by Kenneth Copeland

Everywhere you turn these days, there is fear in the world. The Bible tells us that men’s hearts will fall them for fear of what’s coming on the earth—it seems we’re right in the middle of those times.

But as a believer, you don’t have to live in fear. You have the power over it through your heavenly Father. When you know and believe in your heart that God loves you—you won’t be afraid of anything.

As 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!” (The Amplified Bible).

Develop faith in God’s love for you and develop a fear-free life!

God is looking for people who will worship Him and serveHim in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). I realized one day that God did not expect me to be able to do what I was called to do by my own mind or ability. He expected to give me His strength and ability supernaturally. He expected to be my portion for whatever I needed. I knew I could only please God by walking in the spirit and not in the flesh. So I prayed, “Lord, teach me to walk in the spirit,” and He began to teach me. I learned things that changed my life.

The Holy Spirit will unveil His blessings to us if we will give Him an opportunity. Remember that Jesus did not become your Savior until you recognized Him as Lord and were born again. When you gave Him that recognition and allowed Him to take over your life, He became your Savior.

The Holy Spirit is the same way. He is not going to take over your life as Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby until you invite Him, until you give Him place, until you recognize Him as the One Who comes to your aid and support. When you begin to listen to Him, lean on Him, rely on Him and trust in Him, He will begin to work in just that way. The more you lean on Him and not your own understanding,the more He is able to fulfill His ministry to you.

God speaks to us by His Spirit. We don’t have to go to a prophet to hear from God in this dispensation of grace. We are born of God. No longer is the Holy Spirit in the holy of holies as He was in the Old Covenant. No longer is He kept in a place that is unapproachable that only the high priest can enter. He is no longer there. He is within you and me.

With the Spirit of God in us, we become mobile temples of God. Satan does not want you to know this, because he doesn’t want you to realize that when you face a problem, the Spirit of God faces it with you. When you know not how to pray as you ought, the Holy Spirit takes hold together with you against that infirmity or weakness in your life and prays the perfect will of God into existence, and gives you direction that will bring victory. Then He gives you the power and ability to do whatever He directs.

Where does the Holy Ghost live? Within your spirit. God wants to talk to you spirit to spirit, and that is how His Spirit communicates with you most of the time. Usually, He does not speak directly to your mind or to your physical ears.

When you hear these promptings come up within you, you may ask, “Was that me, Father, or was it You?”

It will sound like you—and it is—because it is your own spirit that you hear most of the time. Your spirit relays to your soul (mind, will, emotions) what the Spirit of God is saying to you. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two. I cannot tell you how to know the difference. I can only tell you how to get started and that you will begin to know. As you spend time in prayer and in God’s Word, your spirit, which is directly infused and connected with God’s Spirit, is a reliable witness to follow.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).

Hebrews 10:35-36
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Hebrews 11:11
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 5:14-16
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1 John 3:21-22
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in
his sight.

1 John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3 John 2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mark 11:22-24
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Mark 16:14-18
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Luke 6:19
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

Luke 9:2
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Luke 13:16
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Acts 5:16
There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

It is the responsibility of every member of the Body of
Christ to believe God for the abundance He provides. When
one of us falls short in this responsibility, the whole Body of
Christ suffers because of that one cell. (You may not use your
little finger very much, but if it is sore, your whole hand suffers.)
As believers, we have a responsibility to provide for the
needs of our brothers and sisters around the world. If we lack,
they will suffer for it.

Now you can see that the basic reason for the operation of
faith is to meet the needs of mankind. You may not need much
money to be happy and successful in your own life, but people
are starving and dying throughout the world. Someone must
provide for them. They don’t know how to get it for themselves.
There are even preachers going hungry! The biggest complaint
from people is that all the preachers are wanting money. Do you
know the best way to stop that complaint? Give to them! Don’t
get into strife with them; bless them with your giving and pray
for them.

The covenant is yours. The wisdom of God is yours. It
resides within you. Bring it to the surface by meditating in the
Word of God and giving God the opportunity to share His system
with you. When you let Him be your source of supply, you
can live independently from the world’s system. The Word
states so plainly in 2 Corinthians that without aid or support
you can continue to be generous in every good work. This is
the attitude God is looking for. This man is unlimited in the
things of the Lord. Praise God!

