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SHINE HIS LIGHT ON Stress

Day 5: Dare to Shine His Light on Stress

by Kenneth Copeland

 

Christmas is just weeks away, and many of you are probably feeling stressed. Starting around Thanksgiving time, it seems that the stress level in the atmosphere goes up a few notches, and it increases every day until Christmas.

If you’re like a lot of people, stress at Christmas is yet another load you must carry, on top of your “normal,” day-to-day stress. And if that’s not bad enough, some people even believe that a little stress is healthy, while others brag about how stressful their lives are. It’s as if being stressed has become a badge of honor, and whoever has the most stress wins!

Nothing could be further from the truth. Stress is burden, overload, pressure and anxiety, and you were not created to lug that weight around with you every day. So, what’s the answer?

The world says to cope with it, and offers everything from books and seminars to expensive counseling sessions to help you live with it. But the Bible says don’t cope with stress—get rid of it!

Does this situation sound familiar?

You go to bed at night with something on your mind. You’re trying to understand: How am I going to get out of this? What are we going to do?

You go over the whole thing in your mind, but you don’t have an answer. So, you go back through the whole thing again, still without an answer. You try to go to sleep, but you can’t let the problem go. So you spend most of the night rehearsing the entire situation, slowly going over every detail step by step. And by the time you get through it again, you don’t have any more answers than you did at the beginning.

The answer to your problem wasn’t in your head. In fact, it only made matters worse because now you’re frustrated and tired. Your problem is still there, so what should you do?

 

Rest in Him

Proverbs 3:5 exposes the source of stress and gives us the answer to it: “Trust in The LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

If you’re leaning to your own understanding about something, you don’t understand that you’re in a mess. Stress is caused not by hard work but by failing to find the right object of our trust. The way out of that mess, and the stress of it, is to trust in The LORD with all your heart.

If we’re going to have a Proverbs 3:5 answer to that challenge, we will need to remember what trust is. Noah Webster, in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, defined trust as: “Resting the mind on the integrity, veracity, friendship and sound principles of another person.”

 

Take No Thought

How do you rest your mind on God? In Matthew 6:24-34, KJV, Jesus repeated the answer to that question five times: Take no thought. No thought about your life, what you will eat, drink, wear. In other words, health, safety and provision.

Now if you’ll think about it, those basic necessities of life that Jesus said to take no thought about are at the root of nearly all our stresses.

The word mammon (verse 24) literally means “money.” Notice that Jesus didn’t say that you can’t have money and serve God; He said you can’t serve money and serve God. Serving money is constantly worrying about getting your needs met by the world’s ways or system.

You shouldn’t be serving money. Money should be serving you as you serve God and others with your money.

 

Let God Do the Adding

Now the fact that we need to be trusting God—not money; not the world’s way of doing things—is not new to us. The challenge has been the process. How do we “take no thought” about those basic needs of life? How do we stop relying on a lifetime of training in how to be our own gods by taking care of ourselves?

If you’re not going to take thought about the needs of this life, which your heavenly Father already knows about, then you are going to have to take thoughts about something else.

In verse 33, Jesus tells us what we are to think about: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God [His covenant; His way of doing things], and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33, KJV).

Do you see where our stress has come from? Instead of having God add to us what we need, and the dreams and desires of our hearts, we’ve been trying to add them to ourselves.

When you think about it, there are only three ways we can add to ourselves, and none of them work very well. One, you can steal. You know better than to do that. Two, you can borrow. That doesn’t benefit anyone except the credit card company. Three, you can work hard and save. That’s good, but the world can do that, and even that is not enough if you don’t have the grace of God in it.

Obviously, we’re not supposed to add to ourselves. If we seek first the kingdom of God, all these things will be added to us. That’s God’s way.

 

Better Plans Than You Can Dream

The next time the devil tries to trouble you to take some of those worried thoughts about the basic needs of life, remind him what Jesus said in Matthew 6:32. Tell him, “No, I’m not taking those thoughts. My heavenly Father knows I have need of those things. So, I’ll continue to focus my thinking on His covenant promises to me.”

If the thought comes that you’ll never have anything if you don’t figure out how to do it yourself, remember to consider the lilies of the field that “toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you?” (verses 28-30, KJV).

God has plans to meet your needs and desires on a scale much grander than even the glory of Solomon’s wealth and possessions.

 

Get Rid of the Stress This Christmas

What can you do about stress this Christmas? Get rid of it! Trust God with your whole heart, take no thought about your basic needs, and seek the kingdom of God first.

Refuse to worry! Fill your mind with the promises God has given you. Speak and act on God’s WORD in faith. Consider Jesus—not your body, your finances or your situation—and give the care of your harvest to Him.

Then turn over. And go to sleep!

 

Dare to Shine His Light on Stress This Christmas!

  • Are you worrying or “taking thought” about the basic needs of life —what you will eat, drink and wear? Make a list of all the worries you’re carrying and put them in categories. How many are considered basic needs?
  • Remember, God knows you have these needs, and He promises to take care of you. Choose to roll the care and the worry of these basic needs onto The LORD. Most importantly, refuse to take them back! Release them to Him in faith, and ask Him to do a tangible work in your life.
  • If you’ve accepted stress as a normal part of life, it’s time to renew your mind in The WORD of God! Study and memorize verses about peace, joy and casting your cares upon Him. Let them sink into your spirit until they become a natural part of your thinking.
  • Whenever you are tempted to worry or stress about a situation, say out loud, “I take no thought about that! God has provided for me, and I receive it in Jesus’ Name!”

SHINE HIS LIGHT ON The Circle of Blessing

Day 4: Dare to Shine His Light on the Circle of Blessing

by Gloria Copeland

 

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is a beautifully arranged, fresh pine wreath. With accents of pine cones and lights, it adds so much to any room at Christmas. You might have one on your door or over your fireplace, and you likely see them everywhere you go this time of year.

Have you ever wondered what a Christmas wreath symbolizes? Tradition says that the evergreen represents growth and everlasting life. Those made with holly branches have thorns, representing the thorns of Jesus’ crown.

But, what about its circular shape? With no beginning nor end, this symbolizes eternity. There’s something special about that shape, isn’t there? And it’s about more than just Christmas wreaths.

All you have to do is spend a little time examining God’s wonderful creation and you’ll start to see a pattern—God uses circles. He must, because nature is full of them.

Drop a rock in a still pond and you’ll see rings of circles spreading out. The earth spins on its axis, making the sun appear to circle our sky. In fact, the whole universe seems to be spinning and dancing in circles.

The other day as I was reading the Word, I discovered another amazing circle—one that I believe is God’s favorite. It certainly is one of mine: “Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best. He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 25:12-13, TLB).

Most people want to know how to choose the best in life. I know I do. Well, according to this wonderful verse, God Himself will teach us how, if only we will reverence Him and put Him first in our lives.

 

Learn to Choose the Best

If you go out and about this time of year, you’ll see people examining poinsettia plants, squeezing produce, and comparing gifts in an attempt to choose just the right one. We like to choose the best when it comes to planning for Christmas festivities.

What about choosing the best when it comes to God?

I’ve noticed that for many believers, one of the biggest obstacles to moving into the good things of God is that they simply haven’t learned how to choose the best. I know that was certainly the case when Ken and I were just starting out.

To a large extent, your quality of life today is a product of the choices you made yesterday. And the choices you make today—the words you choose to speak, the thoughts you choose to meditate on, the people you choose to associate with—will determine your quality of life in the future.

The wonderful truth is, when we put God and His Word first, He will do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20, KJV).

God has shown Himself to be the One who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all I can ask or think so many times, I’ve almost stopped being surprised by what He does.

Whatever it may be—God’s plan is the highest and the best. And as we put Him first, He’s faithful to put us on the road to fulfilling that plan by teaching us to “choose the best.”

 

A Change of Address

If you’ve put God and His Word first in your life, you have a new address! No matter where your house is located, you’re living on Blessing Circle. Furthermore, everywhere you go, that circle follows you. It is around you! It is a zone of increase and protection that surrounds you wherever you go.

You can go to the deepest jungle and that circle of blessing will follow you because it is not based on your external circumstances but rather on the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God. It ought to be that wherever you go, not only are you blessed, but everyone around you is blessed because of your presence.

I believe this circle of blessing is what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote: “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12, NIV).

Do you see it? Can you picture an invisible shield of God’s favor and blessing surrounding you wherever you go?

What does it mean to live in God’s circle of blessing?

When you live in God’s circle of blessing, you prosper in every area of your life—materially, physically, emotionally and, of course, spiritually (Psalm 25:13).

I like the way the King James Version renders it. It says: “His soul shall dwell at ease….”

Would you like to dwell at ease even with a hectic Christmas season schedule and preparing for family visits?

Living in this special place reserved for those who put God first in everything means being able to “dwell at ease.” Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t work hard or face challenges. But it does mean we walk in peace. And it means freedom from having to strive or worry about getting our needs met.

 

Show and Tell Time

By observing our lives, people in the world ought to see that there is a God and that He is a good God. By looking at our lives, looking at the way we conduct ourselves, and seeing the circle of blessing around us, they should be able to discern the glory of God and desire to know Him like we do.

This Christmas, let those around you see that your circle of blessing is much bigger than the wreath on your front door!

 

Dare to Shine His Light on the Circle of Blessing!

  • If you haven’t determined in your heart to let the Lord show you the best in life, let Him know that you’d like to live in His circle of blessing. Commit to reverencing His Word, and putting Him first.
  • Declare aloud every day that you live in God’s circle of blessing, and His divine favor surrounds you wherever you go.
  • Make a list of the ways God has blessed you because you have chosen to honor Him. Share that list on your social media page and use hashtags #25DaysofChristmas and #KCM25DayDare.
  • As you spend time with friends or family members, make the most of each encounter. Pray that you will have a positive impression on them, and as a result, they will seek the Source of your peace and joy.

SHINE HIS LIGHT ON Christmas Spending

Day 3: Dare to Shine His Light on Christmas Spending

by Kenneth Copeland

 

The first Christmas was simple. There were no decorations, no feasts, and no Christmas cards or gifts. The only guests were shepherds, who briefly stopped by without expecting to be entertained. The focus was on the One who had come to save the world from sin.

Since then, it seems that Christmas has become more of a sales frenzy than the celebration of the birth of Christ. Statistics show that the average American will go into debt to fund their Christmas spending. The stress related with those expenses can last for months after the snow has melted.

There’s nothing wrong with giving gifts at Christmas. It symbolizes when we received our greatest gift. But, giving and celebrating should be a joy to you and those you wish to bless, and pleasing to the One who has been at every Christmas since the very beginning.

 

The Pressure to Borrow

Some time ago, The LORD told me something that I believe is the reason most of us take part in the world’s system of lending and borrowing. What He told me was simply this:

When you see people in the world who have spiritual problems that they’re trying to answer with material things, that’s materialism.

Having things and money in this lifetime is not bad. It’s the love of things and money that’s wrong (1 Timothy 6:10). Sin creeps in when “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16, KJV) are applied to things and money.

Debt, then, usually comes into play when lust is added to material things.

Why? Because lust brings with it pressure—the pressure to get, the pressure to get more, the pressure to hoard. The list is endless. And all that pressure is based in fear.

Instead of operating according to God’s principles of finances, such as sowing and reaping—taking the time to sow seed and believe God for the harvest—too often we step over into the world’s system which looks faster and easier.

At best, we prefer to have enough faith to believe God for the monthly payments on what our flesh is pressuring us to buy.

Keep in mind, however, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23, KJV).

