Bulldog Faith Study Notes

© 2016 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy-
ing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
For more information about Kenneth Copeland Ministries, visit kcm.org or call 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) or +1-817-852-6000.
10-6068
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked AMPC are from The Amplified® Bible, Classic Edition © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman
Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc.
Scripture quotations marked NLT and NLT-96 are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked NIV and NIV-84 are from The Holy Bible, New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Wheaton, IL
60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked TCNT are from The Twentieth Century New Testament, public domain.
Scripture quotations marked BECK are from William F. Beck et al., The Holy Bible in the Language of Today, An American Translation. New
Haven, Missouri: Leader Publishing Co., 1976.
Scripture quotations marked WUEST are from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, by Kenneth S. Wuest, © 1961 by Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked JBP are from the New Testament in Modern English, J.B. Phillips © J.B. Phillips 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972.
Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are from The Message © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress
Publishing Group.
Day 6
“A Psalm of Determination” by George Pearsons, June 20, 2008.
Day 10
Prophecy delivered by Kenneth Copeland on October 28, 2010.
“Understanding Faith,” Gloria Copeland, from the February 1999 edition, and reprinted in the August 2012 edition of the Believer’s
Voice of Victory magazine, © Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.
“What Kind of Faith Do You Have?” Kenneth Copeland, from the May 1997 edition, and reprinted in the August 2012 edition of the
Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, © Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.
“The Measure of Faith,” Kenneth Copeland, from the February 1982 edition, and reprinted in the November 2007 edition of the Be-
liever’s Voice of Victory magazine, © Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.
“Surviving the Counterattack: How to Gain—and Maintain—Your Victory,” Kenneth Copeland, from the October 1997 edition of the
Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine, © Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
D AY 1
The Birth of Bulldog Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
“Get Aggressive About Your Faith” Note . . . . . . . . . 8
D AY 2
The Nature of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
D AY 3
Aggressive Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
D AY 4
Persistent Faith—Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
D AY 5
Persistent Faith—Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
D AY 6
Determined Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
D AY 7
Focused Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
D AY 8
Fully Persuaded Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
D AY 9
The Command of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
D AY 1 0
The Faith That Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
25 Faith Essentials Every Believer Needs to Know . . . . 57

Gloria Copeland’s Bible Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Understanding Faith BVOV Article . . . . . . . . . . . 67
What Kind of Faith Do You Have? BVOV Article . . . . . 73
The Measure of Faith BVOV Article . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Surviving the Counterattack BVOV Article . . . . . . . 85
D A Y
1
The Birth of Bulldog Faith
A. Luke 22:31-32—The Devil’s Plan

1. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he
may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when
thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
a. Sift (GK) = Separate, break into pieces, shake, shatter and discourage
b. An inward agitation to try one’s faith to the verge of overthrow
2. The devil’s plan is to drain, weaken and wear down our faith through continual
pressure, disappointments and discouragement.
3. He wants us to back down from using our faith to take a strong stand for what
belongs to us.
4. He wants us to live in a constant state of retreat.
5. I was in that condition some years ago.
There is no truth in the devil. When he

talks to you, you know it’s a lie!
— G l o r i a C o p e l a n d
B. “Get More Aggressive About Your Faith!”
1. Our family had moved four times in 2002.
a. We sold our house.
b. We moved to an apartment for a month.
c. We moved to a rent house for a month.
d. We evacuated the rent house because of the septic smell.
e. We moved in with Kenneth and Gloria for eight weeks.
f. We finally moved to another rent house while the house we bought with
cash was being renovated with cash, far from being completed.
2. I was extremely discouraged the night we moved in with Kenneth and Gloria.
3. My attitude and faith had seriously slipped and was spiraling downward.
4. I sat down at the little desk in our room and began to pray.
5. The Lord began to jolt me out of my complacency.
a. He really let me have it.
b. I took a little notepad and wrote down what He was saying (pages 8 & 9).
c. I want you to get more aggressive about your faith.
Laid-back faith is slooow. Aggressive faith

changes things, people and circumstances.
C. God’s Halftime Locker Room Talk With Pastor George

