Dear Partner,
The first quarter of 2023 is here! Are we in a recession? Some say yes, and some say no. One major source says, “The threat of a U.S. recession remains alive in 2023.” However, our major source is the Bible! So, what does the Living God say about it? Let’s read Isaiah 41:10 in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:
- Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.
Look at it again: “FEAR NOT! [There is nothing to fear!] For I [the ALMIGHTY GOD, who is MORE THAN ENOUGH] am with you”! He has also said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Let’s read together in Deuteronomy 31:8 (AMPC):
- It is The LORD Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit—depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]
Now let’s see what Jesus said in Mark 11:22-25 (AMPC):
- 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].
- And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.
A HEAVENLY GRANT! Now that’s BIG! Is there a heavenly recession? Absolutely not! The definition of the word recession is “to withdraw or back up.” God, our Heavenly Father, spoke the universe into being with two words: “LIGHT BE.” Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. Do the math: 186,000 miles per second x 60 seconds = 11,160,000 miles per minute x 60 minutes = 669,600,000 miles per hour x 24 hours = 16,070,400,000 miles per day. IN ONE DAY! And it’s still expanding at the speed of light!
Let’s look at Genesis 1:1-3 in the AMPC:
- In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.
- The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
- And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.
Years ago, in a rabbi’s office, I read a Hebrew translation of these verses that said, “Elohiym [plural] said, ‘LIGHT BE—LIGHT WAS.’” It wasn’t until 4 days later that our sun was created. Notice, the Spirit of God = OUR GOD = was moving, but nothing happened until the King of the universe said it!
“Brother Copeland, what does all of that have to do with me?”
Wait a minute, and I’ll show you. The Apostle Paul wrote the answer in his letter to the Hebrews, so let’s turn to Hebrews 10:38 (AMPC):
- But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.
Now let’s check out the Bible definition of the creative force of God in Hebrews 11:1 in the AMPC: “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
Don’t put hope down! No, no! Get your hopes up! Hope is faith’s blueprint! It’s God’s precious covenant promises upon which you and I stand by our faith in God’s WORD, which is His bond!
The answer we are looking for is in the great Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11:1-40. The answer is Hebrews 11:3 (AMPC):
- By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by The WORD of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.
Look at it again. What we see was not made out of nothing! God used His faith—the invisible force of faith! Let’s back that up with Psalm 33:6 (AMPC):
- By The WORD of The LORD were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth.
My dear Partner in faith, the bottom line is found in Numbers 23:19-20 (AMPC):
- God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?
- You see, I have received His command to bless Israel. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse or qualify it.
Are you ready to shout? Don’t just read the verses that I write in this letter. Always read these words in your own Bible! Let’s turn to Galatians 3:7 (AMPC):
- Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham.
Now verse 9:
- So then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and favored by God [as partners in fellowship] with the believing and trusting Abraham.
Continue with verses 13-14:
- Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
- That THE BLESSING of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
I don’t understand how you can just sit there! But as they say, “The best is yet to come,” and here it is! Galatians 3:29 (AMPC), says:
- And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.
It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). Jesus could have but refused to! Now, what do we say? Based on these wonderful Bible facts that are blood-backed, we say, “THERE WILL BE NO CRASH FOR ME IN 2023!” Why not? Because YOUR AND MY HEAVENLY FATHER, AND YOUR AND MY LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, SAID SO IN THE HOLY BOOK!
As you sow your BLESSING seed this month, read what the Master said in Matthew 7:7-8:
- k, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
- For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
And then read John 16:23 (AMPC):
- And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM].
And finally, look at Mark 10:29-30 (AMPC):
- Jesus said, Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up and left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the Gospel’s
- Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
I didn’t, and could never, make that promise to you! Jesus said it. That’s His WORD, backed by His precious, pure, sin-free BLOOD!
I believe this, and I say it in the Name of Jesus: “2023 will be a marvelous, awesome, and prosperity-filled year for all of us who live by faith in Him who gave Himself as a ransom for all to be testified in due time (1 Timothy 2:6). He is alive, and He is the Mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ JESUS (verse 5).” Read it for yourself in 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
Well, there is a lot more to say about all these things, but far too much for this letter. So I’ll close by reminding you that Gloria and I pray for you constantly, and at every meal. And you are prayed for every day by our prayer teams at KCM and EMIC!
We Love you! God Loves you! And Jesus is LORD!
Victory over all things in 2023!
Love,
