God loves you

God Loves You!

by Kenneth Copeland

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Something’s missing. You feel it. You know it. You trust God’s power. You know His promises. But inside you’re wavering. How can you be sure He’ll come through for you?

To answer that question, you need more than a knowledge of God’s power and promises. You need a personal relationship with Him. You need a personal revelation of His love.

“For God so loved...that he gave...” (John 3:16). And He gave and He gave.

Everlasting, unconditional, never-failing love. God’s love. Our natural minds cannot grasp it. Yet Paul prayed in his letter to the Ephesians that we might “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). How is that possible? How can we comprehend the incomprehensible?

We can’t! At least not with simple human understanding. To know something as vast as the love of God requires a revelation from the Holy Spirit.

Revelation is comprehension imparted into our spirits from the Holy Spirit and transmitted into our minds. It doesn’t pass from the head to the heart. It must come from the heart to the head.

The story of Abram is a perfect example. When God first began to make promises to Abram, he didn’t understand God’s love. Until God approached him, Abram had worshiped the moon—and the moon had certainly never seemed interested in doing anything for him. Then Abram encountered El Shaddai, the greatest being he had ever known, and the first thing El Shaddai wanted to do was give to him!

God wants to give to you. It is His desire that every person know His vast love for them. If you’ve never known God’s unconditional love, start the new year off right—ask Him for a personal revelation. If you’ve never asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, ask Him into your heart. You can pray like this:

“O God in heaven, I come before You and ask for Your forgiveness for my sins. Jesus, I ask You to come into my life and save me. I make You Lord of my life. I give myself to You. I receive You into my life. I am a believer. Thank You, Lord.”

Now, walk by faith into His arms of love. Receive the revelation of His unconditional love for you. God really does love you.

Speak the Word

“God loves me so much that He gave His only Son for me. I believe in Jesus, therefore, I will not perish. I have everlasting life.” —John 3:16

Also, visit www.kcm.org/

walking in God's favor

You Are Highly Favored Because Of Jesus! by Joseph Prince

The Bible tells us that God has made us “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). The “Beloved” here refers to Jesus and the word “accepted” in the original Greek text means “given special honor” or “highly favored.”

My friend, because you have Jesus who is God’s Beloved, and you are found in Him, you are also God’s beloved son or daughter, deeply loved and highly favored by Him!

Now, because you are highly favored by God in the Beloved, you can expect to have favor with your spouse, children, colleagues, clients and yes, even your in-laws!

When you speak, people listen. When you step into a room, it lights up. Everything you touch is blessed and increased.

Beloved, as the apple of God’s eye, expect good things to happen to you each day. Expect divine protection because His favor surrounds you like a shield. Expect every need to be met by the One who highly favors you. Expect good, because you are precious in His eyes!

psa. 44:3
The Race Is Not To The Swift

The world tells you that those with the qualifications, talents and experience get the jobs, promotions and high salaries.

My friend, though you live in this world, as God’s beloved child, you need not be limited by it. You have God’s grace—His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor!

So even if you are not the smartest, strongest or best looking in the natural, God can still give you good success when you depend on His grace.

Instead of mulling over your “disqualifications,” be conscious of God’s favor on you. Smile and say, “God’s favor is all over me because of Jesus. I expect good things to happen to me today!”

Beloved, be conscious of His favor today. Believe it. Speak it. And you will experience it!

romans 8:16,17

It’s Time To Change Your Believing

I’m too young. I’m too old. I don’t have the relevant experience. They’re hiring only college graduates.

If you’re looking for a job and your mind is gripped by such thoughts, then you’re already defeated by your thoughts before you even step out to look for a job.

It’s time to change your believing!

A lady in her mid-fifties in my congregation, after hearing me share on this, changed her believing. She decided to put her trust in the Lord’s unmerited favor, got her résumé ready and sent it out by faith. That very week, she was called for interviews by two different companies, which led to two job offers! She picked one and has been gainfully employed.

Beloved, as God’s child, you are His heir and a joint heir with Christ. This means that you have the same unclouded favor that Jesus has. So step out in faith and expect His favor to open doors for you and give you the job or breakthrough you desire, regardless of your natural limitations!

deut. 28:8
Step Out By Faith Into Your Field Of Provision

In the Old Testament story of Ruth, we see a beautiful picture of what it’s like to walk in God’s favor.

Ruth, a Moabite widow, travels to Bethlehem with Naomi, her Jewish mother-in-law. Putting her faith in God’s favor, she sets out to find work gleaning in the wheat and barley fields. Because of her trust in the Lord’s favor, she ends up in the field of Boaz, a wealthy man of position in Bethlehem, and (unknown to her initially) a kinsman to Naomi.

As Ruth works in Boaz’s field, she sees plenty of grain and just picks it all up. It is the much-needed provision for herself and her mother-in-law. What Ruth doesn’t know is that Boaz has actually commanded his men to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her” (Ruth 2:16), because she had found favor in his eyes.

Isn’t it cool when Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, purposely commands the blessings on us, and tells His angels to drop them along our way? All we have to do is to go out into the “fields” and “pick them up.”

Beloved, because you have found favor in His eyes, the Lord is purposely dropping His blessings along your path every day. Like Ruth, all you have to do is to step out into your field of provision. With eyes of faith, see doors of opportunities opening before you. Have the courage to apply for that job or to go for that audition or much-needed holiday. Go forth and pick up those blessings the Lord has already laid before you. Your future is bright!

Get To Know Jesus More And More

The Bible gives us a secret to walking in favor and well-being in 2 Peter 1:2—“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” In the original Greek, it actually says, “...through the knowledge of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

So God’s unmerited favor and His shalom-peace (health, provision and total well-being) are multiplied in your life through the knowledge of JESUS. The more you know Jesus, the more you will be able to tap into the ever-flowing supply of His favor, healing and provision!

Beloved, every answer you need, whether it has to do with your finances, health, career or family life, is found in knowing more about Jesus in a personal and intimate way. I pray that every day, as you study the Scriptures or listen to Christ-centered sermons, the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see more of Jesus—His beauty, His love and grace toward you, and His finished work at Calvary!

This article was created by Joseph Prince. Visit josephprince.com for more resources.

popular 5 sayings non scriptural

5 Things You Won't Believe are NOT in the Bible

Cindi McMenamin

Would you believe there are some secular sayings that sound so religious people often believe they came from the Bible?

These pieces of presumed Christian “wisdom” can sound biblical on the surface, but a closer look at Scripture will show you that some of them are actually far from the truth of God’s Word.

Here are five sayings that are NOT a part of Scripture:

1. God helps those who help themselves. 

I’m sure you’ve heard it and possibly even said it to encourage someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get it done. But this verse is not in the Bible. And its premise is not true. To the contrary, God helps those who admit they can’t help themselves.

Scripture is loaded with examples of God calling weak, humble people who would have been inadequate for the Lord’s work without His enabling strength. Scripture says that Christ’s power is made perfect in our weakness. And Paul states “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV).

Furthermore, James 4:10 tells us “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” If God helped those who helped themselves, that verse would read: “Show yourself capable and God will come along and help.” Many times those of us who believe we can help ourselves don’t feel we need God and therefore, we don’t rely on Him. God wants us to admit we’re helpless so we can start depending on His strength to get us through situations. That is faith.

2. God won’t give you more than you can handle. 

I think we’ve all said this at one time or another, primarily to comfort another believer or even an unbeliever who is struggling with something or fearful that something bad might happen. But this verse does not exist. And this statement doesn’t hold true. God will often give us more than we can handle so that we will depend on Him to carry the burden for us.

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV), and Matthew 11:28-30 tells us to come to Him when we are weary and take His yoke upon us so we can bear a load that is too heavy to lift ourselves.

I believe we get the idea that God won’t give us more than we can bear from 1 Corinthians 10:13 which tells us “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” That verse tells us God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist. But He will allow us to struggle beyond our capacity in other aspects of life so we understand what it means to surrender and allow Him to carry the burden for us.

3. We are all God’s children. 

Here’s another one that sounds true.  And although God is the Creator of all, He is not the father of all. Romans 8:9 clearly tells us “if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” 

Jesus said those who are apart from Him are children of Satan, the “father of lies” (John 8:44) and Romans 8:15 tells us when we receive God’s spirit we have received “a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” God adopts us through our surrender to Christ Jesus. Therefore, a more accurate saying is: We are all God’s creation, but we are not all God’s children.

4. The sinner’s prayer. 

As I was discipling a young believer, I asked her if she had ever said “the sinner’s prayer.” She read it in the discipleship material we had in front of us and then asked me where it was found in the Bible. “Well, it’s not. It’s implied,” I said.

This is a tough one for us because we want to point to something in the Bible that someone needs to actually say in order to be saved. However, Romans 10:9-10 says “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” No wordy prayer involving the words “repent” or “confess” or asking Jesus to “come into our hearts” exists in Scripture.

What we do find, however, are short heartfelt cries for God’s mercy, including: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42), and “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38).

5. God works in mysterious ways. 

This might be one of the most quoted sayings of all time when it comes to God.  The only problem is that it isn’t a verse in the Bible. Yes, God does work in ways we don’t understand, but this saying is most likely a simplified paraphrasing of two verses.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 says,“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” And Jeremiah 33:3 reads, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” In this case, it’s not that this saying is wrong, it’s simply not in the Bible.

Can you think of some more sayings that people quote as if they’re Scripture? Include them in the comment section below as a way of letting others know what is not, in fact, in the Bible.