BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

By the grace and mercy of God and the power of your faith, you can overcome those obstacles and receive prayers answered. Thank God you have the Name of Jesus, God’s WORD and the power of His Spirit—“the weapons of our warfare”—that guarantee results when you pray (2 Corinthians 10:4). In the many situations my family and I have had to pray our way through, we have learned that believers can live victoriously in Christ Jesus, overcoming the problems. If Jesus is your Savior and LORD, you have victory in Him. God’s Will Is Heaven on Earth But first, you must establish your thinking in the truth that when you were saved, you were set free from the curse and all its effects listed in Deuteronomy 28. Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.” You may wonder why the effects of the curse are still on you if that’s true. They are on you because you haven’t cast them off. You haven’t believed and received what is yours. The effects of the curse are here on the earth, but they don’t have any right to dominate you or have any power over you unless you yield to them and don’t take advantage of what is yours in Christ Jesus. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” Verse 3 goes on to say, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” Just like a bank has set procedures for withdrawing money, God has given us a proper way to pray so that we will see results. When you begin to see that, you will realize the world’s idea of prayer is not prayer at all. Prayer is not trying to get God’s attention. Prayer is not trying to get God to do something. He has already done it. He sent Jesus to the cross. Prayer is communication with God, believing and receiving what He has already given you in Christ Jesus. Everything you will ever need is in Jesus, and when you made Him LORD of your life, it was given to you. All that remains is for it to be received. It has to be brought from the spiritual realm to this natural, physical realm. Philippians 4:19 declares, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God’s plan for answered prayer is what Jesus was telling us when He prayed, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). God created the earth for man as a copy of heaven, a place to live like God lives. But because of the curse that came on the earth, not everything here is in line with God’s plan. God didn’t create man to be burdened with the effects of the curse like sin, sickness, fear, unbelief or evil spirits. His will is that heaven and earth run parallel to one another. Live a Life of Prayer So prayer—real Bible prayer—must be a lifestyle, not just a backup plan. In Luke 18:1, Jesus taught in a parable that “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” He wasn’t talking about using prayer and faith as an escape hatch after everything has come apart. He was saying that your entire life should be built around prayer. The Apostle Paul agreed. He said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Don’t leave it up to your pastor to do your praying for you. Don’t wait until things become bad to pray. Build communication with God every day. Listen to Him. Learn how He talks, what He does, how His prayer system works. Prayer is always available to everyone. There is no situation that disqualifies anyone from prayer, because God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Acts 2:21 declares that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” According to Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” God is an equal-opportunity blesser. He doesn’t just hear “good” people. The deepest of sinners in the deepest sin can pray the prayer of repentance and receive Jesus as LORD. From that point on, he is qualified to continue in the other fields of prayer. The only situation from which there is no deliverance is the rebellious refusal to pray at all. “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). Don’t let that be you. Instead live a life of prayer, receiving what God has for you. Come Boldly…Through Jesus When you pray, you don’t have to get God’s attention. You already have it. According to Hebrews 7:25, Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” God knows all about you and your situation. That is vitally important to your prayer life. Verses 14-16 go on to say: "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." *******continues on next page******* Follow us on Twitter for timely words from Kenneth & Gloria twitter.com/CopelandNetwork BVOV : 19

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