Today: Mar 28, 2007

Turn Your Losses Around

Kenneth Copeland

"But God's free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass...For if many died through one man's falling away--his lapse, his offense--much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift [that comes] through...Jesus Christ, abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many." (Romans 5:15, Amp)

If you ever need someone to tell you how to turn things around, go to God. He's an expert on the subject. He's suffered more losses than anyone who's ever lived.

Just think about it. He lost Lucifer, His top-ranked, most anointed angel. And He lost at least a third of His other angels as well when Lucifer fell. Then He lost the man and woman He had created; and because He'd given them dominion over the earth, when He lost them, He lost it too. Any way you figure it, that's a lot of real estate down the drain!

Yet, in spite of all that, God is no loser. He's the greatest winner of all time. Do you know why? Because He knows how to turn the losses around. He knows how to use the law of giving and receiving to transform losses into gains.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over" (Luke 6:38).

Isn't that staggering? He had every option that exists to choose from to redeem the things He'd lost. He had all wisdom and all power available to Him. Out of all that, the law of giving is what He chose to use.

He gave the most irreplaceable thing He had: His only Son. Then He backed that gift with His own faith. And when the law of giving and receiving had done its work, the Almighty Father God received not only His first begotten Son, but millions of other sons as well.

Don't despair over your losses. Redeem them the same way God redeemed His. Give and put the most powerful principle in the universe to work for you.

Scripture Study: John 3:12-21

Proverbs 28

¹ The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

² When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

³ A ruler ^[a] who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law resist them.

⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

⁶ Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

⁷ He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

⁸ He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest
amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

⁹ If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable.

¹⁰ He who leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into his own trap,
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

¹¹ A rich man may be wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

¹³ He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴ Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD,
but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

¹⁶ A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment,
but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

¹⁷ A man tormented by the guilt of murder
will be a fugitive till death;
let no one support him.

¹⁸ He whose walk is blameless is kept safe,
but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

¹⁹ He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

²⁰ A faithful man will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

²¹ To show partiality is not good—
yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²² A stingy man is eager to get rich
and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

²³ He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue.

²⁴ He who robs his father or mother
and says, "It's not wrong"—
he is partner to him who destroys.

²⁵ A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

²⁶ He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

²⁷ He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

²⁸ When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;
but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

Seekers of God

Os Hillman

Psalms 53:2 - God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Are you a man or woman who is a seeker of God? The Lord delights in seeing those children of His who truly understand the meaning of life and why there is only one thing worth seeking-God Himself.

I can always tell when I have not been seeking God. The cares of this life, the urgent over the important, and the petty irritations-these are the symptoms of a life that has not been in the presence of God. Do we understand, really understand? That is the question God raises to each of us today. If we understand, then why do we spend day after day toiling and fretting over what doesn't matter? Can we set proper boundaries in our lives that don't allow our time with Him to be continually stolen away? It is a challenge in a world that screams "activity, activity!"

Do you have a consistent time of seeking Him in your life? Are you committed to developing that intimacy with your Lord that He so desires? If not, ask Him today to help you. This is the longing of His heart. Ask Him to make it the longing of your heart. Then you will demonstrate to Him that you understand, and you will be a seeker of God.