Dear Partner,
Winter has come and gone. Spring is here. And with it, comes Gloria’s and my sixty-third wedding anniversary! It has been a 63-year honeymoon—we’ve never come off it!
Let’s begin by reading Romans 8:1-4:
- There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Now look at the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:
- Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], so that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].
Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, or after The WORD! Let’s read verse 1 again in the AMPC: “Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”
Every time you read those verses, it’s always now! This is a vital truth. Every minute that goes by is gone! Read it again: “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION…!”
“No adjudging guilty of wrong for those who are in Christ Jesus”! That is absolutely wonderful news! Read it again: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” That’s marvelous news! It is, however, conditional. It’s for those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Why? Read on. It’s because the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus—THE LAW OF OUR NEW BEING—has freed [us] from the law of sin and death! If we are free from it now, then to live a life free from self-condemnation and alive to all that belongs to us in Christ, there must be a life of Faith in the Law of Life in Christ Jesus. It is a law! Therefore, it is predictable. Look at Galatians 5:6, AMPC: “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only Faith activated and energized and expressed and working through Love.”
The Law of Faith works by Love. Now let’s continue to build the foundation upon which we will stand to activate our freedom in Christ Jesus from the bondage of “the law of sin and death.” Stay with me, now. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 in the AMPC:
- Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
Glory to God, that is solid shouting ground! As the new creatures the Apostle Paul talks about in Verse 17, we regulate our lives and conduct by verses 6-7 (AMPC):
- So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with The LORD [that is promised us]. For we walk by Faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
We walk by Faith and not by sight. We’re back to where we began in Romans 8:4: “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Let’s put it all together. Romans 8:5-11 (AMPC):
- For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]. But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]. And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (shortlived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.
FAITH-FILLED WORDS DOMINATE THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH! Jesus said in John 6:63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
WORDS!
Now, let’s go back to the ABCs of Faith, or the fundamentals. No one is ever so far advanced that he or she does not need to “check up” on themselves by reviewing the fundamentals. That’s the reason pilots go back on a regular basis for “recurrent training.” What are we seeing when we watch the World Series or the Super Bowl? Masters of the fundamentals. What about the new creature? Let’s look at the answer. Turn to Romans 10:8-10: “But what saith it? The WORD is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, The WORD of Faith, which we preach; that 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.”
So The WORD must be in two places—in your heart and in your mouth. Remember our statement? Faith-filled words (in your heart and in your mouth) dominate the law of sin and death! But not just any words. Scripture—The WORD of God! Blood covenant promises and facts. We turn to The WORD of God and then say, “That’s mine!”
Then let’s read Ephesians 6:10-18. Suit up for victory! “In the Name of Jesus whose I am and whom I serve, I put on the whole armor of God. I am strong in The LORD and in the power of His might! I am a new creature in Christ Jesus! He who knew no sin was made to be sin for me, and I have been made the righteousness of God in Him! It is also written in Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
My mortal body is alive in Him! I am a joint heir with Christ! Mark 11:22-25 says: “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. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Also, Ephesians 1:3 says: “BLESSED be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, who hath BLESSED us with all spiritual BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ.”
“Therefore, I am BLESSED with all spiritual BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He has chosen me, in Him, before the foundation of the world. I am holy in Him without blame before Him in Love. I have redemption through His BLOOD—the forgiveness of my sins according to the riches of His grace. It is also written in Galatians 3:13-14, that I am redeemed from the curse of the Law. And if I am in Christ Jesus—and I am—then I am the seed of Abraham and heir according to the promise. Yes, and amen!” Now go to Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Let’s personalize these verses: “Because I am the seed of Abraham and in Christ Jesus, I am redeemed from the curse of the Law. I am redeemed from all sickness and disease. And Philippians 4:19 says ALL my needs are supplied, according to my God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus! Romans 12:1-3 says: ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of Faith.’ Therefore, I present my body a living sacrifice to God, holy, acceptable unto Him, which is my reasonable service.”
My mind is renewed now with The WORD of the living God. How? No one can fight thoughts with thoughts. My mind is renewed when I go to His WORD and think and say His words until His thoughts, which are higher than my thoughts, become my thoughts. What I think and say, most of the time, will get into the “hidden man of the heart” (1 Peter 3:4), and be released through my mouth by Faith until it comes to pass. So I say, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I do not want (lack for anything), spirit, soul or body, financially or socially.” That’s what I pray for you at every meal—every day. In closing, let’s look at Philippians 4:1 in the AMPC, “Therefore, my [Partner] whom I Love…my delight and crown…stand firm in The LORD.” Now, verses 6-8 AMPC:
- Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
“Fix your minds” or, renew them completely. Don’t touch worry and stress thoughts in your thought life. Second Corinthians 10:3-5, AMPC, says: “For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”
“Pull those thoughts down and put them in jail!” My favorite close to my confessions of Faith is: “All is well in the household of Faith!” Remember, “2025 is Alive!” Thank You, Father, for 1 million Partners in the USA before the end of the year! And I quote The LORD: The biggest Holy Ghost gang on the planet! Together, we can, and will, accomplish everything we are called to do—both in your lives and ours. Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Eagle Mountain International Church staff pray for all our Partners every day! In our house, we pray for you at every meal because God Loves you, we Love you, and Jesus is LORD!