George, I’m going to get after you about your sorry attitude. You are letting the devil beat
you up out there. Get a hold of yourself and get this straightened out. I want you to answer
these questions right now:
• Are you maintaining or pursuing?
• Are you dry docked or launching out into the deep?
• Are you holding the fort or taking new ground?
• Are you settled into the status quo or reaching up to the next level?
• Are you throwing in the towel or going in for the next round?
6
• Are you passive or pressing?
• Are you surviving or thriving?
• Are you circling the wagons or leading the charge?
• Are you behind the eight ball or are you staying ahead of the curve?
• Are you protecting what little you have or are you aggressively possessing all that is
rightfully yours?
Well, what is it? Are you going to back down and lose? Or, are you going to get back up on
your bulldog faith and win?
• I want you to get more aggressive about taking what is rightfully yours in Christ.
• I want you to aggressively reach out with your faith and take what you need—
command it to come. Demand it!
• I want you to become more aggressive with your faith.
Now, put your helmet back on, get back out on the field and...GO! FIGHT! WIN!
D. Hebrews 10:38-39
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no
pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them
that believe to the saving of the soul.”
E. 1 John 5:4—Our Bulldog Faith Is the Victory That Overcomes the World
7
8
9
NOTES
10
NOTES
11
NOTES
12
D A Y
2
The Nature of Faith
A. 1 John 5:4—Faith Is a Spiritual Force

1. Faith (GK) = PISTIS
a. A force that is forward directed and aggressive.
b. Never passive, retreating or backward
c. Always reaching to obtain a specific target or goal.
2. AMPC: “This is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.”
3. “Faith is a spiritual power born in the human spirit at the new birth. It is the
spiritual substance of all things. It is activated by the mouth and followed with
corresponding action. It is fed by The WORD of God when that WORD is acted
upon as quickly as you would a word from your doctor, lawyer or best friend.” —
From Kenneth Copeland to Pastor George, December 2008
4. Hebrews 11:1-3
a. NKJV: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the
things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
b. Faith is the parent force of all that exists.
c. We frame our own worlds with words of faith.
5. Mark 11:22-25—Faith removes, receives and releases.
a. Verse 23—A force that removes
b. Verse 24—A force that receives
c. Verse 25—A force that releases
Faith is fed and maintained by the Word

of God. You have to keep gas in the tank.
B. Bulldog Faith Defined

1. A bulldog is stubbornly aggressive, persistent and determined.
2. It is a breed of remarkable ferocity, courage and tenacity of grip.
a. Its jaw protrudes and its nose is indented in order for it to bite down on
something and keep breathing until that thing is completely theirs.
b. We bite down on the Word and refuse to let it go.
c. Bulldog faith does not take no for an answer.
3. The nature of faith is aggressive, persistent, determined, tenacious, confident,
demanding, commanding and focused.
4. The nature of faith won’t give up and won’t let go until it sees the desired result.
5. Bulldog faith says, “God’s Word is mine now. Devil, you can’t take it from me. Just be
assured—when this is over, I win!”
C. The Aggressive Nature of Faith

1. Hebrews 11:32-34: “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell
of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and
Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”
2. Ephesians 6:16: “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
3. 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith.”
14
NOTES
NOTES
16
D A Y
3
Aggressive Faith
A. Hebrews 11:32-34—Bulldog Faith Is Aggressive

1. “I want you to get more aggressive about your faith.”
2. 1 Peter 5:6-9, AMP
a. The devil is looking for weak people to devour.
b. By faith, we resist, stand strong and he will flee!
3. Aggressive:
a. An all-out effort to win
b. Boldly and relentlessly assertive
c. Forward, pushy, militant, forceful
d. Ready to fight, tough and violent
4. Matthew 11:12
a. NKJV: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
b. NIV-84: “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful
men lay hold of it.”
c. AMPC: “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the
kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by
force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with
most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”
5. 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith.”
a. (GK) Describes fierce combat with an adversary
b. Faith pushes its way through all resistance.
6. Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
a. Receive (GK) = To take with much force
b. Seize with a grip which can’t be shaken off
Weak faith isn’t going to produce. If you let it go,

it’s gone. If you don’t let it go, it’s still operating.
B. 1 Samuel 17:41-48—David Was Aggressive

1. Verse 48: “And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew
nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the
Philistine.”
2. Hastened (HEB) = Suddenly, he went headlong with great speed.
3. (HEB) So far from fear he was
4. David knew his covenant with God and ran aggressively toward the enemy.
5. “Devil, get out of my way. I will either go past you or I am going to run through
you. Either way, I am going to possess everything that rightfully belongs to me in
Christ Jesus.”
a. Bulldog faith does not roll over and play dead.
b. Bulldog faith attacks the problem headlong.
c. Somebody is goin’ down today—and it ain’t gonna be me!
C. Hebrews 10:23—Aggressive Faith Is Relentless

1. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that
promised).”
2. AMPC: “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we
cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is
reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.”
18
3. We must keep constant, relentless faith-pressure on the situation.
a. Relentless = Unyielding, steady persistence
b. Attitude
c. Words
d. Thoughts
e. Actions
4. We don’t allow the situation to put constant pressure on us; we keep the pressure
on the situation.
a. Keep the faith-pressure on the devil.
b. Hold his feet to the fire.
c. James 4:7: ”Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
i. He will run from you as in stark terror.
ii. AMPC: “Stand firm against him.”
5. It takes aggressive action to get aggressive results.
a. I will not let go until I see the desired result.
b. I will keep confessing what is mine.
c. I will not let up on the spiritual pressure.
d. I will keep pressing with my entire being.
e. The resistance won’t get to me—I will get to it.
f. Numbers 13:30 (AMPC): “Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said,
‘Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.’”
When an attack comes, get it in gear and

go into faith mode!
19
NOTES
NOTES
22
D A Y
4
Persistent Faith—Part 1
A. Luke 18:1-8 (AMPC)—Persistent Faith

1. Verse 1: “Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to
pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).”
a. Don’t let up on your faith.
2. Verse 2: “He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and
feared God nor respected or considered man.”
3. Verse 3: “And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,
Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary.”
a. NLT—She came to him repeatedly.
4. Verse 4: “And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have
neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man.”
a. Don’t let time affect your faith.
5. Verse 5: “Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and
avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual
coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me.”
a. NLT: “This woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice,
because she is wearing me out by her constant requests!”
b. Persistence wears down resistance.
6. Verse 6: “Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says!”
7. Verse 7: “And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His
chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on
their behalf?”
a. Crying day and night is declaring the Word.
8. Verse 8: “I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However,
when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?”
It’s a failure opportunity, or a faith opportunity.

It’s up to you to choose!
B. Persistence Defined
1. Persistence = Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of
difficulty or opposition
2. Persistence applies nonstop, constant, continual, steady, relentless pressure to a
situation.
3. Persistence does not let go or give up until all resistance is broken and the desired
result is attained.
C. The Widow Was Persistent

1. She didn’t take no for an answer.
2. She was relentless and insistent.
3. She did not stop until she got what she wanted.
4. She refused to give up.
5. She tenaciously, stubbornly and persistently kept coming and would not quit.
24
NOTES
NOTES
26
D A Y
5
Persistent Faith—Part 2
A. Luke 18:1-8—The Persistent Widow

1. She didn’t take no for an answer.
2. She was relentless and insistent.
3. She did not stop until she got what she wanted.
4. She refused to give up.
5. She tenaciously, stubbornly and persistently kept coming and would not quit.
B. Persistence Defined
1. Persistence = Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of
difficulty or opposition
2. Persistence applies nonstop, constant, continual, steady, relentless pressure to a
situation.
3. Persistence does not let go or give up until all resistance is broken and the desired
result is attained.
C. Examples of Persistence
1. Luke 11:5-8 (AMPC): “And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go
to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread],
for a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put
before him; and he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now
closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you [with
anything]? I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because
he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get
up and give him as much as he needs.”
2. Mark 10:46-52—Bartimaeus persisted until he got his healing.
a. Verses 47-48 (NLT): “When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was
nearby, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ‘Be
quiet!’ many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, ‘Son
of David, have mercy on me!’”
b. Verses 51-52 (NLT): “‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked. ‘My
rabbi,’ the blind man said, ‘I want to see!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go, for your
faith has healed you.’ Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus
down the road.”
c. He was fed up with being blind.
d. He got persistent with his faith.
i. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
ii. He relentlessly pursued Jesus.
iii. He was not about to shut up until he got what belonged to him.
iv. He refused to quit.
3. They both applied nonstop, constant, continual, steady, relentless pressure on
their covenant and on the devil. They did not let go. They did not give up until all
resistance was broken and their desired result was attained.
28
NOTES
NOTES
30
D A Y
6
Determined Faith
A. Hebrews 11:32-34—Bulldog Faith Review

1. Some years ago, I was at a point of great discouragement.
2. I was complaining to the Lord.
a. The Lord said, I want you to get aggressive about your faith.
b. He talked to me about developing a “bulldog faith.”
3. Faith is aggressive. It is bold, forward, forceful and tough.
4. Faith is persistent. It applies constant, relentless pressure to a situation until the
desired result manifests.
5. We are learning how to develop bulldog faith.
Get on your faith and don’t get off!

B. 1 John 5:4
1. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith.”
a. Victory in this form is only used once in the Bible.
b. Victory (GK) = NIKE = The very means of your success
c. Our bulldog faith is the victory that overcomes the world!
C. Mark 2:1-5—Bulldog Faith Is Determined
1. Determination = An unwavering resolve; nothing can stand in the way or deter one
from achieving the end result.
2. Verses 1-5 (NLT): “When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news
spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was
so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While
he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man
on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a
hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right
down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child,
your sins are forgiven.’”
3. Verse 4—The men were so determined, so resolved to get to Jesus, they tore up
the roof of the house and lowered the paralytic into the meeting.
4. Verse 5—Jesus saw their “bulldog faith” and the man was totally healed.
a. He saw the faith of those who lowered him.
b. He saw the faith of the paralytic—no fear!
5. Mark 5:25-34—The woman with the issue of blood had “bulldog faith.”
a. She was determined to get her healing no matter the cost.
b. Verse 34—Daughter, your “bulldog faith” has made you whole.
If faith is not now, it’s not faith! It’s the

supernatural-natural way to live.
D. A Psalm of Determination by Pastor George, June 20, 2008

I have made up my mind.
I have made my decision.
I have set my faith.
I am fully persuaded
that I am going to make it.
32
Nothing is going to stop me.
Nothing is going to hold me back.
Nothing is going to keep me down.
Nothing is going to stand in my way
of the fullness of THE BLESSING.
For I am determined.
You can’t talk me out of it.

You can’t discourage me from it.
You can’t deter me
from all that is mine in Christ.
For I am determined.
Undaunted, unbending,
unflagging, unflinching.
No matter what happens,
I am going to make it.
According to the Word of God,
I am going to make it.
For in Him, I am determined.
33
NOTES
NOTES
36
D A Y
7
Focused Faith
We’ve got to breathe faith! We know how to

breathe, but if we don’t do it, we won’t make it.
A. James 1:2-8—Bulldog Faith Is Focused

1. There is a direct connection between focusing on the Word of God and the
operation of effective faith results.
2. Verse 6: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.”
a. Waver (GK) = to be at variance with one’s self
b. AMPC: “Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no
hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like
the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed
by the wind.”
3. Verses 7-8: “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A
double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
a. A single-minded man is stable in all his ways.
b. Single-minded = Focused; to concentrate on, give total and undivided
attention to
4. Bulldog faith is laser-beamed focused on the desired result, instead of the dreaded
outcome.
5. Focus is the bridge that vision travels on.
B. Proverbs 4:20-27—Bulldog Faith Is Focused on the Word

