Increase Your Faith

Father, I bring the needs of our government before You and ask You to bless our nation through godly leaders. I magnify the Name of Jesus and declare that He is Lord over this nation.

Father, I pray according to 1 Timothy 2:1-3 which says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.”

I pray, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, for our president, the vice president, all the Cabinet and the chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court to receive the wisdom of God, to act in obedience to that wisdom and for the power of God to flow in their lives.

I pray for the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to find Your peace and direction, and for these men and women to act and lead according to Your Word. A house divided against itself cannot stand, therefore, I pray for them to be unified in righteousness for the sake of the nation.

I pray for Your protection to cover all our law enforcement officers and the men and women of the military. I ask for godly counsel and wisdom for judges across this land. In the Name of Jesus, I pray that You and our kingdom of righteousness be manifested in the hearts of all those who are in authority in any way.

Father, Your Word says to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because those who love Jerusalem shall prosper. Lord Jesus, because You love Jerusalem and wept over it, I love it also. I pray for Jerusalem to receive the Shalom of God, which brings wholeness—nothing missing, nothing broken. I pray that no leader of our nation will make any decision that will harm Jerusalem in any way. And in the Name of Jesus, I pray that You reveal Your perfect will to all the leaders of Israel. I ask You, Lord, to reveal Yourself to each person. Thank You, Father, for hearing my prayers that are in accordance to Your will. I receive the answers, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Source: Kenneth Copeland Ministries

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Passover: A Continual Memorial 
By Billye Brim 
 
God instructed Israel they were to keep Passover a memorial, by an ordinance forever. Since that night in Egypt the Jews have kept the feast of Passover, and I was once able to experience it firsthand.

Some time ago, I spent Passover with a religious family on what the world calls “the West Bank.” The Bible calls the particular place where I was “the mountains of Israel,” or “Samaria.” Because it is considered by many to be dangerous territory, my host family’s relatives would not come to their home.

A Tradition Of Obedience And Blessing
So I was the only guest at the special Seder Meal. The smallest child asked the question, “How is this night different from all other nights?” (See Ex. 12:26). In answer, the English-speaking father throughout the long night’s observance related the account of the Exodus to the children as if it had been their very own family which was delivered from Egypt.

I watched with interest when the middle of the three pieces of unleavened bread was hidden in the household and the children went to search for it. There was great joy when the bread was brought forth from its hiding place.

How precious is the blessing over the bread: Blessed art Thou, Oh, Lord, King of the Universe Who brings forth bread from the earth. Of course, I thought of Jesus. As a Jewish boy, He kept the law.

Every year of his life He kept Passover. He kept Passover those years He was training His disciples. But when He came to the last Passover He would keep, the Bible emphasizes His intense desire to eat it with them.

The King James Version translates it, “I have earnestly and intensely desired….” Knox translates it, “I have longed and longed….” You see, the time had come when He could reveal that He was the bread without leaven (sin) which would be broken for man and come forth from the earth.

He could reveal that He was the Lamb whose Blood was shed for man.

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From Believing to Perceiving by Kenneth Copeland

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37

The Bible calls us kings and priests (Rev. 1:6) and world overcomers (1 John 5:4). For many of us, those phrases are still becoming real. We’re still learning who we really are.

If you’ll look in 1 Chronicles, chapter 14, you’ll see that David had a similar problem. He’d been anointed king by the prophet Samuel when he was just a teenager. He’d known for years that someday he’d rule over Israel. Yet somehow, it hadn’t really sunk in.

But look what happens in verse 2: “And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.” Finally, it dawned on him! David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king. I can just imagine David saying to himself, “I’m king. I’m actually king! I AM KING!” At that moment, being king ceased to be something David had only thought about. It became something he really was. He could see himself king.

What does that have to do with you and me? Much like David, you and I have been given a royal office. But it’s not until we believe it that we can exercise the power or authority that goes with that office.

If you’re sick, you can yell, “By His stripes I’m healed,” 50 times a day. You can hope for healing. You can try to believe for healing till your hair turns gray. But if you don’t really perceive yourself as whole and healthy in Christ Jesus, if you don’t see yourself as “the healed” instead of “the sick,” you won’t get any supernatural help. Yet once that realization hits you that you are, in fact, “the healed,” no one–not even the devil himself–will be able to keep you from getting well.

