BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

But now, let’s step back for a moment and take a look at that bloodline that encircles us. Using the television as an example of something that can allow the world’s darkness to enter our lives, let’s say I sat down and watched a program I knew I should not have watched. By doing so, I opened my mind and heart to ungodly images and words. I was convicted by the Spirit of God to not watch the show, yet I did anyway. So I went to God and confessed that what I did was wrong, and I repented for having disregarded the Holy Spirit’s warning. But let’s say this has been a recurring issue in my life. To settle it once and for all, I get a Communion cup and some bread and set them on a table in front of the TV set. First, I judge myself—I don’t condemn myself—dead to sin (1 Corinthians 11:31-32; Romans 6:11). Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with [the Anointed One, Jesus]: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but [the Anointed One, and His Anointing] liveth in me.” After I judge myself dead to sin, I take the bread and the cup—the body of Jesus broken for me, which established a covenant before God’s throne of grace...the blood of Jesus shed for me to eradicate, remit and remove all my sin—and I take those elements into my body. Now watch this. I then purposely set those elements on the table between me and the television. Why? Because it helps me to visualize what actually exists in the spiritual realm. A ratified blood covenant is between me and sin. So there’s a wall between the TV and me. The blood covenant of God, in the person of Jesus, has stepped in between me and the TV, which represents sin—the sin I’ve been delivered and cleansed from. That means if I were to choose to sin again, I would have to cross that line. I would have to cross the bloodline. It also means, now that I’ve repented, the TV program is no longer between God and me. Sin cannot remain between us. Sin—and all its guilt and condemnation—can no longer lord it over me. A wall has been built. I’m on God’s side and He’s on mine—together, we’re against the sin. A Wall of Power The Communion table can be a powerful force in our lives. It’s what made the difference in the life of Smith Wigglesworth. Mr. Wigglesworth was not bold because he tried to be bold. His boldness came from the fact that his identity was no longer that of a poor, uneducated boy from northern England. His identity was hidden in the Anointed One, Jesus, and in His Anointing. Once Mr. Wigglesworth began building a wall with the bread and the cup, he never gave another thought to himself. He only thought about Jesus. His covenant with God was constantly on his mind, influencing everything he said and did. You don’t just show up at a funeral, as Mr. Wigglesworth once did, and drag a dead body out of its casket and command it to walk—and it come to life and walk—without having taken Communion that morning. In fact, you’d better have that bread and cup with you all day if you desire to operate in that kind of boldness! Jesus said, “Every time you do this, you remember Me.” When you and I remember Jesus, through the bread and the cup, we build a wall of righteousness. We build a wall of Jesus’ righteousness that stands between us and sin. It determines what we say and do. It determines the amount of power in our lives. If you desire to see God move mightily through you this year, take Communion frequently, and build yourself a wall. Develop a greater sense of honor for the blood and body of Jesus. Take the bread and the cup...and remember Jesus. V ****************************** Questions & Answers by Kenneth Copeland Q: I ask God’s forgiveness, but I keep having the same problem with sin in my life. What’s the key to victory? A: You’re not alone. The Apostle Paul once faced the same dilemma! In Romans 7 (The Amplified Bible), he said, “I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.... For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing” (verses 18-19). In verses 24-25 (AMP), Paul asks (and answers) the same question you’ve been asking. “O unhappy man that I am! Who will deliver me? O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord!” Paul found his deliverance in Jesus and so will you! The key is abiding in Jesus and having His WORD abide in you. In one of the last conversations Jesus had with His disciples before His crucifixion, He spoke to them about that. He told them that they were cleansed because of The WORD He’d taught them. He promised if they would continue to abide in Him and allow His WORDs to remain in them, they could have whatever they asked. Now, that’s victory! You see, God’s WORD has the power within itself to overcome sin. All you have to do is get that WORD inside you so that it will go to work empowering you to overcome sin in your life. Jesus said, “If ye continue [meditate and be consistent] in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Put God’s WORD first place in your life. Make the decision to act on The WORD and spend time in it. You’ll soon begin to enjoy the freedom and victory you’ve longed for! V JAN '14 : BVOV : 15

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