BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Read what the Bible says about the rich young ruler and you’ll see he could have gotten in on the same deal. Jesus offered it to him the day he came around asking about how to receive eternal life. At the end of their conversation, Jesus said to him something similar to what He said to the 12 disciples. “Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Instead of jumping at the opportunity, however, the rich young ruler went away grieved because he knew nothing about the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He didn’t understand that if he’d done what Jesus said to do, he not only would have been a part of His ministry, he would have ended up richer than he ever dreamed. Like the other disciples, he too could have learned to live free. Ask God to Train You This is the process by which God’s entire kingdom operates! This is the way you get out of debt. It’s the way you get healed. It’s the way you make the devil flee from you. This is the way you have days of heaven on earth. All you have to do is listen to Jesus. Say and do what He tells you to say and do, and you can have the same success He had when He was on earth, in any area of life. “But Brother Copeland, I’m not sure I can do that! Most of the time I don’t feel like I can even hear God’s voice.” Then forget about your feelings. Focus instead on scriptures like John 10:4-5 where Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice and a stranger’s voice they will not follow.” Believe that and say it. Tell The LORD, “I have ears to hear You and I know You’re speaking. So I incline my ears to Your sayings. Sir, I’m Yours to command.” Then do your part to familiarize yourself with God’s voice by putting His written WORD first place in your life. Spend time reading and studying the Bible. Pray every day and practice listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice in your spirit. Ask God to train you. Then trust Him to protect you by alerting you if you misunderstand something He said. I guarantee, He’ll do it. He’s done it for me countless times. One incident in particular in the early days of my ministry stands out in my mind. I was walking down the street in Tulsa, Okla., where I was preaching a meeting and The LORD spoke up on the inside of me and gave me a direct assignment. I knew it was Him. But then a few minutes later, I heard something else in my spirit that didn’t seem quite right. I didn’t think it lined up with the written WORD—at least, with what I knew of it back then. So I just stopped right there on the sidewalk. I repeated to The LORD what I’d heard and said, “I am willing and ready to obey You, but the last part seemed off to me. So with Your permission, I’m going to wait to act on it until I can see it in the written WORD.” In response, I heard The LORD say very plainly within me, You are to be commended for that and I’ll show you what you need to know. A short while later, He revealed to me what had happened. He showed me that right after He had spoken to me, Satan had come along behind and tried to impersonate His voice. Then He directed me to the Bible, showed me exactly what scriptures the devil’s instructions had violated, and said, You will not follow that voice ever again. Sure enough, I haven’t. When the devil has tried to play the impersonator with me, I’ve recognized it and said, “No, Mr. Devil, you’re not conning me with that. I know the difference between your voice and my Father’s, and I’m not following you!” You can do the same thing. So go after it. Keep attending to The WORD, walking with Jesus, and keeping your ear turned toward Him. Keep saying and doing whatever He tells you to say and do, knowing you’ll come out ahead every time. Leave the bondage of Satan’s system behind, keep pressing into the mysteries of God’s kingdom, and every day you’ll learn more about how to live free. V ************ Enjoyed this article? For more insightful teachings, go to kcm.org. *********** Points to Get You There: Living Free As believers, we have all been delivered out from under the oppressive regime of the devil and translated into the freedom of the kingdom of God. But to fully enjoy our new freedom we must discover the process by which His kingdom operates. We must learn how to live free. Here are a few points to help you: 1) Every time you read the Bible, expect to learn more about God’s methods of operation. Luke 8:10: “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God....” 2) Familiarize yourself with God’s voice by putting His written WORD first place in your life. Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 3) Pray every day and practice listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice in your spirit. John 14:17, New Living Translation: “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” 4) Trust God to protect you by alerting you if you misunderstand something He said. John 10:5: “A stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” 5) If you are not sure you’ve heard the Spirit correctly, ask God to confirm it with His written WORD. 1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” JAN '14 : BVOV : 7

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