BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Jesus talked about this in John 17:16-17. As He was praying for His disciples, He said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Those verses actually apply to all of us as believers. The truth of God’s Word sanctifies us by separating us from the ways of the world. Such separation is vital because, just like those first 12 disciples, we don’t belong to this world anymore. Although we live in it, we’re not of it. That means we’re not supposed to act like the world anymore. We’re not supposed to think and talk like the world. We’re supposed to act, think and talk like who we really are—citizens of heaven! We learn to do this by renewing our minds with God’s Word. As we conform our lives to that Word, we find we can do what we couldn’t do before we were born again. We can live in victory. We can live healed. We can prosper supernaturally. When we do things God’s way, He is free to move in our lives, BLESS us and do us good. So the more we obey His Word, the more prosperous our lives become. This is how it’s always been. Increase has always come through faith and obedience! From the Garden of Eden to the Israelites, all the way through the Bible, God consistently set before His people THE BLESSING and the curse. They had the freedom to choose one or the other. Since THE BLESSING includes everything good and the curse includes everything bad, making the right choice looks like a no-brainer. But there’s one hitch. The curse, although it’s hard to live with, is easy to come by. We don’t have to do anything to get it. We can laze along and just do what everyone else in the world is doing. Choosing THE BLESSING, however, takes more effort. We can’t live in THE BLESSING and just go with the world’s flow. We have to do things God’s way. That’s OK, though, because God’s “commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). What He tells us to do is for our own good. He wants us to do things His way because His way works. It keeps us walking in THE BLESSING. Matthew 6:33 puts it this way: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Get Rid of That Mangy Dog Much can be said about what it means to seek first the kingdom of God, but the first thing that comes to my mind is this: If we’re truly seeking God first, we will give His Word priority in our lives. We won’t just read our Bible once a week in church on Sunday. We’ll read and meditate on God’s Word every day. “But Gloria,” someone might say, “I just don’t have time to do that!” Then you’re going to be in deep trouble because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, "New King James Version"). If you don’t listen to the Word, you won’t have any faith. If you don’t have any faith, you won’t be able to believe for and receive the prosperous life God has stored up for you. You also won’t have the strength to resist Satan. When he starts telling you you’re going to get laid off your job and go bankrupt, you’ll just fall apart. You’ll start wringing your hands in fear, worrying about how you’re going to survive. *****continues on page 30**** ******ADVERTISEMENT******* Discover God’s Way to True Prosperity God desires that you live a happy and prosperous life—with every need met. And His Word can help you learn to live in the abundance that only He can provide. In this powerful series and study guide, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland share how to activate God’s principles of prosperity. The world may define prosperity as financial, political or military power, but true prosperity is the ability to use God’s power and resources to meet your needs—spirit, soul and body. Discover God’s way to "Living in Prosperity" today! "Living in Prosperity" 10 CDs and study guide sale $29.99* reg $44.99 #B150103 Order online and save an additional 10% kcm.org/mag 1-800-600-7395 U.S. only +1-817-852-6000 *Plus shipping. Offer price valid until Jan. 31, 2015 ************************************ 28 : BVOV

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