BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Finally, catch this: Peter offered himself to Jesus when he said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” (verse 28). He stepped out where his feet would do him no good, where he should have sunk to the bottom. But he offered himself to Jesus in faith—and in doing so, he found a strong foundation. Peter didn’t get into trouble until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Peter got out of the boat, began to walk toward Jesus and then noticed the storm and became frightened. It’s only when he stopped considering Jesus that he sank. That’s a lesson for all of us. We fail when we take our eyes off Jesus. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He’ll take us to the right place at the right time. He’ll help us step out and do things He needs to have done. He’ll help us walk in the miraculous. Go Back When Jesus tells us to step out and do something specific, we need to do it. That word might be different for each of us, but we need to say yes to it. Like Peter, we can’t hesitate. Instead, we must trust the Lord to lead us in the best way because He loves each of us. And of course, when we walk in love, fear is cast out (1 John 4:18). When we remember, "Jesus loves me," it drives out the fear of doing what He tells us to do. When sickness and disease threaten, we need to think, 'Jesus loves me. By his stripes I’m healed.' That truth casts out fear. If we’ll put the Word of God into our hearts and minds continually, then it will become a habit…making it easy to trust Jesus. So let me ask you: Are you floundering in your vision? If so, go back. Ask yourself: 'What was the last thing the Lord said to me? What’s the last vision that came into my heart?' Close your eyes and allow the Holy Spirit to bring back to your mind the things that He’s called you to do, the words that He’s said to you, just as He did with me. All you need to do is simply open your heart to Him—like Peter—and say, “Lord, bid me come. I’m ready!” V ************************************************************************** Commander Kellie’s Corner NEW THINGS! Happy spring, Superkids! I love spring! We celebrate Jesus and the way He lived and died for us. His purpose was to bring us abundant life. That means superlife! Overflowing life! EXTREME life! He came to give us NEW life. I love spring because it surrounds us with new life: new grass, new flowers and baby animals—even new clothes to wear for Easter! It can’t be just about candy eggs and chocolate bunnies. Instead, let those things remind you of what Jesus has done. He tells us in John 10:10 ("The Message"), “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” That’s the GOOD NEWS. But the question is, “How do I get that ‘real and eternal life, more and better life’?” More GOOD NEWS. It’s so easy! Simply ask Jesus to come into your heart. He loves you. He gave you His whole life and died to pay the penalty for your sins. Romans 5:12, "New Living Translation," explains where sin comes from. It says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” And, verse 15 says, “…the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many.” The price for sin is death. Remember the pictures of Jesus on the cross? Sometimes you see three people on crosses. My daughter Emily asked, “Mommy, who are those other guys?” Good question! They were criminals—thieves. And, they were there, hanging on crosses, to pay the penalty for their crimes. One of them realized he needed Jesus, and right then, Jesus forgave him. Superkids, you are not criminals. But without Jesus, it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are. Thank God for the rest of verse 15: “…But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.” Jesus showed us the love and forgiveness He had for a thief. We can know for certain that He loves and forgives us, too. Jesus paid the price for anything causing you pain, hurt or sadness, and you can be free from every bit of it. How do you ask Jesus into your heart? That’s easy, too. Romans 10:9-10 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. I believe you are ready to pray this and lead others to pray it, too. Say this: “Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sin. I believe You raised Him from the dead so He could give me new life. Jesus, come into my heart and be my Lord. I belong to You now! Thank You for being my Lord and Friend!” That’s what it’s all about, Superkid. And now, you can help others to know Him, too. Make 2015 about knowing Jesus better. Read your Bible, pray and look to Him to lead you and teach you NEW things! After all, it’s that time of year! V ABOUT: Kellie Copeland Swisher is an outreach minister at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as “Commander Kellie,” she fulfills the mission of drawing people of all ages into a personal, growing and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ. BVOV : 25

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