by Kenneth Copeland

If your car won’t start, don’t be so prone to get angry, slap the steering wheel and spout some kind of Christianized profanity at it, such as “Dad-Gummit!” The spirit behind that kind of reaction is the same one behind swearing.
It’s destructive to act that way even when you aren’t directing your anger toward other people because it’s a form of practicing bad temper. If you practice anger and ill temper, they will stay on the surface and activate before you have the opportunity to stop them. Don’t express anger even against material objects. Instead take authority over that anger and say, “No, you don’t. I’m not yielding to you. You get back under control right now.”
That will be easy to do when you’re practicing God’s presence because you know He is lovely, kind and gentle; and you will not want to offend him by displaying an ugly attitude toward anything at any time. Granted, you won’t be able to make all the changes you want to make in the first hour and a half. It takes time to do this. But you can make the decision in the next moment and a half and then walk it out moment by moment.

“Compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part.” In other words, it
works according to the effect brought about by
the direct amount, or the measure, that each
and every joint supplies. The amount which you
supply—the power you supply—affects the entire
plan of God. Whatever you supply—none, some,
much, or all you’re called to do—affects the entire
Body of Christ.

“According to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the
body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Here
again, God will not build up the Body—it
must build up itself. Some people are waiting
for Jesus to return so that the Body will rise
without spot or wrinkle at the resurrection.
But the Body of Christ is rising now, and the
Bible says He will present Himself a body that
is without spot or wrinkle. This will happen as
she edifies herself in love, grows up into Him
and is washed of water by the Word.

Can you see how God’s faith was operating
through the years? The Word of God had been
written long before the Dark Ages, yet because
it was inaccessible to the people, most could
not get born again. It had been shoved deep
into monasteries, and they couldn’t reach it.
But God kept believing. There was enough
faith in God’s winning attitude to reach a little
Catholic priest named Martin Luther. That little
priest began to scratch in the Word and he
found a sentence, “The just shall live by faith”
(Romans 1:17). He found God through that
one little sentence and generated enough
power to begin a revival that is still going! God
had a winning attitude, and He refused to let
go! Today the gospel is being preached in every
nation on the face of the earth!

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

The Church—the Body of Christ—has lived
far below her privileges. We have lived as far
below our spiritual privileges as Israel has
lived below her political privileges. Israel
should be the head and not the tail. She
should not have to borrow from any nation
on earth, and every nation on earth should be
in debt to her. That’s what God said. Well,
that’s how far below our spiritual privileges
the Body of Christ has lived.

Down through the years, God exercised
His faith for us. He was willing to work over
2,000 years to get His plan functioning properly.
The whole time the world lay in darkness,
God was still believing—still exercising faith—
not in Himself alone but in you and in me.
Ephesians 4:14-16 tells us:

That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may
grow up into him in all things, which is
the head, even Christ: From whom the
whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part…

God did not say He would hold the Body
of Christ together. He said He would join it
together, but that it would be held together, or
compacted, by that which every joint supplied.
He had to believe that you and I would supply
what it took to hold the Body together. We
failed and we failed and we failed again, but
God kept on joining and believing. He never
would utter words of failure. Theology cried,
“The Church is failing!” God said, “My house
will be full, and the gates of hell will not prevail
against it!” Religion was failing—God
wasn’t! Can you see His attitude?

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Through the years, God has exercised His
faith for us. He has been willing to work for more
than 2,000 years to get His plan functioning
properly. The whole time the world lay in
darkness, God was still believing—still exercising
faith—not in just Himself, but in you and in me.

That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth
in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ: From whom
the whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by that which every joint supplieth…
(Ephesians 4:14-16).

It’s important to notice in this scripture the
Lord didn’t say He would hold the Body of Christ
together. He said He would join it together, but
that it would be held together, or compacted, by
that which every joint supplies. He had to believe
that you and I would supply what it took to hold
the Body together. We’ve failed and failed and
we’ve failed again, but God has kept on joining
and believing. He has never uttered words of
failure. Theology cries, “The Church is failing!”
God says, “My house will be full, and the gates of
hell will not prevail against it!” Religion is
failing—God isn’t! Can you see His attitude?

Look again at the verse, and you’ll see how
very important it is to the Body of Christ that you
develop a winning attitude: “…compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the
effectual working in the measure of every part”
(verse 16). The Body of Christ depends on the
direct amount, or measure, that each joint
supplies. The amount you supply—the power
you supply—affects the entire plan of God.
Whether you supply some or much—affects the
entire Body of Christ.

Verse 16 says, “according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
love.” Here again, you can see your importance as
an individual. God will not build up the Body.
The members (you and I) must build up each
other. Some are waiting for Jesus to return so the
Body will rise without spot or wrinkle at the
resurrection. But the Body of Christ is rising now,
and the Bible says He will present to Himself a
Body that is without spot or wrinkle. This will
happen as His Body edifies itself in love, growing
up into Him, and being washed by the water of
the Word.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

What is Jesus’ attitude? A good example is the
Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). It is full of
outright confessions of faith. Look at verses 9-10:
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven.” This is a statement of
faith that shows Jesus’ winning attitude. He was
standing there in the face of people who wanted
to stone Him when He prayed that! He didn’t say,
“Father, if it be Your will….” He didn’t just say,
“Thy will be done.” He said, “Your will be done in
earth as it is in heaven!” Is there sickness, poverty
and suffering in heaven? No! Then there shouldn’t
be any of it here on earth. Can you see His
attitude in this? God doesn’t have sickness in
heaven, so He doesn’t want any here on earth!

Our attitude needs to be the same as His. Jesus
is the eternal winner—He always wins! God can
tell you what will happen 6,000 years from now.
Why? Because the events taking place in the next
6,000 years or the next 6 million years will not
happen just by chance. They are established.
Where? In the mind of God. He has faith
operating in His own ability. He is a faith being.
He can tell you what will happen in the future
because He intends for it to come out that way!
He can give you His wisdom because it’s going to
be the way He decides.

How does He do it? With His faith. He doesn’t
expect to fail. He doesn’t prepare to fail. Satan will
get in and try to destroy things, but God doesn’t
worry—He knows it will come out all right.
That’s how we’re to be. Roll all your cares over on
Him. Don’t be moved by what you feel or by what
you see. You’re a faith person, so you know how
things are going to come out. You’re going to win,
praise God!

The Church—the Body of Christ—has lived
far below her privileges. We have lived as far
below our spiritual privileges as Israel has lived
below her political privileges. Israel should be the
head and not the tail. She should not have to
borrow from any nation on earth, and every
nation on earth should be indebted to her. That’s
what God said. Well, that’s how far below our
spiritual privileges the Body of Christ has lived.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries