BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

********** ADVERTISEMENT ********** learn more about prayer "A Deeper Understanding of Praying in the Spirit" 6 CDs by Terri Copeland Pearsons Get a deeper revelation of what it truly means to pray in the spirit, and learn how the Holy Spirit can help you hit the mark in prayer every time. "God’s Will Is the Holy Spirit" minibook by Gloria Copeland Discover what the Scriptures say about the Holy Spirit and the power that is available to you today! You will also receive a special Prayer Bookmark by Vinita Copeland. Praying in the Holy Spirit Package $19.99 reg $31.99 #B190308 FREE standard shipping included. Offer price valid until March 31, 2019 kcm.org/mag 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) ******************************************* * * * * * article continues * * * * * Aren’t you glad He chose to make us right with Him instead of destroying us? This force of righteousness not only makes us right with Him, but it is what makes things right around us and for us. It is because we are the righteousness of God that our bodies can be made right, which is healing. It is the reason our financial lives can be made right, which is prosperity. Think of it like the schoolteacher who comes back into an unruly classroom. Suddenly, when the force of righteousness enters the room, everyone straightens up and begins to act right. Peace, at the root meaning of the Hebrew word, means “nothing missing, nothing broken. Complete.” He is Jehovah our Peace (Judges 6:23-24). Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Peace is more than a serene setting. The force of peace took command of the storm and calmed the sea when Jesus released it with His command, “Peace, be still!” Peace doesn’t mean having no trouble. It means having security in the midst of trouble. It means the ability to master the outcome of the trouble. It means trouble doesn’t trouble you! Then there’s joy. It is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a spiritual force that sustains throughout the worst of times. “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). Sorrow and grief know no boundaries. They can come to anyone about anything. But joy floats. It lifts you above anything that would weigh you down so you can always see the horizon. Life never loses its luster when joy is present. Joy keeps our eye on the prize, which in God is always good. Psalm 16:11 tells us that there is fullness of joy in His presence. No sorrow. No despair. Anywhere. See, the Kingdom is small enough, or in other words, simple enough, to be understood and to be relevant to every life. It is also big enough to cover every situation. Righteousness allows you to be face-to-face with God and goes to work to make things right. Peace takes command of stormy situations in order to maintain a life of wholeness. And joy gives us the strength to press toward the blessings of the Lord and the ability to enjoy the ride! But is the Kingdom big enough to handle all your present-day situations? Yes, I say! And your future as well. How can I be so sure? Well, “the kingdom of God” doesn’t just refer to something God possesses the way an earthly king would possess land and all that is on it. “The kingdom of God” is the kingdom of Himself. If you look again at the scriptural references we’ve already given, you will see that hidden in them is the reality that He does not have righteousness or peace or joy. He is righteousness. Nothing is right apart from Him and there is nothing in Him that is not right. He is peace. There is no trouble in God and no peace outside of Him. He is our joy. The only way to know joy is to know Him. The only way to experience joy is to be in His presence because that is the only place you will find it. And to make it even more majestic in scope, the kingdom of God is not just parts of God—it is all of God. And if God is God, by definition He should be able to handle anything, now and in all the future that is to come. Enjoying the Kingdom The only thing now that could leave us fearful is thinking that we can’t receive, or simply put, get our hands on that Kingdom. It is an awesome thing to wrap our minds around, that God wants me to have Him, all of Him. Just how do we receive—live in, have, enjoy—that Kingdom? By the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:18 ("AMPC") says, “We…have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father….” And Jesus assured us that our heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13). And boy, He wasn’t kidding! When the Father gave the Spirit, He gave in a big way! "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). 22 : BVOV

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