the disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Peter had answered Him by declaring, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

"Blessed are you, Simon," Jesus responded, "because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in heaven."

In other words, Jesus was saying, "Peter, you didn't learn this information through your physical senses. You received it another way. You received it directly from God."

If you've ever had a revelation like that, you know that when it comes, it changes things. It makes you see old things in an entirely new light. It gives you such unshakable confidence that, as Jesus said to Peter, "The gates of hell can't prevail against you."

But revelations like that don't come easily. You have to meditate the Word and search the Spirit of God for them because they are "hidden" in Him. The Bible says God has hidden His wisdom for the saints (1 Cor. 2:7-9). Notice, He's hidden it for you, not from you. He wants you to have it.

Don't think, however, that God is just going to drop great revelations into your lap while you're watching television. You have to seek Him.

If you're hungry for revelation knowledge, get yourself in a position to receive it by meditating the Word, praying, and fellowshiping with the Lord. Begin to receive those revelations from Him. It's the most exciting kind of learning there is.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

Establish urself on the Word

 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

– Psalm 112:1,7

The man who makes a habit of delighting in God's Word will have a heart that's fixed! He can make it through disastrous situations without losing his balance. His mind's made up before he ever gets to the disaster. He's victorious before he ever gets there. A person like that is hard to whip!

The sad thing is that most believers wait until the disaster hits before they start trying to establish themselves on the Word. They wait until their back is against the wall. Then, suddenly, they get real spiritual and start fasting and praying...and all too often they find they've started too late.

That's like a guy who finds out a burglar is in his house and then starts looking for the barbells, so he can build up enough muscle to throw the burglar out. He ain't gonna make it! If he'd been working out instead of watching television every night, he'd have been ready. But as it is, he's headed for a painful defeat.

Be ready before the devil breaks into your house. Get your heart fixed. Turn off the television. Turn off the distractions of the world and turn on the Word. The time to start establishing yourself on it is right now!

Scripture Reading: Job 22:21-30

You are a winner always in Jesus

 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

– 1 John 2:14

Man was created to be a winner. The Bible tells us so. We read in Genesis, for example, that man was originally put on this earth as a dominating lord. God gave him dominion over the earth and everything that crept, flew, crawled, and breathed there.

Man didn't even know what losing was until he separated himself from God through disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When that happened, he ran headlong into defeat. He was forced to accept failure as his lot in life, lowering himself to a subordinate position--a position he was never meant to occupy.

It's a sad story. But if you're a born again child of God, your story has a happy ending. Through faith in Christ Jesus, you've been made a winner once again!

In fact, God has guaranteed your success. Let me show you what I mean. Imagine you're about to tackle a really tough job, and before you even get started on it, God speaks to you right out loud and says, "I just want you to know, I'm going to personally see to it that this project you're working on succeeds."

Well, let me tell you something. You do have God's promise that you'll succeed. He said in His Word that you're an overcomer! In Him you can overcome any problem the world throws your way (1 John 5:1-5).

It doesn't matter how much you feel like a loser. It doesn't matter how many times you've failed in the past. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, then you've become more than a conqueror in Him (Rom. 8:37).

Does that mean you won't have any more trouble? No. It simply means you can go through that trouble and emerge triumphant.

If you've been feeling like a failure lately, renew your mind to the Word of God that says you're a success. Every time a challenge comes up, respond by saying, "Well, praise God, I can beat this thing because I'm an overcomer in Jesus!" Let that Word from God abide in your heart. It will make a winner out of you.

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1-5

Today's message

 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

-1 Corinthians 3:16

Give thanks for everythin

 Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Fight the right foe

 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.

– 2 Corinthians 10:3

Do you know why so many believers are losing the battles in their lives?

They're fighting the wrong enemy!

They've been deceived into believing that just because a person said or did something to hurt them, that person is the one they need to fight. But they're wrong.

You see, the Bible says we don't wrestle with flesh and blood. And since people are definitely flesh and blood, they're never the source of our problem.

"But, Brother Copeland, you just don't know what So-and-so did to me!"

It doesn't matter. If you waste your time fighting So-and-so, your real enemy will get away scot-free.

Who is that real enemy? Look at Ephesians 6:12, "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."

Satan and his demons. They are your lifelong enemies! They are behind every personal affront you encounter.

The people who hurt you and persecute you are only Satan's tools. When he wants to strike out at you, he uses them to get the job done.

Remember this: Persecution is not the manifestation of another person's hate for you. It's a manifestation of Satan's fear of you. When you get into the Word and start swinging it around--using it like the sword of the Spirit it is--he gets scared. So he looks for some person he can send in there to stop you.

Next time someone hurts you, don't let yourself get sidetracked into fighting them. Bind the spirit behind them. Put flesh and blood battles behind and war with the weapons of the Spirit. Zero in on Satan with authority and the Word of God and bring your real enemy down!

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18

Adam n Eve's sin

 We all know Eve was lured by the serpent/satan in the garden of Eden. He tempted her, she gave in n sinned.

  Satan is still at work till date. Experiencing a temptation is not sin but giving into it, is. What could Eve had done or what can we do today when confronted with temptations ???
 

• Pray for strength to resist
• Run, sometimes literally, and
• Say NO when confronted with something we know is wrong.

  James 1: 12 tells of the blessings and rewards for those who don't sin when tempted.

God loves you

 "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" [John 3:16].

The Bible tells us God commended His love to us and that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" [Romans 5:8].