 

Owe No Man

When Gloria and I were first married, we were $24,000 in debt. In 1967, that was a lot of money.

Going into debt was the only way I knew how to get anything in life. That was the way you bought your car and your house. That was the way you paid for your education and started your own business. Debt was a way of life for everyone—believers and unbelievers, alike.

As we sought The LORD, Gloria and I committed that, whatever we saw in The WORD of God—whether we liked it or not—we would adopt it into our lives immediately.

Well, it wasn’t but a few weeks later that I came across Romans 13:8, KJV: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another…”

 

Owe no man anything?

 

My first thought when I read that was, There goes the whole deal right there…we’ll never have anything!

I grabbed The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, and read the same verse. I just knew this couldn’t be right. “Keep out of debt and owe no man anything,” it said.

That was worse.

Gloria said, “Well…The WORD of God was not written for our disadvantage. It was written for our advantage. I don’t know what this means, but that’s just the way it is.”

Eleven months later, we were completely debt free, and we never were able to figure out how it happened except that it was God. Since then, we’ve never owed any man anything…“but to love one another.”

 

’Tis the Season for Debt Freedom

With the commercialization of Christmas, you may be facing regular temptations to overspend. Keeping up with the neighbor’s outside lights, the kids’ wish lists, and trying to impress out-of-town relatives could lead to a big mess. If you’re already struggling with debt, now isn’t the time to add to your mountain.

Jesus is the greatest gift you or I have ever received. We honor God best by obeying His WORD and being good stewards of what He has entrusted to us. Ask and believe God for what you need or would like to have, but don’t take matters into your own hands. That’s putting your trust in the wrong place.

 

The Covenant Connection

If you think about it, you cannot take out a loan for something without getting into some sort of “covenant agreement.” Whether it’s a simple handshake, or signing a 30-year mortgage, a covenant is being established and you’re stepping into a serious situation.

Borrowing is a replacement covenant. It is going to someone else when you should have gone to God and received through our covenant established in the blood of Jesus.

 

Take Your Place This Christmas

By going into debt, you become the tail, not the head. You can never be the head when you borrow from someone else. You’ll always be the tail. You’ll always be beneath.

What’s more, when we go to someone other than God to get something, we subject ourselves to spiritual forces and elements that are tied in with that person or institution. We open ourselves up for devils to have a shot at us that they didn’t have previously—even when we borrow from born-again believers.

The bottom line is, any time we get unequally yoked, we’re opening ourselves up to trouble. We may not see the effects instantly, but there’s a whole team of demons after us that wasn’t there before.

As you can see, debt is a dangerous business.

Remember, it is God who gives us “power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 8:18, KJV). He is the only financial backer we’ll ever need.

 

Dare to Shine His Light on Spending!

  • Develop a budget for all Christmas-related expenses. Commit to sticking to that budget and paying with cash rather than credit.
  • Honor The LORD with your finances this Christmas. Keep the focus on Him, rather than on acquiring more for the season.
  • Answer His call to care for orphans and widows by planning a financial gift in your Christmas budget.

 

SHINE HIS LIGHT ON Your Heart

Dare to Shine His Light on Your Heart

by Gloria Copeland

The Christmas season is filled with wonder and anticipation. As excitement fills the air, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of wrapping gifts, preparing for guests, and baking goodies for the whole neighborhood.

If you’re preparing to host a party or receive overnight guests, you may also be thinking about where to hide the overflow of wrapping paper, decorating supplies and clutter that may have accumulated in your house.

I have a special room like that in my house. It’s a room most company never gets to see. In the beginning, it had some pieces of exercise equipment in it. And I used them, too—to stack boxes on and prop things up!

Eventually, that room became my official place to put “stuff.” Boxes and boxes of stuff, including Christmas decorations and anything else I needed to hide when guests were coming to stay with us.

Perhaps you have a room or closet like that in your home. A place where things accumulate. A cluttered place.

Did you know your heart can be such a place? It can. And when a child of God’s heart becomes cluttered, it stops being good soil for the Word.

