With the power of patience at work, the experience of faith’s result is inevitable.

This is how faith and patience work together to produce victory. For example, your body has symptoms of sickness and is screaming with pain. You must get your faith into operation. The first thing you must do is to go to the will of God—the Word. Open your Bible to Matthew 8:17 which says, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Then go to 1 Peter 2:24 which says, “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.” God’s Word does not say that by His stripes you may be healed, but by His stripes you were healed. You were healed!

Now you are beginning to look at healing through the eye of faith. Your faith is looking beyond the symptoms in your body. Then say, “Father, 1 Peter 2:24 says that by the stripes of Jesus, I was healed. I apply this Word to my body, and I command it to be healed, in the Name of Jesus. The Word says I am healed. I say I am healed. Sickness, I speak to you in the Name of Jesus, and I command you to leave my body.”

That did it. You believed you received when you prayed. Jesus said, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). You have His Word.

Many times all symptoms leave immediately, but not always. There are times when the power of patience must be put into operation to undergird your act of faith on God’s Word. You did the will of God when you did what the Word says. Now, you have need of patience so that you will be entire and wanting nothing. The experience of that healing is inevitable. It is not a “maybe it will and maybe it won’t” situation. The Word says you were healed. Now through patience, you must hold fast to this Word concerning healing, regardless of symptoms or pain, knowing that patience will produce the experience of healing. Working the power of patience is the difference between success and failure in the faith walk.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

In fact, The Amplified Bible translates Proverbs 4:20 this way: “My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.” Submitting to the Word means making adjustments in your life. Say, for example, you hear the Word in Philippians 4:4 that you are to “rejoice in the Lord always.” If you’ve been doing a lot of griping and complaining, you’ll have to change in order to submit to that Word. You’ll have to repent and alter your behavior.

In addition to inclining your ear to the Word of God, the Proverbs 4 prescription also says you must keep it before your eyes and not let it depart from your sight. In Matthew 6 6:22-23, Jesus reveals why this is so important. He says: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Your eyes are the gateway to your body. If your eye (or your attention) is on the darkness, or the sickness that is in your body, there will be no light to expel it. If, however, the eyes of your heart are trained strictly on the Word, your whole body will eventually be filled with light, and healing will be the result.

I can tell you from experience how important it is to keep the Word constantly before your eyes and in your ears. Several times since I have been walking by faith, I’ve let myself get too busy to do it. And, almost before I realized it, I became too sick to stay on my feet.

On those occasions, I would immediately get my Bible and begin meditating on the healing scriptures. I would even go to sleep listening to tapes of the Word. Usually, within a few hours, I was completely healed.

There were a few times when I had to stand in faith longer. But whether my healing came instantly or over time, the wonderful truth is—it always came. God’s medicine has never failed to bring a healing and a cure in my body.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

“But, Kenneth,” you may say, “I’ve met people who know the Bible from cover to cover and still can’t get healed!”

No doubt you do. But if you’ll look back at God’s prescription, you’ll find it doesn’t say anything about “knowing” the Bible. It says attend to the Word.

When you attend to something, you give your attention to it. You make it top priority, setting aside other things so you can focus on it. When a nurse is attending to a patient, she looks after him constantly. She doesn’t just leave him lying alone in his hospital room while she goes shopping. If someone asks her about her patient, she doesn’t feel it’s sufficient to say, “Oh, yes. I know him.”

In the same way, if you’re attending to the Word, you won’t leave it lying unopened on the coffee table all day. You won’t spend your day focusing your attention on other things.

On the contrary, you’ll do what Proverbs 4 says to do. You’ll continually incline your ear to God’s Word.

Inclining your ear includes more than just putting your physical ears in a position to hear the Word being preached (although that, in itself, is very important). It also means opening the ears of your understanding by meditating on and pondering that Word. To truly hear, you must listen with the ears of your spirit to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you through the written Word. Mark 4:23-24 puts it this way: “If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening, and let him perceive and comprehend…. Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure of [virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear” (The Amplified Bible).

The hearing referred to in these verses is not a passive activity. It requires actively engaging with God’s Word, believing and obeying it.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

In the spiritual realm as a born-again believer, you have life
and the ability to share it with others. You need to learn how to
give this life to meet their needs. The Word of God says, “How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15). I wondered
what this really meant until I heard the story of a missionary
and his family who were captured by the Japanese during World
War II. After they were taken captive, they were told that
Washington, D.C. had fallen, that the United States had surrendered,
and that Japan was in control. Well, you can imagine
what this did to those people. They felt absolutely hopeless! The
Japanese dragged them around the country and finally began
killing them because there wasn’t enough food. They took this
missionary’s little girl and shot her. The next day they heard a
deafening roar and saw the sky covered with B-29s! Those people
just went crazy! They had been completely without hope,
laboring under the lie that their country was defeated. Later a
G.I. kicked in the door on their compound and said, “You’re
free,” and when he did, the missionary fell down before him and
kissed his boots! You have the life-giving force of God Himself
residing inside you, and the world is desperate for that life!
Don’t be stingy with it. Freely you have received…freely give.

