Don't Just Sit There...Arise!

"Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the city's gate; and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die.... So they arose." (2 Kings 7:3,5, The Amplified Bible)

No matter how bad the problem is you may be facing today, no matter how far under the circumstances you may be, in 24 hours you can be back on top!

"Oh, Brother Copeland, that would be impossible!"

That's what the Samaritans thought in 2 Kings 7. Their land was being ravaged by famine. Enemy troops had surrounded them and cut off all source of supply. Mothers were eating their own children just to survive.

But right in the middle of that, the Lord told the prophet Elisha that in 24 hours the whole situation would change. Flour and barley would sell for just a few pennies and there would be abundance for all.

What did God use to turn that situation around?

Four lepers! Four lepers who, instead of sitting around feeling sorry for themselves and waiting to die, decided to arise and take their chances in the enemy camp. When they got there, they found it abandoned. All the warriors had been frightened away by the angels of God, and they'd left enough food behind to feed all of Samaria!

Sometimes you and I are like the officials in that story. We get problem-centered instead of Word of God centered. We let ourselves be so surrounded with the loud voice of the world that the vision of our victory is pushed out of sight.

When that happens, faith and power begin to subside and life caves in on us from every side.

If that's happened to you, stop crying about it. Stop looking at your problem and feeling sorry for yourself. That won't change anything!

Just like He did for Elisha, God's given you a word. He's promised you victory. He's promised to make you an overcomer.

So don't just sit there till you die. Don't accept defeat. Rise up in faith. Stand up on God's Word and fight for your life. Get mad at Satan. Cast him out. Get mad at that sickness. Get angry with poverty and start giving.

Rise up and receive the deliverance of the Lord!

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 6:24-33, 2 Kings 7:1-20

Stick to Your Calling

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God.... Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:6,9)

Are you doing what God called you to do?

If you haven't ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, "Oh, I'm not really called to do anything. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind...I guess I'm just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ."

Let me tell you something: No matter who you are, God has put a holy calling in you. He's designed you and called you to meet a need in the Body of Christ that nobody else can meet quite like you can.

You may be called to be so successful in business you can finance the gospel worldwide. You may be called to a ministry of prayer and intercession. You may be called to a ministry of healing right there in your own neighborhood. But no matter what that calling is, it's important and you need to follow it!

If you're like many believers I know, you may have let your life become so overgrown with other things that you just don't have time to pursue your calling. You may be so overwhelmed with the cares of life that you can't imagine how you can fit in anything else.

Over the years, a pastor friend of mine got involved in so many different areas of ministry that he was about to fold up physically under the strain of it. The overload was actually about to kill him. Finally, the Lord spoke to him one night and said, "John, it's not your calling that's nearly killed you. It's everything else you've added to it."

I've had to deal with that in my own life. I've had to quit doing things just because they need doing. I've had to discipline myself to sticking to what I'm called to do.

Make up your mind to prayerfully trim away the extra things you've added to your life. Stir up the gift God has placed inside you. Get back to what He has called you to do.

After all, that calling is vital. It's holy...and it's yours. Don't ever let it slip away from you.

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-20

Don't Answer

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Be not conformed to this world. If you live like the world, you'll be overcome by the world. It's as simple as that. So don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold.

Instead..."be transformed" by the entire renewal of your mind. Overcome the world by having your mind transformed to think like God thinks. In other words, when you see something in the Word, say, "I agree with that. From now on I'm acting on that instead of what I used to think."

For example, when sin calls your name, don't answer. Agree with the Word instead and say, "I'm dead to that, Devil. You can't pull me into it anymore!"

As you do that, you'll find yourself changing. You will find yourself living like a world overcomer!

Scripture Reading: Romans 6:

A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another...even as Christ forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13)

Living in a home filled with the love and the peace of God Himself is almost like living in heaven right here on earth. We all know that's true. And we long to live in such a home. Yet, time and time again, we shortchange our families. We spend our kindest words and our most winning smiles on those beyond our front door.

Have you ever wondered why?

The answer is simpler than you might suspect. Spiritually speaking, your family is under attack. You see, it is not only one of your most precious gifts, when it's operating in harmony, it's one of your most powerful resources. Satan knows that even if you don't--and he's out to destroy it.

His battle plan is simple. He will do everything he can to create strife in your home. He'll stir up feelings of self-pity and jealousy. He'll encourage you to nurse resentments and harbor bitterness. And through it all, his purpose remains the same, to divide and destroy your home.

When God's people get in harmony with each other, miracles start to happen. Their agreement creates an atmosphere in which God's supernatural, miracle-working power is free to flow! So Satan is constantly tempting us to spoil that atmosphere, to foul things up by being at odds with each other. All too often we fall prey to his tactics simply because we don't realize just how dangerous strife really is. One close look at the Word of God will solve that problem, however. James 3:16 says, "Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

Don't open the door of your home to Satan by allowing your family the "luxury" of a few quarrels.

Stop the destruction before it starts. Anchor yourself to God's Word. Find out what He has to say about the power of agreement. Stop looking at your family from your own limited perspective and start seeing it as God sees it--as a powerhouse! That way you won't drift helplessly into an argument every time a gust of emotion blows through your home.

Determine right now not to let the devil have your family. Instead, pray for them, support them and love them. Bring them together, so you can all enjoy a little bit of heaven on earth.

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-25

Don't Settle for Second Best

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." (James 1:2-3)

I admit, it's tough to be enthusiastic about going through tests and trials. But can you get excited about being totally supplied in every way, in want of nothing? Well, according to the Word of God, if you'll use your trials to develop patience, you're going to be in precisely that position!

You see, patience doesn't mean what you thought it meant. It does not mean settling sweetly for second best. It does not mean standing meekly by while the devil romps all over you.

No, patience is a powerful word. The New Testament meaning of it as translated literally from the Greek is "to be consistently constant or to be the same way all the time, regardless of what happens."

To understand how much power is involved in that, you have to realize that it's one of the most outstanding attributes of God Himself. The Bible says He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

Think about that for a minute. The guy who absolutely cannot be changed by anyone or anything is an extremely powerful fellow, wouldn't you say? Obviously, God has that much power.

But you know what? You do too!

By the power of the Holy Ghost working within you, you can be the same every day no matter what happens. If you'll put your trust in the Word of God and let patience go to work, it won't matter what happens. You won't ever have to accept anything less than victory again.

Now that's something to get excited about.

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Extremely Blessed

"A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth." (Proverbs 17:8)

If I could give you a gift this Christmas, the Word is what I'd give you. I'd rather give it to you than a check for a million dollars. Because you can run through a million dollars real quick, but the truth of God's Word never quits--and it will get you out of situations a million dollars can't get you out of.

Ken and I are just ordinary people. But when we latched onto God's Word, we latched onto something out of the ordinary, something that changed our lives. Every area of our lives.

Nothing that's happened to us has happened because of us. It's happened because of God's Word. In fact, I don't even have to know you to promise you this: If you'll give God's Word your full attention--and not be afraid of His will for your life--you're going to be happier and more prosperous than anything you could ever dream up.

Of course, if you do that, people may call you extreme. They say that about us all the time. But we don't mind. We are extreme. And if you'll set your faith on the Word of God, you can be extreme too. Extremely well. Extremely prosperous. And extremely blessed. Merry Christmas.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:56-65

Major on Mercy

"I beseech thee, show me thy glory." (Exodus 33:18)

What would you say is the single, most outstanding thing about God? What's His most important characteristic? Some people would say it's His power. Others, His holiness. But God Himself would give a different answer.

You can find that answer in Exodus 33. There Moses is asking God to show him His glory.

Now the word "glory" could literally be translated "heavy weight." It refers to the heaviest, biggest, grandest thing about someone. It's the sum total of their worth.

What would you say is the single, most outstanding thing about God? What's His most important characteristic? Some people would say it's His power. Others, His holiness. But God Himself would give a different answer.

You can find that answer in Exodus 33. There Moses is asking God to show him His glory.

