BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

With those words, Brother Osborn introduced me to a vital principle of heavenly economics. I took it to heart, acted on it, and—sure enough—The LORD made me rich. He took me from being so broke that if leaving town was a dollar I couldn’t get out of sight, to a life of such faith for abundance that I can do every good work He calls me to do and still have plenty left over to enjoy. He taught me not just to be a receiver but to be a giver, and in the process revealed to me that, as a born-again believer, I am called to be a “Prosperity Agent for the Kingdom of God.” Although it’s a calling I take very personally, and I enjoy it to no end, it’s not something that’s unique to me. It’s what every Christian is called to be. God intends for us all to walk in such abundant financial grace that we, “always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). He wants every single believer to be wealthy enough to continually be a financial BLESSING to others all the time. Sadly, many Christians have been taught for years (in church, of all places!) that it’s God’s will for some people to be poor. But that’s an unscriptural lie. Poverty has never been part of God’s plan for anyone. He hates it. It’s a killer and a destroyer. It’s part of the curse and He is not the source of it. God has never, ever made anyone poor. On the contrary, look at Deuteronomy 15:4, “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession” (New Living Translation). He’s looking to pull people out of poverty. That’s why He included prosperity in the plan of redemption. It’s why Jesus, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes so that we “through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Let the Miracles Begin “Well, Brother Copeland, that’s all great and I’d certainly like to be rich enough to BLESS some folks, but I already know what you’re going to say about it. You’re going to tell me to do the same thing that evangelist told you. You’re going to tell me to give and, frankly, I can’t afford it!” I understand. I couldn’t afford it either when I first got started in these things. In 1967, when The LORD told me in one of Brother Oral Roberts’ meetings to become a financial partner with him at $10 a month, I didn’t have a dime. But because I knew in my heart I’d heard from God, I was so determined to give that I took the little pencil they’d passed out with the partner cards, put it in an envelope and dropped it in the offering bucket. “LORD, this is all I have right now,” I said, “so it will have to represent my commitment. But I want You to know, as soon as I get $10 I’ll give it.” Right at that moment a woman sitting a few rows behind me hollered, “Hey, you!” I looked around to see who she was talking to and saw she was pointing at me. Although she couldn’t possibly have heard my prayer, she was waving the answer to it in my direction. “Here!” she said, “The LORD wants me to give you this $10!” Thrilled, I took it from her, retrieved my offering envelope, pulled out the pencil and put the money inside. From that day on I started having $10 miracles one after the other. Before long, they increased to $20 miracles. One of the most memorable of them took place one evening when Gloria and the kids and I were driving from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. I was scheduled to preach a meeting there and I’d used every penny I had to fill the gas tank of our old, worn-out Oldsmobile. By the time we got to the outskirts of town, dinnertime had rolled around and the kids were saying, “Daddy, we’re hungry! When are we going to eat?” “Any minute now,” I answered. I didn’t mention the fact that we didn’t have any money to buy food. Neither did Gloria. She just laughed and believed God right along with me. A few miles down the road as we passed restaurants on every side and the kids were hollering louder than ever, something caught my eye. A piece of green paper blew across the highway in front of the car and caught in the fence on the median. “Money!” I said. Gloria looked startled. “What?” she asked. “I just saw money blow across the road!” Turning the car around, I went back and found a $20 bill. I peeled it off the fence, got back in the car and said to the kids, “Where do you want to eat?” Things like that happened to us for weeks and weeks. We received one blessing after another, and not one month from then on did we ever miss sending our seed to Brother Roberts’ ministry or anywhere else God directed us to give. MAY '14 : BVOV : 29

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