To Win in life, follow the acts of love by walking by Faith in Jesus.
Love never fails! So you do not have to either.
"Love never fails."
(1 Corinthians 13:8)
Fear of failure. It's haunted all of us at some time in our lives. Popular psychology tells us to adjust to it. But the Word of God tells us that there is a failure-proof way to live without it. It is the way of LOVE.
If you want to know real success, you must learn to be moved and motivated by love. That's how Jesus was when He was on the earth.
Even when John the Baptist was senselessly, brutally murdered and Jesus went away to be alone, He didn't deviate from the way of love. For Matthew 14:6-14 says that even then in that emotionally taxing time when the people followed Him and would give Him no solitude, He was moved with compassion and healed their sick.
I used to wonder how Jesus could just turn away from that terrible crime and not retaliate. What I didn't realize was that He did retaliate. He overcame the works of Satan with compassion. He defeated hatred with love. He attacked Satan in the spirit realm by destroying his works of sickness and disease.
Compassion doesn't strike at the surface of things. It goes to the root of the problem. That's why it always succeeds.
"But wait!" you may say. "I can't operate like that. I'm not Jesus."
Yes you can, because the Word of God says that His love has been shed abroad in your heart! (Rom. 5:5). And 1 John 2:5 says His love is perfected in you as you keep His Word.
Commit to living the life of love today. Watch God turn failure into success at home, at work...in any situation. LOVE NEVER FAILS!
Who or what has first place in your life?
Seek God First
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:33)
Whenever Ken and I talk about living by faith, I know there are some people who think, "Oh, that's easy for you. You're preachers. You have it made!" And, in some ways, we do. We have it made because our calling demands that we give God our attention, and giving God your attention always brings success.
But we haven't always lived that way. In fact, the first time I ever saw Kenneth Copeland he was about as far from a preacher as I figured you could get. He flew planes and sang in nightclubs. As for me, I was a college girl who said she would never marry a preacher and who had never even heard about the new birth.
Right after we got married, Ken went into a business enterprise that we thought was going to make us rich. So I quit my job and went to work for this new company. Two weeks later it folded.
We ended up sleeping on a rented roll-away bed that sagged in the middle. We had a wrought-iron coffee table Ken made in high school and a black and white TV. Nothing else. No refrigerator. No stove. I cooked in my coffee pot and an electric skillet and used a cardboard box on the porch to keep our food cold.
We were flat broke. Unemployed. Deeply in debt. I had nowhere to go. No furniture. No nothing.
Then one day I picked up the Bible Ken's mother had given him for his birthday. In the front she'd written this verse, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." I turned and read Matthew 6. It said God cared for the birds. For the first time in my life it got into my heart that God cared where I was and what I was doing. I figured if He cared for birds, He cared for me! I knelt in that bare room and told Jesus that if He could do anything with my life, He could certainly have it. That's all I remember saying.
I had no idea I'd just been born again. Two weeks later Ken found a new job. We moved to a new furnished apartment and bought a better car. In the midst of it all, something else happened--Ken got born again.
Don't worry if you don't "have it made." We certainly didn't when all this started. Just stick with God and let Him make you. He is a good God who is good to all (Ps. 145:9).
Make a decision in your heart to seek HIM first. Then all the other things will be added.
Joy in His Presence
Scripture: Psalm 16:11
“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).
The Presence of the Lord
Do you need more joy in your life today? God promises that joy is found in His presence, and if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then His presence lives inside of you! That joy manifests when you focus your mind and heart on the Father and begin to praise Him for what He’s done in your life. The Bible says that He inhabits the praises of His people. When you begin to praise and thank Him, you are in His presence where there is fullness of joy. It doesn’t matter where you are or what’s going on around you, you can access the joy that’s inside of you at anytime, day or night. And know this: God wants you to experience His supernatural joy and peace at all times. That’s why He chose to live inside of you and give you an endless supply. Don’t waste another minute feeling overburdened and discouraged. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength, and you will move forward in victory on the path of life He’s prepared for you!
A Prayer for more Joy
Father in heaven, thank You for an endless supply of joy. Today, I choose to cast my cares on You and give You the praise, glory, and honor You deserve. Let joy flow through me today so that I can be a witness of Your goodness to those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
God with Us
Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us (Matthew 1:23 AMP).
The Goodness of God
All throughout the Bible, Jesus has many names according to His attributes. In this verse, He is called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Aren’t you glad we serve a God who is with us? He’s not far away looking down on us; He is with us! As believer’s, He’s not just around us, He’s actually living on the inside of us. That means you never have to be alone or feel afraid. Do you need Emmanuel today? Do you need to feel His presence? He is closer than the air you breathe. When you call on Him, He will answer. As you worship and thank Him for His faithfulness, His presence will manifest in your life, and you will experience Him in ways you never imagined. Take time right now to acknowledge Emmanuel. Thank Him for dwelling on the inside of you. Give Him first place in your life, and as you do, He’ll pour out His abundant blessing, and you’ll experience the life of victory He has in store for you.
Let us all pray this
Heavenly Father, thank You for being Emmanuel and for choosing to live inside of me. Thank You for being close to me today and giving me Your comfort and peace as You do everyday. I acknowledge You today that I may bring You glory in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries."
(1 Corinthians 14:2)
Have you ever looked around at your own life or the life of the Church and wondered why it's taking the Lord so long to get things in order?
If so, let me tell you something I learned a few years ago. He's not the One who's slow. We are!
It's not God's fault that the Church still has spots and wrinkles. It's not His fault that we're not living in total victory. He's always ready. He's the great "I AM." We're the ones who fall short.
Compare it to turning on a radio. If you don't have it tuned to exactly the right frequency, you won't be able to hear the station. It's not the station's fault. It's sending out signals perfectly. The problem is, you haven't tuned in to it.
That's what's happening with you and me. We haven't fine tuned our spirits enough to pick up the voice of the Spirit. Oh, we pick up a few things now and then, but mostly we just fade in and out. We don't stay on God's wavelength all the time.
How do you adjust your spiritual tuner?
By praying in the Spirit. Praying in other tongues is the fastest, most effective method I know of to tune in to God--because instead of praying your own thoughts and plans, you're praying His!
The Bible says that when you pray in tongues, you're speaking mysteries to God. In the Spirit, you're calling forth parts of God's plan you don't even understand with your natural mind. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, you're praying the perfect will of God.
You see, God knows how to deliver His people. He knows how to turn us into the glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He has a plan that will do it. And if we'll tap into that plan and start releasing it into the earth by praying in the Spirit, praying according to His will and not our own, this age will draw to a close quickly. If we'll all get our minds and hearts in tune with what God's doing, there will be an explosion of the power of God that will turn this world around!
Start adjusting your spiritual tuner today. Spend an hour praying in other tongues. Set your spirit on God's wavelength and just see how quickly the spots and wrinkles begin to disappear from you.
Magnify the Lord
Scripture: Psalms 34:3
“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3).
Article to increase and magnify the Lord.
There is power when you magnify the Lord and exalt His name. When you magnify the Lord, you aren’t changing Him, you are changing the way you see Him. You are making Him bigger in your life than your problems and circumstances. So many people today waste time and energy talking about their problems and feeling sorry for themselves. In other words, they are magnifying their circumstances in their own mind and heart. But when you start magnifying the Lord by talking about Him and worshiping Him, you are making Him big in your life. You are opening the door for Him to move on your behalf. Decide today that no matter what’s going on in life around you, you are going to magnify your God. Talk about His goodness. Talk about His faithfulness. Declare that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Exalt His name today and lift Him up! As you magnify the Lord above your circumstances, He will become bigger in your life. You will see His hand of blessing and move forward into the life of victory He has in store for you!
A Prayer for Magnify the Lord.
Heavenly Father, today I choose to magnify and exalt You. You are faithful and worthy of praise. I declare today that You are for me, so who can be against me! I trust You to work in my life today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Walk Through
Psalm 23:4
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NKJV).
Do you ever feel like you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death? During the tough times, it’s easy to get to discouraged. I love what it says in the verse, “though I walk through…” No matter what you are facing today, know this: you are not alone, and you are just walking through. You don’t have to stop and live in the tough times. They are only temporary. I encourage you today; don’t allow fear to paralyze you in the middle of “the valley of the shadow of death.” Remember, God is with you. He is walking beside you. He is strengthening you. He is making a way of escape for you. He is lining up people and situations to bring you out of that tough place into a place of strength and victory. Don’t give up! Press on and walk through! Begin to get a vision of your life on the other side. See yourself more loving, more faithful, stronger and more blessed than ever before. As you keep moving forward and walking through, you will get to the other side and experience the victory God has in store for you!
A Prayer to walk right.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in my life. Thank You for walking with me even in the hard times. I trust that You are taking me through my circumstances to a place of victory and strength. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
