BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

********** ADVERTISEMENT ********** 25 Days of Christmas Be Filled with JOY, PEACE & HOPE IN JESUS Kenneth Copeland Ministries DEC 1-25 Open a new gift every day Daily devotion Hope Instagram challenge Visit kcm.org/25days ******************************************** * * article from p. 13 concludes below * * It’s important for you to realize that throughout that time, I had a basic belief that God has healed us all by the stripes of Jesus. But I had been attempting to exercise faith in God’s Word based on head knowledge. That is not enough! That’s why Proverbs 4:20-21 says: “My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart” ("AMPC"). For that reason, we must constantly center ourselves on God’s Word, because it’s that Word that produces faith in our hearts. In fact, you cannot deepen your faith in God without deepening your trust in His Word. It Becomes What You Need One of the mistakes holding many believers back from trusting the Word is that they think of God’s Word as an item or a “thing.” But the Bible tells us that Jesus and His Word are the same. John 1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (verses 1, 14). Think for a moment about that statement, the Word was made flesh. The world needed Jesus. He is what man had to have. So God’s words and the faith that He released in those words became Jesus. That is a fundamental characteristic of the Word of God. Mixed with faith, it becomes what you need. God’s Word will become finances if you’re facing shortage. It will become health when you’re faced with sickness. This one point is so important, I’m going to say it again. No matter what situation you may be facing, if you’ll go to God’s Word in faith, the Word will become what you need. The Word Is Alive How can God’s Word become one thing for one person and something else for another? Because it is alive! "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, "AMPC"). The Word of God is full of life. Full! Therefore it administers life wherever it is applied. It doesn’t matter how dark and deadly your circumstances may be. There is enough life in God’s Word to totally overwhelm all the death that the world, the devil or circumstances can bring you. Charles Capps likens the Word to a natural seed. (Actually, 1 Peter 1:23 says the Word is incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth forever!) Every seed has within it all the DNA required to produce whatever kind of seed it is. If it’s a peach seed, all that is required to be a peach tree is in the seed. In the same way, the Word of God has the supernatural Life within it to fulfill the promises of God in your life. You plant it in your heart as a seed, but when it comes up, it produces salvation, prosperity, healing, deliverance—whatever God has said belongs to you! The Word Is Truth John 17:17 says, “Thy Word is truth.” Notice, it doesn’t say, “Thy Word is fact.” Truth goes beyond facts. The fact may be that you don’t have any money. The fact may be that the doctor said you have an incurable disease. But what does the truth have to say about it? You see, truth is absolute. Truth doesn’t yield. Truth doesn’t change. Thus, facts are subject to truth. It can be a fact that you are sick as can be, but God says you were healed by the stripes of Jesus when He died on the cross. That’s the truth. Now you have a choice. You can apply the truth of God’s Word to the fact that you’re sick and the fact will change; or you can agree with the fact and things will stay like they are. I’ll tell you right now, it will be much easier just to agree with the fact because facts scream a lot louder than the Word of God does. God’s Word will be quiet—until it starts coming out of your mouth. But once that Word begins to come out of your mouth in faith, it will be the final word. If it’s God’s Word about healing, you’ll be healed. If it’s His Word about prosperity, you’ll be prosperous. If it’s His Word about deliverance, you’ll be delivered. God has given you His contract. When you do your part by believing, speaking and acting on a heart full of faith, God’s Word will come to pass. No circumstance on earth and no demon in hell can stop it. So forget all those stories you’ve heard about how so-and-so believed the Word and it didn’t work for him. Quit asking questions and settle it once and for all. God is not a liar. People will lie. People will change. They’ll say one thing today and another tomorrow. People will often fail to keep their promises. But God is the same yesterday, today and forever—and He keeps His Word. Always. Every time. Without fail. He’s the One to trust. V Terri Copeland Pearsons is the chief of staff for Kenneth Copeland Ministries. The eldest daughter of Kenneth Copeland, she and her husband, George Pearsons, also serve as senior pastors of Eagle Mountain International Church at KCM in Fort Worth. For information or ministry materials go to terricopelandpearsons.com. 14 : BVOV

• Cover