BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Some time ago, I talked with a minister who had gone through a devastating time. His wife had left him. His ministry had been hurt. His life had been shattered. He told me that before he’d been born again he’d been in gangs. He said, “When I was in gangs, there was loyalty. If you were in trouble, they’d fight and die for you just because you were in the same gang.” But when he ran into trouble in his marriage and ministry, he couldn’t get one minister in his area to return a phone call. This man had found more loyalty in gangs than he found in the ministry. You and I must begin to change that. We must begin to be faithful to each other! Let’s stop now and look back at Jehoshaphat. Let’s see what happened to him when he positioned himself properly in God. "When [Jehoshaphat] had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten" (2 Chronicles 20:21-22). Jehoshaphat’s enemies were defeated before he even got involved! He and his army came out of the wilderness and the first thing they saw was their victory. Their dead enemies left so much spoil it took Jehoshaphat’s people three days to gather it up. Think about that. They gathered valuables and jewelry from an army they didn’t even destroy! No wonder they called it the Valley of Berachah [Blessing]! Are you facing an enemy army today in some area of your life? If so, don’t panic. Just do what Jehoshaphat did. Position yourself. Separate yourself from the twisted counsel and scornful attitudes of the world. Draw near to God. Hold fast your confession of faith. Step into covenant fellowship with other believers. Position yourself! And the valley of blessing will soon be yours. V * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TRIBUTE FROM DENNIS & VIKKI BURKE Dear Kenneth and Gloria, It’s such a privilege to be a part of celebrating your extraordinary milestone of 50 years in ministry. Congratulations! Only heaven will reveal the profound effect your ministry has had upon millions of lives worldwide. Our lives are living testimonies that express the power and anointing your ministry carries to change and elevate desperate people! Both of you have held such a significant and influential part over every facet of our lives! From the beginning of our walk with the Lord in 1971, you have been a source and symbol of blessing. We tell people all the time that we wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. We will honor you and bless you all the days of our lives! There have been so many important moments throughout our 40-plus year relationship that one letter can’t possibly recount them. But undoubtedly, our annual motorcycle trips have been some of the richest times of fellowship, friendship and refreshing that we have ever experienced. Thank you for giving us that time together! Forty-three years ago, your guidance helped us develop wedding vows that pronounced blessing on our marriage instead of the traditional curse. The power of that blessing has held our marriage together during the tough times. Then 31 years later, you were there to pronounce that same blessing on our daughter at her wedding. You’ve loved, prayed for and even proclaimed prophetic words over our grandchildren. Our entire family will be forever grateful for your revelation of the blessing and your willingness to impart it to us. While others doubted our calling, you believed in and supported us when we left your organization and stepped into our own ministry. And we will never forget the Colorado River trip in 1985 when you told us how you viewed our calling. But for us, the greatest demonstration of your trust and faith came when you invited us to share your ministry platform. What an indescribable honor! How can we ever really express the valuable role that you have played in our lives? The most honorable thing we can say is that we are the fruit of your commitment to God—your spiritual children. For over 40 years it’s been our privilege to be partners with your ministry helping you proclaim the good news to people around the world—from the top to the bottom and all the way around the middle. We are your family and your faithful friends forever! No one has ever had such a significant and life-changing impact on our lives, our family and our ministry. We love you! We bless you! We thank God for the day He brought you into our lives! We will always declare: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7, "New International Version"). We still remember the day you brought the good news to us 45 years ago. It will always be the most defining moment in our lives! Thank you from the depths of our hearts! Dennis and Vikki FOR MORE ABOUT DENNIS AND VIKKI BURKE AND TO SEE A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO THE COPELANDS, GO TO: KCM.ORG/DENNIS BVOV : 23

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