Step over the line from trying to believe to actually knowing by dwelling on the Word of God. Read it and think about it. Practice seeing yourself through the eyes of the Word until the reality of your royalty in Christ rises up in you.

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The Inner Witness by Gloria Copeland

The Spirit itself [Himself] beareth witness with our spirit. Romans 8:16

Do you ever have trouble hearing from God? Do you find yourself caught in confusing circumstances needing guidance, and yet even after praying and reading the Word–you’re still not sure what God wants you to do?

I’ve had that experience. I knew His written Word and acting on it changed my life. But I was uncertain when I had to make decisions about things the Word didn’t specifically address. Things like whether to move to one city or another, for example.

What held me back was my ability to know that I was doing the right thing. You see, God’s written Word and the inward witness are two different things. They never contradict each other, but they’re both a vital part of our walk with God.

God expected Israel, for example, to obey His written Word. But He also said to them, “Obey my voice” (Jer. 7:23) because He wanted them to know His will in specific situations. That’s what happened when Israel invaded Jericho. They heard God’s voice. Where else do you think they would have gotten that strange battle plan? It wasn’t written in the law of Moses. And certainly, no human being would suggest a seven-day march around a city as the most effective form of invasion!

But exactly how, you may wonder, does God speak to us? Does He just shout down at us from heaven?

Not usually! Romans 8 says the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. That means that God’s directions come from inside, not outside, of you.

At times when you hear His guidance, you may even wonder, “Was that me, Lord, or was that You?” That’s because God doesn’t normally inject thoughts directly into your mind from the outside. Instead, He speaks to your spirit, and your spirit translates it into a thought.

Tune in today to that inward witness, to that quiet knowing, that urging, prompting and leading arising within you.

If when you hear it, it sounds like you, don’t be surprised. It is you! It is your spirit being influenced by the Spirit of God! After you’re born again, your spirit is a safe guide because you are born of God’s Spirit. You have His nature. And the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit to teach you and to give you direction.

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Be Supernatural God’s Way By Gloria Copeland

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore cry thou unto me? Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Ex. 14:15-16).

If you hang around God very much, it won’t be long before you’ll start wanting to do things the world considers supernatural. You’ll start wanting to lay hands on the sick and have them recover. You’ll start wanting to cast out demons. You’ll start wanting to cast mountainous problems into the sea. What’s more, you can do it if you want to!

How? Not by jumping out and “trying” to do supernatural things, but by obeying God one step at a time. By doing the things He’s already given you power to do.

That’s how it happened with Moses. He didn’t have the power to divide the Red Sea. But he did have the power to stretch his rod out over it. And when he did that in obedience to the Lord’s command, the Holy Spirit did the rest.

It will be the same way with you. When you start doing your part, the Holy Spirit will do His and supernatural things will start happening around you.

What is your part? Feeding on the Word. Praying in the spirit. Listening to what the Spirit of God says to you. As you do those things, as you begin to move as God impresses you to move and take your direction from Him, you’ll flow in the supernatural as naturally as a bird flies in the air.

You won’t struggle and strain and try to “part the sea.” You’ll just trust the Lord and stretch out your rod…and watch the miracles roll.

Source: From Faith to Faith Devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

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Bring Divine Pressure to Bear By Lynne Hammond

And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:11

Unlike Moses, the New Testament Church doesnÂ’t use a literal rod to exert her authority today. You and I don’t have to climb to a physical hilltop and hold up our hands to restrain the forces of darkness. We ascend in our hearts to our place of spiritual authority and we lift our voices in prayer.

We exert our authority according to 1 Timothy 2:1–4 which says:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This passage says, first of all, that we should pray for all men. In other words, through prayer we should restrain the forces of darkness operating against all men and loose upon them the influence of God. One effective way to do that is by praying for people who are in positions of authority and high responsibility. When we pray for people like that—presidents, prime ministers, kings, and other government leaders—we are helping all men because those individuals have influence over them.

Since our kingdom, the kingdom of God, is the kingdom with the most authority on earth, when we pray for people in positions of authority, we bring the highest kind of pressure to bear upon those offices. Under the influence of our prayers, people in positions of authority choose to rule God’s way. They cooperate knowingly or unknowingly with His will.

