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.

Battlefield Of The Mind For Teens - Part II

Joyce Meyer

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Settling Disputes

Os Hillman

Proverbs 18:18 - Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

We prayed about it. We discussed it. My friend had one desire; I had a different one. "Okay, let's settle the issue the way the early Church settled matters when an agreement could not be achieved. Let's flip a coin."

"You must be joking!" my friend lamented.

"No, the early Church cast lots often to determine a course of direction or even select the disciple who would take Judas' place."

"Okay," my friend agreed. We flipped the coin and the matter was quickly settled.

In the Old Testament there are many examples of casting lots for determining a decision. We hear little of this method today. Most of us do not want to release the decision process to this seemingly "flippant" process; yet the Lord says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Prov. 16:33). Flipping a coin is the equivalent to casting a lot. It removes our own opinions and leaves the final outcome to the Lord. Pray before you take such an action. It will surprise you who is willing to submit a decision to the Lord and who isn't. It removes the element of control from both parties.

I believe the Lord would first have us make decisions through agreement and continued prayer for the decision. However, there are times when this approach can be the quickest and simplest. It removes each person's temptation to lord it over the other. Cast the lot and settle the dispute.

Think on These...

FreshOutlook magazine

We should all be like tea; our real strength
appearing when we get in hot water.

You have matured when keeping a secret gives you
more satisfaction than spreading one.

Whatever you begin in anger will end in shame.

A little lie is like a little pregnant, it doesn’t
take long and everyone knows.

Pride makes us artificial, humility makes us real.

A man wrapped up in himself makes a
very small package.

Go the extra mile, it is never crowded.

Battlefield Of The Mind For Teens - Part I

Joyce Meyer

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Our Counselor

Os Hillman

John 14:26 - But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

I was driving down the interstate feeling discouraged from an appointment I had just had. A former employee's company was seeking to displace me and my company as their source for our services. It had been one of many difficult events during those months. As I was driving, some words popped into my mind, No weapon formed against you shall prosper. I could not tell you where those words came from other than I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking them to me; I knew they were in the Bible. I knew they were in the Old Testament.

When I returned to my office that day, I searched for the key words in my concordance and found the verse. "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you" (Is. 54:17a).

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind us of the things He desires us to know. There are times in our lives when the Holy Spirit speaks into our spirit words designed to encourage us or give us what we need at the moment. That is just one of the roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. The more you know God's Word, the more often you'll recall verses the Holy Spirit will bring to mind for a given situation. Study God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of the things He desires you to know.

1 Peter 2:23

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

Remaining Vertical With God

Os Hillman

1 Peter 2:23 - When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

Have you ever been wrongfully accused? Oh, the need to defend and justify becomes so great. "What will people think if they believe these things are true?" we reason. Imagine what Jesus thought as they hurled insults and threats upon Him. The God of the universe had visited planet earth only to be slandered and accused of blasphemy.

Jesus could have done two things in response. He could have used His power to put the people in their place. He could have responded "horizontally." He could have fixed the problem right then. However, He chose to respond in a different way. He chose to "entrust Himself to Him who judges justly." It requires great faith to entrust ourselves to God in the midst of personal assault. However, if we can do this, we will discover a level of grace and wisdom that will be birthed from this experience that we never thought possible. We will discover a freedom in God we never knew before. Whenever we suffer for righteousness without seeking to protect our reputation and rights, we are placing our total faith in the one who can redeem us. This activates God's grace in our lives and enables us to experience God's presence like never before.

Ask God to give you the grace to stay vertical with Him. Avoid the temptation of responding horizontally each time some event comes into your life that you want to "fix." Entrust yourself to the one who judges justly. It may be a divine appointment for your growth to another level in grace.

God Will Make A Way!

Joyce Meyer

No matter what you may be facing, God is in control! Learn to walk in peace and develop an unshakable trust in an unshakable God.

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My God Shall Provide

Os Hillman

Philippians 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever gone through a time of complete dependence on God for your material needs? Perhaps you lost a job and could not generate income on your own. Perhaps you got sick and could not work. There are circumstances in our lives that can put us in this place.

When God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt through the desolate desert, they had no ability to provide for themselves. God met their needs supernaturally each day by providing manna from Heaven. Each day they would awake to one day's portion of what they needed. This was a season in their lives to learn dependence and the faithfulness of God as provider. By and by, they entered the Promised Land. When they did, God's "supernatural provision" was no longer required. "The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan" (Josh. 5:12). In both cases God was the provider of the need.

For most of us, we derive our necessities of life through our work. Like the birds of the fields we are commanded to go out and gather what God has already provided. It is a process of participation in what God has already provided. Sometimes it appears it is all up to us; sometimes it appears it is all up to God. In either case we must realize that the Lord is our provider; the job is only an instrument of His provision. He requires our involvement in either case.

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

Acknowledge the Lord as the provider of every need you have today. He is a faithful provider.

Pressing Past The Pain Of Feelings - Part IV

Joyce Meyer

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Pressing Past The Pain Of Feelings - Part III

Joyce Meyer

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Pressing Past The Pain Of Feelings - Part II

Joyce Meyer

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Pressing Past The Pain Of Feelings - Part I

Joyce Meyer

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Divine Appointments

Os Hillman

Matthew 10:16 - I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

"Os is now taking over this division. He will be managing all of these activities from now on. You should know that he has a different management philosophy than what you may have experienced before. He has a biblical management philosophy. Os, would you like to explain what they could expect from you in this regard?"

These were the words spoken to me by a non-Christian CEO recently when he decided to increase my responsibilities in the company. We had never spoken of spiritual issues before.

Each business day, you and I will have the opportunity to stand before presidents, marketing directors, secretaries or other coworkers to create a defining moment. When that happens, there is a good chance you will be thought of as someone to avoid. You might be considered "religious" or "fanatic." If so, consider this a great compliment because it says you are standing apart from the crowd.

Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matthew 10:17-20).

You may never be flogged for your faith. However, you may very well be brought before others to give account for what you believe. It may be at a water cooler, or it could be during lunch with a coworker. In whatever situation you find yourself, the Holy Spirit awaits the opportunity to speak through your life to that person who needs to hear. Ask the Lord whom He wants to speak to today through your life.

Never Say...No Way! - Part I

Joyce Meyer

The Spirit of God lives inside you. He wants to guide you and provide for you each and every day. Discover how, with Him as your source, you never need to say, “There’s no way!”

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Lifebit

FreshOutlook Magazine

Attitudes are contagious…

is yours worth catching?
Hebrews 1:9

Laugh a Little...

FreshOutlook Magazine

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall
never cease to be amused.

One day, Joe, Bob and Dave were hiking in a wilderness area when they came upon a large, raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no idea of how to do so. Joe prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the strength to cross this river."

Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim across the river in about two hours, although he almost drowned a couple of times.

Seeing this, Dave prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the strength and the tools to cross this river."

Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in about an hour, after almost capsizing the boat a couple of times.

Bob had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength and the tools, and the intelligence, to cross this river."

Poof! God turned him into a woman. She looked at the map, hiked upstream a couple of hundred yards, and then walked across the bridge.