BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

with the natural activities and responsibilities of life that my desire for the things of God began to slip. At the time, Ken and I had been living the faith life for several years. Our circumstances had improved to the point where we'd gotten comfortable. I didn't have to believe God every time I went grocery shopping for enough money to pay the bill. We weren't sick, broke or in any major trouble. The Word was working in our lives. So, no longer driven by desperation to focus so much on the Lord, I got busy with other things. One night, I realized what I'd done. I was sitting in a meeting listening to Brother Kenneth E. Hagin as he was prophesying about the mighty end-time army of God. "You can be a part of that army," he said, "if you will only rise up and become on fi re." Suddenly, realizing how spiritually lukewarm I'd become, I knew if I didn't do something, I'd miss out on what Brother Hagin was talking about. Determined to make a change, I decided to set my heart blazing for God again by giving Him more of my time. From that day on, I spent the fi rst hour of my day in prayer and the Word. I began stirring up my spirit by reading sermons by John G. Lake. I turned my attention toward the Lord, and since our desire follows our attention, my desire for the things of God soon came roaring back—and I never let it wane again. Because of that experience, I understand very well why Paul said, "Don't get entangled with the a airs of this life!" I know what can happen when the busyness of life crowds God out. Most likely, you do too. No. 4: "Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ...risen from the dead." 2 Timothy 2:8, Amplifi ed Bible, Classic Edition If you want to live as a winner day in and day out, center your attention on this one, familiar fact: Jesus has risen from the dead. Obviously, as Christians we believe that. It's foundational to our faith. But why does Paul identify it as one of the keys to continual victory? Why must we always keep it at the forefront of our mind? Because when Jesus rose from the dead and conquered the devil, He did it for us. He didn't do it for Himself. As the Son of God, He wasn't subject to sin, sickness, poverty or any of Satan's stu . He wasn't defeated in any way. But you and I were. So, He came and won every battle on our behalf! He got the victory and gave it to us. The Bible says when Jesus rose from the dead, we were raised up too. We were made to "sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). We became "joint- heirs" with Him (Romans 8:17). If we constantly keep this in mind, the devil won't be able to talk us into losing. When he tells us we're going to fail, we won't be able to pay our bills, we're going to get sick and die, or some other horrible lie, we won't believe him. Instead, we'll say, "Jesus rose from the dead, got the victory for me, and I have it! I cannot be defeated because through Jesus I've already won!" No. 5: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 When Paul wrote these words, Timothy wasn't 20 or 30 years old. He was a 40-year- old minister who'd been studying the Word for years. But Paul knew that if Timothy wanted to stay on course, he'd have to persist in studying the Scriptures. He'd have to keep the Word of truth in front of him all the time. The same is true for us, as believers. I've found that if I don't continually feed on the Word, my thinking doesn't stay straight. I begin to let important truths and faith principles slip. Remember: It's not what you know; it's what you do that brings victory in your life. When sickness comes, for instance, it's not enough to mentally understand it's God's will for you to be healed. You must act on that knowledge. You must believe you receive your healing when you pray. You must speak to the sickness and command it to leave your body. But you'll only do those things if you consistently study and keep the Word in your heart and mind. The Word keeps your thinking right. When your thinking is right, your words 2 0 : B V O V Get Get Get your digital your digital your digital your digital your digital your digital magazine magazine magazine magazine magazine magazine magazine magazine.kcm.org

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