Kenneth Copeland - Believe God's Love for You and Live Fearlessly
We've been delivered from fear. We're not trying to come to the place where in some strange way we can cope with fear. We don't cope with fear. We attack it. We've been delivered from it. Now turn over there to the eighth chapter of the book of Romans. Remember now, he said, "Through the fear of death, they were all their lifetime subject to bondage," subject to it like someone is subject to a king or subject to their authority or whatever they say you're going to have to have because you're their subject. Well, if there's fear of death and that fear of death is the master fear, all fears stem from the fear of death. That was the first thing that struck was the fear of death.
Now all you have to do really to study that out, very simple, just think of all the different ways that you can die. The first human death was a murder, wasn't it? So there's fear of dying at the hand of another person. All fear of people is based in that. You could starve to death, couldn't you? So all fear of lack and not having enough, whatever form it takes, the worry about it, all of that, all the doubt and unbelief that creeps into your thinking. That's what Jesus was talking about to Jairus when he said, "Don't tolerate that. Don't allow your mind to think on that because it'll contaminate your faith".
Well, all of that is based on dying by not having enough. And you could go, you could analyze it on down the line. All fear, timidity is a fear of people. Self-preservation is based in there, in fear of death. Now go with me to the 8th chapter of the book of Romans and look at this. Verse 14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear". But if you listen to most religion, it'll lead you right back over into that spirit of bondage because it'll sow fear into you.
Do you ever wonder why when somebody reads, he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and didn't just run out the front door of the church screaming as loud as they could, "My Lord, my God in heaven, hallelujah forever. I'm the righteousness of God". They're afraid to, that's why. Preachers and theologians and so-called seminaries and all that kind of thing. And people just dreaming it up on their own... Afraid. Well, I'm so unworthy. I'm so no good.
Well, are you trying to become worthy? I'm working on it, Brother Copeland. I'm being the best I can. That's the reason you're so frustrated. You're trying to become something you already are. Look now, right there in that 8th chapter of Romans, it says, "You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry". I have a Father. I have a daddy. I'm no longer a spiritual orphan. Hallelujah. He's my Father. And even when he manifests himself, I mean, in such a great way that it just shakes you right down to your soles of your feet and your hair sticks straight out on the back of your neck. You ought to be shout.
That's my daddy. That's my Father. And even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. Why? Because he's my daddy. That's why. And he's the biggest thing in the valley. Amen. Yes. He's my Father. Now, notice that Christian people agree to that. Oh, yes. Amen. But how many of them do you hear running around crying? Abba Father. Oh, I got a Father. I have a daddy. Oh, glory. And he loves me. And he's rich, rich, rich, rich, rich, rich, rich. And he's big, big, big, big, big. Fear contaminated faith will keep you from acting like that. Just fear somebody's going to hear you say it. Doesn't take much of it. All it has to do is quieten you down a little bit.
Turn your tape down just a little bit. Because after all, you wouldn't want anybody to think you're a fanatic. I don't care what they think. Amen. I don't have any fear. None. Well, you can just shout amen if you want to. Glory. Now, come to the absolute understanding. And you need to be meditating on this. You need to be spending time reading these scriptures over and over. The absolute understanding that we are delivered from fear and have been delivered from it for 2,000 years.
Now then, let's go to step number two. Resist the spirit of fear, knowing... and underline the word knowing. I'm talking about coming to a decision, coming to that knowing place. Knowing that fear is not okay. Well, Brother Copeland, you know, I feel like, you know, fear is okay. Everybody's afraid of something. And even, you know, a little fear might be healthy. They tell us, you know, when we went to psychology school, that a little fear is healthy.
Let's go to the book of Revelation chapter 21 verse 7. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things. And I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death". Look at the company fear keeps. Well, I believe a little fear is healthy. Oh, is that right? Well, I guess just a little abomination now and then be all right. And a little murder. You know, don't kill nobody don't need killing. Whoremongering, I mean, you know, to whoremonger around a little bit.
Well, you know, just don't let the pastor catch you. Well, when you see it in the light of the way God sees it. Now, how many times can you recall that the scripture says, "Thou shalt not murder"? Now, in English, it's been translated, thou shalt not kill, but that's the wrong rendering of that scripture. In the 10 commandments, it said, "Thou shalt not do murder". Now, how many times can you think of, I mean, you know, it's stated there once and it's referred to, you know, through the scripture, no murderer enter into the kingdom of God and that kind of thing. Several anyway, but over 110 times in one form or another, God commanded, fear not.
Now, why is it okay to break one commandment, not okay to break the other? Well, I know brother Copeland, but I mean, like I said, everybody's afraid of something. Well, the whole world out there thinks everybody does a little adultery now and then. Amen. The only reason the whole body of Christ doesn't resist fear, they have adopted the idea that fear is okay. And through a lack of knowledge of what it really is, and the fact that Jesus bore it on the cross, just the same as he did all the rest of that. I mean, and God commanded to fear not. Didn't he command Jairus to fear not? God told Joshua, "Have I not commanded you, be strong, be courageous and be not afraid".
Now, all the times that God commanded fear not, he never just ended it there. He said, "Fear not for I... Fear not because I'm here. Fear not because I will never leave you nor forsake you. Fear not, I'll take you by the hand. Fear not, I will charge my angels to get involved. Fear not". All the way to the point that we can walk in a fearless, no fear here lifestyle, having no fear operating in us at all to the point you can be bold on the day of judgment. That's strong, man. I mean, there's some pretty strong stuff coming down the road on the day of judgment. Amen. You can stand up there and be bold and say, "Jesus, I'm right here with you. Don't have any fear of this". Amen.
Now, you notice, you notice how, particularly in times like we're involved in now, how hard the world tries its best to shut us up from talking about the book of Revelation, shut us up from talking about the apocalypse and the end of this and the end of that. Of course, it ain't an end for us. This is the worst it's ever going to be. This is as bad as it'll ever get for us. Amen. Particularly when you don't have any fear, it's because they're all scared spitless of the end of the world. And we're not. Because what's an end for them is a beginning for us. Hallelujah. We walk fearless. We have great honor and respect for the wrath of God, but we've been delivered from that wrath. Hallelujah. Isn't that good news? Glory to God.
We don't have any fear. Amen. Hallelujah. That's exciting to me. Is it you? Now, let's get in these last moments here, at least we can introduce the next one. Well, no, the Lord's not going to let me do that. Knowing that fear is not okay. Let's go to 2 Timothy 1. You're all familiar with that, but let's read it. We've quoted a lot of it. And misquoted it sometimes and have quoted it. So today we're going to get the whole thing. 1 Timothy 1. Everybody's familiar with the... or excuse me, 2 Timothy 1. Everybody is familiar with that 7th verse. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but let's go up to the 5th verse and get this whole statement that the Holy Ghost made through the apostle Paul.
Verse 5, "When I called to remembrance, the unfeigned faith that is within thee". There it is. When I called to remembrance, the uncontaminated faith that's in you. Are you listening now? That is in you, "which dwelt first in your grandmother and your mother. And I'm persuaded that is in you also. Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, that uncontaminated faith, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear". He said, "You stir up what God has put on the inside of you. You stir it up".
He didn't say anything about praying and getting God to stir it up. You stir it up. You stir it up in the Word. You stir it up in prayer. You stir it up in the Holy Ghost. You stir it up with your tapes. You stir it up by bold, strong confession that while you're saying them, your knees are knocking together. Glory to God. But it's God's Word and you put it in your mouth. You stir it up. You stir up the gift that's inside you that God gave you. God did not give you the spirit of fear. So quit stirring fear up. Fear is not okay. Get it out of your mouth. Don't use it to express yourself.
