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.

Proverbs 4:7-9
KJV—Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore
get wisdom: and with all thy getting
get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall
promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour,
when thou dost embrace her. She shall
give to thine head an ornament of grace: a
crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Amp—The beginning of Wisdom is, get
Wisdom—skillful and godly Wisdom! For
skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal
thing. And with all you have gotten get
understanding—discernment, comprehension
and interpretation. Prize Wisdom
highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and
promote you; she will bring you to honor
when you embrace her. She shall give to
your head a wreath of gracefulness; a
crown of beauty and glory will she deliver
to you.

Moffatt—At any cost get knowledge—
never leave her, and she will guard you,
love her, and she will take care of you, prize
her, and she will promote you, and bring
you to honour, if you will embrace her, she
will adorn you with charm and crown you
with glory.

NIV—Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get
understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt
you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor.

Proverbs 16:16
KJV—How much better is it to get wisdom
than gold! and to get understanding rather
to be chosen than silver!

Amp—How much better it is to get skillful
and godly Wisdom than gold! And to
get understanding is to be chosen rather
than silver.

Moffatt—Better get wisdom than gold,
better choose knowledge than silver.

NIV—How much better to get wisdom
than gold, to choose understanding rather
than silver!

Proverbs 24:14
KJV—So shall the knowledge of wisdom
be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it,
then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation
shall not be cut off.

Amp—So shall you know skillful and godly
Wisdom to be your life; if you find it, then
shall there be a future and a reward, and
your hope and expectation shall not be
cut off.

NIV—Know also that wisdom is sweet to
your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope
for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

2 Chronicles 1:12
KJV—Wisdom and knowledge is granted to
thee; and I will give thee riches and wealth,
and honour, such as none of the kings have
had that have been before thee, neither
shall there any after thee have the like.

Amp—Wisdom and knowledge are
granted you, and I will give you riches, possessions,
honor and glory, such as none of
the kings had before you, and none after
you shall have their equal.

Moffatt—Wisdom and intelligence I give
you, and I will add riches, wealth, and honour
such as no king before you ever had,
and no king after you will ever have.

NIV—Therefore wisdom and knowledge
will be given you. And I will also give you
wealth, riches and honor, such as no king
who was before you ever had and none
after you will have.

Proverbs 2:6-7
KJV—For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of
his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
He layeth up sound wisdom for
the righteous: he is a buckler to them that
walk uprightly.

Amp—For the Lord gives skillful and godly
Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge
and understanding. He hides away sound
and godly Wisdom and stores it for the
righteous—those who are upright and in
right standing with Him; He is a shield to
those who walk uprightly and in integrity.

Moffatt—For it is the Eternal who supplies
wisdom, from him come insight and knowledge,
he has help ready for the upright, he
is a shield for those who live honestly.

NIV—For the Lord gives wisdom, and
from his mouth come knowledge and
understanding. He holds victory in store for
the upright, he is a shield to those whose
walk is blameless.

Proverbs 3:13-18
KJV—Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than
the merchandise of silver, and the gain
thereof than fine gold. She is more precious
than rubies: and all the things thou canst
desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in
her left hand riches and honour. Her ways
are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace. She is a tree of life to them that
lay hold upon her: and happy is every one
that retaineth her.

Amp—Happy—blessed, fortunate [enviable]—
is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom,
and the man who gets understanding—
drawing it forth [from God’s Word and life’s
experiences]. For the gaining of it is better
than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it
than fine gold. Skillful and godly Wisdom is
more precious than rubies, and nothing you
can wish for is to be compared to her.
Length of days is in her right hand, and in
her left hand are riches and honor. Her
ways are highways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to
those who lay hold on her, and happy—
blessed, fortunate [to be envied]—is every
one who holds her fast.

NIV—Blessed is the man who finds
wisdom, the man who gains understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver and
yields better returns than gold. She is more
precious than rubies; nothing you desire
can compare with her. Long life is in her
right hand; in her left hand are riches and
honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all
her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to
those who embrace her; those who lay
hold of her will be blessed.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Proverbs 3:9-10
KJV—Honour the Lord with thy substance,
and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and
thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Amp—Honor the Lord with your capital
and sufficiency [from righteous labors], and
with the first fruits of all your income; So
shall your storage places be filled with
plenty, and your vats be overflowing with
new wine.