Now the word "glory" could literally be translated "heavy weight." It refers to the heaviest, biggest, grandest thing about someone. It's the sum total of their worth.

So what Moses was actually saying was, "Lord, I want to see the weightiest thing about You. I want to know Your grandest attributes." What did God say to him in response?

Chapter 34:6-7 tells us, "The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."

Just think about that! When Moses asked God to show him the most important thing about Himself, God showed him His mercy.

That means if you and I are to imitate God (Eph. 5:1) we must major in mercy too. Mercy, goodness, forgiveness and compassion must mark our behavior above all else.

Major on mercy and others will see the glory of God in you.

Scripture Reading: Exodus 33:7-23,Exodus 34:5-10

Dare to Take Your Place

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared...Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs." (Titus 3:4,6-7)

A covenant of grace. That's what you and I have with Almighty God. If you could truly grasp the significance of that, you'd never be the same again.

What exactly is a covenant of grace? It's a relationship of favor that gives you access to someone else's power.

An illustration of a covenant of grace is the covenant the old Sicilian "family" members have with the "godfather" of the "family."

In that group, a weak person might come in and ask the Don for a favor. The Don would say, "I will grant this favor and I will ask a favor of you, and when that time comes, I will collect it."

Once that was said, the weak person would become excited. Suddenly he knew he would no longer have this problem because anyone who tried to rough him up would now have to face the godfather, the one with all the power. Suddenly, that little guy's attitude would change. He would leave the presence of the head of the family in the full assurance that he didn't have a thing to worry about. He was no longer small and powerless in his own mind. He had gained favor (grace) with the powerful.

He'd walk out thinking, "Everything is handled. All I have to do now is whatever the Don asks me to do--and the Don knows I don't have anything, so whatever he asks me to do, he'll provide the wherewithal to do it."

That's grace. God's willingness to enter into blood covenant with you and give you everything He has in exchange for everything you have.

He took your sin to give you His righteousness. He took your sickness to give you His health. He took your poverty in order to meet all your needs according to His riches in glory. Whenever He asks you to do something, He provides everything you need to carry it out.

The great Jehovah, God of heaven and earth, is your Father God. Can you understand that? If you're under the blood of Jesus, you've been made a covenant child of the most powerful being in the universe.

Dare to take your place in the family!

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-21

Run Him Out of Town

"Stand therefore...having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:14-15, The Amplified Bible)

Preparation. When it comes to fighting spiritual battles, that's a word you'd do well to remember. Most believers don't pay much attention to it. They don't prepare themselves in advance. They fiddle around until the devil makes his move, then they jump up and try to fight him with the Word... and they usually lose.

I used to do the same thing until the Lord taught me differently. I used to wait until my meetings began to pray for their success. As Satan would come against them from one direction, I'd fight him there. Then he'd move around and attack them in another area, and I'd fight him there.

One day the Lord showed me that by waiting until the last minute to take my stand, I was giving Satan time to build up his forces against me. And consequently, I was losing many of my battles. Then the Lord said something to me I'll never forget. He said, "If they had kicked Al Capone out of Chicago when he was just a small-time operator, he wouldn't have been so hard to handle; but they waited until he became a first-class criminal with his forces built up around him. Then it took an army to bring him down."

When I heard that, I made up my mind never to be caught unprepared again. I started praying about those meetings weeks in advance, getting the stage set spiritually before they ever began. Instead of letting Satan get his forces entrenched, I started throwing him out before he got a single foothold. When I did, I saw more victories than I ever had before.

Don't let the devil catch you off guard. Be prepared! Start praying and speaking the Word of faith now over your family, your business, your church. Get your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Then if Satan causes trouble, you'll be well equipped to run him out of town.

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 17:12-51

A Carefree Christmas

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)

Can you really have a merry Christmas even when you have a thousand and one pressures bearing down on you? Yes, you can--and you don't have to leave the country to do it. No matter how intense or how trivial the problems are that you're facing right now, you can have the most wonderful, most carefree Christmas season you've ever had in your life; and you can start having it today.

