I had the opportunity today to watch recently that greatest follower of the Holy Spirit in recent times. There he was Brother Kenneth Copeland presiding over his congregation during their week long celebrations they called as the Believers Convention, 2010. They were all there…Kenneth, his not so aging pretty wife Gloria, Jerry Savelle, Jesse Duplantis and Creflo Dollar, each one better than the others in their life changing sermons. 73- Old Kenneth, a disciple of Brother Oral Roberts (I have talked about Oral in my previous posts) of the Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Oklahoma. Oral Roberts was a legend who passed away recently after God blessed him with a healing ministry that did great healing miracles for more than 50 years.
One small piece in Brother Copeland’s messages made me really think when he said “Did you realize that every living creature, from the smallest bug to the giant whale had to eat to survive? And did the bird or the bug worry about getting food to eat? Then why should Man, whom God made in the exact image of Himself worry about food and shelter? Did the God of Genesis not promise His people everything they wanted? And remember when Jesus said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all that you do shall be added unto you. This only meant that when we seek God’s Righteousness or His way of doing things, then food, clothing and shelter come automatically to you. The secret was in obeying God’s Word in the Bible.
And yet all of us choose to worry. Also most born again Christians. Ask a Christian, “Why do you go to work?” You will get the reply “Man, I have to pay bills, put food on the food on the table.” What he is saying here is that the emphasis was on his going to work to eat and not on God’s Word for providing everything first.
Dr. Copeland was reminding that worry was not a harmless emotion as most people believed. Worry is fear when entertained for long can cause a person to take decisions that are not based on faith in God’s ability to do things for us. The mind becomes paralyzed with worry, causing the exact fears to come to pass in reality. We should resolve to renew our minds to be in line with God’s promises in His Word. Just as faith comes by hearing the Word of God, worry enters by hearing and believing words that are in opposite to God’s Will. Just as brother Copeland said, it is not God’s Will for us to worry about anything.
Take a look at 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” So any thought, if it is fear and worry is not from God. It should not be allowed to grow into torment. It will lead us to a state of total unrest. This is what Satan (we talked about him a few weeks before) does best. He puts fear and worry into the minds of the believer.
There may be all sorts of concerns a person may have – from managing his finances to handling his wife’s sickness, from putting up with job politics to old aunt’s jealous children. Remember what Jesus said in Mathew 6: 25 -34, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought of your life, what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink…Is not life more than meat…our Father feeds the fowls, are ye not better than fowls? Therefore take not one thought of morrow…”
What Jesus means here is that nothing good comes out of worry. In fact, it will be just the opposite. We know that whatever we meditate and ponder in our hearts will make us talk and make them come to pass in reality. Fear based words will only bring results that we do not want. And that is exactly what Satan wants. When we worry we agree with Satan’s plans for us – to steal, kill and destroy.
How does one stop worrying at all? Easy. By filling our minds and mouths with God’s way of doing things. Let us not forget that God is love and that we have a blood bought covenant with Him. As Brother Copeland kept reminding, “Exercise your authority over fear and worry.” When worry comes, let us declare God’s Word with our mouths. There is a promise for every situation. Let us claim each one of them boldly. Worry will then have to go away.
Bible Commentator: Sunder Venkataram