The Bible tells us that because God is love, He created man. Why did God create us in the first place? He put us here and He created us because He is love and He wanted to have an object to love; and so He created the human race. We were perfect, and we had fellowship with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. They were friends. God and man were friends. They walked together, they talked together, they planned together. But then one day something happened, because when God created you, He gave you the ability to choose between right and wrong. He gave you the ability to choose whether you would follow God and serve God, or whether you would live your own life and build your own life apart from God. When man came to that great decisive moment in his life, he turned away from God and decided that he could build his own life without God. And he broke his covenant with God; he broke his relationship with God; he sinned against God. [See Genesis 2,3.]

And that's the reason we have war today. That's the reason we have racial tension today. That's the reason we have all these problems in the world today. It is because the hearts of men are sinful. We are away from God. And that's the reason you have the problems in your personal life that you can't solve. That's the reason there are things within your own heart that you don't understand.

God, looking down from heaven one day, saw this earth in its turmoil and strife and sinfulness, saw us in our lost condition, saw us in our sins. And the Bible says that God said, "I love you. I love you. I love you. I want to save you."

God's people can change d world

 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

– 2 Chronicles 7:14

You may be thinking, "Can a few people like us actually change the whole nation?"

Let me ask you this: Can one demonic person change a nation for the worse? Definitely. Hitler did it in Germany, didn't he?

If the devil's power resting on a man can change a nation for the worse, you can be sure that a group of men and women with God's power resting on them can change a nation for the better.

No nation is so far gone that God can't change it. Israel proved that. Why, even when it didn't exist, the devil couldn't destroy it. God raised it back up before His very eyes.

I want you to notice something in that scripture. It says, "If MY people, which are called by MY name...." God didn't say it would take everybody in the nation to get things turned around. He said, "If MY people...."

Notice also that He didn't say, "If my people will get out there and sign petitions and drum up a majority vote...." He said, "Pray." In other words, we're going to have to quit trying to work this thing out by ourselves. God Himself will do the healing in this land. Our job is to pray, to believe and to seek His face. Seek Him today.

Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 7:1-16

HE opened the way

 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word [Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.... And the Word [Christ] became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled --fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile--among us....

– John 1:1,14

The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is something that can never be brought into question by any born again believer. Our very salvation rests on the fact that Jesus Christ is divine, the second person of the Godhead, God--the Son.

The beloved disciple and apostle, John, forever puts to rest any doubt about that in John 1:1,14. Anyone who doubts what those verses say could not possibly have been born of the kingdom of God. For the deity of Jesus forms the very foundation of our faith in Him.

Yet, if you'll search the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus didn't go around proclaiming Himself as God during His 33 years on earth. He acknowledged that He was the Son of God, the Messiah. He referred to God as His Father (which enraged the Pharisees), but He never made the assertion that He was the most high God. In fact, He told His disciples that the Father God was greater and mightier than He (John 14:28).

The reason is simple. He hadn't come to earth just as God. He'd come also as man. The Word says He set aside His divine power and took the form of a human being--with all its limitations. Since God was His Father, He was not born with the sin nature that had been passed along to the sons of Adam. But by being born of a woman, in all other respects He became a man and called Himself the Son of Man or, literally, the Son of Adam.

How, then, did He do all those mighty works? The same way He expects us to do them today--by the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). He said, "It's the Father within Me who does the work."

What does that mean to you? It means that Jesus meant exactly what He said when He said that you, as a believer, would be able to do the works that He did! (John 14:12).

It means that you, as a reborn child of God, filled with the same Holy Spirit as Jesus was, have the opportunity to live as He lived when He was on earth.

In fact, that is exactly what He intends. He went before you, as a man, and opened the way. Don't just admire Him for it. Follow Him in it today!

Scripture Reading: John 14:1-15

 There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
–Proverbs 18:24

How many lonely people there are today! God did not create man to live in miserable inner loneliness. In that first Eden, God Himself came down to keep the man He had made from being lonely.

One of the most heartening things Jesus said to His disciples was, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). He came to restore fellowship between man and God, and to take away human loneliness. Jesus Christ will take away loneliness from your soul. He will be your companion and friend.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

You want to fill all the lonely moments, Lord, and turn them into times of incredible delight. May I never fear loneliness again.

Power of God's love

 But faith...worketh by love.

– Galatians 5:6

I used to wonder why we believers didn't see more of the power of God operating among us than we do. With what we know about faith and the Word, it seemed to me signs and wonders and miracles should be happening all the time.

So, one day I asked, "Lord, why isn't the power of God turned up to a higher volume in the Church?"

Do you know what He said? He told me we weren't walking in enough love yet.

God wants us to have power. But first, He has to be sure we'll use that power in love. He wants to know that we won't take it and mix it with judgment and criticism and blast people out of the water.

"Kenneth," He said, "I can't afford to back your words with supernatural power in a church service on Sunday morning and then have you get on the freeway that night and lash out at someone because he pulled over into your lane. You'd blow him off the highway. I can't leave the power of Almighty God at a high volume in the mouth of an unmerciful fool."

Then He reminded me of a time I took my son, John, hunting. He was just a little guy at the time, barely big enough to keep his gun from knocking him on his back every time he'd pull the trigger. I was teaching him how to shoot, and he was coming along pretty well.

That day we were walking along out at Gloria's grandparents' farm and John spotted one of the biggest tarantula spiders I'd ever seen. It was clinging to the wall of the barn. When John saw that spider, he took aim. He was going to blow that bug away.

If I hadn't stopped him, he would have too. And it wouldn't have dawned on him until it was all over that he was going to blow a hole in the barn at the same time. From my grown-up perspective, I could see that would be foolishness. He couldn't. He was looking through the eyes of a child.

Do you want God to put a shotgun of spiritual power in your hand, so you can blow the works of the devil to kingdom come? Then focus on love. Pursue it. Practice it. Study it. Grow up in it. Then you'll see the power of God operating through you.

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:8-14