BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Sadly, a lot of Christians haven’t paid attention to such verses. They’ve tried to walk in God’s blessings but they haven’t set their hearts on the Lord. Even some so-called “faith people” have endeavored to get things from God without really devoting themselves to Him. They’ve tried to use faith like a formula by making the right confessions while inwardly their hearts are far from God. That doesn’t work. True Bible faith isn’t a formula. It’s not just a matter of saying certain things and taking certain steps. It’s a matter of the heart. Ken and I can testify to this. When we found out about living by faith, the first thing we did was dedicate ourselves wholly to God. Before we knew much of anything about how to stand on His Word, we made a quality commitment to put that Word first place in our lives and to obey it no matter what the cost. I don’t mean to say we had faithfulness completely mastered at that point. That was just the beginning. Like all believers, Ken and I have to watch over our hearts constantly. We have to choose every day to spend time with God and make Him our priority so our hearts don’t get overcrowded with the cares and the distractions of this natural world. In some ways making that choice was a little easier 49 years ago, when we were just getting started, because we were so desperate. We were drowning in debt, flat broke and couldn’t see any way out. Walking by faith in the integrity of God’s Word was our only hope. It was the answer to our problems and we knew it. This is what’s been wrong in our lives! we thought. We haven’t known what God says in His Word. We haven’t known how to live by faith and walk with Him. It didn’t take a lot of discipline in those days for us to put God and His Word first place in our lives. We had no other options and nothing else we could be doing, so it was easy for us to be faithful. But as we kept walking with God we began to get prosperous. We weren’t desperate anymore. We could do whatever we wanted to do. If we wanted to go on a vacation, we could. If we wanted to go shopping, we could. This Opportunity Won’t Last Forever It takes a lot more dedication and love for God to be faithful to Him when you have a lot of different options, than it does when you don’t have any choice. Ken and I know that now from experience. But we’ve made our commitment. No matter how many options we have we’re going to stay faithful to God. What’s more, everywhere we preach we find that multitudes of other believers have made the same commitment. God has a faithful people on earth right now! He has people He can work with who know how to use their faith and how to be blessed. They know how to receive financially and walk in health. They can do anything they want to do in this world, yet they’re choosing to follow Jesus. They’re taking up their cross daily and serving Him. Instead of spending their whole lives seeking after natural pleasures, they’re setting aside the things of the flesh, walking in the spirit, and pressing in to the things of God. They’re being a light for Him on the earth and a blessing to the world. That’s what we, as believers, are here on this planet to do! We’re here to be a blessing, to carry on the ministry of Jesus, and to be the Word of God manifested in the flesh, just as He was when He was on the earth. It’s a big responsibility, but that’s the calling we’ve all been given. Jesus didn’t just say, “I am the light of the world,” He said, “Ye are the light of the world” (John 8:12; Matthew 5:14). If this world doesn’t see Jesus through the Church, they’re not going to see Him at all because that’s the way He set it up. Think of it! Right now we have an opportunity to do for the Lord, because we love Him, what Jesus did for the Father. We have an opportunity to share His gospel with others, help bring them into God’s kingdom, and reveal God’s glory to the world. But this opportunity won’t last forever. We’re at the end of the age and Jesus is coming soon. When He comes we want Him to find us walking in His power and being faithful to do the work of His kingdom. We want Him to find us committed to Him and living on the front lines of the outpouring of His glory. As Jesus explained it in Matthew 25:14-17: "The kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two." Throughout Church history God has entrusted His spiritual “property” or resources to His people. Particularly in the past 100 years, we’ve seen Him give different things to different generations of believers. He gave one generation a fresh revelation of the new birth. He gave another generation a revival of the gifts of the Spirit. He gave another generation a move of the teaching of the Word. 30 : BVOV

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