BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Do you see what happened there? Jesus declared and demonstrated the fact that the power that forgives is exactly the same power that heals. The Bible calls that power the anointing, and it’s a tangible, spiritual force. It’s the force Jesus was talking about in Luke 4:18 when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” This burden-removing, yoke-destroying anointing is also the power behind forgiveness. So when we refuse or neglect to forgive, we choke it off and hinder its operation in our lives. That’s dangerous business! “I know, Brother Copeland,” you might say, “but what if someone has hurt me so much, I can’t even stand the thought of them? What am I supposed to do?” Just obey Jesus. He didn’t ask you to feel better about the person who wronged you. He commanded you to forgive them. Forgiveness isn’t about feelings. It’s an act of obedience. It’s choosing to put God’s WORD above your emotions by making a decision to say, “I forgive.” The quicker you do that, the better off you’ll be. The reverse is also true. The longer you wait, the worse things will get and the more deeply mired in unforgiveness you’ll become. You’ll just be going along doing something else entirely, when suddenly you’ll find yourself mentally rehearsing the ugly things someone did and said to you. You’ll imagine yourself saying the things you wish you’d said at the time. With each rehearsal, the conversation in your head will get uglier. The negative effects will be re-energized. You’ll relive the hurt and it will do more damage. Every one of us has done this at one time or another. We’ve all gotten caught in a cycle of unforgiveness and spent hours, days or even months, feeling angry and hurt and upset with someone. It’s a miserable experience. But as born-again believers we don’t have to get trapped in it anymore. Instead, we can do what Jesus commanded, and we can do it instantly. As soon as we realize we “have ought against any,” while we stand praying we can forgive! We don’t have to make a big production out of it, either. If there are other people around us at the time, we can just whisper quietly so no one else can hear, “LORD, I forgive that person.” Thirty minutes later if the negative thoughts come back to our mind again, we can say it again. “LORD, I’m not a condemner. I’m a forgiver—and I forgive.” Do you know what will happen when we do that? The anointing will start flowing in that area of our lives. God’s burden-removing, yoke-destroying power will go to work and give us insight into that troublesome situation. He’ll show us what we can do to correct it. He’ll start working in us and through us to bring healing to everyone and everything involved. Better yet, because we’re walking in love, Jesus will be manifesting Himself to us. Our spiritual engine will be roaring and our faith will be working just like God designed it—bringing His promises to pass for us and taking us wherever we want to go. All the time! Every time! Without fail! V ********************************** Points to Get You There: Forgiveness There’s nothing more practical and predictable than faith in God’s WORD. It always produces dependable, consistent results. When it doesn’t, it’s because there’s a problem somewhere, and often the problem is unforgiveness. If you want to receive what you’re believing God for, always be quick to forgive. Here are some points to help you: 1) Forgiveness is a vital part of the prayer of faith. Mark 11:25: “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” 2) Forgiveness is an expression of love. Galatians 5:6: “...faith...worketh by love.” 3) Forgiveness isn’t optional, it’s a New Testament command. John 14:21: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” 4) God will help you become willing to forgive. Philippians 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” 5) The divine power behind forgiveness is also the power that heals. Mark 2:10-11: “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” V BVOV : 9

• Cover