As believers, you and I are part of a conquering army, constantly claiming new ground for the kingdom of God. Right?

Well, yes, that’s the way it should be. But just about the time the army tops the hill and is ready to advance, it seems that Satan pulls out his big gun—division—and scatters believers in every direction.

How can we strike back against the strategy of division? By launching an even more powerful attack of our own. By using one of the most powerful resources given us by the Lord Jesus: the prayer of agreement.

Jesus said that if any two of us would agree as touching anything we ask, it shall be done! That statement is so powerful that most people don’t really believe it. If they did, you’d find little groups of Christians huddled up in every corner agreeing together in prayer.

Find someone to agree with in prayer this week. Be sure to base what you pray on the Word of God. You may have differing opinions about everything else, but you can be in agreement about the Word.

Also, be sure your agreement is total—spirit, soul and body. Cast down arguments, theories and imaginations that are contrary to the Word. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Keep a watch over your thoughts and your words.

Then get your body in line by speaking the thing you’ve agreed on. Act like you’ve already received the answer. Don’t keep asking but thank God for it. Stay in agreement and take some new ground for the Lord!

Scripture Reading:
Acts 4:1-31

God uses words to create. He used His Word to “frame” the worlds. Just look in the first chapter of Genesis and count how many times you see the phrase, “And God said.” “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.... And God said, Let there be a firmament.... And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together.... And God said, Let the earth bring forth...” (verses 3, 6, 9, 11).

God doesn’t do anything without saying it first. That’s His MO, His mode of operation. And, if you’re smart, you’ll use that mode of operation too. You’ll take His words and speak them out until they take on form and substance and become a reality in your life.

“Well, Brother Copeland, I tried that and it didn’t work. I said, ‘By His stripes I’m healed’ four times and nothing happened.”

Big deal. God started saying that Jesus was coming in the Garden of Eden. He said it again in Exodus. He said it again in Numbers and Deuteronomy. He said it in Isaiah and the other prophets. He said it all through the Old Testament, over and over again.

Then after about 4,000 years, the book of John tells us, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” (1:14).

So if you’ve said you’re healed four times and nothing’s happened, don’t worry about it. Just keep saying it! You might think it’s taking a long time to manifest, but I’ll guarantee you, it won’t take 7,000 years.

Do you want to operate in God’s power? Then use His MO. Speak out His words and let them frame a life full of blessing for you!

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 1

There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that is more important than learning to love. In fact, how accurately you perfect the love walk will determine how much of the perfect will of God you accomplish. That’s because every other spiritual force derives its action from love. For example, the Bible teaches us that faith works by love. And answered prayer is almost an impossibility when a believer steps outside of love and refuses to forgive or is in strife with his brother.

Without love, your giving will not work. Tongues and prophecy will not work. Faith fails and knowledge is unfruitful. All the truths that you have learned from God’s Word work by love. They will profit you nothing unless you live the love of God.

First Corinthians 13:4-8 paints a perfect picture of how love behaves. It’s patient and kind. It’s not jealous or proud. It doesn’t behave rudely or selfishly and it isn’t touchy. Love “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? But don’t despair. You are a love creature. God has re-created your spirit in the image of love. And He has sent His love Spirit to live in you and teach you how to love as He loves. You can live the love life. Begin today.

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Have you ever tried to forgive someone...and found you simply couldn’t do it? You’ve cried about it and prayed about it and asked God to help you, but those old feelings of resentment just failed to go away.

Put an end to those kinds of failures in the future by basing your forgiveness on faith rather than feelings. True forgiveness doesn’t have anything at all to do with how you feel. It’s an act of the will. It is based on obedience to God and on faith in Him.

That means once you’ve forgiven a person, you need to consider them permanently forgiven! When old feelings rise up within you and Satan tries to convince you that you haven’t really forgiven them, resist him. Say, “No, I’ve already forgiven that person by faith. I refuse to dwell on those old feelings.”

Then, according to 1 John 1:9, believe that you receive forgiveness and cleansing from the sin of unforgiveness and from all unrighteousness associated with it—including any remembrance of having been wronged!

Have you ever heard anyone say, “I may forgive, but I’ll never forget!”? That’s a second-rate kind of forgiveness that you, as a believer, are never supposed to settle for. You’re to forgive supernaturally “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

You’re to forgive as God forgives. To release that person from guilt permanently and unconditionally and to operate as if nothing bad ever happened between you. You’re to purposely forget as well as forgive.

As you do that, something supernatural will happen within you. The pain once caused by that incident will disappear. The power of God will wash away the effects of it and you’ll be able to leave it behind you once and for all.

Don’t become an emotional bookkeeper, keeping careful accounts of the wrongs you have suffered. Learn to forgive and forget. It will open a whole new world of blessing for you.

Scripture Reading:
Luke 6:27-37