Kenneth Copeland - Praying in the Spirit Brings Answers From the Inside Out
Acts chapter eight, verse fourteen. We're talking about developing a God inside consciousness and praying, speaking, praising, in a language you haven't learned, being the gateway to the supernatural. Acts chapter eight. Let's go to verse 14. "Now, when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet, he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus".
Or in other words, they were baptized in water. "Then laid there their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostle's hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money". He wasn't offering them money to get the Holy Spirit. This man was a sorcerer. And he did signs and wonders by the hands of the devil. But then he got born again. And when he saw when they laid their hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit, now I want to ask you, how did he know? All right. Because people have said, "Well, here's one incident that they didn't speak in tongues". I beg you pudding.
The people of one accord gave heed unto those things which Phillip spake. Hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did. I want to back up. Verse four. "Therefore they were scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching the word. Then Phillip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them". Now, what did he preach? Well, he preached Christ. I know, I know. I read. What did Jesus preach? The spirit of the Lord upon me because he has anointed me to preach. From the 61st chapter of Isaiah. Jesus preached that everywhere he went and then he preached his message.
I can prove it by the written word. And then I have Brother Hagen's testimony in 1950 in the Rockwall, Texas when Jesus took him into heaven and the Lord told him in that time that he spent there with him, he told him, he said, "I preached that everywhere I went and then I preached my message". And he was telling Brother Hagen, he said, "Now, you're going to have to tell the people that you saw me and you're going to have to tell the people that I laid my finger in the palm of your hands and gave you a special anointing to lay hands on the sick, because if they don't hear it, how can they have any faith in it"? And he said, "I preached that message everywhere I went".
Well, here in the 10th chapter of the book of Acts, the apostle Peter preached that he did. So that's what Phillip was preaching, how God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost of power who went about doing good healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Amen. That's all they knew. Why would you preach anything else? And they preached in the name. They preached in the name. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Unclean spirits crying out with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them, and many taken with palsies, and there were lame that were healed. And there was great joy in the city.
There was a certain man called Simon which before time in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying, "This man is the great power of God". And to him that had regard because of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Phillip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women, then Simon himself believed also. And when he was baptized, so he was baptized in water, this man. This a born again man now. But he hadn't been born again long. And he still kind of fouled up.
Now when the apostles were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost, for as yet he was fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid there their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. When Simon say that through the laying ... See, he saw it. He saw something. When he saw that through the laying on of the apostle's hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money saying, "Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands, he might receive the Holy Ghost". Peter said unto him, "Your money perish with you because you have thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of God".
Matter. Greek word translated matter here is logos. Utterance. Utterance. He saw and heard them speak in tongues. So that just slays this argument that these people were baptized in the Holy Spirit but did not speak in tongues. Amen. That just does away with that. So somebody say Hallelujah. Glory to God. Praise God. Yeah. Amen. You mark that one off your list. Praise God. They spoke with other tongues, he saw and heard it. And he wanted the gift of the laying on of hands. Glory to God. I don't blame him.
Now then, let's go to Acts chapter nine verse ten. Chapter nine, verse ten. Let's back up here. Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues that he found in any this way, whether there were men or women he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Now, you know what happened in the third verse. Suddenly there shined around about him a light from heaven. He fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why persecute thou me"? He didn't say, "Why are you persecuting my people"? He said, "You're persecuting me".
Now, listen. Listen up. All of you in this room, all of you watching on the Victory Network. Praise God. Listen up. Jesus said, "When you've done it to the least of my brethren, you've done it unto me". Now keep your gossiping mouth shut. Keep your judging mouth shut. You're persecuting Jesus. "Well, I didn't mean to". I know you didn't mean to, but quit it. Just stop it. You may find out it's a habit that needs to be broken. "Well, Brother Copeland, I didn't judge". Really? You mean to tell me that you have never said, "Well, if I had been him, I wouldn't have done that".
If you'd have been him, that's exactly what you'd have done. That's a stupid statement in the beginning. If you'd have been him, that's exactly what you'd have done. Meathead. Love it. That's true. No. That's judgmental. It's critical, it's judgmental. You get into that stuff by habit and so forth. Particularly watching the news and you get mad at politicians. That's right. When Mr. Obama was president, I did not agree with his politics. But I prayed for him. Amen. Pray for him, hold him up before God. Glory to God, hallelujah. I'm obligated to do that. I pray for all men, kings and all that are in authority. Pray for them in the spirit. Because see, I don't know how to pray for him personally. I don't know him.
I walked into my hotel room one night and we used to go and leave the televisions on because back then you didn't have electronic locks and so forth, and it sounded like somebody was in there. And I walked in, I wasn't paying any attention and President Johnson was on the screen, and I ... And the Lord jerked me up. He said, "Do you know him"? I said, "No, sir". "Do you know anybody that knows him"? I said, "No, sir". He said, "Sounds to me like you don't know very much". I said, "Yes, sir. You're right". He said, "Now you pray for him. You hold him up and you just pray in tongues". He said, "I'll take care of the content, but you pray for the man. You pray for him. You're obligated. As a believer, you're obligated. You don't have any right to hate any man. I don't care who he is, or what he is, or where he came from. You may not like Donald Trump. Well, that's between you and God".
So we're beyond politics and that's the power, and that is the reason why praying in other tongues is so vitally important. It is the gateway to stepping out of your mind. Somebody said, "Copeland, you're out of your mind". Yes. I've been out of my mind for a long, long time and I'm not trying to get back in it. I have the mind of Christ and that's the mind of the anointed one, and that's what I'm seeking, that's what I'm yearning for. That's what I'm driving for. That's what I'm looking after. Praise God, that's what I have.
Gloria said it the other day. She said, "Kenneth, it's like this ministry has gotten its second wind". It has. It has. Praise God. Our ministry endorphins are working. Endorphins. What is that second wind? I've never experienced it. But long distance runners have. When the mind yields, particularly Olympic athletes, the people that just won't quit. And you just keep going till you get in the zone. Everything slows down.
What's happening here? Something other than your natural five senses has taken over, and you've stepped over into a place where your body has said, "This fool's not going to quit. So we got to do something here before he kills us". No, God created us that way. That's right. You can do that in the spirit. Amen, yes. Yes, yes. You can step over into that place. Thank you, Lord. Where you are literally out of your mind and into that place with God, where there's no time, there's no distance, there's no physical feelings. You're just over in that spot. Glory to God.
Now, praying in the spirit is the first step into that timeless place. And you first start out like said last night, you first start out, "Oh, glory to God, I'm going to pray for an hour". And you pray for what had to be 30 minutes and you look at your watch and it was three. Well, that's because you're working at it. It's not doing anything. But when you just give yourself to your master, I yield. I'm yours to command, sir. And I yield my spirit, my soul, my body. All the faculties of life to you. And I enter into your rest. And I thank you.
Whether I pray 15 minutes or whether I pray for an hour, or whether I pray for an hour and a half, it matters not. I'm going to spend it worshiping you. And praising you and praying for my president and praying for the nation, and praying glory to God for the leaders of both parties, praise God. This nation's being reborn. And I'm a part of it, glory to God. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Now then, let's get right back into this. Okay.
Now then, trembling and astonished, Saul of Tarsus said, "What wilt thou have me", he said, "Lord". That did it. That got him born again right there. Because he believed in his heart. He said it himself. In the 10th chapter of the book of Romans, he said it himself. For any man that believes in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confesses him as Lord with his mouth, he shall be saved or made sound, whole, delivered, healed. Hallelujah.
So now, now we step down here. There was a certain disciple in verse 10 in Damascus named Ananais. Now, where was Saul headed to start with? Huh? Answer me. Damascus. Well, now isn't that strange? He just thought he was going to Damascus. On his own accord. No. Jesus needed him over there in the first place because that's where Ananais lived. Amen. Glory to God. That's what I call going widescreen. And seeing the little things that bless you so. So now, arise Ananais and go into the street which is called straight, inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold he prays. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananais coming in and putting his hands on him that he might receive his sight.
Now, he wasn't blind by sickness or disease or anything like that. His eyes didn't get injured. He was blinded by that light and the glory. He was still blinded by the light. Ananais answered, "Lord, I've heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem and here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on your name". But the Lord said unto him, "Go your way. He is a chosen vessel unto me to hear my name, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. I will show him how many great things he must suffer for my namesake". Ananais went his way and entered into the house putting his hands on him, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest has sent me that thou might receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost".
Well, now wait a minute. The Lord didn't say anything about him being filled with the Holy Ghost. Yes, he did. When? On the way. He didn't quit talking to him. Just because he left his house and went over there where he was. He's still talking with him. Now, that's what Jesus said to him when he saw him in the vision, Ananais. But on the way, he obviously said, "Now, I want him baptized in my spirit". So he carried out the mission. But he didn't say anything about him speaking with tongues.
Well, I Corinthians 14:18, "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all". This Corinthian bunch is a tongue talking bunch of people. The Classic Amplified says, "I speak with tongues more than all of you put together". Well, you know when he spoke in tongues. He spoke in tongues when Ananais put his hands on him. Because he received the Holy Ghost when he put his hands on him. He got born again out there on that road. He put his hands on him and he spoke with other tongues. Amen. Amen. Somebody needs to say amen with more gusto than that. Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Acts chapter 10. Thank you, Lord. You getting anything out of this now?
Acts chapter 10, verse 44. While Peter, let's back up. I don't want to just start there. Let's go. This is when Peter came to Ananais's house. Now, this is 10 years after the day of Pentecost. And up to that time, it was strictly a Jewish church. They either had not thought about it, or did not believe that a Gentile could be born again, or just ... I don't think had actually really occurred to them. They are really busy here. They've had 10 years of a lot of action. And then you know the story, Peter was hungry and he's up on the housetop and he fell in a trance and he saw the sheet let down three times, and then he sent him to Ananais's house. Verse 34. Peter opened his mouth and said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation, he that fears him and work of righteousness is accepted with him".
Now, here it is. Jesus preached this message from Isaiah 61, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor". The word, which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. Excuse me. That word I say you know, which was published throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good. What was the good he went about doing? Matthew chapter nine. He went about teaching, preaching, and healing.