It’s time to talk about a life of love. Of course, when say “love” here, I’m not talking about the emotional counterfeit the world calls love. That kind of love is dependent on circumstances and feelings.
God’s love isn’t like that. It’s constant. It’s unconditional. The chief ingredient of the God-kind of love is self-sacrifice for the benefit of the one loved. It continues to love people whether or not it receives a response. Divine love is not self-seeking. It is self-giving.
God doesn’t just love the lovely. He loves the unlovely, too. No matter how bad or mean someone might be, if they’ll turn to Him, He’ll cleanse them and forgive them.
That’s the way God loves us! We see the way He loves us in detail in 1 Corinthians 13:

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails… (verses 4-8, The Amplified Bible).

Now, think again about that question I asked you earlier. How much do you want to succeed in life? Enough to change what you’re saying? Enough to change where your attention is focused? Enough to act on the Word of God even when the rest of the world is telling you it will never work?

If you want it that much, the Word of God guarantees you’ll get your fill of success in life. Good success. Not the kind the world gives, but God’s own brand of success.

Success the world’s way has a price tag of misery attached to it. But Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

I will warn you of this, though. Satan won’t like it if you choose the way of success. He’ll do whatever he can to stop you, and since he knows God’s success formula, he knows exactly what tactics to use.

He’ll pressure you to say negative things. He’ll try to distract you from the Word and get your attention on anything—it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it isn’t the Word.

His goal is to stop your faith. He knows it’s the only force that can cause impossible situations to change.

He also knows that it comes from the Word of God. So when he sees that Word going in your heart and hears it coming out your mouth, he doesn’t just sit there. He starts talking. Doubtful thoughts will come into your mind, thoughts that are just the opposite of what God’s Word says.

But those thoughts don’t become yours unless you believe them and speak them. That’s what he wants you to do, of course. If the Word says you’re healed, he’ll tell you you’re sick. If the Word says you’re forgiven, he’ll say you’re still guilty. If the Word says your needs are met, he’ll tell you they’re not.

But if you won’t let go, if you keep the Word in your mouth and in your heart, you can’t lose. There’s no force the devil can bring against you that will overcome the Word of God. It will make you a winner every time.

So if you’ve been wanting good success and it’s been eluding you, quit wondering whether you have what it takes to make it—and remember instead Who is with you. Then turn to the Word of God and put God’s success formula to work in your life. Start talking it. Start thinking it. Start doing it.

Before long, you won’t be chasing success…it will be chasing you!

Gloria Copeland

One of the greatest enemies of real faith is a thing I call mental assent. People who operate in mental assent read the Word and think they believe it, but when pressure comes, they don’t act on it.

Mental assenters say, “I believe the Bible from cover to cover. I believe I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus because the Bible says so.”

But when sickness actually comes and attacks their bodies, they stop saying, “By His stripes I’m healed,” and start saying, “I’m sick.”

Real faith believes what the Word says even though your eyes and your feelings tell you something different. Faith doesn’t care what the symptoms are. It doesn’t care what the circumstances look like. It’s not moved by what the banker or the doctor or the lawyer or the bill collector says.

Faith in God’s Word will change the symptoms. It will change the bank. It will bring the money to get the bills paid. Faith will turn every defeat into victory. It is God’s success formula!

But you have to give that faith an opportunity to work. You have to keep God’s Word in your mouth and meditate on it in your heart “that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (AMP).

Gloria Copeland

Jeremiah 1:12
Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 30:17
For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.

Joel 3:10
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

Nahum 1:9
What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Matthew 8:2-3
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:16-17
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Matthew 15:30-31
And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 18:18-19
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Gloria Copeland

The words we speak are important. Holding onto our
confession of the living Word will ignite the mercy of God!
Hebrews 4:12-14 says:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there
any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of
him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that
we have a greater high priest, that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession.

We are to keep a faithful confession based on the
Word of God. We can do that because our High Priest has
already been touched with the “feelings of our infirmities”
and “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin” (Hebrews 4:15). On that basis, we are to come boldly
to the throne of grace and as verse 16 says “obtain mercy”
through the mercy of our High Priest, Jesus.

If we cling to confessions of how bad we feel and do not
take hold of mercy, we are not igniting the dynamite. We
are igniting some other force that we did not want to blow.
The wrong words give the devil power he does not rightfully
possess. It is like holding an explosive and giving him the
match. When we confess sickness and disease, we let him
blow us away with our own guns.

The spiritual law of the Word of God is in Mark
11:23 where Jesus said: “That whosoever
shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,
but shall believe that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

That law works on the negative side, as well as the
positive side. If Satan had any power, he wouldn’t have
to use deception. He would just kill us. But, since he is
powerless, the only thing he can do is deceive us by lying
to us. He tries to work and put us into an area where we
will make the wrong confession. If he can get us to say, “I’m
so bored. I’m so no-good. Oh, I’ll never make it. Oh God, I’m
so sick and tired,” he knows we can have whatever we say.

Gloria Copeland

Having mercy available and reaching out to accept it are
two different things. Salvation is here for us to take, but
we can reject it all day long if we want to. If we do that,
the mercy of God will not make any difference in our lives.

It doesn’t matter what you have done. Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. He did not come for the righteous. There
weren’t any. The Bible says Jesus died for the ungodly.
It is up to you to receive the mercy of God.

Paul wanted to encourage us to take hold of mercy. He was
writing to tell us that the great things he experienced did
not happen to him because he was an apostle. They
occurred because he was a believer. He said, “Howbeit for
this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ
might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting”
(1 Timothy 1:16). Paul became a pattern of the mercy of
God for us to follow. Most of us came to the Lord Jesus
Christ either directly or indirectly through His ministry
because he wrote two-thirds of the New Testament.

The Apostle Peter, like Paul, wanted to direct attention
away from himself and the fact that he had walked and
talked with Jesus for three and a half years. He wanted
people to realize the true basis for his ability to receive
mercy and the power to do miracles. When he healed a
lame man, he said to the people who were around, “Why
look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power
or holiness we had made this man to walk” (Acts 3:12). In
other words, he was saying, “It was neither our holiness
nor our calling, but faith in the Name of Jesus that made
this man strong.”

I once knew a quiet, elderly man who was head usher
in a church. His name was Brother Steel. One day he was
a few minutes late coming to church. I found out he had
been fishing that afternoon and had been bitten by a
water moccasin. He pulled up his pant leg and showed me
where the snake had bitten him. I asked him what he did.
He said, “I reached down there and got him and said, ‘I’ll
tell you one thing old boy, in the Name of Jesus the Bible
said if a snake bites you, he ain’t going to hurt you. There
ain’t no way you’re going to hurt me.’ And I just throwed
him away.” He said, “I didn’t feel too good. That’s kind of
the reason I was late to church.”

This man just believed the Bible. Like Paul, he obtained
mercy because without the mercy of God there is not
anyone who can reach down and get a cottonmouth water
moccasin by the hand, curse it in the Name of Jesus and
throw it away. This man did what the Bible commands us
to do, and that is to have faith in the Name of Jesus.

We must first obtain mercy before we can pattern ourselves
after Paul. When Paul was born again, the mercy of
God got down on the inside of him and brought forth a
revelation that I could see. His testimony is a witness to
God’s mercy. In the Bible, we see him first as a killer. Then
we see him as a preacher of the gospel. As a preacher, he
was beaten with rods, lashed with 40 stripes three times,
thrown into dungeons and shipwrecked twice. He experienced
perils from countrymen and fought wild beasts—all
to get the Word of God to people and set them free.

Gloria Copeland

Mark 11:22-24
Once you have planted God’s healing Word in
your heart, you can pray with confidence, knowing you
will receive your healing. Yet, to get results, you must
believe you receive when you pray. That is when God’s
healing power is released in your body.

KJV—And Jesus answering saith unto
them, Have faith in God. For verily I say
unto you, That whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he
shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them.

