BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

That’s what Ken and I have been doing ever since we first started hearing about faith. As a result, we’ve become absolutely addicted to the Word of God. We’ve learned from experience that whatever we might come up against, we can come through it in victory by standing on the Word. Don’t Leave Your Prayer Place Without It The next thing you want to examine during your faith checkup is what Jesus taught about receiving in Mark 11:24: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” The word translated receive there literally means “take,” so that verse is telling us we’ll have what we take in prayer. How do we take something when we pray? With the words of our mouth! We say to the Lord, after we’ve made our request, “Thank You, Heavenly Father, for giving me what I asked. I believe I receive it. According to Your Word, it’s mine. I have it now, in Jesus’ Name.” A lot of believers neglect to do this. They pray for what they desire, all right, but then they walk out of the place of prayer without it. Say, for instance, they need healing. Instead of saying, “I take my healing now, Lord. I thank You that I’m healed!” they say just the opposite. As soon as they finish praying, they call their cousin on the telephone and say, “I’m so sick I can hardly see straight! I just feel terrible.” I know what you’re probably wondering. What am I supposed to say at times like that? If I pray for healing, and someone calls before it manifests and asks me how I’m doing, what am I supposed to tell them? Just say something like, “I believe I received my healing.” You don’t have to start listing all the symptoms you’re experiencing. If the person persists in asking you about them, just start praising God and quoting the Word. Most likely, whomever you’re talking to will either praise God along with you or find a quick way to end the conversation. “But Gloria, is what I say really that important?” ****article continues on page 31**** ************************************************************************************************************************ Commander Kellie's Corner Choose to Love Hey Superkid, It’s home improvement time! Wait! Don’t get your toolbox out just yet. We’re going to be doing a different kind of home improvement and using a different set of tools. Last month I spoke to you about arguing, or more accurately—NOT arguing. I hope that discussion made an impact on you and your family, because the Lord desires our homes to be a representation of heaven on earth—a place full of Jesus, full of worship and full of His love. So, Superkid, if that’s what the Lord wants, then you know it’s the exact opposite of what the devil wants. The devil’s goal is to create strife in our homes and families. He doesn’t want us to have a place that feels safe and trusting. Instead, he comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), and the family, the home and that trusting environment is the first fortress in your life that he has to bring down to defeat you. It’s amazing what an effect happy, unified families can have. As children grow up, their lives, their sense of worth, the way they deal with conflict and their life skills are molded and developed within their families. The ability to trust God and others is greatly affected by families. This has nothing to do with how much money they have, or how nice their homes may be. Growing up in a home where Jesus is acknowledged can give them an important sense of confidence in the Lord, and in others. On the other hand, if Satan can bring division and hurt into the family, he can separate a person from his first support system, leaving him feeling alone and maybe even unloved. It may even be a lie, but how a person FEELS is often more real to him than the truth. Can you see how important it is that we guard our homes? That we don’t let things creep in to destroy? Yes, the devil is a CREEP, and we have to keep him OUT! Satan would love to come into our homes and keep us from being strong families and strong Superkids. In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, if a house is divided (split into factions and rebelling) against itself, that house will not be able to last. Verse 26 goes on to say that if Satan fights himself he can’t stand but will come to an end. That is true for him and it’s true for our families, too. It is so important that our families be strong and whole! Then Satan cannot come in and steal from our FORTRESS, our HOME! Now, you may be thinking, But my brother gets on my nerves! Or, You just don’t know how irritating my sister can be. Oh, yes, I do! My brother, John, and I fussed A LOT. We went round and round, and always over nothing. If I could, I would go back and change all that. I would tell my younger self that those little arguments weren’t important. Of course we got in trouble with our parents, just like you probably do now. But even though you may be disciplined for fussing and fighting, only you can decide and choose to walk in LOVE. I wish I could go back and tell young Kellie that very thing. But since I can’t, I’ll tell you: Choose to love, Superkid! You can learn today, inside the safety of your family, how to love, how to get along with others, and how to be a team member instead of a competitor. Family squabbles begin with differences, and differences lead to either STRIVING or COOPERATION. Our families can be like a tug of war, where opposing sides are pulling and striving against each other. Or, we can be like a hand, where all the parts must work together to get things done. Neither the thumb nor the index finder can accomplish anything when it tries to work alone. But when the thumb has the cooperation of all four fingers working together, they can accomplish much. Our decisions to be strong, loving families, regardless of differences, can make us the most super families on the planet, creating the most powerful Superkids in the world. And we can become the most powerful group of loving, Jesus-filled people who are bringing His love to a hurting world. This is what the Bible says Jesus is all about in Ephesians 4:16, New Living Translation: “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” That’s us, Superkids! We will be the ones in Ephesians 5 who are living a life filled with love, impacting and blessing everyone around us. Think about these things this month and I may have more to say about our “toolbox” in the next Commander Kellie’s Corner so… Stay Tuned! ♥ 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 : 29

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