Moffatt—Honour the Eternal with your
wealth, and with the best of all you make;
so shall your barns be full of corn, your vats
brim over with new wine.

NIV—Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops; then
your barns will be filled to overflowing, and
your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 10:2-6
KJV—Treasures of wickedness profit nothing:
but righteousness delivereth from
death. The Lord will not suffer the soul of
the righteous to famish: but he casteth
away the substance of the wicked. He becometh
poor that dealeth with a slack
hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh
rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise
son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son
that causeth shame. Blessings are upon
the head of the just: but violence covereth
the mouth of the wicked.

Amp—Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
but righteousness [moral and spiritual
rectitude in every area and relation] delivers
from death. The Lord will not allow the [uncompromisingly]
righteous to famish, but He
thwarts the desire of the wicked. He becomes
poor who works with a slack and idle
hand, but the hand of the diligent makes
rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise
son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son
who causes shame. Blessings are upon the
head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous—
the upright, in right standing with God; but
the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Moffatt—Ill-gotten gains are never a profit:
’tis honesty that ensures life for man. The
Eternal never stints an honest man: he
thwarts the craving of dishonest men. A
slack hand makes men poor: a busy hand
makes men rich. He who reaps in summer is
a man of sense: he who sleeps through harvest
does a shameful thing. God’s blessing is
upon the good man’s head, but the bad
man’s face shall be darkened with disaster.

NIV—Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death. The
Lord does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent
hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops
in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps
during harvest is a disgraceful son. Blessings
crown the head of the righteous, but violence
overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

I discovered that I did not need to find my
identity. I needed to learn what my father, A.W.
Copeland, knew.

At one time I rebelled against him. I dishonored
him. I didn’t give him authority over me. Oh, up to a
point, I did. I gave him authority and dominion while
I was in his presence. But when I got out of his sight, I
did whatever I wanted to do.

The things that my father taught me and practiced
in front of me were for my benefit. They were honorable
things. I finally came to the point where I realized
I was being stupid. I was out trying to learn things
the hard way that my father already knew. I realized
I could learn them from him and not have to pay the
price of learning them for myself.

I came to understand that I could start my own
life of learning after I had learned what my father
knew—and I could get his years of experience free of
charge and in a whole lot less time than it took him
to learn it.

The reason some children of successful men and
women are not worth much is that they don’t bother
to learn what their parents know about building a life
or a business. In some cases, their parents fail to instill
it in them. Often, children set out to learn for themselves
rather than let the Lord teach them.

I found out when I went to college that if I didn’t
learn from God, I wasn’t going to learn a thing in college.
I came to see that honor was the answer—honoring
God, honoring His Word and putting it first
place in my life. Please don’t take me wrong.

I am not underestimating the value of a college education. But
if what a person learns at the university does not conform
to the principles of God and His honor, then it
is not an education. It is really just a head full of nonsense—
useless facts and procedures.

Wisdom Will Put You Over

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the
man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise
of it is better than the merchandise of
silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She
is more precious than rubies: and all the things
thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left
hand riches and honour (Proverbs 3:13-16).
It is not knowledge that will put you over the
top—it is wisdom.

Wisdom is the God-given gift to know what to do
with knowledge. Wisdom gives understanding. There
is in God a wisdom understanding of honor.

When you have a godly understanding of honor,
it takes away the fear of acting on it. In the next chapter,
we will learn more about the kind of honor that
comes only from God.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

For both he that sanctifieth and they who
are sanctified are all of one: for which cause
he is not ashamed to call them brethren
(Hebrews 2:11).

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace
to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

I don’t know why it is so hard for Christians to say,
“God is my Father, and Jesus is my blood brother.”
Jesus calls us brother, and we call Him Lord. At the
same time we may just as well call Him brother, because
He said he is not ashamed to call us His brethren.

There is one who holds faster than a brother,
and that is a brother of covenant, a brother of blood.
When two men are covenanted to one another, they
are blood brothers. They are more like brothers than
if they had been born from the same mother.

Jesus is your blood brother. You call Him Lord,
because you serve Him; but He said, “if any man serve
me, him will my Father honour” (John 12:26). God
calls you His son. He wants to treat you like a king.

