BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

*****ADVERTISEMENT*********** free The Force of Forgiveness by Kenneth Copeland Forgiveness is more than just saying, “It’s all right.” It’s an essential force for the believer. When we pray, we must not be moved by feelings—but by an act of the will to forgive. Only then will we know our prayers are effective! Dive into this powerful teaching by asking for YOUR FREE COPY of this full audio teaching. The Force of Forgiveness CD #BG140801 digital download #BG140802 kcm.org/mag 1-800-600-7395 U.S. only +1-817-852-6000 Offer valid until Aug. 31, 2014 ************************************ *****continued from p. 5***** At the time, I thought that would be easy to do. But over the years, it’s turned out to be more challenging than I expected because Gloria isn’t the kind of person who goes around talking about what she wants. Sometimes I’ll ask, “How do you like this particular thing?” “Oh, it’s OK,” she’ll say. “Well, is there something else you’d like?” I’ll ask. “No. I’m all right.” Every once in a while, though, she’ll give me a clue. She’ll say, “Wow! What a beautiful pair of earrings (or car, or whatever)!” Immediately, I’m all ears. I’m thinking, Where can I buy that for her? Then I’m on the phone, asking how much it costs and believing God for the money to get it. Why? Because I enjoy blessing her. It gives me great pleasure to give her what she likes. I’m not trying to earn anything from her or impress her. I just love her! That’s how we, as believers, ought to be with Jesus. We should develop our relationship with Him to the point where we’re highly sensitive to what He wants. The minute we even think there’s anything He might like, we ought to be all over it, saying, “Oh, yeah! Jesus wants that, so I’m going to do it!” Not because we’re trying to earn something from Him but because we love Him. “What if He wants me to do something I don’t quite like?” you might ask. Then trust Him to change what you like. Say, “Yes, Sir!” in response to His command and then put your faith in Philippians 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” If you’ll just be willing to be willing, God will fix your likes so they line up with His. In the process, He’ll help you see that whatever He commands you to do is always to your advantage. Then His commands will start looking better and better to you. Commands Are Not Optional Personally, I’m thrilled with the commands Jesus has given me—especially the ones about faith. That’s why one of my favorite passages in the Bible is Mark 11:22-26 where Jesus said: "Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 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. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Jesus gave us a number of commands in those verses. First, He told us to “have faith in God,” or as one translation puts it, “have the God kind of faith.” What is the God kind of faith? It’s the same kind Jesus has. It’s the kind of faith He functioned in when He was on earth, which is the kind that always works. Is it really possible for us to have that kind of faith? Yes, it is and here’s why: Jesus always authorizes and empowers us to do whatever He commands. Therefore, the very fact that He commanded us to have the God kind of faith—faith that speaks to mountains, and receives whatever it asks for in prayer—means He has authorized and empowered us to do it. That’s good news. It’s worth shouting about! But Jesus didn’t stop there. He went on to say something else of major importance. He said, “When you stand praying, forgive.” 6 : BVOV *******continues on p. 8*********

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