One effective way to begin developing faith in God’s love for you is by reading through the Bible and substituting the word Love for the word God. That’s a perfectly scriptural thing to do because the Bible doesn’t just say that God has love. It says He is Love.

So you can say when you read Psalm 23, for instance, “Love is my Shepherd. I shall not want….Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil because Love is with me. Love prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies….”
If you’ll meditate the Word that way for a while, you’ll come to the point where you can’t think of God without thinking of love. The two will absolutely become so united in your mind that the very thought that God might not love you will seem preposterous. How could God not love you? He is Love!
With that fact settled, you can develop your faith further by acknowledging just how great God’s love for you truly is. You can spend time meditating on the fact that God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus.
“Whoa…I’m not sure I can believe that,” you might say.
You can if you believe the words of Jesus because He’s the One who said it. When He was praying for us as His disciples in John 17:23, He said to the Father, “…thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”
What’s more, three verses later Jesus told us that same love has been put in our hearts. That’s right! He said, “I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (verse 26). That’s powerful!

Learn to think on the things of God—what His Word says about you and your situation. Refuse to allow thoughts of sin or defeat of any kind in your life. Live alive unto God listening to and responding to the Word of God and the Spirit of God. When you replace the devil’s words with God’s Word, you can continually live in the blessing and favor of God.

Look at what Proverbs says wisdom (His Word) will do in our lives:

1. Life, healing and health. “For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22, The Amplified Bible).

2. Length of days and years of life worth living. “For length of days, and years of a life [worth living], and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you” (Proverbs 3:2, The Amplified Bible).

3. Favor and understanding. “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).

4. Guidance. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6).

5. Abundance. “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

6. Riches and honor. “Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour” (Proverbs 3:16).

7. Happiness. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

8. Peace. “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee” (Proverbs 3:2).

9. Security—you shall not be afraid. “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken” (Proverbs 3:25-26).

10. Gracefulness, beauty and glory. “She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you” (Proverbs 4:9, The Amplified Bible).

Then these benefits will belong to us according to God’s Word. God doesn’t intend for us to live like the world and then pray to receive a miracle when we get into trouble. Thank God, He will deliver us when we get into trouble, but we are called to live so much higher than that—as high as the heavens are above the earth. If we’ll place our lives in God’s hands, obey Him and begin to live that holy life, most problems will be avoided. For example, it’s wonderful to receive a miracle when you’re sick, but it’s better to walk with God and live in divine health and stay well (Proverbs 4:20-22).

By choosing to live as a born-again believer, and by spending time fellowshiping with God in His Word and in prayer, you are choosing to open up your spirit to Him so that you can walk responsive to His Spirit—that you stay ALIVE unto God.

As you walk alive unto God, the Holy Spirit will tell you what adjustments are necessary to make you pure and holy like your heavenly Father.

So, choose life. Choose the Word—and watch the blessings overtake you.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us that Jesus the Anointed gave Himself to sanctify (set apart) and cleanse the Church with the washing of water by the Word. (The Holy Spirit washes us with His Word.) He does this to present to Himself a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. Ephesians 1:4 adds that He chose us before the foundation of the world to stand before Him holy and without blame in love. First Thessalonians 3:13 says our hearts are to be established in this holiness. First Thessalonians 4:7 says we are called unto holiness.

First Peter 1:15-16 says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (New International Version). Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God—copy Him and follow His example—as well-beloved children [imitate their father]” (The Amplified Bible).

The Bible ties the manifestation of God with our walking in holiness. Hebrews 12:14 says we are to follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Romans 3:23 lets us know that sin brings us short of the glory—which is His manifested presence.

God wants His people to live a holy life because holiness is the only thing that will enjoy victory in the earth. God wants His people to live like He lives, being a total success. Holiness will bring life and peace to us.

We do as God says because His ways are our only deliverance while we live in the earth. The earth is not dominated by God’s will unless the Church walks in its authority to proclaim what God says. (Do you wonder about that? Let me ask you this. Were the Dark Ages God’s will? No, the earth experienced that time of darkness because the Church became, for the most part, inactive and ruled by religious tradition instead of the Word of God.)

We resist sin by the power of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. If we do not resist, we will be swept into misery right along with the world. We will be victims of Satan’s attempts to kill, steal and destroy.

Learn to speak Galatians 2:20-21 to keep your body obedient: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God….” I do not frustrate the grace (divine favor and blessings) of God. Sin frustrates God’s grace because it hinders His favor from working in your life.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

You let not sin reign in your body. Your body is to be ruled by you—the new creation spirit that comes from God. If your spirit were not able to handle this job, God wouldn’t have given you this assignment. When God gives an assignment He always gives the ability! Your spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, has the power to control your body. Sin shall not have dominion! Yield not to unrighteousness but yield yourselves to God. You are alive to Him!

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:11-14).

The only way Satan has any inroad into your life is by ignorance or disobedience. If you are born again, he has no right to any power or authority over you. You have authority and power over him. But unless you choose to live according to the Word of God and the leading of God, you will be defeated. The degree of your victory depends on the degree of your obedience.

According to Romans 8:13, the Spirit of God will teach and train us to mortify (put to death or crucify) the deeds of the body. In other words, the Holy Spirit will lead us to control our bodies to please the Lord. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word to us.

You see, God does not expect us to walk pleasing unto Him and to be a glorious Church in this present world without the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. The Holy Spirit is the Great Enabler. His living within us is God’s great hope for the glorious Church. His living in us is what enables us to not live like the world lives but to live with hearts open to Him. With His power enabling us we are to walk in newness of life. We are to walk in the glory—in His presence. Through Him we can…

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Every word we speak is actually a creative word. We create frivolity. We create sobriety. We create strife. We create ease. Our world is constructed by our words, as we saw in Proverbs. Words are potent. They create hurt or health. They create blessing or cursing.

We can speak words of our own and create problems, or speak God’s words and create solutions.

We can speak our words and create a hell, or speak God’s words and create a heaven.

Jesus said, “It is the thoughtlife that pollutes. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others [covetousness], wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute [people] and make [them] unfit for God” (Mark 7:20-23, TLB).

As men speak words of lewdness, deceit, war and animosity, they create the world in which these things exist. The secular world as it exists today was re-created by men whose hearts were apart from the Spirit of God. These men were subject to satanic influence, so when they spoke what was in their hearts, Satan’s influence permeated the world. Look at the newspaper. What we see around us is not the
world as God created it but the result of man’s influence by the words he speaks.

Your words come from your heart.

Whatever is in a person’s heart, whatever is in the thought life, will come out in words. No wonder God says He will call every person to account for every “idle word” spoken (Matthew 12:36).

When the Spirit of Christ is in us, God gives us His thought life through His Word. Reading God’s Word is not a contest for time or length. It is taking in the very life of God through His Word. God gives us the “mind of Christ” in and through the Word of God.

As we begin to think God’s thoughts, we will begin to speak God’s words. As we speak God’s words, our world is re-created. It is heavenly! The ingredients of heaven are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These are also known as the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). These “fruit” within you come out through your words and are reflected in your world.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

When Jesus Christ walked the earth, He demonstrated the creative power of speaking God’s words. The disciples were at sea with Him once when a fierce storm arose. Panic struck. In their terror, the disciples were thrust into a world charged with fear. They were living at the moment in anxiety, tension, stress and impending tragedy. When they woke Jesus—Who was sleeping peacefully—to tell Him of
the peril, He stepped onto the bow of the boat and spoke a creative word to the storm: “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). When Jesus spoke it, the Holy Spirit accomplished it, and there was peace.

Jesus went to a house where a young woman lay dead. He told all the mourners to leave, and He said to the young lady, “Arise” (Mark 5:41). At that moment, life arose where there had been lifelessness. Where there had been the pallor of death, the radiant face of a living soul emerged. His word created life.

To another person Jesus said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:19). Jesus spoke, and the Spirit brought each of these things into existence.

Jesus had the Spirit of God without measure (John 3:34). We have God’s Spirit with measure. When we “die to the flesh” and allow more of the Spirit to indwell us, we have a greater measure of God’s Spirit, but none of us experiences God’s Spirit without measure as Jesus did. When Jesus spoke, He spoke by the power of the limitless Holy Spirit within Him. He said and did everything God wanted Him to say and do, and it was always by the power of the Holy Spirit. He lived in total dependence upon the Spirit.

But Jesus said a peculiar thing. He said, “Greater works than these shall he [you] do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).

Peter understood this delegation of power rather quickly. Days after Jesus had ascended into heaven, Peter went to the temple at the hour of prayer. There he saw a lame man begging, expecting to receive something. Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

Using the Name of Jesus, Peter reached out his hand to the beggar and helped him to his feet. And as the Spirit of God confirmed the word which Peter spoke using Jesus’ authority, the man leapt to his feet and began walking and jumping. His legs, lame since birth, were suddenly filled with strength and life.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

In John 14:18-23, Jesus was teaching His disciples and gave
the perfect outline of prosperity:

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet
a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye
see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye
shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I
in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and
said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him.

This is speaking of a manifestation of God. When God
manifests Himself to you and lives with you, then you are living
in prosperity. You see, God by the Holy Spirit is here in the
world. He is ready to move whenever a sinner makes Jesus the
Lord of his life, but He will not manifest Himself in a person’s
life until that person calls on Him. If God’s presence were
enough, every human being on earth would get saved because
we all are in the presence of the Holy Spirit. He was sent to
earth on the day of Pentecost and is still here today. The manifestation
of God is the important thing. When we operate in the
Word of God, when we keep His Word, then Jesus will manifest
Himself, or make Himself real, to us. He won’t just be there—
He will live there! Do you see the difference? If we put His
Word first in our lives, Jesus will reveal Himself to us. Then
whenever a problem arises in the physical realm, we know the
answer is in His Word. We also know the Great One living in us
will put us over when we act on that Word, no matter how
impossible the situation is.

Some people are waiting for a special manifestation of God’s
grace before they will get saved, but they don’t have to wait at all.
We are born of His Word (see 1 Peter 1:23). If a man will confess
Jesus as Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead,
he will be saved (see Romans 10:9-10). It is a simple matter of
believing God’s Word. You don’t have to wait to receive salvation—
it is being offered. You don’t have to wait to receive prosperity—it
is being offered. These things are offered by Jesus in His Word.

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

Scriptural principles of prayer will bring about an accurate
prayer life. Accuracy produces results. Charles Finney wrote
in one of his memorandums: “I have had some experiences in
prayer of late that have alarmed me.” I thought about that for
a while. I realized I hadn’t really had any prayer experiences
that were “alarming.” I made the decision to get involved in
my prayer life like he did. As my prayer life deepened, I began
to have some awesome experiences.

When you are accurate in your prayer life, you are operating
out of your spirit rather than just your mind. Your spiritual ears
are open to the voice of God. Train yourself not to make a move
without listening to the Spirit of God. He is the intercessor. You
are the mouthpiece. “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” (Romans 8:26). If you never attempt
to be accurate in prayer, you will never be sure about the
results. You’ll just be hoping for something to happen.
The coming of the Holy Spirit changed the whole perspective
of prayer. This is a key to accuracy. Jesus said,

And in that day [after the Holy Spirit comes] 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.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye
shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have
I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh,
when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I
shall show you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall
ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray
the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you,
because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came
out from God (John 16:23-27).

Pray to the Father in Jesus’ Name. Jesus endorses your
prayer. With His Name, you are given free access to the
throne of God. You short-circuit the system when you make
your requests to Jesus. He said to pray this way: “Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name…” (Luke 11:2). If
you want Jesus to endorse your prayer, you need to pray to
the Father in His Name.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

The power backing the Name of Jesus is the power of
Almighty God Himself! First John 3:22-23 says, “And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the
name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave
us commandment.” We have a commandment to believe on
the Name of the Son of God. To believe in His Name is to put
demand on His ability. Jesus said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23). The
mighty, powerful Name of Jesus is available to you. Become
aware of your right and privilege to use it. Ask the Holy Spirit
to engrave the reality of it in your heart. His ministry is to lead
you into all truth (John 16:13).

The Name of Jesus is the key to heaven’s storehouse. It can
do anything Jesus can do. Speaking His Name is standing in His
stead. According to Philippians 2:9-11, the entire spectrum of
existence—heaven, earth, under the earth—will bow its knee
and confess with its mouth that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. The Name of Jesus is the Name that is above every
name. When He was raised from the dead, Jesus inherited the
very Name of God (Hebrews 1:4). To measure the power behind
His Name, you would have to measure the power of Almighty
God. It can’t be done. His power is measureless and He wants to
use it in our behalf.

God’s love motivates Him to use His power. First John 4:16
says, “And we have known and believed the love that God
hath to us….” When you believe the love God has for you,
you’ll begin to realize you have as much right to use the Name
of Jesus as anyone else. Believe the love God has for you.
Once you recognize the reality of God’s love in your life,
you will realize He has not left you defenseless and powerless
against evil. God covered the entire spectrum of Satan’s existence
with the power invested in the mighty Name of Jesus.

Use it freely and confidently in the face of your adversary!
Another essential aspect of our spiritual warfare is the
Holy Spirit. Before He went to the cross, Jesus promised to
send Him. We have armor and weapons, but it is the Holy
Spirit who empowers us to use them.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God. The effectiveness of
your prayer life depends on the degree of confidence you
place in the Holy Spirit. He is the power behind your prayers
that enables you to live and walk as God intends—free from
sin, sickness, sorrow and death. He dwells within you. You
may not be aware of His presence, but He is there. The
Holy Spirit fills a vital role in your prayer life. Pray to the
Father in Jesus’ Name, not to the Holy Spirit. He is in you—
creating, energizing, working—to perform the will of God
in your life. By operating on the Word of God, you will see
the work of the Holy Spirit. He will do exceeding abundantly
beyond what we can even ask or think according to the power
that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). He is that power.
The Holy Spirit is your helper, sent to bear you up. He has
come to your aid to give you might in your inner man. He
is in you, instantly ready to do the bidding of God and to
uphold the Name of Jesus.

The operation of the Holy Spirit should be a reality to you.
When you invite Him into your life, you receive more than
just an experience. The Holy Spirit of God comes to abide
with you forever. He is residing inside you constantly. He is
real and wants to help you in your prayer life.

Pray this prayer out loud:
Father, I ask You now to fill me with Your precious
Holy Spirit. As He gives me the utterance, I will speak
with new tongues, in my own personal prayer language.
I will practice praying in tongues, praying in
the spirit, daily. I will do my part to exercise my new
language and depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and
guide me as I grow in You.

Thank You, Father, for filling me with the Holy Spirit.
I’m grateful He is living within me. I’ll never be the
same because of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries