Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked Amplified Bible, Classic Edition are from the Amplified® Bible, © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked New King James Version are from the New King James Version © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc.

Don’t Give Up—Double Up

.mobi ISBN 978-1-57562-602-4

31-1570

© 2013 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Publications

Fort Worth, TX 76192-0001

For more information about Kenneth Copeland Ministries, visit kcm.org or call 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) or +1-817-852-6000.

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

If you’ve ever run out of gas while driving down the road, you already know this to be true: You can’t coast for long. You may be able to keep rolling for a little while, as long as you’re on a straightaway or going downhill. But as soon as you hit an uphill climb, it’s over!

You stop moving forward because a coasting car simply can’t go uphill.

The same principle holds true when it comes to living a victorious life. If you don’t keep your spiritual gas tank full by consistently putting God’s Word into your heart, you may coast along OK as long as things are going smoothly; but when trouble comes, you’re going to stop moving. You won’t have the power to overcome.

That’s why you can’t afford to get too busy to spend daily time in the Word. You always need to be ready to face the hills you encounter on the road of life.

Those hills are coming, you know. The devil, who is our enemy, always makes sure of that. He’s always out there trying to kill, steal and destroy.

If we resist him, he will flee from us (James 4:7). But resisting isn’t always easy. It takes a heart that’s full of faith because, as 1 John 5:4 says: faith is “the victory that overcometh the world.”

Since faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), to stay strong in it we need a steady diet of God’s Word. We must be like the man in James 1:25. That man puts the Word first in his life. He’s faithful to it. He “perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys]” (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). As a result, he is blessed in everything he does.

Notice, I emphasized the word persevere there. It’s especially important because lack of perseverance is the reason many good, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christians fail.

They get started in the Word. They read it, hear it preached and believe what it says about things like healing and prosperity. But then they get distracted by the everyday cares of life. Their Bibles, instead of being opened and studied, start gathering dust. The faith messages they once listened to get shoved to the back of the closet. About the only time they give attention to the Word is on Sunday when they go to church.

I’ll just be blunt about it: You can’t keep the Word in your heart in abundance if you only pay attention to it for an hour on Sunday. Your faith can’t survive on one meal a week. It must be continually fed and renewed. That’s why Proverbs 4:20-23 says: “My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life” (Amplified Bible. Classic Edition).

Feed on God’s Word Every Day

Look again at those verses and you’ll see why it’s so vital for us, as believers, to persevere in the Word. It is “life”—not just to our spirit but to our physical body!

Ken and I can testify from much personal experience that the Word of God has supernatural healing in it. The first thing we do when a symptom of sickness comes our way is rebuke it in Jesus’ Name and resist it. “No, you don’t!” we say. “You’re not coming on me!” Then, we immediately take the life that’s in the Word of God.

We turn to the healing scriptures and read and confess them. We take healing scriptures like other people take medicine. Why? Because we know God’s Word is healing and health to all our flesh.

We don’t wait until sickness attacks us to feed on those scriptures, either. We don’t ignore the Word until trouble comes and then grab our Bible and try to fill our hearts with faith. We persevere in the Word all the time.

Actually, I believe taking daily doses of God’s medicine—His health-imparting, life-giving Word—can enable us to live for the most part in perpetual divine health. So I feed on God’s Word every single day. I put it in front of my eyes and in my ears and mouth seven days a week. I continually let it correct me, endeavor to obey it and act like it’s true. Because it is true!

As a result, I don’t have sick days. I’m a healed woman. I feel good. I’m 71 years of age, I have plenty of energy and I’m well.

“But sickness isn’t my problem,” you might say. “What I’m dealing with is financial trouble. Can God’s Word help me with that?”

Certainly! The heart-faith the Word produces can bring you victory in every area of your life.

According to Jesus, faith can move mountains (Mark 11:23). It can conquer the curse and replace it with THE BLESSING. Faith in God’s Word about prosperity coming out of your heart and your mouth will push out poverty and replace it with plenty. It will overcome everything the devil throws at you and make you more than a conqueror through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37).

As we’ve already seen, however, to have that kind of strong, overcoming faith, you can’t just look at the Word every once in a while. You can’t just focus on it for a week or two and then quit. You have to keep it before your eyes. You have to be faithful to attend to it and obey it consistently.

Jesus said it this way: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Our victory in life completely depends on our perseverance in the Word.

What, exactly, does it mean to persevere?

It means “to persist; to stay with the program; to be set, fixed, and constant; to pursue steadily any business or enterprise undertaken, in spite of contrary influences, opposition, and discouragement.”

If you’re determined to persevere in the Word, you won’t do it for a while and then quit when things get hard. You won’t throw in the towel when the devil opposes you, and say, “Oh, I’ve tried that Word stuff and it doesn’t work. I’m just going to quit reading my Bible. I’m going to quit praying and listening to that faith preaching. I don’t have time for it anyway.”

On the contrary, you’ll keep at it, stick with it and carry on until it becomes a way of life. You’ll refuse to be moved by the obstacles that come against you. You’ll steadily pursue God’s Word—when times are easy and when they’re tough.

That may not sound like fun but it’s what develops faith. It’s what develops spiritual strength and character. You can’t be a weak Christian and walk in victory. You have to have some endurance. You have to have some spiritual muscle!

Physically, you can’t develop muscle and endurance unless you press against something, by lifting weights, for example, or running an extra mile. Because such pressing can be uncomfortable, physical training isn’t necessarily fun.

When you get busy and stop exercising for a while, if you go long enough before you start again, you get sore again. There’s just no way around it. You are pressing some muscles that haven’t been used in a while.

Although you don’t like feeling sore, you persevere anyway because you know the results will be worth it. The press will help you get fit. It will help make you strong. That’s a physical fact.

This is a spiritual fact: When you start to exercise your spirit daily by attending to the Word, obeying it and spending time in prayer, you will have to press through some pressure at first. The progress you want to see may take longer than you like. You may find yourself facing greater challenges than you expected. But if you’ll persevere and stick with the program, you’ll get wonderful results and it will be worth the effort.

Win the Argument

Everything in your life depends on the Word of God! Nothing else can give you the faith you need to walk in consistent victory. That’s why putting the Word first place in your life every day is so vital. It’s also why the devil works so hard to keep you from doing it.

He’ll give you all kinds of reasons why you can’t spend daily time in the Word. He’ll tell you repeatedly why you shouldn’t obey it and act on it. When he does, just keep persevering.

I found out how much difference such perseverance can make many years ago when our son, John, was a teenager. He wasn’t living right and I’d been wondering what to do about it. One day, Ken and I were attending one of Brother Kenneth E. Hagin’s meetings, and he spoke a prophetic word by the Holy Spirit that I knew contained the answer to my question. “Spend just an hour or two a day in prayer,” he said, “and all will be well with you.”

That word lined up perfectly with the Bible. It tells us not only to attend to the Word but to pray. So I decided then and there to commit to praying an hour every day, believing that all would be well with my big problem—John Copeland.

When I started, it was wintertime. I’d wake up an hour earlier than usual and it would be dark. It would be cold. My body would say, “You do not want to get up and pray right now. This is not any fun. You need more sleep.”

The devil would agree. “Yes, that’s right!” he’d say. “Go back to sleep.”

One definition of perseverance is “to persist in speech, interrogation, or argument; to insist.” That’s what I had to do when the devil tried to talk me out of getting up for my prayer time. I had to persist until I won the argument.

Oh, it was hard to drag myself out of bed on those cold, dark mornings! I can do it with ease now, but I wasn’t used to it back then. I stuck with it though until, eventually, it became a way of life for me.

That was back in 1979, and I’ve been praying every morning ever since! It’s turned out to be one of the greatest blessings of my life. It accomplished exactly what I expected—and much more!

John has long since ceased to be a problem. He’s a strong man of God. He loves the Lord, has a wonderful family and serves as executive director of this ministry. But that’s just the beginning. Things are well with me today in every area of my life. I’ve received countless blessings—spiritually, physically, financially and in my family—by spending time every day in prayer.

I’m not saying you should do the same thing I did. You need to do whatever the Lord leads you to do. If you’re a night person, He might lead you to spend time in the Word and in prayer in the evening before you go to bed. He might lead you to listen to the Word in your car while you’re driving to work every morning, or spend your lunch hour reading your Bible.

One way or another, however, God will lead you to consistently spend time in His Word because you need it to make things right in your life. You cannot live in victory without a continual diet of the Word of God and spending time with Him, because that’s where faith comes from. Whatever God tells you to do, do it. Persevere! Stay with it!

If you’re believing for finances and it takes longer than you want for the money to come, don’t quit. If you quit, it’s all over. If you turn away from the Word, what else can you turn to? If you don’t follow God’s plan, whose plan will you follow? He is the only One who can cause you to triumph. His Word is the only thing that can give you victory.

Even if things are going smoothly for you right now and you don’t have any problems today, that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems tomorrow. Jesus said, “In the world you will have [trouble]” (John 16:33, New King James Version). So stay strong and ready to overcome it.

Don’t try to coast along on the Word you’ve put in your heart in the past. Fill up your spiritual tank every day. When the road gets rough and the devil pressures you to give up, double up instead! Double up on the Word. Double up on prayer. Be doubly quick to obey the Lord.

Say, “Oh, no, devil. I’m not going to quit. I’m just getting started. I’m going to persevere in the Word until I receive everything it promises.” Then put the pedal to the metal and charge down the road of life with victory that overcomes the world—even your faith!

Prayer for Salvation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. Your Word says, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). I am calling on You. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life according to Romans 10:9-10: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I do that now. I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I repent of sin. I renounce it. I renounce the devil and everything he stands for. Jesus is my Lord.

I am now reborn! I am a Christian—a child of Almighty God! I am saved! You also said in Your Word, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: HOW MUCH MORE shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13). I’m also asking You to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance (Acts 2:4). In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Begin to praise God for filling you with the Holy Spirit. Speak those words and syllables you receive—not in your own language, but the language given to you by the Holy Spirit. You have to use your own voice. God will not force you to speak. Don’t be concerned with how it sounds. It is a heavenly language!

Continue with the blessing God has given you and pray in the spirit every day.

You are a born-again, Spirit-filled believer. You’ll never be the same!

Find a good church that boldly preaches God’s Word and obeys it. Become part of a church family who will love and care for you as you love and care for them.

We need to be connected to each other. It increases our strength in God. It’s God’s plan for us.

Make it a habit to watch the Believer’s Voice of Victory Network television broadcast and become a doer of the Word, who is blessed in his doing (James 1:22-25).

About the Author

Gloria Copeland is a noted author and minister of the gospel whose teaching ministry is known throughout the world. Believers worldwide know her through Believers’ Conventions, Victory Campaigns, magazine articles, teaching audios and videos, and the daily and Sunday Believer’s Voice of Victory television broadcast, which she hosts with her husband, Kenneth Copeland. She is known for Healing School, which she began teaching and hosting in 1979 at KCM meetings. Gloria delivers the Word of God and the keys to victorious Christian living to millions of people every year.

Gloria is author of the New York Times best-seller, God’s Master Plan for Your Life and Live Long, Finish Strong, as well as numerous other favorites, including God’s Will for You, Walk With God, God’s Will Is Prosperity, Hidden Treasures and To Know Him. She has also co-authored several books with her husband, including Family Promises, Healing Promises and the best-selling daily devotionals, From Faith to Faith and Pursuit of His Presence.

She holds an honorary doctorate from Oral Roberts University. In 1994, Gloria was voted Christian Woman of the Year, an honor conferred on women whose example demonstrates outstanding Christian leadership. Gloria is also the co-founder and vice president of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas.

Learn more about Kenneth Copeland Ministries by visiting our website at kcm.org

Materials to Help You Receive Your Healing by Gloria Copeland

Books

* And Jesus Healed Them All

* God’s Prescription for Divine Health

* God’s Will for Your Healing

* Harvest of Health

Words That Heal (gift book with CD enclosed)

Audio Resources

Be Made Whole—Live Long, Live Healthy

God Is a Good God

God Wants You Well

Healing Confessions (CD and minibook)

Healing School

DVD Resources

Be Made Whole—Live Long, Live Healthy

Know Him As Healer

* Available in Spanish

When The LORD first spoke to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland about starting the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine...

He said: This is your seed. Give it to everyone who ever responds to your ministry, and don’t ever allow anyone to pay for a subscription!

For more than 50 years, it has been the joy of Kenneth Copeland Ministries to bring the good news to believers. Readers enjoy teaching from ministers who write from lives of living contact with God, and testimonies from believers experiencing victory through God’s Word in their everyday lives.

Today, the BVOV magazine is mailed monthly, bringing encouragement and blessing to believers around the world. Many even use it as a ministry tool, passing it on to others who desire to know Jesus and grow in their faith!

Request your FREE subscription to the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine today!

Go to freevictory.com to subscribe, or call us at 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) or at +1-187-852-6000.

We’re Here for You!®

Your growth in God’s WORD and victory in Jesus are at the very center of our hearts. In every way God has equipped us, we will help you deal with the issues facing you, so you can be the victorious overcomer He has planned for you to be.

The mission of Kenneth Copeland Ministries is about all of us growing and going together. Our prayer is that you will take full advantage of all The LORD has given us to share with you.

Wherever you are in the world, you can watch the Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast on television (check your local listings), the internet at kcm.org or on our digital Roku channel.

Our website, kcm.org, gives you access to every resource we’ve developed for your victory. And, you can find contact information for our international offices in Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Ukraine and our headquarters in the United States.

Each office is staffed with devoted men and women, ready to serve and pray with you. You can contact the worldwide office nearest you for assistance, and you can call us for prayer at our U.S. number, +1-817-852-6000, every day!

We encourage you to connect with us often and let us be part of your everyday walk of faith!

Jesus Is LORD!

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland