BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Remember this: Jesus is always for you. He’s never against you. So, don’t ever get offended at Him. Don’t ever start thinking when you’re in the middle of a faith fight that He’s missed it some way and let you down. Instead, just humble yourself and admit that if there’s a problem, it’s with you and not with Him. Say, “Lord, I know You’ve been trying to get me through this thing. I know You’ve been talking to me the whole time. How come I didn’t hear you?” Then stop talking and start listening. Be like Rufus Mosely, who tells how he was lying on the floor one time, praying and crying out to God about a problem he had, and he suddenly had a brilliant thought: Here lies a fool that knows nothing doing all the talking to Someone who knows everything. I believe I’ll just hush and see what He has to say. “But Brother Copeland, what if I get quiet and the Lord doesn’t speak to me?” He will. Jesus said so in the Bible. In John 16, He said the Holy Spirit who is living on the inside of you will guide you into all truth: “…for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you” (verses 13-15). The Holy Spirit is always speaking. He’s always revealing to you what Jesus is saying. So just humble yourself and listen. Roll your cares over on God, take time to worship Him, and open your heart to what He has to say. When you hear it, agree with Him, and resist the devil’s lies by continually slamming him with The WORD. As you do that, if you stick with the process, God will keep developing and strengthening you. He’ll keep perfecting your faith until Jesus can say to you the same wonderful words He once said to the Canaanite woman: “Great is your faith! Be it unto thee even as thou wilt!” V * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Danger of Distraction by Jeremy Pearsons Have you noticed how, in today’s fast-paced, always-on, internet-connected world, it can be challenging to keep your focus? Sarah and I have seen how our children’s ability to pay attention is a definite earmark of their growth. The more mature they become, the better they can keep their minds set on one thing. Watching them struggle to stay focused is cute sometimes. What’s not so cute is when a fully grown adult still has that struggle…especially when it’s you or me. As adults, we must have the ability to lock in on something and not let go. According to the Word, our peace depends on it. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You...” ("New King James Version"). That’s pretty straightforward: Peace depends upon our ability to keep our mind in one place—stayed on Him. In fact, the Lord shared it with me this way, “The absence of peace is the product of a wandering mind.” BVOV : 9

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