1. Verse 20 (HEB): Mark well and pay attention to My Words.
2. Verse 21: Let them not depart from your eyes—stay focused!
3. Verse 25 (AMP): “Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze
be straight before you.”
a. NLT: “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”
4. Verse 26 (AMPC): “Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be
established and ordered aright.”
a. TLB: “Watch your step. Stick to the path and be safe.”
5. Verse 27: “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left (from the Word of God): remove
thy foot from evil.”
a. NLT—”Don’t get sidetracked.”
b. NIV-84—”Do not swerve.”
6. The law of receiving: Whatever you major on with your eyes, your ears and your
mouth will come upon you.
C. Mark 5—Staying Focused Is a Matter of Life or Death

1. Verse 35 (AMPC): “While He was still speaking, there came some from the ruler’s
house, who said [to Jairus], Your daughter has died. Why bother and distress the
Teacher any further?”
2. Verse 36 (AMPC): “Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler
of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on
believing.”
a. In other words, “Stay intensely focused on Me!”
3. Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith….”
a. Verse 3: “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against
Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”
b. For consider him (GK) = Observe fully
4. Mark 5:40 (AMPC): “And they laughed and jeered at Him. But He put them all out,
and, taking the child’s father and mother and those who were with Him, He went
in where the little girl was lying.”
5. The result of focused faith: The girl was raised from the dead.
38
D. Scriptures About Focus
1. Proverbs 17:24 (NIV): “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes
wander to the ends of the earth.”
2. Isaiah 14:24 (AMPC): “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought
and planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.”
3. Isaiah 26:3 (AMPC): “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant
peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because
he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”
4. Isaiah 50:7 (AMPC): “For the Lord God helps Me; therefore have I not been ashamed
or confounded. Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not
be put to shame.”
5. Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT): “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but
I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies
ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for
which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
39
NOTES
NOTES
42
D A Y
8
Fully Persuaded Faith
“It’s better to have than to have not!”

A. Romans 4:16-18—Abraham Heartily Agreed With God

1. Verse 18: According to (GK) = To heartily agree
2. God was looking for hearty, all-out agreement with what He said.
3. In spite of the impossibility of the situation, Abraham fully agreed with God that he
would become the father of many nations.
4. This is how we develop a fully persuaded “bulldog faith.”
5. “I heartily agree with everything God has said about me in His Word.”
a. “I heartily agree with God’s Word that I am healed.”
b. “I heartily agree with God’s Word that I am prosperous.”
c. “I heartily agree with God’s Word that I am redeemed.”
B. Romans 4:19-20—Abraham Was Focused on God’s Word

1. Verse 19—He refused to look at the external circumstances.
2. Verse 20—He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.
a. He didn’t waver, hesitate or doubt.
b. He wasn’t double-minded.
c. He was focused and single-minded.
3. WUEST: “In view of the promise of God, he did not vacillate in the sphere of
unbelief between two mutually exclusive expectations but was strengthened with
respect to his faith, having given Glory to God.”
4. JBP: “With undaunted faith he looked at the facts (his age and Sarah’s barrenness).
Yet, he refused to allow any distrust of a definite pronouncement of God to make
him waver.”
5. AMPC: “No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning
the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave
praise and glory to God.”
The first report is not the last report!

— B a r r y T u b b s , K C M M i n i s t e r
C. Romans 4:21-25—Abraham Became Fully Persuaded

1. Verse 21: “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also
to perform.”
2. Fully persuaded:
a. Totally assured
b. Completely confident
c. Unquestionably certain
3. Fully persuaded faith dares to believe God instead of the natural circumstances.
4. Verse 21 (NLT): “He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he
promises.”
5. Verses 23-24—This wasn’t written just for Abraham.
a. It was written for us.
b. We can walk in this same strong, fully persuaded, “bulldog faith.”
44
NOTES
NOTES
46
D A Y
9
The Command of Faith
Faith has to be fed! It must be fed

