BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Don’t expect God to manifest His glory in a strife-filled atmosphere. He absolutely detests it. As Proverbs 6:16-19 says: “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Notice that, according to those verses, strife, like envy, runs with very bad company! It hangs around with things like lying and murder. Gossiping, backbiting, spreading rumors about some bad thing someone did or said is all part of strife. In the sight of God, strife is a very serious offense, and many believers yield to it. Some do it almost professionally, seemingly on purpose. Others do it without being aware of it. They might see another believer stumble or sin and just assume it’s their duty to go and tell everyone about it. It’s never a believer’s duty to gossip about someone. It’s our duty to walk in love, and that’s not how love acts! Love doesn’t expose other people’s mistakes. It doesn’t provoke people in church to point fingers at a believer who’s done wrong and perpetuate his or her problem by passing it around. As Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Love believes the best of every person. Love prays for the person who’s fallen into sin and believes God for him or her. Love tries to shield and restore the person. It causes us to do for a fallen brother or sister what we would want them to do for us if we were in their shoes. Yes, Even If It’s the Pastor “But what if the person who’s doing something wrong is very important?” someone might say. “What if it’s the pastor?” That’s still no excuse to stir up strife in church. The pastor is not your servant. He’s God’s servant, and God can take care of him. You’re not responsible to be his judge or to go around warning everyone about what you’ve heard he may have done. Most likely, you don’t know all the facts anyway. Generally, in those situations, we don’t. We’re just putting together rumors and hearsay without fully understanding the whole story. That’s why, when we hear something unsettling about a minister, it’s best just to do what the Bible tells us to do. It says, “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5). In other words, no matter what happens, don’t judge your pastor. If he isn’t behaving as he should, and you don’t feel you can follow him anymore, then leave and find another church where things are right. But don’t sow discord as you’re leaving. Just quietly withdraw. Then go wherever the Lord leads you and continue to do everything you can to keep from stirring up strife. Avoiding strife is always the wisest thing to do in any situation! The Bible confirms it time and again. “But Gloria,” someone might say, “I have to deal with people in my life who have really mistreated me. It’s hard for me to avoid getting into strife with them.” I understand. But strife won’t help you deal with those people. Walking in the love of God will. When you respond to them in love and refuse to become angry and contentious, you stay in command of your interactions with them. You’re able to maintain your temper and keep things from getting out of hand. Love keeps you in the light. The enemies of love drag you into darkness. They open the door to Satan and give him a place in your life. He can only operate in darkness. He can’t operate in the light, so when he tempts you to get into strife, say no to him. Slam the door in his face, keep walking in love and stay in the light. That’s the only safe place to be! V This article is adapted from Gloria Copeland’s new book, "Walking In the Fruit of the Spirit," coming soon. ****************************************** ****************************************** ********** ADVERTISEMENT ********** NOV "BVOV" Broadcast Calendar Featuring Kenneth Copeland and Gloria Copeland Sun., Nov. 1: Decide To Walk in Love Kenneth Copeland Nov. 2-6 The Facets of Healing Kenneth Copeland Sun., Nov. 8: How To Activate Faith in Four Steps Kenneth Copeland Nov. 9-13 Understanding and Demonstrating Covenant Kenneth Copeland Sun., Nov. 15: Put God’s WORD First Kenneth Copeland Nov. 16-20 Healing School Kenneth Copeland Sun., Nov. 22: Get Into Agreement and Stand Together In Faith Kenneth Copeland Nov. 23-27 The Power of Thanksgiving Kenneth & Gloria Copeland Sun., Nov. 29: Claim Your Kingdom Benefits Kenneth Copeland * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Broadcasts subject to change without notice WATCH ON dish® Channel 265 DIRECTV Channel 366 Daystar Television Network Roku® apple tv® 4th Generation YouTube® KCM.ORG GOVICTORY App / GOVICTORY.COM WATCH THE SPANISH BROADCAST Enlace or es.kcm.org kcm.org/watch/find-a-station ***************************************** ***************************************** Digital issue MAGAZINE.KCM.ORG ***************************************** BVOV : 31

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