Amp—And Jesus replying said to them,
Have faith in God (constantly). Truly, I tell
you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted
up and thrown into the sea! and does not
doubt at all in his heart, but believes that
what he says will take place, it will be done
for him. For this reason I am telling you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe—
trust and be confident—that it is granted to
you, and you will [get it].

Moffatt—Jesus answered them, “Have faith
in God! I tell you truly, whoever says to this
hill, ‘Take and throw yourself into the sea,’
and has not a doubt in his mind but believes
that what he says will happen, he will have
it done. So I tell you, whatever you pray for
and ask, believe you have got it, and you
shall have it.”

NEB—Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in
God. I tell you this: if anyone says to this
mountain, “Be lifted from your place and
hurled into the sea”, and has no inward
doubts, but believes that what he says is
happening, it will be done for him. I tell you,
then, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe
that you have received it and it will be yours.’

Mark 6:5-6
KJV—And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands upon a
few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled
because of their unbelief.

Amp—And He was not able to do even one
work of power there, except that He laid His
hands on a few sickly people [and] cured
them. And He marveled because of their
unbelief—their lack of faith in Him.

Moffatt—There he could not do any miracle,
beyond laying his hands on a few sick
people and curing them. He was astonished
at their lack of faith.

NEB—He could work no miracle there,
except that he put his hands on a few sick
people and healed them; and he was taken
aback by their want of faith.

Gloria Copeland

Matthew 15:6
KJV—Thus have ye made the commandment
of God of none effect by your tradition.

Amp—So for the sake of your tradition (the
rules handed down by your forefathers),
you have set aside the Word of God—depriving
it of force and authority and making
it of no effect.

Moffatt—So you have repealed the law of
God to suit your own tradition.

NEB—You have made God’s law null and
void out of respect for your tradition.

Romans 10:17
KJV—So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.

Amp—So faith comes by hearing [what
is told], and what is heard comes by the
preaching [of the message that came from
the lips] of Christ, the Messiah [Himself].

Moffatt—(You see, faith must come from
what is heard, and what is heard comes
from word of Christ.)

NEB—We conclude that faith is awakened
by the message, and the message that awakens
it comes through the word of Christ.

Mark 4:24
KJV—And he said unto them, Take heed
what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it
shall be measured to you: and unto you that
hear shall more be given.

Amp—And He said to them, Be careful
what you are hearing. The measure [of
thought and study] you give [to the truth
you hear] will be the measure [of virtue
and knowledge] that comes back to you,
and more [besides] will be given to you
who hear.

Moffatt—Also he said to them, “Take care
what you hear; the measure you deal out to
others will be dealt out to yourselves, and
you will receive extra.”

NEB—He also said, ‘Take note of what you
hear; the measure you give is the measure you
will receive, with something more besides.’

Psalm 107:20
KJV—(The Lord) sent his word, and healed
them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Amp—He sends forth His word and heals them
and rescues them from the pit and destruction.

Moffatt—He sent his word to heal them and
preserve their life.

NEB—He sent his word to heal them and
bring them alive out of the pit of death.

Gloria Copeland

Acts 9:32-34
KJV—And it came to pass, as Peter passed
throughout all quarters, he came down
also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
And there he found a certain man named
Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years,
and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said
unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee
whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he
arose immediately.

Amp—Now as Peter went here and there
among them all, he went down also to the
saints who lived at Lydda. There he found
a man named Aeneas, who had been bedfast
for eight years and was paralyzed. And
Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, [now] makes you whole. Get up and
make your bed! And immediately [Aeneas]
stood up.

Moffatt—Peter moved here and there among
them all, and it happened that in the course
of his tours he came down to visit the saints
who stayed at Lydda. There he found a man
called Aeneas who had been bed-ridden
for eight years with paralysis. “Aeneas,” said Peter,
“Jesus the Christ cures you! Get up and make
your bed!” He got up at once.

NEB—Peter was making a general tour, in
the course of which he went down to visit
God’s people at Lydda. There he found a
man named Aeneas who had been bedridden
with paralysis for eight years. Peter said
to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you; get
up and make your bed’, and immediately he
stood up.

