BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“Yeah, I believe that’s it,” you say. “I believe I must be taking the flu!” Once you speak those words, instead of God’s WORD, the devil can then do the work—the same process, different words. But you don’t have to take what he says. You can stick with God’s WORD and take health instead. It’s your choice. What Will You Say? “Now, Brother Copeland, that’s just too extreme. We can’t just choose whether we’re going to be sick or well!” Yes, God told us we can. He said in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Sickness is under the curse. Healing is under THE BLESSING. We can have either one. God wants us to choose life and BLESSING but the final decision is ours. We get to choose. How do we make that choice? With our words. We choose the curse by listening to and saying what the devil, our flesh and this world is saying. We choose THE BLESSING by listening for and saying God’s words. By saying things like, “Thank You, Sir, for blessing our bread and our water and taking sickness away from the midst of us (Exodus 23:25). Thank You for giving us Your healing WORD. I take that healing and I say that, as for me and my house, we are healed!” That’s what our family did on Christmas Day some years ago when my little 11-year-old granddaughter was diagnosed with neisserian meningitis. We chose life. We didn’t say, “Oh, God! Lyndsey is so sick! We’re afraid she’s going to die before morning!” Even though that’s what doctors were saying, we didn’t put those words in our mouths. Instead, we listened for God’s words. I’ll never forget that day. Gloria and I were away from home when we received the call telling us what was going on, and we immediately inquired of The LORD. We asked Him to tell us specifically what He wanted us to do and say. While we were flying back to Fort Worth, I heard His voice. He said, 'Kenneth, as soon as you see Lyndsey, put your index finger right on her breastbone and speak to the anointing in her. Command it to rise up and put this disease out of her body.' When we arrived at the hospital, Gloria and I put on the required hazmat suits, walked into the room where Lyndsey had been lying, delirious, for over 12 hours, and I said to her exactly what The LORD had told me. Sure enough, He did the work. Lyndsey—who hadn’t said anything that made sense all day—suddenly gritted her teeth and declared, “Papaw, I’m healed in the Name of Jesus.” That was at midnight. When the doctors came in the next morning she was perfectly well. “But Brother Copeland, what if I inquire of The LORD in a situation like that and His WORD doesn’t come to me?” you might ask. It will come. It always does because Jesus promised it would. He said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). Believe that and tune in to His voice. Listen for the words He is speaking to you like you’re a pilot listening for your call sign. When you hear Him, respond immediately. Say and do whatever He tells you to, and you’ll land safely in THE BLESSING every time. V ***************** Points to Get You There: Hearing God’s Voice As a believer, you have the capacity to hear from God. But doing it isn’t always easy. With so many other voices in the world making all kinds of noise, you must purposely listen for His voice. Once you hear Him, respond! Here are a few points to help you: 1) God’s voice can be heard through His written WORD. Proverbs 4:20-21: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.” 2) Speaking and acting on God’s words will make you as free as Jesus is. John 8:31-32: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 3) The Holy Spirit within you will tell you what God is saying. John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.” 4) Be on guard and refuse to let the devil steal God’s WORD from you. Mark 4:15: “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” 5) Choose life by choosing to speak God’s WORD. Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” MAR '14 : BVOV : 9

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