No matter how complex or chaotic the world gets, our response can always be the same
Leave it to Jesus to answer with four words the questions all the newscasters and pundits in the world can’t answer with a million. Leave it to Him to solve today’s complex problems with a Scripture verse so simple even a child can understand it and so broad it covers every possible situation.
“Have faith in God,” He said in Mark 11:22.
“But Brother Copeland, what are we going to do about the economy?”
Have faith in God.
“What are we going to do about the government?”
Have faith in God.
“What are we going to do if countries around the world go bankrupt or if there’s a flu pandemic?”
Have faith in God.
“Oh, come on. That can’t be the answer to everything,” someone might argue. “Jesus said those words 2,000 years ago, and times have changed. Problems are more serious than they used to be. This world’s in a bigger mess.”
I know it. That’s what’s so great about Mark 11:22—the person who bases his life on it never has to change his lifestyle to suit the times, the economy or anything else. Faith in God never changes because God never changes. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever!
Gloria and I can personally attest to this. We started learning how to live by faith more than 45 years ago. I was a student at Oral Roberts University. We didn’t have much of an income, and although God had called me to preach, I didn’t have a single invitation.
But we’d gotten the revelation that Jesus is the source of our life and that He’s the supplier of all our needs and desires. So we sat down at the little table Gloria had made, took Communion and committed ourselves and our ministry to the Lord. We promised Him that we’d never ask for a place to preach, we’d never preach anywhere based on a financial arrangement, and we’d never ask or pressure anyone for money.
While we were still praising and worshipping the Lord at our little homemade table, the phone rang. I answered to find it was my pastor, Brother Harold Nichols, in Fort Worth, Texas. He was calling to ask me to preach at his church a few days later.
I accepted the invitation and went to Fort Worth, intending to preach Friday, Saturday and Sunday—and I wound up preaching a series of meetings that lasted three weeks! We had a glorious time, and I’ve been busy ever since.
Of course, that was just the beginning for us. We’ve learned a lot more about having faith in God since then (and I’m sure we’ll be learning for all eternity). But there are three things in particular we’ve discovered that every Christian needs to know.
Have faith in the Word. To have faith in God is to have faith in His Word. The two can’t be separated because God and His Word are one. As John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Having faith in the Word means believing we are what the Word says we are, that we can do what the Word says we can do and that we can have what the Word says we can have.
Have faith in love. Since God is love (1 John 4:8), having faith in God means having faith in love. We must believe in the love God has for us and have confidence that when we keep His command to love one another (v. 11), we’ll be blessed as a result. Stated another way, we must believe that, in the end, love always prevails.
Have faith in light. The Bible not only says God is love; it also says God is light (1 John 1:5). Therefore, having faith in God means having faith in light. When you do this, you rest assured that everything you need to know to triumph in every situation will be revealed to you. You know that because you’re a child of the light, the wisdom of God is inside you.
It doesn’t matter how messy this world gets or how many crises it goes through. If you keep believing God and operating by faith in His Word, His love and His light, you’ll never have to change your lifestyle to suit the times.
You won’t have to listen to the newscasters and the pundits to find out what to do. While they’re still asking a million questions, wondering how we’re going to handle the economy, the government and everything else, you’ll already have the four-word answer that never changes: Have faith in God!
Kenneth Copeland is known worldwide as a speaker, author, television minister and recording artist. He and his wife, Gloria, lead Kenneth Copeland Ministries, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Learn more about Kenneth Copeland Ministries at www.kcm.org.