As a believer, you're probably familiar with that scripture that says to be anxious for nothing. But, have you ever taken it seriously enough to put it into action? There's a good chance you haven't because you haven't understood just how dangerous those anxieties are. You probably haven't realized that they're a deadly part of the devil's strategy against you.

That's right. Worry is one of the chief weapons of his warfare. If he can get you to worry about them, he can use the financial pressures and family pressures and scheduling problems that are just a "normal" part of everyday life to weigh you down and drag you into more trouble than you think possible.

Medical science tells us that a high percentage of the people hospitalized in the U.S.A. are there with ailments caused by worry and tension. Yet, a great many believers worry without even thinking about it. They'll worry about being too short or too skinny. They'll stew over this and that and not even realize they've been sinning.

"Sinning, Brother Copeland?"

Yes! For the born-again, Spirit-filled believer who owns a Bible--worrying is a sin. So, even if the Christmas cards are late and 45 people are coming to your house for Christmas dinner, don't worry.

Instead, do what the Bible says to do. Pray, making your request known to God...and praise Him for the answer. Then you'll have peace.

Now, go ahead and have a truly merry Christmas, you carefree thing you!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:24-34

No Deposit--No Return

"Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." (Psalm 112:1,7)

Are you ready to face a crisis? Don't wait until one hits to find out. Prepare yourself now.

That's what a couple of my Partners did. They faced a situation that would have made many people panic. But when the crisis hit, their hearts were so deeply established on the Word of God that their first response was not one of fear but of faith.

What affected me most when I heard their testimony was one particular phrase they kept using:

No Deposit--No Return

What they meant by that was that if you don't take the time to deposit the Word in your heart now, it won't be there later when you really need it. You'll end up in a crisis with only doubt and unbelief instead of the faith and power you need to see you through. In a situation like the one this couple faced that could be deadly.

You see, their two-year-old son had suffered a fall that had cracked his skull and critically injured his neck. He had no feeling in his arms and legs and was unable to move. Yet as they rushed him to the emergency room, a great sense of peace rested on them. Rather than crying with fear, they prayed in faith and declared, "By Jesus' stripes, our son is healed!"

Sure enough, within hours, their boy was totally restored. Even the X-rays verified the fact that a miracle had taken place.

What's important to understand about that story is this: The victory was not won when the damage to that little boy's body disappeared. It was won all during the days and weeks and months before when his parents were listening to tapes and studying the Word and praying in the Spirit. It was won because these people had spent time building a foundation on the Word so that when this storm came, they were able to stand.

Now is the time for you to build a rock-solid foundation! Don't wait around until you're faced with a crisis. Get the Word in your heart in abundance now, so when you really need it, it will flow out in power.

Remember: No deposit--no return.

Start making those precious deposits today!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 112

Don't Panic

"Roll your works upon the Lord--commit and trust them wholly to Him; [He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed." (Proverbs 16:3, The Amplified Bible)

Right now you may be on the edge of a major decision... about to make a change in your job or your church or your personal life. You know you need divine guidance. And you're hoping desperately to hear from the Lord.

If that's your situation, don't panic. Being led by the Lord isn't some complicated process that only the spiritual "pros" can master.

I found that out years ago when I was a new believer. I wanted to live in a way that was pleasing to God, but I didn't know how to make decisions that were in line with His will.

Then one day as I was studying The Amplified Bible, I came across Proverbs 16:3. Immediately, I latched onto this verse and began to use it in my life--and I can tell you now from experience, it works!

It will work for you too if you'll do what it says. Roll your works over on God, commit your ways to Him, trust them wholly to Him. He'll start adjusting your thoughts to be like His until, at some point, you'll just know the right thing to do. Of course, faith is involved. One of the requirements is trust, and you won't be able to do that without feeding on God's Word. Then as you practice rolling your works upon the Lord and trusting Him, you become more confident in your ability to hear. Start now with whatever problem is bothering you. Pray and trust God with it. In other words, believe you receive when you pray. Stop worrying and begin believing.

