Kenneth Copeland - Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
— Hello, everybody, I'm Kenneth Copeland. You ought to know by now that this is Professor Greg Stephens. How many broadcasts have we done together?
— When we finished this week, they told me it'll be 180.
— Praise God and all of it soundly based on the covenants of God. So, Father, we thank You today, and we give You praise and honor. You are our God and we are Your people. And we thank You in the name of Jesus for the anointing to deliver this word accurately for the people of all the nations to whom it will be sent. We thank You and praise You and thank You again and again and again and again. In Jesus' name, Amen. Now, since this is Thanksgiving this week...
— Yes, sir.
— Guess what we're going to talk about. Of course we are. Let's open our Bibles first to the book of Romans, and we'll look in the first chapter. The great Apostle was writing in this first chapter. And if you look up here in the 16th verse, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from face to face. As it is written, the just shall live by faith". And of course, we picked that phrase up and did a daily devotional with it years ago. And it's still in print. Faith To faith Everyday.
— I preached from that many times when I was a pastor.
— Good.
— Many times.
— I'll talk to you about the...
— Yes, sir.
— The honorarium.
— Anytime.
— No, I won't, I lied to you. Verse 20. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their heart was darkened". They knew God, but they didn't want him in their knowledge. And you can look at it like this. They just didn't think about it. And they gave him no thanks. And what happened? Their heart grew darker and darker and darker. Then they got off into some abominable things. It didn't just happen in one day. Now let's go over to further writings of the great Apostle Paul in first Thessalonians in the fifth chapter. Verse 14, please. "Now we exhort or beseech you," so this is an exhortation and he founded this church and so he has authority there. And he said in the 12th verse. "We beseech you brethren, to know them, which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake and be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak. Be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good and abstain from all appearance of evil. In everything Give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". Now people have twisted that out of context and I won't go into the things that I've heard because it doesn't make any difference either way what I heard. But this is my testimony. I had the Lord began to deal with me early on to develop an attitude of gratitude. Thanksgiving all the time. Oh, Lord, thank You for being so good. I just praise You. Thank You. And then that builds up. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Now, you've heard me tell the story of that first little 1959 Skylane that the ministry purchased. Well, this is the back story. I had an appointment. Now we lived on Florinsteen Street in the southern part of Fort Worth back in those days. John and Kellie were just small. And I had an appointment the next day to go over there and look at that airplane. Well, I don't remember where we'd been, but we got home and I was tired, so I just stayed up long as I could just to enjoy home. And when I began to doze off in the chair I thought well... Gloria, John and Kellie already were already in bed asleep. I thought, well, maybe I just thought I'd just go on and go to bed. Now in my mind, of course, I'm seeing that small living room. The door was here that went into the hall and went to Gloria and my bedroom this way. And Kellie and John's room this way. You come out here and the kitchen was over here, the television set right here. And there's a big lean back lounge and I leaned back in that thing, put my feet up on that big old green ottoman. And I thought, "Well, now there's a light switch over there by the door going in to the bedroom. There is also another light switch over here on the wall". So I got up and I, you know how you do, had my feet on that big old green thing, big and heavy, it took both hands to lift it. And if Gloria's in there I get her to help, this thing was so heavy. Well, I just shoved it back with my feet and went over there and turned the light out. I could have waited until I got to this one. But no... I go over and check the front door or whatever else I was doing, and it's dark. I tried to drop kicked that big green stool and my foot went on this side of the leg of that thing and just missed my big toe like this and hit this one. I heard it. POW! Oh, I said, Thank You, Jesus. I am healed and I want to praise You and thank You for it. I could have said, "Dadgummit, I broke my toe". Or something worse than that. But that was in me in abundance. I hobbled into the bedroom. I said, "Oh, Lord, praise You, I praise You and thank You. And now I'm going to have to go to sleep by faith". Now you always want to watch, the first thing the devil will try to tell you to do. So I finally got off to sleep. I knew I had that appointment, that morning and I woke up, the devil was right there. Why don't you look at your toes? They're black and blue swelling and beat all up. Now I know I can't look at them. And this just popped out of my mouth. Mr. Devil, I have some very good friends, and I began to name a few of them and since the color of their skin, their toes are black all the time. So I don't care anything about looking at mine because I don't care what color they are, they're healed. So I got up, oh thank You Lord Jesus. Oh, thank You. Walked over there to my sock drawer, got my socks, pulled them up. I could have responded like this. Gloria, I'm going to cancel that appointment I have with Mr. Spinks. I know pretty well I broke my toe, but I need to go to the doctor and get this done. No, this is not a life or death matter. It's just my foot. And besides that, I said, "Thank You Jesus, I'm healed". Now that's fine if that's what you like to do. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Oh, so I went out and got in a car and I set down on the side of the seat and first I went into the office, excuse me, Father for the moment. Anyway, the receptionist there, I said, "Is Mr. Spinks in". She said, "Yes, he is, what's the matter with you"? I said, "Well, about 3:00 this morning I broke my toe". But, you know, Jesus said when he was on the earth, whatsoever thing you desire when you pray, believe you receive it. And I said, "When I did it last night, I just thank God and thank Jesus. And I just thanked him and praised him that I'm healed". By the time I got that out she's four or five, six step behind. I mean, she didn't, I mean... Okay, okay, okay. So I walked into Mr. Spinks office and I said, "Sir, 2618G, is that airplane still for sale"? He said, "Yes, it is". And I said, "I'd like to look at it because I'm pretty sure we're going to buy that airplane for the ministry". He said, "Kenneth, that's a good airplane". I said, "Yes sir, I know I've flown it". Oh, Lord and now it's throbbing. And I walked out there and I got out of my car and walked over there and looked at that airplane and, oh, just pristine condition. Not much flight time on it, even though it was a 59. And so I walked all the way around it. Looked at the interior, and it was exactly like it was the last time I'd flown it. And I knew then, and I've checked it out with the Lord. And he said, "Yeah this is it. This is the airplane, I've set it aside for you". I said, "Oh, thank You, Jesus". And I walked around there and got in the car, drove back around from the hangar area around to the front, then parked and stepped out of my car and the pain was gone. And then when I got... then there's another miracle that happened here. But when I got home, I took my socks off and looked at it. Oh, man, it looked like a train wreck. But there's no soreness, no swelling, I mean, it was just about the color of that cup, just ugly looking. I'm glad I didn't look at that because I would have had to overcome that. Then it would have been in my mind. I'm not moved by what I feel and I didn't feel good at all. But I cannot be moved by what I see, once you get that picture in your mind, now you have a mental battle.
— Well, you got a contradiction.
— Yes, you do. You got a contradiction, I'm not healed. Yes, I am. I was healed over 2000 years ago and I'm very grateful for it. I'm very grateful for everything in this book. But Gloria and I developed that. Now, there was a time back during the days of the full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship, everybody went around saying, "Thank You, Jesus, thank You, Jesus, Glory to God. Thank You, Jesus". We even had a little bracelets and that thing. Thank You, Jesus. Everybody did. And I had a Baptist preacher say to me one time, he said, "Well, we love the Lord. We just don't go around saying, Thank You, Jesus every day". I said, "Why not"? Why not? Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth will speak. So this is a book of gratitude. And there's people in here with much gratitude, people in here that had none. And we're talking about people with a covenant of God, and see how they react and respond. Now Bartimaeus. They had forgotten everybody around them. Jesus is preaching to Jewish women and Jewish men that he began to holler, "Son of David". Whoa, he knew who he was. Son of David have mercy on me. Do Hesed for me. Hesed is the covenant, it's pronounced Chesed. It is that covenant word. It's translated mercy. It's translated loving kindness. None of those things say it. It is the lesser being blessed of the greater. And when we enter into covenant with God, then he brings us up to be equal with him through the name of his son. So that we have that name then as a weapon. Hallelujah. Now I'm done what are you going to do.
— Okay, so you look at this in Romans chapter one. And what we just read in 21 because that when they knew not God, they glorified him not, neither were thankful but were vain in their imagination. Where's your imagination? It's in your mind, will and emotions.
— Yes, it is.
— And foolish in their heart was darkened. And where's your heart? That your heart, the spirit man. Now it goes all the way through here, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. God also gave them up to uncleanness... They changed the truth. Verse 25, "of God into a lie, worshipped and serve the creature more than the Creator". And you look at all of this and how they were given over, it's describing our society.
— Yes, it is. Today in America.
— Yes, it is. And it's all rooted in thankful. And I believe, and you go to Thessalonians where we were in Thessalonians a while ago.
— I have the image in my mind of professional football players that would not stand for the national anthem of this nation. And I would like to ask them, in what other nation can you make several million dollars a year playing? You don't work for a living, you play for a living. You play a game.
— And they make more than most of the people that are standing, watching them play, who are supporting them. I mean, if you think about it.
— They're coming to see, it's the only reason they have a salary in the first place. Well, I understand the grievances. But I do not understand the lack of gratitude for a nation that has given them the opportunity to be the best at what they do. They are the very best at the fundamentals of American football. They're the best. And without gratitude, I didn't see it in the other sports. It was in...
— A little bit in basketball, saw some in basketball, NBA and some other places. You get to this Thessalonians, you know it's the same situation. You got a society and that's what he's warning and admonishing them, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you, in everything, give thanks. Now, it didn't say give thanks for everything.
— No, that's right.
— In everything. I didn't thank God that a broke my toe. It's my stupidity that did it. But the first thing out of my mouth was gratitude. Now, Meadowlark Lemon, arguably the greatest basketball player that ever lived, a black man, loved God, his family loved God. And he and his brother's basketball was an old basketball, didn't have any air in it. They filled it full of corn shucks. And he really wasn't naturally a good player, but he worked harder than anybody else. And Jerry Savelle was his spiritual father.
— Wow. That's something.
— Isn't that something?
— I believe as we go through this week and we talk about Thanksgiving, this Thanksgiving week, I believe we'll see the path out as a people, as covenant people and our nation. I think you'll see as we go through this week with David, you'll see it in the life of Jesus. And I really believe it'll be an answer.
— There was a man that was very bitter at this country. And he bought into the communist lie and he just left... just left this country. So he went to some of the communist countries and begged to be let back in. It changed his entire attitude. He said, "I have been so wrong. I'll never do my nation that way again".
— I understand that, there's a reason to this day, at the time of this taping, why millions, whether you're for it or against it or indifferent, why millions are still coming here.
— That's the reason the border is full of people. Now, some of them are there with the idea of destroying this country and we know pretty well who's behind it. But we're out of time. But I don't sit in this chair to judge anybody. But there are things that need to be talked about because of our children. Our children need to know. So we'll be back in just a moment. Glory to God, thank You Jesus.