Now, when you're renewing your mind and you're in training, other people are going to accuse you of splitting hairs and being nitpicking. But I'll tell you what, if you're going to change something like your mind and change your daily way of life and you're going to change your habits, you're going to have to be nitpicking because they'll take you over and run you in the ditch if you don't. You're going to have to team up with somebody that's full of faith and train together, work together.
Like Gloria and I, when we first got ahold of these things and we changed our confession from death and fear to faith and life, we made a pact with one another and we said that whatever comes out of your mouth, well, that's your confession and I believe every word of it. And you know, I'd say something wild and I'd tell you what, oh man, scared me to half to death. She'd say, "Well, that's your confession".
Now we did that until we completely retrained and became aware of what was coming out of our mouth. Why? Because that was stirring up the fear, stirring up the doubt, stirring up the unbelief, change your conversation. If for no other reason, just to be honorable and have respect for the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been anointed and appointed the High Priest of your conversation. Get fear and death out of your mouth. Quit stirring that up. We've not been given the spirit of fear, so stop receiving it. What have we been given? The Spirit of power, the Spirit of love and the Spirit of a sound mind.
So a fear-filled mind is not a sound mind. Amen. But a faith-filled mind is. A love-filled mind is. Hallelujah. Amen. So stir it up, stir up by resisting the spirit of fear. Now, isn't that what Jesus told Jairus to do? He said, "Fear not, believe only". Now really, that's what he said. Fear not. So Jairus was responsible for resisting the spirit of fear, but continuing to believe why he had come to Jesus, what he believed to begin with, the reason that he went to him and fell before him to start with, all of these things. Hang on to that. Rebuke it.
I'm telling you, it's when you don't feel like doing it, that you better do it now. Because that's when your flesh is putting up a guard against your faith, guard against, because you don't feel like it. And it's time to praise instead of being depressed. Depression is a manifestation of grief and sorrow. Amen. And the ridiculous part of it is, the depressant is grieving about something he ain't even lost yet. I know I've been through it. I've been delivered from it. Praise God. Amen.
I'm a free man from that spirit today. But I know what that hard hurt driving you, and you know in your mind, in fact, you're thinking thoughts like, you know, I need to resist this. I need to take a stand against this. This is not God. This is not right. And all the time, your mouth is spewing all that doubt and unbelief and fear and grief and sorrow. And you're just cutting everybody's head off that comes in the room. And all the time you're thinking, this is not right. This is not right. I need to resist that.
And your wife comes in and says, well, let's pray. And out splatters out of your mouth. Well, I don't pray as good as you. I don't need you praying for me. And she reaches over to put her hand on you and you reach up and knock it out of the way. And all the time you're thinking, I wish she'd pray. That's how screwed up a fear-filled mind is. A depression-filled mind. Nobody loves me. And they're all standing there telling you we love you. No, you don't. I know you don't.
Now you're going to have to turn against that thing somewhere down the line because it has you turned against God. And somewhere you have to stick your feet in the ground and say, no, no, no, no, no, no. I happen to be a free man here. You're not pushing me in this direction anymore. And I tell you, your old emotions and your mind and your body all just go to fighting against you. And it's just all you can do to keep them just getting mad and throwing a fit. You need to learn how to lock down. Take your body over into neutral feeling. Take your body into the mode of obedience in spite of all that hell's pouring on you. Take your body under control. Cast that junk out of your mind and say in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I refuse to rebel one more second.
I refuse to go crosswise of the Word and in the name of Jesus, body you straighten up, mind you straighten up in Jesus' name. I place myself under the blood of Jesus and I rebuke you fear. I come against you fear. I'm gonna smile whether hell likes it or not. The amazing part of it is you can break that spirit of oppression in less than five minutes. It doesn't have any power over you. But you're gonna have to do it on purpose. You're gonna have to take your stand knowing fear is sin. It's not okay. We've been delivered from it. We've not been given a spirit of fear. So you don't have any business taking it and you do have business resisting it. Hallelujah.