Learn to live this way and it doesn't matter whether you've been a Christian 30 minutes or 30 years, your plans shall be established and succeed!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 37:1-7

Tune In

"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Have you ever looked around at your own life or the life of the Church and wondered why it's taking the Lord so long to get things in order?

If so, let me tell you something I learned a few years ago. He's not the One who's slow. We are!

It's not God's fault that the Church still has spots and wrinkles. It's not His fault that we're not living in total victory. He's always ready. He's the great "I AM." We're the ones who fall short.

Compare it to turning on a radio. If you don't have it tuned to exactly the right frequency, you won't be able to hear the station. It's not the station's fault. It's sending out signals perfectly. The problem is, you haven't tuned in to it.

That's what's happening with you and me. We haven't fine tuned our spirits enough to pick up the voice of the Spirit. Oh, we pick up a few things now and then, but mostly we just fade in and out. We don't stay on God's wavelength all the time.

How do you adjust your spiritual tuner?

By praying in the Spirit. Praying in other tongues is the fastest, most effective method I know of to tune in to God--because instead of praying your own thoughts and plans, you're praying His!

The Bible says that when you pray in tongues, you're speaking mysteries to God. In the Spirit, you're calling forth parts of God's plan you don't even understand with your natural mind. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, you're praying the perfect will of God.

You see, God knows how to deliver His people. He knows how to turn us into the glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He has a plan that will do it. And if we'll tap into that plan and start releasing it into the earth by praying in the Spirit, praying according to His will and not our own, this age will draw to a close quickly. If we'll all get our minds and hearts in tune with what God's doing, there will be an explosion of the power of God that will turn this world around!

Start adjusting your spiritual tuner today. Spend an hour praying in other tongues. Set your spirit on God's wavelength and just see how quickly the spots and wrinkles begin to disappear from you.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:1-19

Spread Peace This Christmas

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:13-14)

Christmas is a very important time of year. It's a time of year when the whole world is hearing the message of the birth of Jesus. It's a time when people are tenderhearted... the perfect time to plant seeds of love in the lives of those you meet.

Sometimes those seeds may just take the form of a kind word in the middle of rush hour shopping. Other times, you may get the opportunity to pray and minister to someone. But whatever the situation, keep a sharp eye out for even the smallest chance to assist people.

I've had some outstanding experiences giving a few dollars to someone in need. As they are taking the money, I tell them, "This money is from the Lord Jesus Christ. I serve Him. He is the One who instructed me to help you."

It's amazing how many people are ready to hear what you have to say when you say it in love. They're starved for someone to really care. Be that someone this Christmas season. Spread the Word about the peace that's available in Jesus. Tell about His goodwill toward men.

Who knows how many of those small seeds may one day take root and bring one more precious person into the glorious kingdom of God?

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-20

SEEK GOD FIRST

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

Whenever Ken and I talk about living by faith, I know there are some people who think, "Oh, that's easy for you. You're preachers. You have it made!" And, in some ways, we do. We have it made because our calling demands that we give God our attention, and giving God your attention always brings success.

But we haven't always lived that way. In fact, the first time I ever saw Kenneth Copeland he was about as far from a preacher as I figured you could get. He flew planes and sang in nightclubs. As for me, I was a college girl who said she would never marry a preacher and who had never even heard about the new birth.

Right after we got married, Ken went into a business enterprise that we thought was going to make us rich. So I quit my job and went to work for this new company. Two weeks later it folded.

We ended up sleeping on a rented roll-away bed that sagged in the middle. We had a wrought-iron coffee table Ken made in high school and a black and white TV. Nothing else. No refrigerator. No stove. I cooked in my coffee pot and an electric skillet and used a cardboard box on the porch to keep our food cold.

We were flat broke. Unemployed. Deeply in debt. I had nowhere to go. No furniture. No nothing.

Then one day I picked up the Bible Ken's mother had given him for his birthday. In the front she'd written this verse, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." I turned and read Matthew 6. It said God cared for the birds. For the first time in my life it got into my heart that God cared where I was and what I was doing. I figured if He cared for birds, He cared for me! I knelt in that bare room and told Jesus that if He could do anything with my life, He could certainly have it. That's all I remember saying.