When you make it your need to get salvation into the hands
of the people, when you make it your purpose to feed the gospel
to the unsaved, God will support what you do. This is true
prosperity! God has obligated Himself to communicate the
message of Jesus Christ to the world. He will move heaven and
earth to do it because, to the man who has never heard it, Jesus
has never died or been resurrected from the dead. To that man,
the sacrifice of Jesus means nothing. The Word says in
1 John 4:17, “…as he is, so are we in this world.” God is feeding
us through Jesus. When you go to the Lord, He has more than
enough to meet the need. Have you ever turned to the Lord
with a problem and had Him say, “Well, that’s new! You’ve
come up with something heaven can’t cover”? Of course not!
God has more than enough to solve the worst problem you
could have. Jesus is the channel to us, and we are the channel
to the world.

True prosperity is the ability to look a man in the eye in his
moment of impossibility and take his needs as your own. Those
who are spiritual are to help those who are not. We are to bear
one another’s burdens. When a brother comes to you with a
problem, join with him in prayer, join your faith with his. Put
pressure on Satan with the Name of Jesus and get him off the
man. Put pressure on the laws of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. Lean on your righteousness in Jesus Christ. Lean hard on
it! Lean hard on your sonship. Lean hard on the blood of Jesus.
Praise God, they work!

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Suppose a man decided to save his left arm and just use
his right one, thinking that years later when his right arm got
tired, he could switch over and use the left one again. What
would happen to his left arm? It would lose its ability to function,
wouldn’t it? Now, this is a foolish idea, but the principle is
true for a man with $100,000 stashed away because of fear that
one of these days there wouldn’t be any money left.

If you are exercising this kind of fear with a few dollars, you
are just as guilty of being a reservoir—a dead end, a satanic
stoppage—as the man who stopped up a million dollars.
Someone with no more than a secondhand shirt can be just as
guilty of greed as a man with millions of dollars piled up somewhere.
One is just as deceived as the other. To a person who is
cold, a secondhand shirt looks pretty good. As I pointed out
before, the Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil;
it says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10),
and there are millions of people committing that sin who don’t
have a dime! God can do more with 15 cents given in faith than
kings can do with mountains of gold! The little widow proved
this with her two mites (see Mark 12:41-44). Remember not to
limit God to only what you can see and understand with your
head. When the entire world is completely destitute, God will
still have plenty and can make it abound toward you. As He is,
so are we in this world. So don’t be afraid to become a cheerful,
freehearted giver.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

To live a prosperous life, your soul must prosper in all the
truth of the Word. God’s power is in direct relationship with
His Word. He has used His Word to release His power. He has
sent His Word to us so that we may be in contact with His great
power. Isaiah was quoting God Himself when he wrote, “So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
His power covers the entire spectrum of human existence—so
also then does His Word. We can see it in scriptures such as
Hebrews 1:3 that says He is upholding ALL things by the Word
of His power and Hebrews 4:12-13 that the Word is a living
thing which covers spirit, soul, body and thought life. It even
goes so far as to say that nothing in the earth is hidden from the
Word of God.

Your faith is in direct relation to the level of the Word in
you. Get your Word level up so that you can believe spiritually,
mentally, physically, financially and socially. Thus you will be in
the position to handle any problem that comes your way
according to the Word of God. You may not have the answer,
but God has! Getting through to you is His only difficulty! God
always knows the answer, but we are not always in a position to
hear what He is saying.

If you know how to use God’s ability to receive healing and
never use it to help anyone but yourself, then it won’t work for
you very long. If you can believe God for healing, help someone
else get healed. Spread it around! If you know how to
believe God financially, start helping the people around you.
You will begin to grow as you reach out to others.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

At this point, let me emphasize Satan’s part is this. When
you hear the Word, when you learn to believe God—especially
in the area of giving—you become dangerous to Satan! Jesus
taught that the sower sows the Word and Satan comes immediately
to take out the Word which was sown (see Mark 4:1-20).
Why? For three basic reasons:

1. The Word of God is the key to the laws of the Spirit.
2. The laws of the Spirit govern the laws of the natural.
3. Satan works in the natural world.

When you take the power of these laws and function them
by faith, Satan is finished! When you learn the rules of the
game, he is through. He is a defeated foe!

Let me mention that these laws of prosperity will work for
anyone, regardless of their age! My children operate them just
as successfully as my wife and I. They have learned God’s system
of finance and can absolutely believe God for anything in
the world and get it! I remember when we needed a van for the
ministry to carry our equipment. My daughter Kellie came to
me and said, “Daddy, I want to be the first to give money for
this truck.” She had a couple of dollars, so she gave it, and we
made an agreement together. Then she started confessing the
return on her money and got it! It didn’t take her several
months, and she didn’t start whining about it—she simply said,
“In the Name of Jesus, it’s mine!”

One day our little boy, who was about 6 years old at the time,
came in and said, “Daddy, I want to give my money.” No one had
said anything to him, he just came through leadership of the
Lord. He doesn’t fully realize that God is directing him, he just
responds to it. He’s a child. (This is how we are to respond as
children in obedience.) He gave his money into the ministry and
began believing God for the return. A few days later, he got it! A
6-year-old boy! It works for him proficiently! Why? Because he
is a born-again believer filled with the Holy Spirit. He is a child
of God, and he has a right to work these laws. It isn’t a man’s age
that causes the law of gravity to work; the law of gravity works
because gravity is a force. Remember, faith is a spiritual force and
works by spiritual law (see Romans 3:27).

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Believe you receive when you pray. Mark 11:24 states,
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
The Amplified Bible says, “For this reason I am telling you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident)
that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].” Note the
word granted. John 16:23 in The Amplified Bible says, “And
when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will
need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I
tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My
Name….” To grant means “to bestow possession of by title or
deed.” You need no other evidence than God’s Word. Believe
you receive. Learn to do this every time you pray and learn
to pray with your Bible open. Don’t major on the problem.
Start with the answer. Be specific when you pray. God said
He would watch over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).
Once you are involved in His Word, He can work for you.
Be fully persuaded that God can perform His Word for you (Romans 4:21).

Forgive. Your faith will not work accurately in an unforgiving
heart. Jesus commanded us to forgive (Mark 11:24-25). Your
prayers will not work effectively with sin in your life. The promises
don’t work without meeting the conditions. All you have to
do is confess unforgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive you
and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Keep your prayer life
exact by keeping sin out of your life. Keep the forgiveness door
to your heart open. Maintain fellowship with your Father.

Depend on the Holy Spirit in your prayer life. Romans 8:26
says: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered.” The Holy Spirit is your helper, standby, teacher,
strengthener, comforter, intercessor, counselor. Depend on
Him when you pray. Operate in faith instead of by feeling.

Allow the spirit realm to become a reality to you. Purpose
to see beyond the realm of your five physical senses.
Remember, you are a spirit. You have a soul. You live in a
body. Your body is just the “earth suit” for your spirit. It is not the real you.

Many people want to see visions or an angel appear.
Seeking after something you can see with your natural eye
or hear with your natural ear is the lowest form of spiritual
manifestation. If you are not in tune with God spiritually, you
would not be able to understand a vision if you saw one.
When you become spiritually in tune, you do not need any
confirmation from your senses. The Word is enough evidence.
God will confirm His Word to you when you are in
faith (Mark 16:20). Rely on the Holy Spirit.

Learn to pray for others. First Timothy 2:1 says, “I exhort
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” Train
yourself to do this first of all. The result of praying for others
is that you live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. Anytime the Church of Jesus Christ is in turmoil, its
members are not praying for others.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith…(Hebrews 12:1-2).
Faith holds fast to its foundation. What is the
foundation of faith? The living Word.

We must be honest with ourselves. We are dealing
with life and death. We must not be artificial. As one
fellow said about Hollywood, “Under that phony tinsel
is some real tinsel.” Sadly enough, there are many
people in the Body of Christ who are like that; they
are totally unreal. The way we become real is first by
being honest with ourselves and second, by getting
honest with God.

Not only is the living Word the foundation
of faith, but faith holds fast to the Word. So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God (Romans 10:17). I like what Brother Kenneth
Hagin says about this verse: “It doesn’t say that faith
comes by having heard; it says that faith comes by
hearing, and hearing, and hearing.”

The time is fast approaching when we are going to
need our faith. Why? Because trouble is coming.
“But, Brother Copeland, I thought you were a
victory preacher.”

I am. What do you think we get victory over? One
another? No, over trouble, over trial and tribulation.
There have not been any “good old days” since the
Garden of Eden. There are not any good times—except
for those who believe their way into good times.

Let’s Be Honorable!

Be not slothful, but followers of them who
through faith and patience inherit the promises
(Hebrews 6:12).

God has honored us with great power and authority.
Jesus paid us the greatest honor by going to the
cross for us, shedding His blood and paying the price
for our sins. We are crowned with glory and honor. The
Lord honors us with His Name, and all authority is
given unto us. He honors our faith. He honors His Word,
and He honors the Word that is active and alive in us.
He honors us with answered prayer. Thank God, He
honors us!

We can honor Him with our obedience, our praise,
our very lives as they are offered up as a living sacrifice
unto Him. It is a joy to honor our God.
He wants us to be honorable before Him.

God is calling us to be accountable to Him in
this crucial hour—totally, completely honest and
real before Him. He wants us to be honorable to each
other, honorable in our business dealings and honorable
in the eyes of the world. The eyes of the world are
on the Body of Christ as never before. The world is
watching as God pours out His power upon us.

Let’s be vessels of honor. Let’s not hinder the
greatest outpouring of the supernatural power of
God in history in these last days. Let’s walk in honor,
moving along step by step with the Spirit of the Lord
as He takes us closer and closer toward the climax of
the ages—the return of Jesus Christ.

Do what’s right.

Do it because it’s right, then

Do it right.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries