BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

HOW TO USE THEIR FAITH. JOIN US IN TEACHING BELIEVERS 1 6 : B V O V PARTNER WITH KCM. slapping the devil in the face with the whole Old and New Testaments. So, I did. I used the Name of Jesus!" All of a sudden, the man threw down the shovel. "You know what," he said, "you're not worth it." Tossing the gun and shovel into his van, he quickly drove away. Two days later, the man tried to kill someone else and was arrested for attempted murder. With him now in jail, Marleth knew her escape was clear. A New Beginning "I'd spent years being afraid of that man," Marleth remembers. "As soon as I was free, I checked myself into a rehab program. Once I was safe, with no one trying to kill me, I prayed again: "Lord, do You want something from me? I'm all Yours. Just as Gloria Copeland had once said to the Lord, I told Him: "I give You my life. Do something with it. "While I was in rehab, my mom would bring me CDs by Brother Copeland, Sister Gloria and Pastor Terri Pearsons to listen to," Marleth recalls. "I listened to them and immersed myself in the Word, totally surrendering to God. Even during the worst of my addictions, when I listened to Brother Copeland, the temptation receded. Those messages helped me to focus on God's power. I knew He was good, kind and merciful. I knew that He still loved me as much as He did when I was a child. So without any hesitation, I asked Him to forgive me. "I also asked Him to restore my relationship with my mom. I asked that He return my girls to me. And I asked that He allow me to live in Fort Worth so that I could attend Eagle Mountain Church (EMIC), where Terri Pearsons and her husband, George, were the pastors. "Finally, I asked to one day be able to meet my spiritual parents, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland." While going through rehab, Marleth recalls, "The Lord told me that renewing my mind would transform me from the inside out." She decided to practice Joshua 1:8, which says: "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (NIV). "To fight the addiction, I also had to discipline myself to put on the armor of God as soon as my eyes opened (Ephesians 6:11-18). I did what Brother and Sister Copeland preached. I learned to put on my helmet of salvation in order to fight the thoughts of the enemy. I learned to put on the breastplate of righteousness to shield my emotions and my heart. And I learned to put on the belt of truth because, if I get caught lying, the enemy will use it against me. I was finished with lying to myself and to others. "Then, I learned to have my feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The Lord knew I needed to forgive myself first, then forgive everyone else and be at peace with everyone around me. I learned from Brother Copeland that if I chose to not keep the peace or hold unforgiveness, I would only be harming myself. I learned to keep my shield of faith, which was to quench every fiery dart that would come my way in the natural. I also had to keep my Bible, which is the sword of the Spirit, with me at all times in hand, as well as in my mouth, and in my heart. And I learned I would have to utilize my spiritual language to get me by—minute by minute" (Ephesians 6:12-18). A Road Worth Traveling "That was my road to recovery, and it worked," Marleth says. "I spent years in the Word of God, in prayer and worship, and in church. I've been sober now since June 24, 2012. I've often looked back over my life and wondered why I lived. I believe the primary reason was because I've been a Partner with KCM since I was 11. That means Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and the entire staff at KCM, have prayed for me every day. That kind of prayer is priceless. "I also believe that I'm alive because of the faithful prayers of my mother. There's nothing more powerful than a praying mother. She has been pivotal in my life. "God has answered every one of the things I asked of Him. Today, my mother, my children and I live in Fort Worth. We attend EMIC, the Revival Capital of the World ® , and I've met my spiritual parents. "In addition to working toward my college degree, my mother, my daughters and I live in a brand-new home which God has provided for us, and my children attend private school. And if that weren't enough to show His love and faithfulness, the Lord also did something else for me. Today, I work in the Human Resources department at Kenneth Copeland Ministries. I finally followed those trucks home!" KCM.ORG /PARTNERNOW

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