I had no idea I'd just been born again. Two weeks later Ken found a new job. We moved to a new furnished apartment and bought a better car. In the midst of it all, something else happened--Ken got born again.

Don't worry if you don't "have it made." We certainly didn't when all this started. Just stick with God and let Him make you. He is a good God who is good to all (Ps. 145:9).

Make a decision in your heart to seek HIM first. Then all the other things will be added.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 128

Love: The Secret of Success

"Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:8, The Amplified Bible)

Fear of failure. It's haunted all of us at some time in our lives. Popular psychology tells us to adjust to it. But the Word of God tells us that there is a failure-proof way to live without it. It is the way of LOVE.

If you want to know real success, you must learn to be moved and motivated by love. That's how Jesus was when He was on the earth.

Even when John the Baptist was senselessly, brutally murdered and Jesus went away to be alone, He didn't deviate from the way of love. For Matthew 14:6-14 says that even then in that emotionally taxing time when the people followed Him and would give Him no solitude, He was moved with compassion and healed their sick.

I used to wonder how Jesus could just turn away from that terrible crime and not retaliate. What I didn't realize was that He did retaliate. He overcame the works of Satan with compassion. He defeated hatred with love. He attacked Satan in the spirit realm by destroying his works of sickness and disease.

Compassion doesn't strike at the surface of things. It goes to the root of the problem. That's why it always succeeds.

"But wait!" you may say. "I can't operate like that. I'm not Jesus."

Yes you can, because the Word of God says that His love has been shed abroad in your heart! (Rom. 5:5). And 1 John 2:5 says His love is perfected in you as you keep His Word.

Commit to living the life of love today. Watch God turn failure into success at home, at work...in any situation. LOVE NEVER FAILS!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:1-14

Get the Two Together

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7)

Established in the faith and abounding with thanksgiving. These days it seems that's a rare combination.

A lot of people have been taught faith over the last several years, and a lot of people have been taught to abound with thanksgiving. But it's been hard to set the two together. Faith folks want to confess the Word all the time, but they don't praise God very much. And those who like to praise God just want to jump and shout and dance and have a good time in the Lord. You can't get them to get very serious about the Word.

Success comes from combining the two.

So, do it! Put them together in your life. When you run into a challenge, don't just stand around grim-faced and white-knuckled holding onto your faith. Raise your hands high and praise. Start thanking God in the midst of what's happening around you. Keep thanking Him for the answer until it comes.

Instead of just standing on the Word, let the joy of the Lord enable you to dance around on it a little. It will get you where you're going a whole lot faster...and both you and God will have a much better time on the way.

Scripture Reading: Colossians 2:1-10

PRESS IN

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...." (Colossians 3:16)

Things in this old world aren't getting any better, and in recent times, the Holy Spirit has been speaking an urgent message to my heart. He's been saying, "Press in. Draw into a more intimate relationship with your heavenly Father. If you don't, you won't make it. If you do, you will see more glorious outpourings of God than you can imagine."

That message isn't just for me. It's also for you--and for every other believer on the earth today. We are in the last of the last days of this age. Jesus is coming soon. It's an exciting time, but it's also a dangerous time. Those who don't do what the Spirit says, who don't press into the Lord, are going to go from disaster to disaster. But those who do will defeat the disasters and turn them into glory, in Jesus' Name!

Your first step in drawing closer to God is to realize that you know God first in His Word. Time spent meditating in the New Testament is time spent with Jesus.

Most people don't realize that. So, instead of getting to know the Lord through His Word, they try to know Him through their feelings and that just won't work.

Letting the Word dominate your thinking is to allow the Holy Spirit to have control over your mind. As you do that, your feelings will eventually fall in line.

Remember this: John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. That means, when you spend time in it, you're spending time with Jesus. When His Word is dwelling in you richly, then Jesus is dwelling in you richly too!

Don't go from disaster to disaster. Take those disasters and turn them into glory, in Jesus' Name. Press into Jesus. Press into the Word and you'll make it through these dangerous days just fine!

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

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