Kenneth Copeland - God's Direction Is for Your Perfection
I was reminded again this afternoon that in the book of Hebrews, just paraphrasing, God corrects His own. And if you're not willing to be corrected, you're illegitimate child. That's tough talk. Well, Jesus said "When I leave", He was talking about, "It's expedient for you that I go away, But I will not leave you comfortless". If you look that up, it says "I will not leave you as orphans". Now uncorrectable people become orphans. They won't listen to anybody else. So tonight I want to point out some things in talking about perfection. We have to go back to where it started the 17th chapter of Genesis. The blood covenant.
Remember now, when we began two extremely important things to remember, God is a spirit. And Jesus said "They, that worship him, worship him in spirit and in truth". And we are created in his likeness. We are spiritual beings first. We're not mental beings. We're spiritual beings, Spirit and soul and body. Stay aware of that all the time. It's in the covenants. The covenants make the difference. 2008, I went to Nigeria and I met Bishop David Oyedepo for the first time. And he said, "I had no trouble with the healing covenant". But he said "I was having trouble with prosperity". So he said, "I locked myself away and fasted. And I read your book on the Laws of Prosperity. But as I was reading mama Gloria's book on God's Will For You. And I had a visitation of the Lord".
He's a very soft spoken man. He said, "Prosperity is a covenant". Someone said, "Are you preaching that American prosperity gospel"? And he said, "No, Jesus was not born in America". And he said, "What you see here was the first phase, 250 million dollars, American. No borrowed money. Just preach. The second phase is 250 million and it's in the bank". And I said, "I believe it's time for the student to teach the teacher". But he said, "What you must understand is when I read, Seek ye first, the kingdom of God. His righteousness," His way of being right. "And all these things will be added to you". That closes the book because it's backed by blood. He's an African man. He lives in the land where covenant is still cut means everything. And because of blood, you can have the answer and you meditate and you get into faith until it's the title deed, and then you take it and then you just praise. Because it is coming to pass. Covenant means everything.
So let's go back. Now we're into perfection when Abram was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I am Almighty God. I am El Shaddai. I am the God that's more than enough". El is God. Shaddai is actually referring to the nurse. And in some cases refers to a woman's breast because He is life. And He is everything. There was a time in Gloria's life when Kellie was born. And then when John was born that she was their nurse. She was everything to them. She was their life. She was their food. She was their very constant companion. She understood what they said. I couldn't. I'd say, "What did he say"? And she'd tell me what he said. I don't know whether she's making it up or not. But anyways... No, she wasn't. She wouldn't do that. I am El Shaddai. I'm everything you could ever need. I am your life. And we're about to enter into a blood covenant here.
So listen to what he said. "'I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.' Abram fell on his face. And God talked with him saying 'as for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name be anymore called Abram. But thy name shall be Abraham is correct". Abraham. The H as we already discussed is the Jewish word Hashem. Which means, the name. So he put his name in the middle. That was the name change. That was the first one on record. He changed his name. So they became one. And we get our tradition from that in a marriage where there is a name change. And two people become one. That's where it all came from. Now listen now. "Neither shall your name be Abram, but Abraham. For a father of many nations have I made thee".
Now the Lord had talked to me about this before, but then it got so big in me this afternoon. It just rose up on the inside of me. And I saw things in my own life and prayed some things in my case. One of my favorite autobiographies was written by a man by the name of Robert Scott. And he was an outstanding fighter pilot in world war two. And he wrote a book called "God is My Co-pilot". And then later they made a movie of it. This man was extremely important. He was a Major early on. And I mean, he'd been an outstanding student and then the war broke out and they needed him. He was a Major. Now to just go up standard rank. After Major, he would have become a Lieutenant Colonel. But they jumped him a grade. They made him a Colonel because they needed him. God made him the father of many nations. And it wouldn't have made any difference if he'd have been already dead, raise him from the dead and made him the father of many nations. Because like God, who raises life, raises the dead and calls things and be not as though they were.
Now, the Lord reminded me of this, this afternoon. The emperor Napoleon was reviewing the troops. And he always rode a big stallion most of the time an Andalusian, a magnificent animal. But that horse bolted and this young soldier jumped out of the ranks and caught that horse by the reins and shut him down. He said, "Thank you captain". He said, "Sir, I'm but a private". He said, "You are a Captain and you will ride with me and review the troops". And then that man went on up in rank from there. He made him a Captain. He made him a Captain. Where do you need to go? And I began to pray and seek the things that I'm not satisfied with in my own life. And I won't take time to go into all that. But I realized some things that I was praying about and looking toward, but I was approaching it really in the wrong way.
So now I'm expecting to be made what I need to be. You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. It doesn't say he'll set you free. And people quote it like that. And that's wrong. It's the same idea. But that's not what it said. It says Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free". So really what happened? In my meditating on this and going back to this to talk about perfection tonight, the Lord brought that up to me. I've been just kind of floating along, but it stirred me up. And now I'm stirred up about it and I don't tend to let go of it until that's what I'm made. And now it won't take a long time because I'm not standing out beside the wayside.
Now I'm over in the road. Praise God. You can just stand there and hitch hike spiritually. You're not ever going to get anywhere. You just stand there with your thumb out and nothing's going to happen. So now "I will make thee exceedingly fruitful. I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, and their generations for an everlasting covenant to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee".
I want to mention this right here, this nation is not going to fall. It's gone through some rough stuff. But we don't have another civil war going yet. If we can get through that we make anything. Because this country has a covenant with God, because of the first president and the first act of Congress. Thank you. There was no Washington DC. It was in New York City. They walked right down to the little chapel that survived 9/11, stood in that chapel before God. The first act of Congress, our first president, George Washington said, you'll be our God. And we will be your people. And that is God's always for first words and first covenants and it holds, until the end.
Now, then it's what we do with it that counts. And so many people in this country, they don't know anything about covenant in the first place. Never, just rarely ever hear the word. And if you ask them what it is, they just kind of stutter and look at you. Too many of them are Spirit-filled Christians. But that's changing. You know why? Because you and I are going to talk about it all the time. And since Jesus is coming this year, we going to have to hurry. Amen. Well, I mean, it's all done, but the horn blowing. I mean, hey, come on. Glory to God, thank You Jesus. So now, then this is, "Walk before me and be thou perfect. Walk before me and be thou perfect".
This is still strange to me. Oh, I thought you might like to see that. I carry this when she's not on the road with me. Anyway, this is still strange to me. Open your iPads? I mean, now come on. You know good and well that my great, great, great grandchildren rummaging around and they're not going to come up and say, "I found pawpaw's iPad". I mean, they got whiz bangs by then. iPads don't mean anything. And the thing's been dead so long you couldn't revive it. Anyway. But if they find my Bible with all my notes, all my Bibles, with all my notes and scribbling around and this one's getting so lame. I just, oh, I don't want to turn it loose. But anyway, I can go on about that.
So, Genesis 17:1. All right. "Walk before me and be thou perfect". All right. In the New Living, when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said... And the New Living spells it out. "I am El Shaddai, God Almighty. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life". Now that's where we're going with perfection. Don't let the word perfect throw you. You'll never be perfect. But we can be faithful and live a blameless life. How do you live a blameless life? You stay in the word. And remember now, what the word says. "I watch over my word to perform it".
So if you stay on his word... Abraham went and did. God said you need... He went and did. Go there. He went and did. Do this. He went and did. He let his wife talk him into a mess. Didn't sound like he argued with her too much. Well, she had to be one of the most beautiful women in history. Because even in her old age, after faith revived her, there was still wanting her in harems. So like Adam's wife, she knows she was gorgeous, handmade by El Shaddai. And she was just so gorgeous and beautiful. And he loved her. So I think he just couldn't walk away from her. Because he wasn't deceived. She was. He wasn't. But anyway, "I watch over my word to perform it". I'm going to say it again. "I watch over my word to perform it".
In fact, let's just turn over there. Praise God. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You. And praise You. The words of Jeremiah "To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah son of Ammon, King of Judah, the 13th year of his reign" verse four "The word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed thee, in the belly, I knew thee, and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee. I ordained the prophet under nations. I will watch over my word to perform it". But you have to read down to that. "The Lord said unto me, say not, I am a child for thou shall go to all that I shall send thee. And whatsoever I command thee, you will speak". What's he doing? He's making this man a prophet. He changed him right there.
"Be not afraid of their faces for I am with thee, to deliver thee, saith the Lord, then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, behold, I have put my words in your mouth". Now, if you want to know how to walk in correction, how to walk in correction and direction and perfection, that's the way you do it. You put his word in your mouth. And he will perform it. Because he swore he would. Jesus said you will have what you say. You will have what you say.