When we began plans for our first television series, people
said that we couldn’t do it because of the tremendous cost of
such an operation. One man offered us, at half price, an estimate
of $750 per finished minute. For a 60-minute program,
the total production cost would have been $45,000. The
thought of financing a weekly series for one year at that price
was overwhelming! For a series of five programs, they quoted
us $350,000. Then the Lord said, “Why don’t you give Me a
chance? You’ve asked the experts about it; now let Me in on it!”
So I did. God moved—and we filmed the five-part series for
$3,750! The Apostle Paul said, “…the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

The established heart comes by meditation in the Word of
God. We have seen from the book of Joshua that if a person
will meditate in the Word day and night and do all that is written
therein, he will prosper and deal wisely in his affairs. It is
through this kind of meditation in the Word that you will discover
what God has to say about finances.

Proverbs 3:13-14 says, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise
of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof
than fine gold.” In other words, there is a better market for wisdom
and understanding than for gold and silver. The merchandise
of it is greater; and will provide more. Solomon proved
this. People from faraway countries heard about the wisdom of
Solomon and brought him wealth and riches because of it.

Verses 15-16, “She [wisdom] is more precious than rubies: and
all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and
honour.” Wisdom actually possesses riches and honor. Does wisdom
belong to us? Again, we go to the established covenant for
the answer. Let’s see what the Word has to say about it.

First Corinthians 1:30 states very plainly that Jesus has
been made unto us wisdom. James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in
faith, nothing wavering.” Paul prayed in Colossians 1:9-10 “that
ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of
the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.” We
should bear fruit and succeed in every endeavor, and the wisdom
of God enables us to do this.

Now I take for granted that you understand the importance
of prayer in all these areas. Spend time before God and in His
Word. Let Him reveal to you His wisdom and His understanding.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

You must realize that prosperity is the will of God for you.
Knowledge of His will brings results. Once you know for sure
that something is God’s will, you should not be without it any
longer. If you do not know that healing belongs to you, you
will hesitate, wondering if it is God’s will and never establish
it in your own life. You will never really believe it for yourself.
Many people have been healed through the prayers of other
believers and still have difficulty with their health even after
God has healed them a dozen times. However, once they see
in the Word that healing belongs to them, that Jesus bought
and paid for it at Calvary, that He bore the stripes, then they
will not accept sickness again. Why? Because the Word
becomes established in their hearts and a force rises up within
them—the force of faith. This is also true in prosperity. Poverty
is under the curse of the law, and Jesus Christ has redeemed
us from the curse and has established us in abundance, not
bare necessity!

Stop and think for a moment. What is your heart established
in? Sin or righteousness? Death or abundant life?
Sickness and disease or healing and divine health? Poverty or
prosperity? Faith or fear?

The only way you will establish your heart so that it is
absolutely fixed—concrete and immovable, trusting in the
Lord—is by the Word of God. Go to the Word and feed on it:
read it, study it, meditate in it. Then your heart will be established,
fixed, trusting in the Lord, and Psalm 112 will be a
description of your life in Christ Jesus.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Matthew 8:5-10, 13
KJV—And when Jesus was entered into
Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, And saying, Lord,
my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto
him, I will come and heal him. The centurion
answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy
that thou shouldest come under my roof:
but speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed. For I am a man under
authority, having soldiers under me: and I
say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to
another, Come, and he cometh; and to my
servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and
said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel.

And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go
thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it
done unto thee. And his servant was healed
in the selfsame hour.

Amp—As Jesus went into Capernaum, a
centurion came up to Him, begging Him And
saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the
house paralyzed and distressed with intense
pains. And Jesus said to him, I will come
and restore him. But the centurion replied
to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have
You come under my roof; but only speak
the word, and my servant boy will be cured.
For I also am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one,
Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and
he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he
does it. When Jesus heard him, He marveled,
and said to those who followed Him [that is,
who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming
to His example in living and if need be
in dying also], I tell you, truly I have not
found so much faith as this with any one,
even in Israel.

Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it
shall be done for you as you have believed.
And the servant boy was restored to health
at that very moment.

Moffatt—When he entered Capharnahum,
an army-captain came up to him and
appealed to him, saying, “Sir, my servant is
lying ill at home with paralysis, in terrible
agony.” He replied, “I will come and heal
him.” The captain answered, “Sir, I am not
fit to have you under my roof; only say the
word, and my servant will be cured. For
though I am a man under authority myself,
I have soldiers under me; I tell one man to
go, and he goes, I tell another to come, and
he comes, I tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he
does it.”

When Jesus heard that, he marvelled;
“I tell you truly,” he said to his followers,
“I have never met faith like this anywhere
in Israel.”

Then said Jesus to the captain, “Go; as you
have had faith, your prayer is granted.” And
the servant was cured at that very hour.

NEB—When he had entered Capernaum a
centurion came up to ask his help. ‘Sir,’ he
said, ‘a boy of mine lies at home paralysed
and racked with pain.’ Jesus said, ‘I will come
and cure him.’ But the centurion replied, ‘Sir,
who am I to have you under my roof? You
need only say the word and the boy will be
cured. I know, for I am myself under orders,
with soldiers under me. I say to one, “Go”,
and he goes; to another, “Come here”, and
he comes; and to my servant, “Do this”, and
he does it.’

Jesus heard him with astonishment, and
said to the people who were following him,
‘I tell you this: nowhere, even in Israel, have I
found such faith.’

Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go
home now; because of your faith, so let it
be.’ At that moment the boy recovered.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Lack of knowledge of our right to use the Name of Jesus is
the third great hindrance to prayer. A great void of knowledge
of the power in Jesus’ Name exists in most Christian circles.

John 16:23 says, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in my name, he will give it you.”

Go before the Father in Jesus’ Name. You are already
going before Him in Jesus’ power and His faith. Your prayer
will be answered.

No believer would ever doubt the power of Jesus’ Name
or that the Father hears that Name in prayer. What, then, is
the problem? The root of unbelief where the Name of Jesus is
concerned is in not believing we have the right to use it. Will
the Father hear me pray in that Name?

I have a right to use my name because it was given to me
by my father. He gave me the name of Kenneth Copeland. I
came into the world with the right to use it. When you make
Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, God becomes your Father.

The Bible says any man who believes that Jesus is the Christ,
is born of God (1 John 5:1). Once you realize you have the
right to use the family name, you will see God’s power operating
mightily in your behalf.

Gloria and I were driving down the freeway one day. The
car in front of us began to fishtail. The second time it came
across the freeway, it hit the curb and started up on its side.

Gloria shouted at the top of her voice, “Jesus, help them!” It
was so strong when she shouted the Name of Jesus that the
car slammed back down on all four wheels and straightened
out, coming to a full stop. God responds to the Name of Jesus!

I believe Satan and his cohorts are reminded of their defeat
at Calvary every time they hear the Name of Jesus!

You should become so aware of the power in that Name
that you guard it like your own—because it is yours!

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

There are two categories of fasting: a proclaimed fast (Joel
1:14), and a personal fast as Jesus described in Matthew 6.
First, you do not fast to impress God. Some people think
that if they fast long enough, it will influence Him to do
something for them. Punishing yourself does not impress the
Lord. It will only make you very, very hungry! Fasting changes
you, not God.

Let’s look at a proclaimed fast. Sometimes situations arise
in which you need divine direction. A proclaimed fast brings
believers into a place of hearing from God. When you find out
how to pray about the situation, you can move in the same
area of faith in one accord.

Second Chronicles 20:1-6 says:

It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab,
and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside
the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying,
There cometh a great multitude against thee from
beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be
in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat
feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed
a fast throughout all Judah…. And Jehoshaphat stood in
the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house
of the Lord, before the new court, and said, O Lord God
of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven…. And in thine
hand is there not power and might, so that none is able
to withstand thee?

The main reason a proclaimed fast brings results is
because it directs people’s minds toward God. They drop all
other things and center their attention on Him. This brings
His manifest presence in their midst.

While the believers in 2 Chronicles were in one accord, it
says, “Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of
Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the
sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the
congregation” (verse 14). Did you notice that the Spirit of God
did not come on Jehoshaphat? He was the leader. Thank God
someone in the congregation was sensitive to the Holy Spirit!

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto
you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (verse 15). Imagine
how good that sounded to their ears! The Holy Ghost spoke.
That is what they were seeking.

This principle will also work in our day. A New Testament
example is found in Acts 13:1-2: “Now there were in the
church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers….
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them.” That assignment brought into being two thirds
of the New Testament. What an important day! Those
men did not realize the magnitude of God’s plan. They were
simply being obedient.

The Holy Ghost spoke in the midst of a group of ordinary
men who were fasting, praying and ministering to the Lord. This
set into motion something that absolutely changed the world!

In that kind of atmosphere, God is given the opportunity
to speak. A proclaimed fast is valuable and effective then,
because it causes unity and singleness of purpose. It operates
on the same principle as the prayer of agreement or united
prayer—it produces power.

These believers received their instructions from God. They
laid their hands on Saul and Barnabas and sent them forth.
The results of their ministry were astounding!

By contrast, in Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus spoke of the personal
fast. “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites,
of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they
may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head,
and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast,
but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which
seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Jesus really put the
responsibility on you and me here. He did not say, if you fast,
He said when you fast.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries