BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Sow the Word Of course, the enemy is going to work overtime to try to prevent God’s Word from fulfilling its intended purpose. Mark 4:14-15 says, “The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” What does the enemy come to steal? The Word we are sowing. When does he come to steal it? Immediately. The enemy’s desire is to get that seed up, so you won’t believe it. He knows if you believe the Word, it’s going to release virtue that’s going to cause a performance of what was promised. It’s going to come to pass! Mary is an example of someone who believed the Word and the result was the birth of Jesus and the fulfillment of the Messiah’s arrival. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.… For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:35-38). When we believe the Word and the promises of God, like Mary did, God’s virtue is released to provoke the performance of what He promised. The result is revolutionary. A Command From the Beginning At the beginning of Creation, God told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). That command was about far more than procreation. It was also for the birth of God’s ideas and plans in the earth. He spoke creation into existence. He spoke Israel into existence. He spoke Jesus’ birth into existence. He speaks, and we respond. All Bible-believing, faith-talking believers should align their wills, thoughts and words to agree with what God speaks. The result affects this world for His glory. Every time. If God can use ex-slaves, He can use any one of us. The God we serve gave Booker T. Washington a way to educate ex-slaves. He gave me a way to create a business school that is reaching people and changing nations, and He’s not finished. Through Him, right now, my ministry is teaching business principles to those in the inner city and bringing digital technology training to those on house arrest. We are also turning jails into boarding schools. When I first said that, no one thought anything about it. So I kept saying it, again and again. The Lord reminded me of Job 22:28: “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” The next thing I knew, the sheriff was calling to ask if our church could bring financial literacy into the jails. We started teaching the Word of God, water baptizing inmates in the prison, and teaching them leadership skills. Next thing I know, I was invited to the White House to join a briefing with the president on prison reform and to share our success in bringing education and job readiness to those behind the walls. That is fruitfulness! I want you to join me in this adventure. This is your season. This is your moment. This is your hour. Don’t miss it. Get your pencil and paper and put it by your nightstand when you go to bed, because God is about to download new ideas to you. He wants to dispense goods and blessings to this world. Like He said in Genesis 12:2 ("NKJV"), “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” That’s what it is to be fruitful. V Bill Winston is founder and pastor of Living Word Christian Center, with several thousand members located in Forest Park, Ill. He is also the founder and chairman of The Joseph Business School and Bill Winston Ministries. For more information go to billwinston.org. Watch Bill Winston on VICTORY Channel Sun.-Fri: 2 a.m. | 6:30 a.m. | 4 p.m. ET BVOV : 11

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