BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

What’s more, Jesus didn’t just suffer and die physically. He also died spiritually. Having shed every drop of His blood on the cross, He laid down His life and descended into the pit of hell. There, He suffered until He satisfied all the requirements of divine justice. Once He’d fully paid the sin debt of the entire human race and heaven’s legal books were closed, God the Father stood up in heaven and declared over Him the words recorded in Hebrews 1. In a voice that reverberated through the entire spirit realm, He said to Jesus: “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee[.] And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son[.]... Let all the angels of God worship him.... Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (verses 5-6, 8). Still in the very depths of hell, Jesus heard the Father’s words and believed them. He said, “Yes, amen!” and became the first Man ever to be born again from spiritual death to life. The demons that had piled on Him, trying to annihilate Him, fled in terror in every direction. They hadn’t thought there was any way He could ever get out of that pit, but they were wrong. Jesus, operating as one Holy Ghost-filled believer, ripped the devil’s keys away from him, busted hell wide open, and rose from the dead! The Gospel of John tells us that, just moments after the resurrection, as Jesus walked out of the tomb, He crossed paths with Mary, one of His beloved friends and followers. When she recognized Him, she was so thrilled to see Him she reached out to take hold of Him, but He wouldn’t let her. He said in John 20:17: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” *****continues on next page**** ***************************************************************************** Victorious Christian Living The Most Critical Time by Gloria Copeland The most critical time when you’re believing God for something is after you pray in faith believing you receive (Mark 11:24)—but before you see any evidence of the answer. This is the crucial time when things are changing and being set in motion by your faith, even though you can’t see anything. It’s the time when you’re the most tempted to say, “Nothing is happening. I prayed and believed, but I don’t have it. It looks like I never will. I guess I just don’t have enough faith.” You may want to say that—but don’t! The Bible says that every believer has received “the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). When you’re tempted to give up, you don’t necessarily need more faith. What you need is something to strengthen and undergird your faith so it will continue working until the answer comes. What you need during this critical time is patience. Patience is a fruit of the re-created human spirit that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. Patience doesn’t quit believing. Patience undergirds faith to keep it stable and strong when circumstances say, “It’s impossible!” Patience keeps you steadfast in your faith and steadfast in your confession. It keeps you from becoming weary in well-doing. Patience is the very opposite of despondency. Despondency is a condition of hopelessness. Ephesians 2:12 says that people who are not born again have “no hope” and are “without God in the world.” But we’re not in the world without a Savior. We have “the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23), and patience is associated with hope. Patience, you see, will hold on. Its hope is built on the promises of God. It knows, “I have a word from God, and I will stand. I will endure until the answer comes.” The force of patience is so powerful that it cannot be overcome, if exercised. If yielded to in a time of test or trial, it comes to your aid to help you stand. It will undergird your faith to keep you believing until the answer So, the next time you’re tempted to say, “It’s not working,” yield to the force of patience instead. Faith and patience working together will make you a winner every time. V BVOV : 7

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