You may have been trying to sneak into the throne
room of God, but He says, “Come boldly.” If you start
telling everyone how unworthy you are, there you go,
dishonoring the sonship God has honored you with.
Get rid of that attitude!

“But I’m bombarding the gates of heaven.”
I don’t know why. They aren’t locked.

Quit storming the gates as though you can’t get
inside. Dare to come straight to the throne room.
Enter it with a smile on your face, and say to the
Lord, “I come boldly to present to You my needs,
that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help in
time of need.”

If you will settle once and for all this question of
who you are in Christ Jesus, you will never have to
go another day without your needs being met fully
and abundantly.

Get in the Word of God and develop a firm faith
foundation. You will wake up one day and discover
those little things you were so worried about are all
yours—even the things you may have thought were a
little foolish. Your heavenly Father loves you, and He
wants you to have them.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

But I know you, that ye have not the love of God
in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye
receive me not: if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive (John 5:42-43).

In these passages, Jesus is pointing out to these
men that He will not play their honor game.
What’s the honor game? Giving each other “honor”
or medals or titles in order to boost one’s own sense of
self-worth. I’ll give you rank so you can give me privilege,
etc. That is pride and greed, not honor.

Jesus is not saying that men should not honor
other men, because the Word of God says we should
give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). It is
a wonderful thing to honor the hard work and diligence
of other men. It is, however, a dishonor to God
to seek the honor of others rather than that which
comes only from the Lord.

You and I cannot demand that we be given honor.
For instance, we must not demand that others call us
“doctor” or “teacher” or “master.” This is the very thing
Jesus is talking about to the proud Pharisees of His
day—and to us in our day.

Jesus won’t play honor games.

Seek God’s Honor

How can ye believe, which receive honour
one of another, and seek not the honour that
cometh from God only? (John 5:44).

Notice the word “only” at the end of this sentence.
As we have discovered, there is honor that comes from
God only. You cannot give it to me, and I cannot give it
to you. I can only tell you about it.

For instance, I cannot give you the kind of honor
that conveys authority over the devil. I can tell you
about your authority over Satan, but it is God who has
given that authority to you. How did He give it to you?
By giving you His Name.

I cannot give you God’s Name. I could give you
my name and enter into some kind of covenant agreement
with you. I could adopt you, thereby bestowing
my family name upon you; but that act would not
give you authority over the devil. It might give you
authority over my earthly possessions, but not over
the enemy of your soul.

Only God can give you that power and dominion.
Why? Because only His Name has authority over the
evil one. That is an honor that only God can give. Jesus
spoke about this honor in a passage of Scripture from
Mark’s Gospel.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so
honour is not seemly for a fool (Proverbs 26:1).
For the turning away of the simple shall slay
them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy
them (Proverbs 1:32).

A fool and honor are like oil and water—they do
not mix. The Bible does not say that prosperity ruins
a person. It says it ruins the fool. The key to this situation
is, don’t be a fool.

How do you know you are not a fool unless you go
to the Bible and find out what a fool is? One thing we
know already about a fool is that he is dishonorable.
He does not know the honor of God.
Honor does not look right to a fool. It just makes
no sense to him.

We have been “blessed” in recent years with an
outstanding work of foolishness called situation
ethics. If there ever was a concept imbued with the life of
a fool, it’s situation ethics.

Basically, situation ethics says that right isn’t
always right and wrong isn’t always wrong—it
depends on the circumstances or the situation. It is
really an excuse to be dishonorable. I guarantee you,
the person who thought up this theory does not really
believe it himself. It seems right, however, to anyone
who does not have the honor of God inside him to
influence his thinking.

Recently, I was praying over a situation that had
to do with a young, born-again man who had gotten
into some serious trouble. Everybody around him was
totally shocked by what he had done. They knew he
had committed his life to God and the ministry. There
was no question about it.

The worst thing about the whole situation was
how he felt about what he had done. He could not
understand that he had done wrong.
When I heard about it, I prayed, “What’s the matter
with him? Has he taken leave of his senses?”
No, the Lord answered, he’s dishonorable. You have
a whole generation of honorless people. They don’t
know anything about honor.

There are such people in all segments of society
today. We see them everywhere. In every area of life
there are dishonorable men and women. Even our
ministers and spiritual leaders are not immune to
dishonor, as we have seen all too often.