Acts 14:8-10
KJV—And there sat a certain man at Lystra,
impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his
mother’s womb, who never had walked: The
same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly
beholding him, and perceiving that he had
faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice,
Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped
and walked.

Amp—Now at Lystra a man sat whose feet
it was impossible for him to use, for he was
a cripple from birth and had never walked.
He was listening to Paul as he talked, and
[Paul] gazing intently at him and observing
that he had faith to be healed, Shouted at
him, saying, Stand erect on your feet! And
he leaped up and walked.

Moffatt—At Lystra there was a man sitting,
who was powerless in his feet, a lame
man unable to walk ever since he was born.
He heard Paul speaking, and Paul, gazing
steadily at him and noticing that he had
faith enough to make him better, said in a
loud voice, “Stand erect on your feet.” Up he
jumped and began to walk.

NEB—At Lystra sat a crippled man, lame
from birth, who had never walked in his life.
This man listened while Paul was speaking.
Paul fixed his eyes on him and saw that he
had the faith to be cured, so he said to him
in a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your
feet’; and he sprang up and started to walk.

Gloria Copeland

Acts 5:12-16
KJV—And by the hands of the apostles
were many signs and wonders wrought
among the people; (and they were all with
one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the
rest durst no man join himself to them: but
the people magnified them. And believers
were the more added to the Lord, multitudes
both of men and women.)

Insomuch that they brought forth the sick
into the streets, and laid them on beds and
couches, that at the least the shadow of
Peter passing by might overshadow some
of them. There came also a multitude out
of the cities round about unto Jerusalem,
bringing sick folks, and them which were
vexed with unclean spirits: and they were
healed every one.

Amp—Now by the hands of the apostles
(special messengers) numerous and startling
signs and wonders were being performed
among the people. And by common consent
they all met together [at the temple] in
the porch or covered walk called Solomon’s.
And none of those who were not of their
number dared to join and associate with
them, but the people held them in high
regard and praised and made much of them.
More and more there were being added to
the Lord those who believed—[that is,] those
who acknowledged Jesus as their Savior
and devoted themselves to Him, joined and
gathered with them—crowds both of men
and of women.

So that they [even] kept carrying out the
sick into the streets and placing them on
couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope]
that as Peter passed by at least his shadow
might fall on some of them. And the people
gathered also from the towns and hamlets
around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and
those troubled with foul spirits, and they
were all cured.

Moffatt—Now they all without exception
met in the portico of Solomon. Though
the people extolled them, not a soul from
the outside dared to join them. On the
other hand, crowds of men and women
who believed in the Lord were brought
in. Many miracles and wonders were performed
among the people by the apostles.
In fact, invalids were actually carried into
the streets and laid on beds and mattresses,
so that, when Peter passed, his shadow at
anyrate might fall on one or other of them.
Crowds gathered even from the towns near
Jerusalem, bringing invalids and people
troubled with unclean spirits, all of whom
were healed.

Acts 8:5-8
KJV—Then Philip went down to the city of
Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
And the people with one accord gave heed
unto those things which Philip spake, hearing
and seeing the miracles which he did.
For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,
came out of many that were possessed
with them: and many taken with palsies,
and that were lame, were healed. And there
was great joy in that city.

Amp—Philip [the deacon, not the apostle]
went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed
the Christ, the Messiah, to them [the
people]; And great crowds of people with one
accord listened to and heeded what was said
by Philip, as they heard him and watched the
miracles and wonders which he kept performing
[from time to time]. For foul spirits came
out of many who were possessed by them,
screaming and shouting with a loud voice, and
many who were suffering from palsy or were
crippled were restored to health. And there
was great rejoicing in that city.

NEB—Philip came down to a city in Samaria
and began proclaiming the Messiah to them.
The crowds, to a man, listened eagerly
to what Philip said, when they heard him and
saw the miracles that he performed. For
in many cases of possession the unclean
spirits came out with a loud cry; and many
paralysed and crippled folk were cured; and
there was great joy in that city.

Gloria Copeland