Kenneth Copeland Ministries has been publishing the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine for more than 40 years. Receive your positive, faith-filled magazine FREE each month, subscribe today at www.freevictory.com.
Issue link: http://magazine.kcm.org/i/1476594
Redirected Focus If you’ll think about it, we only have two real options in times of extreme pressure. Those options are to focus either on the problem…or the gratitude. You cannot do both at the same time. For instance, what happens if you have one sore finger? You may have nine fingers, toes, arms, ears and numerous other body parts that are working perfectly, but that isn’t your focus. No. All you can think about is how you are going to get that one finger healed. You begin confessing healing scriptures and try to decide what else you need to confess or do, to stop the pain. But if you don’t water those confessions with praise and thanksgiving, your focus on the one sore finger—or whatever problem—will continue to dominate your thinking. If you don’t redirect your focus, the problem can consume you. So start giving God thanks for everything that is working right. Praise Him for all the good things He has done in your life. As you do, you’ll come to a place where you can release your faith and receive your answer. “Yeah, but Brother Copeland, you don't know what has happened to me.” You’re right, I don’t. But I do know you’re breathing—not pushing up grass! So just start thanking God for your life! Remind yourself that no matter what your circumstances are—it could be a whole lot worse. You’re not dead yet! And this principle applies to far more than just receiving healing. Expressing gratitude by faith will change everything around you. It will change the whole complexion of your life. Shouts Silence the Devil I’m not saying the challenges will be over when you start filling the atmosphere with shouts of praise and thanksgiving. In fact, once you begin praising God with purpose, you’ll become a prime target for the devil. Why? It’ll scare the daylights out of him when you begin operating in gratitude…and he’ll try to stop you. He’ll use the only tactic he possesses. He’ll try to steal that WORD out of you by stirring up your flesh. Mark 4:16-17 tells us, “These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.” The enemy will try to get you to become offended. But that will only work if you have no root—if you’re not grounded in the love of God. However, if you are loving The LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) and expressing your gratefulness for all He has done, you are becoming rooted and grounded in love. That’s what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He said: "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:16-19, "New Living Translation"). Become so filled with His love that offense can’t come near you. Praise Him for His marvelous love. Praise Him, and as you do the enemy will be stopped cold because praise “stills the avenger” (Psalm 8:2). Fill your mouth and the atmosphere with gratitude—thank God for all He is, for all He has done and is doing in your life. You and the world around you will change! V 24 : BVOV