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!

If Jesus and His Word abide in us and we maintain a living communion with Him by the Spirit of God, we’ll be able to walk in continual obedience. When we do that, we put ourselves in position to ask whatever we will and it will be done (John 15:7).

Remember this: Abiding is obeying.

For yourselves, let the teaching which you have heard from the beginning abide within you. If that teaching does abide within you, you also will abide in the Son. And in the Father (1 John 2:24, Weymouth).

The man who obeys His commands abides in God and God in him; and through His spirit which He has given us we can know that He abides in us (1 John 3:24, Weymouth).

God gives us His Word. He gives us His direction. When He tells you to do something, it may seem unimportant to you. You might think it is insignificant, but your future may depend on it. God does not explain Himself. He expects you to walk by faith. He expects you to be mature. He expects you to grow up into Him so you will simply do what you are told, knowing that He is smarter than you. Then He sees whether or not we will do it. If we will not, He knows we are not ready to move on with Him.

If you have had problems in your life and you feel that God is not paying attention to you, think back to the moment you disobeyed Him last, then obey His instructions. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). He may be waiting for you to set things straight and begin again with Him.

Unless we rise up and begin to obey the anointing—the unction—in our spirits by the Holy Spirit, God will be unable to take us any further along than we are right now. Like Israel, we will stay in the wilderness until God finds another generation that’s obedient. And if they accept Him at His Word and follow His Spirit, then He will take them further than He was able to take us.

We should not want to stay where we are, though it may be such a wonderful place. We must continue on so we can grow in God.

You have to start where you are right now. Obey everything that God tells you today, and then again tomorrow, and the next day. Learn to walk with God one day at a time. He will give you the grace daily for what you’re to do that day. Then you will be able to look back and see a life that has pleased God. In our everyday walk we must be obedient—in the seemingly little things, as well as in the big things.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

God expects you to be sensitive and to listen to the promptings—that unction, that inward witness. According to Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God divides between the soul and the spirit. It will distinguish
within you between your natural mind and your spirit—between what is coming from your mind and what is coming from your spirit. If you want to walk in the spirit, you will have to spend time studying in and meditating on the Word and praying in the spirit.

The more you grow in the Lord, the more your soul will come into agreement with God. The more your soul is renewed to think like God thinks, the easier it will be for you to be led by the Holy Spirit.

We were born again in God’s image on the inside, but the Holy Spirit will begin to change us on the outside as we obey Him. As we walk with Him and obey Him, the Spirit of God within us will manifest the presence of Jesus until Romans 8:29 is fulfilled: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

As we begin to think like He thinks, the things of God will become so great that the things of the world will seem ridiculously insignificant.

Let loose the Spirit of God in your life. Walk in that anointing. Abide in that anointing. The Spirit of God is leading you, counseling you, teaching you, ministering grace to you every day of your life.

When we receive that unction from God, giving us direction, we are to obey. We are not to mentally question it. We are not to talk ourselves out of it. We are not to reason it away. (But, of course, we judge all direction by what God has already said in the written Word concerning His will and the laws of the Spirit. He will never tell us to do something that is crosswise to His Word.) When the Spirit of God rises up within us, we must act. That is what makes God able to manifest Himself in our lives, from one degree of glory to another.

Obedience opens the door that nothing else will open. Being obedient to the Spirit of God opens the door for God to honor us in full measure. God is able to work His perfect will in our lives when we honor Him, reverence Him and abide in Him. Whatever we do toward Him, we open the door for Him to do toward us.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

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

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him…. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:29, 31-32).

The Spirit of God is the voice of God to us. He proceeds directly from the Father. The way the Holy Spirit leads us most of the time is by the inward witness. We also call it a prompting, guidance, a leading, an unction. It is an instruction in our spirits.

It is important to know that the Holy Spirit is not going to push His way into your life. Yes, He wants to lead you, but He won’t force Himself into your affairs. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord….” He wants to burn His light brightly in our hearts, to illuminate our path.

The Spirit of God is within you to control your life—not by forcing you, but by leading you. He wants control of you because He is the only One on earth who knows what to do to make your life work.

Now you might think, I don’t want anyone controlling me.

Let’s think about that. Suppose there was a human being who could answer every problem you have. You could phone this person at any time, tell him your problem and always receive the solution. You would take his direction gladly, and you would call him whenever a problem arose. That person would have control of your life with your permission. And you would be glad!

Of course, there is no natural person who knows the answer to every problem. But the Holy Spirit does! He knows all of the answers. He is in you to help you, to give you revelation and direction for your life. He wants you to call on Him. He is waiting for you to recognize Him as the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby). He is always available to come to your aid and make the difference between life and death, failure and defeat.

So too the (Holy) Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance (Romans 8:26, The Amplified Bible).

Many people have been filled with the Spirit for years, but never have really listened to Him. They never have learned to obey Him. They have not paid attention to the Word of God to learn how. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, but to hear Him you will have to give Him your attention.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Other translations say, “Where there is no vision, the people go wild,” or “go out of their minds.”

Also, when you read the word “law,” the word “commandment” or the word “precept” in Scripture, it is referring to the Word of God. So without changing its meaning, turn this verse around and it can very easily be translated to read, “Where there is vision, the people prosper, and he that keeps the Word of God will walk in joy.”

The one thing God has given us to help maintain an enthusiasm of faith is to be able to look toward the future and see the vision.

And everyone must have a vision. The vision you need is found in the Word of God because the Word lays out our potential for us: What God’s Word says we can do, we can do. What it says we can have, we can have. What it says we can be, we can be.

Our potential is built in the Word of God. And that’s where you begin with your vision. If you don’t yet have a vision, you start where God has told you who you are in Him.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Isaiah 53:11, The Amplified Bible says: “He [God] shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His [Jesus] soul and be satisfied.” God would see the fruit of Jesus’ travail and be satisfied! It does not satisfy God to see sickness and disease on believers today. He was satisfied when that sickness and disease was laid on Jesus. Many people think God wants them to stay sick, so He can get glory out of their travail, but that kind of thinking is a lie straight from the pit of hell! To put sickness on you after it was put on Jesus would be a miscarriage of justice! You are not the sacrificial Lamb of Calvary. That sacrifice has already been made—it does not need to be made again. You need to receive His sacrifice made for you and appropriate its benefits into your life.

What was the fruit of Jesus’ travail? Salvation, healing, love, joy, peace— the kingdom of God being born in the hearts of men. Praise God!

From these scriptures alone, you can know beyond doubt that God’s will is for every person in Christ Jesus to be healed and made well. He paid the price, so we could receive it.

Any time a believer has a problem receiving healing, he usually suffers from ignorance of God’s Word, ignorance of his rights and privileges in Jesus Christ. To fully understand your position, you need to realize what took place many centuries ago between God and a man named Abram. God approached Abram with a proposition. The agreement, or covenant, they made together is the basis of the entire New Testament. It was in behalf of this covenant that Jesus came to earth.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the http://kennethandgloriacopeland.net/wp-admin/themes.phpgospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Philippians 2:13
[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight (The Amplified Bible).

Philippians 4:6-9
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and
seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you (The Amplified Bible).

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

One time I was meditating about Peter catching the fish
with the money in its mouth. I realized this was a financial
operation, so I decided to find out what God had to say. I must
have read that story 50 times and ran into a blank wall each
time! I could see that Peter needed tax money and Jesus told
him to go fishing. He caught the fish and got the money out
of its mouth. I would run that through my thinking, sometimes
for hours, then get up and say, “Well, Lord, I know it’s here
somewhere, and by faith, I claim the revelation on it!” Finally,
in prayer one day I picked up my Bible, flipped it open to that
passage, and read it once more. Then I saw something I had
read over and over again. Jesus said, “Get the money out of the
mouth of the first fish.” Peter was going to catch a mess of fish!
Then the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Daughter, don’t bind Me
to finances. I can handle the fish just as I can the money.” I saw
what I had been missing! I had been centering on the one fish.
Now if I had been in Peter’s place, I would have jerked the
money out of the fish’s mouth, run down to pay the taxes, and
then realized that I didn’t have anything to eat. I would have
been so shortsighted that I would have thrown the fish back
and missed out on the rest of the catch. If there was a first fish,
there had to be a second and so on. Peter was a commercial
fisherman and knew how to market those fish. Jesus obviously
loaded his boat again. I would have spent part of the money on
something to eat and still couldn’t have paid my taxes. I thought,
“I have been believing for the money to buy an automobile when
I should have been believing God for the automobile itself!” The
Lord said, “That’s right. You have had Me bound to that little
channel of money.” Then He said something I’ll never forget,
“Son, if I send you a cow with a bag of money around her neck,
for goodness’ sake, milk her before you send her home!” The
Lord has a tremendous sense of humor, but I didn’t know it until
I began to fellowship with Him and meditate in His Word.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

The first and most important rule for you to follow in operating
in the power of God and living by faith is this: 100 percent
committal to the Word of God and its authority in your
life. As God told Joshua, the best way to prosper is by meditation
in the Word. Don’t just study it; there is a difference
between meditation and study. Study involves digging in the
Word, running references in a concordance, and so forth; but
meditation many times covers only two or three verses of scripture.
Read a verse several times. Roll it over in your mind; be
quiet and listen to God for 20 or 30 minutes. This has been the
way I have learned many things about the Word and about
Jesus’ ministry. The Spirit of God can say enough in one sentence
to last you a month! He was sent here to teach us the
deep things of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Let me give you an example from my own experience. Some
time ago, I decided to find out how to operate financially
according to the Word of God. I believed that God had a financial
system that most Christians did not know. This was evident
in my dad’s life. My parents decided when they married that
they would tithe their income for the rest of their lives. They
knew very little about believing God for finances. My dad relied
on his ability to work. He was an excellent sales representative
and God blessed his business. When I entered the ministry and
started studying the Word of God, I read where God said to
bring the tithes into the storehouse and He would open the windows
of heaven (see Malachi 3:10). Well, I could look at my dad
and see that this wasn’t working in his life. He made more than
a good living, but he worked for every dime he got! So I began
to study this and question the Lord about it.

One thing that He showed me was the pride element in
most businessmen, especially the ones who worked hard like
Dad. You couldn’t give my dad anything; he was the giver! If
God wanted to give him something, He had to channel it
through the business or Dad would actually get uncomfortable
and embarrassed if someone tried to give to him. This is wrong.
God showed me that most businessmen don’t know how to
receive simply because of their pride.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland