BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

In other words, it’s time for us to get completely committed to walking with Jesus every step of the way. How do we do that? By having faith in God! By obeying Hebrews 12:1-3, which says: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." If we set our faith on Jesus, we won’t faint when the world around us gets darker. We won’t be wearied by all the problems it’s throwing at us. We’ll tap into the wisdom of our heavenly Father and find out everything we need to know about how to finish running our race. “But Brother Copeland,” you might say, “I’ve made some major mistakes in my life. I’ve gotten so far off course I can’t even figure out what race I’m supposed to be running.” Then don’t try to figure it out. Just act on James 1:5-6. It says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” According to those verses, even if the problems you’re facing are problems you created yourself, God won’t “upbraid” or find fault with you when you ask Him to help you solve them. He won’t punish you by withholding the answers you need. You could be sprawled on the floor of a jail cell, locked up because of a crime you committed, and if you repented and asked God for wisdom He’d immediately start helping you. In spite of all the mess you made to get there, He’d start telling you how to handle the situation, how to give Him glory in it, and how to get out of there. God is for you, not against you! You can ask Him for anything you need. Just be sure to ask in faith. Jesus said in Mark 11, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them…. And when ye stand praying, forgive…” (verses 24-25). So when you pray for wisdom, believe it’s yours the instant you pray for it. Say out loud, “God promised me His wisdom and I receive it now. From this point on, I declare it’s mine. I say I have it, and I’ll keep saying it no matter how I feel or how much pressure the devil puts on me to say something else.” Then, finish up your prayer by forgiving anyone who’s wronged you. That’s vital. If you don’t forgive, your faith won’t work, because faith works by love (Galatians 5:6), and love forgives. This is how we as believers were born to live! We weren’t created to worry about all the bad news in the world and focus on what the devil is doing. We were created to walk in God’s wisdom and love, and tell people the good news about Jesus. What He’s doing is the real story these days. So stay focused on Him. Wake up every morning expecting Him to say things to you that you’ve never heard before. Spend time with Him in The WORD, expecting Him to show you things you’ve never seen before. Jesus will give you the answer to every situation. No matter what happens in this crazy, complicated world, He’ll keep you on the path of victory, as long as you have faith in God! V * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * “We asked our online Partner Community...” What impact did Brother Copeland’s article have on you? Debra N. & Mark F. Thank you, Brother Copeland! God is so faithful! He has not left us without help. So thankful He gave us His Word filled with precious promises to live victoriously! Elizabeth B. I laughed as I got to the part where Brother Copeland said some of our problems we caused ourselves. Boy, that’s the story of my life! Wrong decisions, wrong desires. I’m happy to say that was years ago. The verse he quotes, Hebrews 12:2, “Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus,” changed my life. Now I enjoy looking to Jesus for answers and helping others do the same. Frank & Brenda R. We’re not going to say, “Yeah, I know that” and “Yeah, I believe in that” anymore. From now on, we are going to practice and live what we know the Word of God says. And with His help, our daily lives will be different. Let’s do it! Kim K. What you shared is so true. I have found that more than 99 percent of the time Brother Copeland has just the right word at the right time! I feel doubly blessed after I read the BVOV. Join the conversation today! community.kcm.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BVOV : 9

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