BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

kinds of adventures we had weren't exactly what I had hoped for. For one thing, we started out deeply in debt. I married Kenneth Copeland and his notes. Debt had always been a way of life for him. Sometimes I think he borrowed money on his tricycle! What's more, we immediately began to make dumb decisions. (I know you probably think you're the only one who's done stupid things fi nancially, but trust me, we all have.) Right after we married, Ken went to work with a great new company that was just getting started. We were so sure it was going to make us rich quickly that I quit my job and went to work there too. I was the secretary... but only for two weeks. Then the company went broke. I'll never forget those desperate days. While Ken was out hunting for a job, I sat alone in the three-bedroom house we had rented and wondered what would become of us. My world had crumbled. I had nowhere to go. No money. No job. We didn't even have any "real" furniture. Just a rented rollaway bed that sagged in the middle, a wrought-iron coŠ ee table Ken had made in his high school shop class (you can imagine what a stunning piece that was!), a black-and-white TV, and a couple of lawn chairs. Nothing else. No refrigerator. No stove. I cooked in my coŠ eepot and an electric skillet. And since it was winter, I put the food outside in a cardboard box to keep it cold. If God Cares About the Birds... Worst of all, I had no hope. I didn't know to trust in God. I'd been raised in a denomination that taught He didn't do anything anymore. Healing, miracles and all that had passed away...or so I'd been told. I didn't think anyone could even be sure of getting to heaven. You just had to take your chances and, odds are, you wouldn't make it. One day, I picked up the Bible Ken's mother had given him for his birthday. In the front she had written, "Ken precious, seek ye fi rst the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33)." I didn't know much, but I did know I needed a lot of things added to me, so I opened to that passage. I read about how God feeds the birds and clothes the grass of the fi eld, and I thought, If He cares about them, He cares about me! I had never before known that. No one had ever told me God would help me. Spiritually, it was the fi rst good news I'd ever heard. That day, I prayed and told Jesus that if He could do anything with my life, He could certainly have it. With that simple prayer, I was born again. I didn't realize it, of course. I'd never heard anything about the new birth. I just knew that after that, my heart began to change. I started wanting to know more about God. I even wanted to go to church. Within two weeks, Ken had a new job. We moved into a new apartment. We bought a better car. And in the midst of it all, another amazing thing happened. God spoke to Ken and said, You have to get this family in line with Me now! Even though Ken's mother and dad had always been strong Christians, Ken had been running from God most of his life. But the Lord dealt with him so strongly this time, he couldn't ignore it. So he followed the instructions he'd heard years before from his boyhood Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Taggert. He bowed his head and asked Jesus to come into his heart. The day we moved into our new apartment, Ken called me into the living room and said, "What would you think if I started preaching or making talks about the Lord?" I remember thinking, You, preach? I can't even get you to go to church! Soon after that we went to a meeting with Ken's parents where we learned about receiving the infi lling of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. I'd never heard of anything like that before and I wasn't sure if it was of God or not. So I went out to smoke a cigarette and think about it. While I was out there I said, "Lord, if this is of You, I want it." I must have looked funny to heaven, sitting there smoking a cigarette and worrying about receiving something that wasn't of God! A Big Dream In a Little House You may be expecting me to say that after we were baptized in the Holy Spirit, Ken and I heard the call of God and started turning the world upside down for Jesus...but we didn't. We grew a little spiritually. But for the most part we just rocked along, barely keeping our heads above water. 2 8 : B V O V Experience God's extraordinary goodness. Far too many people—even Christian believers—are living with too little of God's provision. Why? For the simple reason that they've never discovered the blessing of fellowship with Him and His care for them. What about you? Do you know in the depths of your heart just how extraordinarily good God is? Do you know all the good things He wants to do for you? You can, if you will spend time with Him. Blessed Beyond Measure paperback dumb decisions. (I know you probably think you're the only one who's done stupid things fi nancially, but trust me, we all have.) Right after we married, Ken went to work with a great new company that was just getting started. We were so sure it was going to make us rich quickly that I quit my job and went to work there too. I was the secretary... but only for two weeks. Then the company went broke. Ken was out hunting for a job, I sat alone in the three-bedroom house we had rented and wondered what would become of us. My world had crumbled. I had nowhere to go. No money. No job. a rented rollaway bed that sagged in the middle, a wrought-iron coŠ ee table Ken had made in his high school shop class (you can imagine what Experience God's KCM.ORG/MAG 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) FREE standard shipping included. Offer price valid through April 30, 2024 $ 9 99 reg $11.99 #B240401

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