As our prayers bring heaven’s influence to bear upon such leaders, the effectiveness of Satan’s kingdom is weakened in the city or nation where that person governs. Satan’s plans are hindered. Divine doors are opened for the Gospel to go forth and even in the most unlikely places God can have His way.

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Those who find Me find life. They receive favor from the Lord. But those who don’t find Me harm only themselves. Everyone who hates Me loves death. Proverbs 8:35-36 (NIRV-ENG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

All human beings have a choice to make. We must either find Wisdom which brings life and favor, or neglect to search for Him which results in personal harm and death. The choice is in each of our hands just as Moses instructed Israel. He said, “Today I’m giving you a choice. You can have life and success. Or, you can have death and harm.” (Deuteronomy 30:15 NIRV-ENG) It’s that simple!

As sophisticated as the world has become in many ways including technological advances and communications, many still believe in the primitive concept of “luck”. Where you are in life is a function of choice and not luck. Success and failure are certain. Each depends on the choices we make. Choose Wisdom; choose success!

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Childish people go down the wrong path. They will die. Foolish people are satisfied with the way they live. They will be destroyed. But those who listen to Me [Wisdom] will live in safety. They will not worry. They won’t be afraid of getting hurt. Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIRV-ENG)

Pastor’s Commentary:

Proverbs is undeniably a Wisdom book, but it is also a book of contrasts. Throughout Proverbs, the wise and foolish; and righteous and evil are contrasted. The world likes to think in terms of “luck”. They believe some people succeed because they’re lucky, while others struggle because they’re unlucky. But, the Holy Scripture is clear as to why some people excel and others fail miserably. According to Ecclesiastes 10:10, Wisdom helps you succeed. Where there is a Wisdom vacuum, failure is predictable and certain.

Proverbs 1:32 says, “Foolish people are satisfied with the way they live.” Have you ever noticed that? Fleshly, worldly people hate the results of their lives, but they are, at the same time, unwilling to change. They’re simply satisfied with how they live and will fight tooth and nail to stay where they are; they willingly reject God’s way. Consequently, they WILL BE destroyed.

Those who listen to the voice of Wisdom, on the other hand, succeed in every area of their lives. That’s what living safely really is. When we embrace Biblical Wisdom, every need is met in abundance. We walk in an abundance of joy, peace, wealth, health, and favor. With all of these precious attributes blossoming in our lives, what is there to fear or worry about?

The contrast between the wise and the foolish is as clear as that between light and darkness or life and death. They are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Moses asked ancient Israel to choose life as opposed to death. Today, Wisdom is instructing us to choose Him.

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Obey Today By Gloria Copeland

“He who being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Prov. 29:1).

Some people have the mistaken idea that when the direction of the Holy Spirit comes to them, they can just ignore it for a while if they want to and then obey Him later in their own good time. They think to themselves, “I know what I’m doing is wrong. I know my lifestyle isn’t right, but I’m just going to do it awhile longer. Then I’ll get things straightened out with the Lord.”

Let me warn you, that is an extremely dangerous thing to do. Because God says that when you refuse His guidance, your heart grows hard. It’s not that God’s grace doesn’t extend to you anymore. It’s not that He wouldn’t forgive you if you turned to Him. It’s just that sin will callous your heart to the point where you can’t hear Him calling.

That’s what happened to the children of Israel. God would tell them what to do and they wouldn’t do it. When He was trying to bring them into the Promised Land and He told them to go in and possess it, they flatly refused.

Of course, they thought they had good reasons for refusing. They were so full of fear and unbelief that they actually thought if they did what God said, they’d be destroyed. But you know, it doesn’t matter how good your reasons are for disobeying God. That disobedience will still cost you. It will still harden your heart.

The children of Israel ignored God’s leading so often that He finally just sent them into the wilderness. They were so stiff-necked, He couldn’t lead them into the blessings He’d planned for them, and He had to just let them wander around until all but two of them had died. He had to raise up a whole new generation of softer-hearted people before He could take them into the land.

Take a lesson from that and don’t play around with sin. When God tells you what you need to do, don’t put Him off, thinking it will be easier to do it later. It won’t be. It will be harder!

When the Spirit of God comes to correct you, follow His instructions—and follow them quickly. Keep your heart tender. Obey the Lord!

Source: From Faith to Faith Devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

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