spiritual growth

What is the Apocrypha?

Add to Favorites

The term “Apocrypha” is used to designate a collection of ancient Jewish writings which were written between 250 B.C. and the early Christian centuries. The Apocryphal books have come to be regarded as inspired scripture in the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, but the historic Protestant and Jewish viewpoint ascribes no real inspiration to them.

Who’s Melchizedek?

Add to Favorites

Melchizedek is one of the most interesting and mysterious figures in the Scriptures (Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 10, 6:20, 7:1-28). Most scholars view him as a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. Some believe he is Jesus Himself, before He became a man. And others point to the possibility that Melchizedek was Noah’s youngest son, Shem.

Brother Copeland does not believe Melchizedek was actually Jesus, even though his priesthood is a type and shadow of the eternal priesthood of Jesus; he believes that Melchizedek was Shem.

Am I stuck with the same downfalls my parents had?

Add to Favorites

To understand generational curses, you need to understand spiritual laws. Spiritual laws—good or bad— become rooted in a person’s life when they are put in motion on a regular basis. Once rooted, these habits and thinking patterns get passed from generation to generation because children pick up these traits from their parents.

Should I join a church?

Add to Favorites

Definitely. Kenneth Copeland has always encouraged believers to be faithful and active in a local church body.

First, understand that joining a church is not what makes you a member of the Body of Christ. You became a member of the Body of Christ the moment you made Jesus the Lord of your life. And retaining that place in His Body is not conditional on membership in a local church.

I thought I prayed in faith for healing, so why haven’t I seen results?

Add to Favorites

As Gloria Copeland says, “When you do what’s right, get ready for a fight!”

That’s why 1 Timothy 6:12 tells us to “fight the good fight of faith.” When it comes to healing, faith is only the beginning. It’s the stand of faith, or your patience, that takes you to the finish line. What you’re in the midst of is possessing the “land” called healing, and the devil has no intention of letting you walk into it without a fight.

Is speaking in tongues of the devil?

Add to Favorites

No! Tongues are not of the devil. Peter spoke in tongues. Paul spoke in tongues. Something that is of the devil would not have been practiced and encouraged in the Word of God. That’s just a lie of the devil to keep you out of the good things that God has for you.

The Apostle Paul said, “For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying” (1 Corinthians 14:14). We see here that the “I” who was doing the praying was Paul. He did the speaking in an unknown tongue, but his spirit did the praying.

How does God express His love for us?

Add to Favorites

The Old Testament writers had a word for the way God loves us—hesed. It is translated as “ever lovingkindness; tenderness; mercy.” Hesed is the force that rises inside someone, causing them to stand up for the benefit of another. Another way of saying it is that it’s the picture of having a Blood Brother. From God’s perspective, it might best be described using John 3:16: “For God so ‘hesed’ the world, that he gave his only Son....”

What is the difference between hope and faith?

Add to Favorites

The difference is that faith is now; hope is always in the future. And there’s a reason for that.

Romans 8:24-25 states, “We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”

Hope is that expectancy that keeps our faith alive until what we’re believing for comes.

How can I control my thought life?

Add to Favorites

Controlling your thought life is not only possible—it’s promised. But to do so, you have to advance to the front lines of spiritual conflict. Your mind is the main battlefield in the struggle to live a victorious, godly life.

Proverbs 23:7 teaches us that what a man thinks about or meditates on, is what he becomes. So your thought life is very important. There is no need for you to be harassed or tormented in your thoughts by the devil, because God has made provision for you to be successful in this area.

Do curses still exist?

Add to Favorites

There is definitely power in words. Either cursing or blessing can be put into effect through the spoken word.

We find this in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue can bring death or life....” And again in James 3:6, “And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” Clearly when words are spoken which contradict God’s Word or God’s will, they can open the door to Satan’s operations.

Do you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit at salvation?

Add to Favorites

At salvation a very important ministry of the Holy Spirit took place in your life. But that ministry is different from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

In the moment you made Jesus the Lord of your life, spiritual death was removed from your spirit, and there was born in you a new life, a new spirit. You were literally born of God. “Dear friends, we are already God’s children” (1 John 3:2). “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God” (1 John 5:1). Without encountering the Holy Spirit, man cannot be born again (Romans 8:9).

Is it necessary to speak in tongues to be raptured?

Add to Favorites

No. Only one requirement is made in order to go with Christ in the Rapture, and that is to believe on Him. You meet that requirement at salvation when you say with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Ephesians 1:13 says that at salvation you are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

How do you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Add to Favorites

We have great news: To receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, all you have to do is ask your heavenly Father for it. God wants every believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues.

Ask God right now. Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit just as you received Jesus—by faith, by believing God’s Word. You are His child and He is your Father. God is poised and ready to baptize you in His Holy Spirit when you ask Him.

Simply repeat this prayer out loud: