Kenneth Copeland - Wisdom in the Intersection
— Hello everybody, I'm Kenneth Copeland. This is my grandson, Jeremy Pearsons. And this is the Believer's Voice of Victory broadcast. We're talking about wisdom from God is the principle thing. Not a principle thing and it is extremely available by faith. Everything you receive from God has to be received by faith. You have to speak the end results. You have to call things that be not as though they were. So thank God I have the wisdom of God. So here it is. Read that first scripture that you have there for today.
— Well, yesterday we looked at what Pawpaw just said, Proverbs 4:7 that wisdom is the principle or you could say it like this, it's the priority. And you know you said something and that's what the scripture said when he told you to get it, that ought to tell you it's available.
— And it says by His wisdom, He created everything. He's just a whole lot smarter than we are and His wisdom it doesn't say it's hidden from us. This book right here says it is hidden for us, for the righteous. Well, if you know Jesus as your Lord and savior, you've been made the righteousness of God in Him. In fact, before we go any further, Jeremy, let me read this 1 Corinthians 1:30. Verse 29. No, verse 28. "God had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God had chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Base things of the world and things which are despised have God chosen yea and the things which are not to bring to nothing things that are. That no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him, are you in Christ Jesus who is of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness and sanctification and redemption".
— Yes, He is our wisdom.
— He is our wisdom and He is right in here.
— Yes. Yeah. Well, yesterday you know we were talking about this path that I've been on with Sarah and our kids over the last number of years. And the short version of my story is this is the house I grew up in. I affectionately refer to it as the household of faith.
— The household of faith.
— And I mean, I wouldn't trade that for anything. And I'm so thankful and honored now to be in our own ministry. And like we talked about yesterday, holding on to the things that we've been given, but not just to keep them so that we can leave them. So that nothing stops with you, doesn't stop with me. It lives on. Sarah and I are bringing up two in our own household of faith right now. We were here in Texas and I'd spent my whole life here. And when Sarah and I got married, we were serving mom and dad and Mimi and Pawpaw here in the ministry. And in 2010, we stepped out into our own ministry. And we had Colorado in our hearts in a strong way about being there. But it wasn't for almost 10 years later that we finally ended up there. And the way we did it when the Lord spoke to us, and like I said yesterday, woke all that up on the inside of us again about being in Colorado. He directed me to Proverbs 1. Now I want you to see this in verse 20 because we're talking about the wisdom of God. And we're connecting it to the Word of the Lord that came through Brother Copeland about 2022, the year of correction, direction, protection and perfection. And I think a lot of people would rather it be the year of direction, protection and perfection without being the year of correction. But you don't get direction, protection and perfection without hearing for some correction. And when the Lord spoke that to us about taking that step towards Colorado, we were already in the middle of some things here in Texas. And like we said before, we had bought some property and we were building out and we were trying to buy some more. And I said, "Lord, what is this? I thought we were heading in the right direction here". And what He said to us was, "It's still the same assignment. I just want you to do it here". And the Word He gave us was course correction. And this is where He took me here, Proverbs 1:20. Listen to this. "Wisdom calls aloud outside. She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses. At the openings of the gates in the city, she speaks her words". Listen to it from the Amplified Bible the Classic Edition says it like this. "Wisdom cries aloud in the street. She raises her voice in the markets". Listen to this one. "She cries at the head of the noisy intersections". When you're thinking about the wisdom of God and like Pawpaw mentioned a moment ago, it is the wisdom of God. We know by the wisdom of God, the worlds were created. We know that the wisdom of God is the principle thing. We know that the wisdom of God is worth more than gold. It's worth more than silver. It's worth more than rubies. And you would think that something so precious, something so high and lofty and valuable that God would put this in a sacred holy place. I think other traditions and religions might tell you, "the wisdom is available, but it's at the top of this mountain and you got to climb the mountain. And there's a 400-year-old little bald man sitting there and you get three questions that you get to ask him and you can have the wisdom".
— I always thought when I was just a young lad, you only get three requests. The third one should be I request three more. Each time, the third one should be I request three more, but anyway.
— But you can go back and read what we just did and ask yourself, "What is so sacred about these places that God would put this wisdom here? What's so holy about these places"? You want to know what the answer is? Nothing. There's nothing special about them. There's nothing special about the streets. Nothing special about the markets. Nothing special about the intersections, but why would God put His wisdom there? Because that's where you are.
— That's it.
— That's where I am. That's where I'm living my life. Every day of our lives we're out there in the streets. Every day of our lives we're in the markets. Every day of our lives we're in these intersections. So that's where God put wisdom. And on top of all of that as born again believers living on this side of it, it's all in here. There is a grace deposit of wisdom that's been made and faith draws it up. Every day of your life you're getting in the car. You're out there in the street. Guess who else is sitting there? Wisdom. You get in the car, you look over, wisdom's going, "Hey, what's up? What you need"? Every day you notice we're in the markets, plural. So whether you're talking supermarket or stock market, guess who else is there? The wisdom of God crying out, raising her voice. Now, This is the one that really got my attention. The Lord said, "He put His wisdom in the intersection". Did you notice that? What is an intersection? You come up to them every day. We all do. We're in the car, heading down the road we come up to an intersection. An intersection is a place where you have to make a choice about the direction you're going to take.
— Yes, that's right.
— That's what an intersection is.
— I have placed before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, you choose life.
— You're at an intersection.
— You're at an intersection.
— What direction am I going to take here? Am I hanging a left? Am I taking a right? Do I keep going the way I'm going? Well, the good news is wisdom is right there to help.
— Back years ago, I came up to an intersection. There were cars here at a signal line. I moved over into this right lane because there was nobody there. And I was going through the intersection. It all looked really good, but then I passed these other cars up and the light was absolutely green. Well, thank You, Jesus. And I got up into that intersection and here came a guy, he ran that red light and he hit that car. I wound up in the front seat on my back sideways looking straight up unhurt. And this is back during the time when had I been killed, it had been very bad, very bad.
— In an eternal sense.
— Yes. But I didn't inquire the Lord. It never occurred to me. And I'm thinking about the people, it never occurs to them. That looks like the way to go. That looked like the way to go to me... like to kill me.
— There is a way that seems right.
— There is a way that seems right. That's what I was thinking about. Go ahead.
— Well, listen to the next verse.
— Now, let me ask you this. Why since it's the wisdom of God and it says she cries out?
— Mm-hmm. You asked it, you answer that one.
— Because she will give birth to the perfect will of God.
— Thank You, Lord.
— She will give birth. The way that looked right to me in 1966 was to drive to Houston, Texas, take over the music at Hilton Sutton's church. And I said, "Hilton, I think," which was a lie because I knew. "I think the Lord wants me to go to Oral Roberts University". That was the first year of the school. "Kenneth, he said, "That no doubt will be a good school," but he said, "I can teach you everything that they can teach you". They could, but that wasn't the will of God because I was destined to become the spiritual son of Oral Roberts, not Hilton Sutton. Halloween night 1966, I'd liked... kill the whole family because of the way that looked good to me. After going back and looked at that car, it should have killed me. Now, no patted dashes, no airbags. That the steering column had hit me in the chest and wrapped that steering wheel all the way around the steering column. I was a little sore. Gloria's head hit the dashboard so hard there was a half moon dent, a deep one in the dashboard. Should have killed her. John was a little baby on a pillow in the front seat. His little body went across that gear shift here. And when I saw the car, I just was going to cold chills. It pulled that gear shift out by its roots. It broke his arm and some ribs broken looses in his back. Should have killed him. Kellie was untouched because she was in the back seat. The back seat was all right. She would've been left an orphan. That was the devil's plan. This ministry would never have existed because of something that looked right to me and I knew better than to do it, but God.
— Thank You, Lord.
— My dad and mother came and picked us up the next day. We went and looked at that car and it was totally completely demolished, except for the back seat and the trunk. And my dad said, "Kenneth, what are you doing next week"? I said, "I don't know daddy, nothing I guess". He said, "You know we're partners with Oral Roberts' ministry"? I said, "Yes, sir". He said, "You know from time to time, they have seminar there at the university". I said, "Yes". He said, "Well, they have one starting next week and instead of getting one invitation, we got two. Would you and Gloria like to go"? And the first vision of its kind, the last of its kind I ever had set this ministry on this course. I got corrected big time. I was already directed, but I refused it. I disobey it and liked to kill our whole family. But it looked like the thing to do to me. I knew better. And if I'd obeyed God I'd have been there not in January the 24th, but at the beginning of the year. And that car would've been a collector's item today instead of in a junk heap somewhere.
— Well, listen, I mean all that's right here in these scriptures.
— Yes it is.
— Because this goes on after talking about wisdom in the intersection, this is what wisdom's crying out. "How long you simple ones will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge". Verse 23. What's it say? Turn, turn. You're in an intersection. What do you do there? You're making a decision about direction. Wisdom's crying out turn. And I want to say this to those of you watching right now. We are right here at the beginning of a new year. And it's no coincidence that the Lord is saying this to you right now.
— That's right.
— You're in an intersection. And there's a lot of people that treat the beginning of the year that way. And that's a good thing. You're making decisions. You're making choices about the direction you're headed in, your family's headed in, your ministry is headed in. And the good news is you don't have to make that on your own. The wisdom, the wisdom of God that created the heavens and the earth. The wisdom of God that's more valuable than all the gold, than all the silver is crying out to you, crying out to us. Are you hearing it? Turn. That's the Word of the Lord. Turn. And that is how we got, you were asking about how we got to Colorado. We made a turn. The Lord said, "Turn".
— Now, the next thing it is says, "Look".
— Yeah, but turn, verse 23. Turn at what? My rebuke. That's correction. And we'll go however you see fit or what the Lord says over the next few broadcasts. I believe we can see this in scripture why people are missing their turn and it's dangerous. You've already heard it.
— Oh yes.
— You've already heard it. But there are reasons why people are missing their turn in life and they parallel so much to you and I driving down the road in these cars. You ever missed a turn heading somewhere? I know I have. I know you have. And there's reasons why. And I believe the Lord will answer some of those questions for us.
— Look at the 25th verse. "But you have set at nought or nothing all my counsel and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity. I'll mock you when your fear comes".
— It's serious.
— He didn't have any choice. Now, look at this. I was searching. I had a hard time with my weight and it's right here, right here in this book. So I looked up and you can do the same thing. I looked up the word glutton, but the word glutton is coupled with the word drunkard. So they have to be treated same way. For some reason or another, you have to break the hold that coffee has on you, which I had to do that because it was damaging. I abused it and it was damaging my joints from the acid and so forth. And here's what the Lord taught me how to do, Jeremy. It was so simple. I tried to quit. And you get that old sick, ugly headache and drink just a simple coffee for it to go away. I was so addicted to it that you get back to it again. I took an ole green bag I carried, a can of Folgers and my little Farberware coffee pot. Gloria and I both were Folgers drinkers, I took all of that, put it on a plate because I learned this from Kenneth Hagin. If you need the wisdom and the knowledge of God, separate yourself for at least three days fast and pray until it comes. I've never been the whole three days. Well, there's been several times it came. The morning when I woke up the third day. That's what I was doing at a friend's lake house. I took all of that, put it on a plate. And this is what the Lord instructed me to do. This was His wisdom. He said, "I cannot press that away from you and say this". So I said it. "Coffee, I have no need of thee again hereafter forever in the name of Jesus. Amen. I'm done with you". What am I doing? Calling things that be not as though they were, as though I had never had a cup of coffee in my life. And that day until this, I have never desired a cup of coffee. Amen.
— Yeah.
— It was gone. I had no withdrawal of it. It was gone. Why? I spoke to it according to the wisdom of God. That's what I was there for.
— Yeah. Now here's the connection we have to make. When wisdom comes in the form of correction like we're talking about, the Book of Hebrews says, "Whom the Lord loves He corrects". If we are not on a regular basis receiving correction, there's a whole facet of the love of God we're not experiencing. And that same passage says that, "He corrects as a father does His children". If you're not receiving that kind of correction right there, there's a whole part of your father that you're not accessing. You're missing out on this whole father-son, father-daughter relationship. He loves me so He corrects me.
— Oh, glory to God.
— And we have to make that connection.
— The longest trip in an airplane. I don't care how long it is. The times that I've been in the Citation X, flown it to Hawaii, flown it to Australia, flew to Fiji is a trip of little minute corrections. And you get out over the ocean and now thank God for satellite because it's making little minute corrections thousands of times a second. But you still have to back that up because the satellite might go down. And we flew across there back in the olden days when there was no satellite navigation. I remember going across there in a Jetstar and you didn't have that kind of navigation, but it's course correction all the time.
— All the time.
— You don't just sit there fat, dumb and happy until you get so far off course that you can't do this and do that because you're out of gas.
— But it's happening, an unwillingness to correct.
— That's it.
— And people end up, "Where am I"?
— They're just not paying any attention to it. Everything looks good. I mean, nothing like... What in the world was that? Amen.
— Yeah. It's serious stuff, but I'm telling you when you're living on the right side of it, there is no more joy than knowing you are in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing with the right people.
— And you can write your Partner Letter on the right subject instead of the one you thought you were going to write it on in the first place. And we're out of time again. Come on, Jeremy and I will be back here in a little bit. Give the Lord a praise. Hallelujah.