We must always be on our guard lest we too fall
prey to the devil’s devices. We must be careful to keep
our eyes on the Lord and our feet on the path of honor.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Since the real nature of honor has largely gone
untaught, caring and knowledgeable Christians have
fought an uphill battle. Far too many of us have been
trying to teach honor using religion as the basis. The
concept of honor has become lost in the translation.
Many people today have no foundation for receiving
spiritual teaching.

Part of this problem is that the Church is divided
into so many different denominations, associations
and affiliations that we no longer speak the same
language. Through the years we have developed different
vocabularies as well as different doctrines and
practices. The result is that we have different terminologies
for different things.

Various groups of Christians speak different
languages. They speak the language of Protestant,
Catholic, Evangelical, Fundamentalist, Pentecostal
and on and on.

To effectively teach honor—real honor—to someone
else, we must learn to speak his language. We
have to learn to interpret our message in terms that
he can understand. We must base the teaching we are
trying to impart to him on something he knows.
Let me give you an example.

Not too long ago, I heard a street gang member
being interviewed on television. He was asked if he
would kill.

“Yeah,” he answered.

He was asked what would cause him to kill.
Immediately he responded, “If somebody jumped on
one of my boys, I’d do what I gotta do.”
My ears perked up.

“Did you hear that, Gloria?” I exclaimed. “There’s
a covenant between those kids, and they’re honoring
their covenant.”

If somebody would go into those gangs, preach
the blood of Jesus and talk with those young people
on a basis they understood, we would see some
results. He might ask them: “Did you know that Jesus
is offering Himself as leader of your group, your gang,
your family of people? His message is simple. He’s saying:

‘You come to Me. When the devil jumps on you,
I’ll do what I have to do. I’ll give you My weapons. I
have given you My life.’” Believe me, they would
understand that type of language.

When I preached the blood covenant this way in
Africa, some of those people sat on the edge of their
seats. And they didn’t stay there! They jumped out
onto the floor. I was talking about the foundation of
their culture—their life.

When I began to talk to those people about honor
coupled with that kind of covenant, I presented the
gospel in a way they could understand. In their culture
they would rather die than dishonor a covenant.

They would rather give up their lives than criticize or
curse somebody who is in covenant with their family.
It is a matter of honor. In fact, these people are taught
that they will die if they dishonor a covenant.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

I must be about my Father’s business (Luke 2:49).

God does not want us to be slothful in conducting
our business. He has honored us by giving it to us. We
have to honor our obligation to Him by running that
business or doing that job to the best of our abilities to
do it in faith.

I’ll give you an example. God has given me this
ministry. He has given me the calling to minister. I
have to honor that call and duty. I made a decision
that I am going to live responsibly and honorably. I
know Jesus wants me to do that, so I am determined
to do it.

I promised God that any time I was called on
to preach or minister, I would be ready; I would be
prepared. That does not mean I want to all the time.

It does not mean I am constantly, consistently prayed
up and ready to go just on a second’s notice. Most
of the time I know in advance when I am going to
preach. I promised the Lord that I would never take
time for myself and my own wants during the periods
I should be preparing to minister to other people.

I am responsible for a prophetic ministry. When
I travel from place to place on behalf of the Lord,
I don’t sightsee. I have been all over the world and
have hardly seen anything but airports, hotels and
convention centers. I don’t go for pleasure or relaxation.
I don’t go to visit or fellowship. I go to do business.

I take seriously Jesus’ instructions to His disciples
as He sent them out to minister. He said, “When
you find a worthy house, stay there” (Matthew 10:11,
author’s paraphrase). I don’t run all over town. I
come prepared, ready to settle down and attend to
business—my Father’s business.

I learned this originally from Oral Roberts; then I
found it in the Word of God. Later, I saw it in Kenneth
E. Hagin and in other anointed men of God.

I have certain time limits that I just won’t violate. I
may be in your presence sometime, look at my watch
and say, “Excuse me, it’s time to go.” I do that because
I am determined to have God’s anointing on me. It is
only with the anointing that I can, in turn, be of help
to you at all. It is only through the anointing that I
can minister effectively to others.

That is the reason all of my children are in the
ministry. That is the reason there is romance in our
family: between Gloria and me, our children and their
mates and our grandchildren. My family and I honor
the business—the ministry—that God has given us. We
honor one another, uplifting one another at all times.
As a result we enjoy the blessing of God upon us.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries