Gloria Copeland — Becoming the Glorious Church
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So where are you in your walk of obedience? Are there adjustments you need to make? Are you ready to go on with God? Are you ready to be that glorious Church? I am.
Paul said in Romans 12:1-2:
I therefore beg of you, please, brethren, through the instrumentality of the aforementioned mercies of God, by a once-for-all presentation to place your bodies at the disposal of God, a sacrifice, a living one, a holy one, well-pleasing, your rational, sacred service….And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you and is not representative of what you are in your inner being but is patterned after this age; but change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good and well-pleasing and complete will, and having found that it meets specifications, place your approval upon it (Wuest).
Paul said to put your bodies at the disposal of God and stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within us. In other words, we’ve got to stop being hypocritical. We usually consider a hypocrite to be someone who is wrong on the inside and tries to look right on the outside. He talks a certain way but is not really that way. This scripture is speaking of a believer who is right on the inside, but acts wrong on the outside.
It is a lie for us to live like the world when we are born again. We are not like the world when we are born again. We are like God, and we are to live like Him. God says to us, “I’m holy—you be holy. Separate yourself from the world.”
We should look like God. We must change our outward expression by allowing that which is within us to come out. We have to allow the glory in us to be revealed. This happens by having our minds agree with God and allowing Him to express on the outside of us what He has already done on the inside of us.
Ephesians 4:17-23 in Wuest says:
This, therefore, I am saying and solemnly declaring in the Lord, that no longer are you to be ordering your behavior as the Gentiles order their behavior in the futility of their mind, being those who have their understanding darkened, who have been alienated from the life of God through the ignorance which is in them, through the hardening of their hearts, who, being of such a nature as to have become callous, abandoned themselves to wantonness, resulting in a performing of every uncleanness in the sphere of greediness. But as for you, not in this manner did you learn the Christ, since, indeed, as is the case, you heard and in Him were taught just as truth is in Jesus, that you have put off once for all with reference to your former manner of life the old self who is being corrupted according to the passionate desires of deceit; moreover, that you are being constantly renewed with reference to the spirit of your mind.
We are not walking in the futility of our souls, but in the newness of spirit. We are no longer alienated from the life of God. It is within us so we can walk after that newness of life instead of the darkness of the world.
Gloria Copeland
Tags: behavior, born again, hypocrite, lie, obedience, Spirit, world
Gloria Copeland — Walk With God
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Through the years, as Ken and I have traveled across the country, we’ve often heard, “Churches are failing. Believers are failing. People who know God’s Word are failing. What’s wrong?”
The answer is simple: God’s people are not walking in obedience. They’re not obeying His Word. They’re not walking in faith and many are ignorant of what His Word says about them. Others are trying to hang on to the world’s way with one hand and the things of God with the other. It’s easy to “talk the talk,” but it takes dedication to “walk the walk.”
God’s deepest desire has always been to fellowship with His children, but He is hindered so often because of our disobedience, just as He was in the Garden of Eden because of Adam’s disobedience.
As the Body of Christ, we have come to a place where we must determine to fellowship with God and obey Him all the time. The laws of the Spirit apply to every aspect of our existence—and when we refuse to be obedient, we shut the door to His blessings in that area. For example, although Jesus already paid the price for our salvation, we couldn’t be born again until we made ourselves obedient to the gospel. We must get serious about our walk with Him and allow God to occupy the number one place in our lives.
You may say, “How can I live for God? There is so much pressure on me. Everyone around me is living the other way. What can I do that’s important to God? I’m just one person.”
Satan knows his days are numbered, so he is doing everything he can to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ. You may only be one person, but every member of the Church of Jesus Christ has a part to play. There are no insignificant members in His Body. The Lord has a work for you to do, a special part for you to play, a place that only you can fill.
If you desire to be part of that glorious Church when Jesus returns, put yourself in agreement with God and obey His Word. Commit to walking with Him.
“How can I do that?” you ask. Well, you can’t, outside the realm of obedience. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” You have to be in agreement with God if you want to walk with Him. Learn to agree with His Word. Learn to make His thoughts your thoughts, His ways your ways.
The first step is to find out what God has to say about obedience. The importance of walking in obedience to God is emphasized throughout Scripture. So come before the Word of God as a little child, as though you have never read or heard it before.
Gloria Copeland
Tags: agreement, Church, Faith, obedience, pressure, salvation, Word Of God
Gloria Copeland — Will You Pay the Price?
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Here’s the question: Do you and I want to be a part of that Church badly enough to run the race? Do we want it enough to pray and spend time in the Word instead of doing other things we could be doing—even good things?