Let me show you what I mean.

The Overcrowded Heart

Jesus uses four types of soil as a picture of the four categories of hearts that are exposed to the Word of God (Mark 4:1-20). The first two categories—the pavement-like heart and the stony-ground heart, never even come close to bearing any fruit. Contrast these people to those in Jesus’ fourth category—the good-soil believers who bear fruit—30, 60 and a hundredfold. These are the ones who see God’s kingdom manifested in their lives. They see His heavenly provision of healing, abundance, miracles and power manifested right here on earth.

But what about that third category of believers? It’s here I believe we find the majority of Christians today. In this group are those who allow “thorns” to choke the Word. Jesus elaborates on this type of heart for His disciples:

And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word; then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless (Mark 4:18-19, AMPC).

As I’ve said, the sad truth is most Christians live here in Category 3. They’re saved. Yet they live “fruitless” lives. Why?

According to Jesus, it’s because, like that room in my house, their hearts have become too cluttered.

We see this truth paralleled in the story of Jesus’ birth. Luke 2:7, KJV, tells us that, after Mary had given birth to Jesus, she “wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

It is important to note the word translated as “inn” is also translated as “house” or “guest room.” Rather than the traditional idea that an inn was without vacancy, it is more likely that Joseph and Mary, who was pregnant and unwed, were actually rejected and turned away from the guest room of a family home.

Forced to stay in a place where animals lived was a foreshadowing of things to come—a world that would reject and shame Christ. A world of people with no room in their hearts to receive Him.

Do you want to have the best Christmas ever? Make room in the “inn” of your heart for Jesus, especially this time of year. You may have received Him as Lord and Savior, but how much of your heart is He allowed to occupy?

The Clutter of Care

Christmastime is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. The most blessed of celebrations. After all, we are celebrating Jesus!

So, how is it that we end up driving in traffic, rushing in and out of stores, frantically baking cookies, and trying not to look frazzled in family portraits? That sounds like a crowded schedule! And it may be crowding your heart with cares, as well.

The first thing Jesus cited in His description of the Category 3 heart was “the cares and anxieties of this world.” And with good reason. You can’t be worried and walk in faith. You’ve got to drive worry out of your life if you want your faith to produce a hundredfold harvest.

You wouldn’t know it now, but I used to be a world-class worrier. In fact, I came from a long line of worriers. In my family, they thought worrying was a virtue. You were irresponsible if you didn’t!

When I discovered that worry wasn’t of God, I knew I needed to make a decision to walk in faith rather than fear. I learned to cast my cares upon the Lord, even when I had much to do (1 Peter 5:7).

Of course, it wasn’t easy at first. When an anxious thought would pop into my mind, I would take it captive. I would say, “No, I refuse to take the care of that. Jesus, in accordance with Your Word, I roll the care of that over on You because I know You care for me.”

Clearing Out the Clutter This Christmas

At Christmastime, we can become so busy and worried with baking, shopping, decorating and planning that we can end up crowding out our relationship with the Lord because there is “no room in the inn.” But you don’t have to clutter your heart with worry. You don’t have to let the thorns of anxiety and fear choke the Word out of your life this Christmas season.

Your best Christmas ever starts with a heart that is good soil for the Word—an uncluttered heart. All clutter of the heart ultimately springs from putting things before God and His Word. As you embrace the joy and excitement of this Christmas season, remember to guard your heart from cares and worries, and make time for the One we are celebrating.

Dare to Shine His Light on Your Heart!

  • Is your heart overcrowded and cluttered? Identify those things you are putting before God and His Word. Repent, and ask God for forgiveness according to 1 John 1:9. Then, commit to giving God and His Word first place.
  • Spend time daily with God, praising Him, praying and studying the Bible.
  • Listen to Bible teaching while you wrap gifts, bake cookies, clean house, etc. Tune in to VICTORY™ network (formerly BVOVN) for 24/7 faith programming from the world’s most-trusted ministers.

SHINE HIS LIGHT ON Christmas

Dare to Shine His Light On Christmas

by Kenneth Copeland

 

The over-commercialization of Christmas has long been a struggle for believers who seek to focus on the real reason for our joy and celebration—the birth of Christ. Even the beloved character Charlie Brown has been voicing his dismay since 1965 in the classic Christmas movie.

A slurry of ads for Black Friday, Black Thursday and Black November arrive in our mailboxes, driveways and doorsteps by storm. Each one is calling us to: Buy more! Give more! Spend more!

Christians have often felt frustrated or discouraged with the focus being placed in the wrong place. Some have even questioned whether it is acceptable for believers to participate.

At the same time, we need to remember that God is the One who instituted the concept of holidays.

He instructed Israel to have feasts and special memorial celebrations in the Old Testament, knowing it is beneficial for mankind to continually remember and praise God for all the good things He has done for them.

Satan is the one who imitates and twists whatever God originally created or instituted. So if anyone is doing the imitating in regard to the celebrating of holidays like Christmas, it is the ungodly, not Christians.

We should make no apologies for wanting to commemorate and thank God for the greatest gift He ever gave us—His precious Son, Jesus.

Instructions for celebrating the life of Jesus are not specified in the New Testament, except for the instructions given regarding Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

But there are certain principles we can follow as we prepare to celebrate this season.

 

Honor The LORD in Whatever We Do

Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

We honor the true meaning of Christmas by celebrating it as an opportunity to renew our minds to the fact that God’s love was lived out before us in the person of Jesus Christ. No longer do we see Jesus as just a little baby, but as a full-grown man raised from the dead, seated at the right hand of Father God, praying for us every moment of the day.

We give gifts and share our love for one another just as God shared His love and gave us the greatest gift of all—Jesus. We spend this time as a worship and praise to our God.

Colossians 2:16 says not to let people judge you of these things. So, again, we remind you to allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide. If you will always keep Christ as the center of each day, then every day belongs to The LORD.

As long as we are celebrating the reality of the One who is the real reason for the celebration, we are not condemned if we enjoy other Christmas traditions.

 

Share His Love With Others

Christmas is a very important time of year. It’s a time of year when the whole world is hearing the message of the birth of Jesus. It’s a time when people are tenderhearted…the perfect time to plant seeds of love in the lives of those you meet.

Sometimes those seeds may just take the form of a kind word in the middle of rush hour shopping. Other times, you may get the opportunity to pray and minister to someone. But whatever the situation, keep a sharp eye out for even the smallest chance to assist people.

I’ve had some outstanding experiences giving a few dollars to someone in need. As they are taking the money, I tell them, “This money is from The LORD Jesus Christ. I serve Him. He is the One who instructed me to help you.”

It’s amazing how many people are ready to hear what you have to say when you say it in love. They’re starved for someone to really care. Be that someone this Christmas season. Spread The WORD about the peace that’s available in Jesus. Tell about His goodwill toward men.

Who knows how many of those small seeds may one day take root and bring one more precious person into the glorious kingdom of God?

 

Remember the Greatest Gift

Jesus was God’s ultimate gift of love—His plan for the world from the beginning. Acts 3:26 says God sent His Son, Jesus, to BLESS you.

The Names of Jesus recorded in Isaiah 9:6—“Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NKJV)—express THE BLESSING and the fullness of our faith, hope and love.
This Christmas, let’s wholeheartedly celebrate the greatest gift ever given, and let’s be purposeful to share the love of Jesus with everyone we meet!

 

Dare to Shine His Light on Christmas!

Let’s remember to be a blessing at every opportunity so that we can show others the love of Jesus:

  • Commit to honor the true meaning of Christmas by keeping Jesus the center of your life every day.
  • Sow seeds of kindness and love by giving someone a compliment or writing someone an encouraging text.
  • Make plans and budget to give to an individual or family in need this Christmas, by either providing money, food or gifts.