BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

You can mess up your painting any number of ways. You mess it up with disobedience, foolishness, pride…doing things your own way. You may try to talk God into something He didn’t have in mind for you…you get off the plan. Or, you can take your brush in hand and follow the outline God has given you. He sees His masterpiece as complete, just the way He planned it. His design may include a career, spouse, family, home—everything that will give you the good life He has in store for you. Now, I’m here to tell you, you aren’t going to convince Him that you know more than He does, so why bother trying? Just take the brush and paint by His perfectly designed plan—the plan He laid out for you before the foundation of the world. You will not and you cannot come up with anything better. It’s not possible. The devil may tell you, “There’s something better than this plan. You need to go for that. God is keeping something from you.” That’s exactly what he did in the Garden of Eden, and he’s been doing it ever since. And if you’re foolish enough to listen to that, you’re going to mess up just like Eve did. I define foolishness as turning your back on wisdom from God’s Word, from the Holy Spirit, from the people He has put in your life to help you. You’re foolish if you turn your back on the plan, thinking you know better. But you don’t have to be foolish! You can be sure of one thing: Everything God tells you to do corresponds to creating your masterpiece—your good life. Everything! Let Him Complete You! Proverbs 20:24 tells us the Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? He’s got our path lined out for us. His goal is to complete the masterpiece of you! He’s taken care of everything. In the Garden, He provided Adam and Eve’s food, their clothing, their spouse and even their occupation. He gave them THE BLESSING. He gave them seed because He had already planted everything and made it grow. He did all the work. They didn’t have to toil at all. They just had to do what He said and THE BLESSING would make it all work. All Adam and Eve had to do, and all we have to do, is “keep it.” Keep THE BLESSING. Keep the promise. Keep the plan. Philippians 2:12-13 makes it clear: “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” ("NLT"). God is watching over that plan He designed. He’s working in you, giving you the desire and the power to paint the picture—to do what pleases Him. And what pleases Him is for you to be what He designed you to be and do. He has provided every tool we will ever need to paint our lives according to His plan. He’s given us His Word…the complete and true picture of each of us. He has given us His Spirit…not just our step-by-step instructor, but our moment-by-moment power source. He has given us Jesus—our example of what living the good life God planned is all about. He has given us the Body of Christ—the ones who encourage us that we can and will be all He has designed us to be. You are not out there alone, trying to accomplish a near-impossible task. God loves you so much, He has master-planned your good life and totally supplied every good thing you need to pick up that brush and see your life turn out just as He desires it to be. You are God’s masterpiece. You are His good work in progress! V Kellie Copeland is responsible for Covenant Partner Relations at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and is the developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as “Commander Kellie,” she fulfills the mission of drawing people of all ages into a personal, growing and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ. ****************************************** VICTORIOUS LIVING When Your Mouth Speaks, Your Mind Listens by Kenneth Copeland “There is no truth in [the devil].” John 8:44 You might as well face it. As long as you are on this earth, the devil is going to talk to you. He has a right to test your faith by bringing you circumstances and lies to see if you’ll receive them. But when he does, refuse them. Cast down those fearful imaginations and every thought that is contrary to the promise of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). Say, “The Lord is on my side. I will not fear!” Then open your mouth and speak The WORD of God. Use it to contradict the devil’s lies. If he tells you, “You won’t have enough money for your house payment this month,” don’t just struggle silently with that thought. Speak up. Say right out loud, “I will have the money for my house payment. I know I will because my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!” I found out a long time ago that when my mouth speaks, my mind has to stop and listen to what it’s saying. Maybe you won’t fully believe that confession the first time you make it. But if you’ll keep saying it, you’ll keep hearing it. And what you hear, you’ll believe. Eventually your faith will be so strong and your heart will be so full, you’ll start speaking with total confidence. That’s when the devil will run for cover, because fear has no chance when faith comes on the scene. Faith is the original. Fear is the counterfeit. And the real overcomes the phony every time. V BVOV : 23

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