I am one of those who love His appearing. I am believing for the Church to rise up and press in the spirit to get the things done that we need to do.
God is on a timetable. He’s never late. And the Church is going to be ready. We’re going to do what we’re called to do.
Individuals may fall out of the race. You and I could fall out if we don’t do the right things, if we don’t do the things we know to do. But the Church is going to finish the race, and it’s going to be on time. I want to be in that group and bring God glory.
The choice is yours. No one else can make it for you. Only you can determine in your heart, “My purpose is that I may know Him and I’m going to press and stretch and run the race He’s called me to run.”
You may think, Well, what can I do? What God’s called me to do couldn’t be that important. It won’t matter to people whether I do it or not. Nobody’s life depends on it.
That’s not true. You can reach people no one else can reach. Noah was just one man. While his neighbors laughed, Noah kept building the ark. Despite the fact that no one had ever seen rain, Noah just kept obeying God.
His name is listed with the great men of faith in Hebrews 11. In fact, every person in Hebrews 11 who obtained a good report did it by faith.
The same chapter says God framed the worlds by faith. You’ll have to walk by faith if you’re going to finish. You’ll have to get your heart and your mouth in line with God’s Word if you’re going to finish what
you’re called to do.
Gloria Copeland
Tags: choice, Church, Faith, glory, heart, Noah, Prayer, race, Word Of God
Gloria Copeland — Even When You’re Right…You’re Wrong
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No wonder the Apostle John warns us so strongly against it, saying:
This is the message…which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another, [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother…He who does not love abides—remains, is held and kept continually—in [spiritual] death. Any one who…hates his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him (1 John 3:11-12, 14-15, AMP).
Clearly, envy is serious business. We need to rid ourselves of it completely and start loving each other. We need to stop striving with each other and “lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him]” (verse 16).
That’s what real love is, you know—laying down your life for someone else. And in a very real sense, you are laying down your life when you refuse to envy, because envy tries to get you to fight for your own rights. It pushes you to look out for your own welfare and to be hostile because someone else is more successful in life than you are.
Ironically, however, what envy actually does is stop your success. It keeps you from rising to the level of those you are envying. Why? Because, as I said before, it stops your faith. It takes you outside the realm of love, and 1 Corinthians 13:8 says love never fails. Therefore, envy becomes a trap that secures your failure!
The truth is, all strife works that way—whether it’s caused by envy or by something else. All strife is sin!
That means even when you are on the “right” side of an argument, if you’re in strife, you’re wrong. When you’re offended and angry with your husband or wife, your children or anyone else, you’re wrong. You’ve opened the door to the devil and you’d better do something quickly.
What should you do?
Shut the door! Stubbornly resist those fleshly pressures and temptations of the devil. Treat strife just as you’d treat a rattlesnake or any other deadly invader. Refuse to let it in!
If you’re a preacher of the gospel, for instance, and there’s a new pastor in town who is getting more results than you are, don’t be naive enough to fall into the trap that envy is setting. Trick the devil! Turn the tables on him! Start praising God for the success of the new pastor. Do what you can to help him.
In other words, start walking in love and laying down selfishness. If you’ll do that, you’ll keep the door open for the blessings of God.
Gloria Copeland
Tags: emotion, envy, failure, Faith, Love, murder, sacrifice, selfishness, sin, strife
Gloria Copeland — Envy—The Devil’s Personal Poison Part 2
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Actually, “natural” is precisely what envy is. It’s part of what the Bible calls the “natural” or “carnal” mind. It’s a mind programmed by the devil to be in direct opposition to God.
Another biblical term for it is “the flesh.” Envy is listed as “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5, and it’s put alongside some other very serious sins including: “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such” (verses 19-21).
That’s not exactly a pretty list, is it?
Most believers would never purposely engage in any of those fleshly activities. How then does envy get into our lives?
It sneaks in without announcing itself. It slips in unnoticed.
Suppose you go to church, for instance, and you see Brother Smith with a new car. Suddenly a thought comes to your mind: Why does he have a new car? He didn’t even need it. I’m the one who needs a new car.
Or suppose you see Sister Jones in a beautiful new dress. As you sit down next to her, you notice how dowdy your dress is compared to hers. Suddenly you feel like someone’s ugly stepsister.
You may not think much more about it—consciously. But later, you notice you’re a little irritated or depressed. You can’t quite put your finger on why you feel that way. After all, you were having a good day until a little while ago. What happened?
I’ll tell you what happened. Envy crept in and poisoned you with a feeling of ill will and discontent because of another’s success or advantages. Envy made a move on you.
Gloria Copeland
