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

Don't Worry!

"Therefore do not worry and be anxious." (Matthew 6:31, The Amplified Bible)

God is vehemently against worry. Jesus preached against it. Paul preached against it. The whole Bible preaches against worry because it was designed by Satan to produce stress, strain, and death.

Yet many of us still act as if it's an option, as if we're free to worry if we want to. But we're not! Worrying is a sin. It's one of those things the Word of God directly commands us not to do.

What are you supposed to do then with all the concerns you have about your problems? In 1 Peter 5:7, God says you should "cast them all upon Him." All. Not 75 percent of them. Not all of them but the ones about your kids. All of them!

Your confession every morning should be, "I do not have a care in this world because I've cast every one of them onto my Lord."

Let me illustrate how that works. Let's say you were standing about 20 feet away from me and I tossed my car keys to you. If someone else were to come to me and say, "Brother Copeland, I need the keys to your car. I need to use it." I would say, "I can't help you. I cast my keys over on him. I don't have them anymore."

That's what you need to do with your worries. You need to cast them over on the Lord and not take them back. If Satan brings a worried thought to your mind, saying, "What if this terrible thing happens?" then you can tell him to talk to God about it. It's in His hands, not yours!

Once you do that, changes will start to take place in your life. Problems you've been fretting about for years will start being solved. You'll no longer be tying God's hands with your worrying. His power can begin to operate because you've acted in faith and cast your cares on Him!

Remember, though, God will not take your cares away from you. You have to give them to Him. Then you have to replace those worries with the Word. You are the one who has to keep your thoughts under control. But you can do it. The Greater One dwells within you. He is able to put you over. Commit to it. You'll never have to worry again.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 55

Our Only Hope is Jesus

"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:26-27)

Twenty-one years ago, God said something to me that will mark my ministry forever. The only hope that any man has anywhere in the world is faith in Jesus Christ.

In light of what's happening around us today, the truth of the statement is more painfully obvious than ever before. We are a generation with diseases no man can heal, with problems no man can solve. What fleeting successes we have are quickly overshadowed by new and greater crises.

All too often, that's as true for believers as it is for unbelievers. It shouldn't be. But it is. Believers are being killed by the same diseases that are devastating the rest of the world. They're being plagued by the same problems. And many are walking around without hope--just like the rest of the world.

Why? Because the only hope that any man has is faith in Jesus Christ. And the majority of Christians don't know how to live by faith.

Instead of being filled with the Word and with faith, they've been stuffed full of religious tradition and superstition. And they're suffering. When the devil hits them with sickness and disease, with poverty or depression or divorce, they often stand by helplessly as it destroys them. They simply don't know what else to do. The Bible says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hos. 4:6).

But you know. Your hope is in Jesus. Trust Him. And tell the world--their hope is in Him too.

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35-41

Recall God's Mercies

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)

God is faithful. He's full of compassion. His mercies are new every morning. As a believer, you know all that. But simply knowing it is not enough.

For it to do you any good, you have to recall it. You have to remember it again and again in order to rekindle your hope and stir your faith.

So, make it a point to remind yourself of God's faithfulness every morning. Remind yourself of the benefits that are yours in Jesus.

What are those benefits? Psalm 103 spells them out:

1. He forgives all your sins.
2. He heals all your diseases.
3. He redeems your life from destruction.
4. He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
5. He satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle's.
6. He executes righteousness and judgment for you against oppression. He
sets you free.
7. He makes known His ways to you.
8. He gives you His grace and mercy in times of need.

Make it a point every morning this year to say those things out loud to the Lord. Stand before Him in prayer and recall His mercies to you. Keep it up and by the end of this year you'll be stronger in faith and more confident of God's love than you've ever been before.

Don't just settle for knowing God's blessings. Remember them every day and watch them come alive in you.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 103:1-17 

No Time for Clay Pots

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

No Time for Clay Pots

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor." (2 Timothy 2:20)

Are you destined for greatness in the kingdom of God?

Ask most believers that question and they'll humbly assure you they're not. "You know we can't all be golden vessels" they'll say. "Like the Bible says, some of us are just called to be little clay pots."

Praise God, the Bible doesn't say any such thing!

Certainly there are going to be some golden vessels in the kingdom and there are going to be some clay pots, but we are the ones--not God--who determine which kind we will be. Second Timothy 2:21 tells us that "whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean]--who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences-- will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work" (AMP).

Golden vessel or clay pot, the choice is up to you!

Why then do so many believers choose to do menial work in the kingdom of God? Why are they content to remain clay pots?

Because they lack one thing every golden vessel must have. They lack dedication. They haven't made a quality decision to separate themselves from contaminating influences. They haven't been willing to turn away from the ways of the world and go on with God past the point of no return.

My friend, God is doing some exciting things on this earth right now. He's working signs and wonders, paving the way for Jesus' return. This is a thrilling time, but it's definitely no time for clay pots! So if you haven't yet made the kind of commitment that will turn you into a golden vessel, admit it. Then take the time to get before God and study His Word and get your will in line with His. Let the Holy Spirit deal with you until you're willing to leave the ways of the world behind and walk in higher ways--the ways of God.

Do it now. The hour is late. The glory of God is spilling over the earth in one final thrilling wave. It's not trickling out of clay pots. It's being poured through golden vessels--and that's exactly what God is calling you to be.

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:15-2

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