or it will regress.
A. Romans 4:16—Bulldog Faith Commands

1. (Literal Greek) Calling the things not being as being
2. RSV: Faith calls into existence the things that do not exist.
3. Call (GK) = KALEO—To summon
a. An order to appear
b. A legal warning notifying a person to appear in court on a specific date, at
a specific time and place
c. “You are hereby notified to appear.”
4. 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness….”
a. Command (GK) = KALEO—same as call
b. God commanded those things out there to come.
c. We do the very same thing.
5. Bulldog faith commands things desired from out of the spirit realm into the natural
realm.
B. Matthew 8:8-10, 18—The Centurion’s Great Faith
1. Verse 8—Speak the Word only and my servant will be healed.
a. Speak (GK) = Command
b. He was telling Jesus to give the order.
c. “On the authority of Your Word, I don’t need to see it.”
d. “Your Word is the only evidence I need.”
2. Verse 9—The Centurion understood spiritual authority.
a. He comprehended the command of faith.
b. I say, “Go,” “Come,” and “Do,” and they obey.
c. “I see that Your Word operates on the same principle.”
3. Verse 10—Jesus marveled and said He had not seen such great faith.
a. Great (GK) = Enormous faith
b. MSG: “This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be
coming from all directions.”
4. The greatest faith is faith in God’s Word and its authority alone, not demanding any
physical proof or evidence.
5. Verse 13: Based on your bulldog faith, your servant is healed now.
C. John 14:13-14—Bulldog Faith Demands

1. NKJV: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
2. Ask (GK) = Demand as something due, claim what is rightfully yours, to call for and
require
3. John 14:13-14 (GK): Whatever you demand, claim, call for and require as your
Christian Right, I will personally see to it that it is carried out.
4. Bulldog faith is not afraid to put pressure on the Word by making a faith demand
on your covenant and expecting what is already yours.
5. God will always supply as long as there is a demand.
Take it when you pray! Then you can drive it,

live in it and spend it.
48
NOTES
NOTES
50
D A Y
10
The Faith That Takes
A. Mark 11:22-24—Bulldog Faith Takes

1. Faith is an aggressive force.
a. It is always moving forward.
b. It continually reaches for its goal.
2. Faith is not passive, retreating or backward.
3. Verse 24: “Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
a. (GK) Take it with much force.
b. (GK) Seize it with a grip which cannot be shaken off.
4. What God has so wonderfully given us by His grace, we forcefully take with our faith.
5. Bite down on the Word like a bulldog, and don’t let go until it is yours.
You might as well get a grip on this—

you get what you say.
B. Joshua 18:1-3—Take the Land
1. How long are you slack to go to possess the land?
2. Slack (HEB) = Postpone, put off, waste time; sluggish and lazy
a. Bulldog faith does not waste time.
b. Bulldog faith is not lazy.
3. MSG: “How long are you going to sit around on your hands, putting off taking
possession of the land that God, the God of your ancestors, has given you?”
a. It already belonged to them.
b. All they had to do was take it.
4. Whatever we need already belongs to us now.
a. Ephesians 1:3 (NIV-84): “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ.”
b. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV-84): “His divine power has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his
own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and
precious promises….”
5. Every one of those promises belongs to us now—so claim them by faith!
“When I prayed, did I take it, or

did I just talk about it?”
C. Claim What Is Yours—NOW!

1. Possess (HEB) = To claim
2. Claim (Merriam-Webster) = To take as the rightful owner
3. “For all of you who will take My WORD and stand on it,” saith The LORD, “the
kingdom is for you, the angels are for you, and all of heaven’s reserves are at your
call.” —Word from the Lord through Kenneth Copeland, Oct. 28, 2010.
4. How to claim what you need:
a. Claim what you need.
52
b. Say, “Satan, take your hands off my money.”
c. Say, “Go, ministering spirits, and cause the money to come.”
5. My Bulldog Faith Confession:
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word.

I give it first place and final authority.
I am walking in bulldog faith more and more every day.
The devil will not stop me

from walking in the fullness of THE BLESSING.
I refuse to quit.
I refuse to let go.
I refuse to give up.
My faith is aggressive.
My faith is persistent.
My faith is determined.
My faith is focused.
My faith is fully persuaded.
What God has promised,
He is able to perform.
I take it!
I possess it!
I claim it!
This is the victory that overcomes the world,

EVEN MY BULLDOG FAITH!
53
NOTES
NOTES
56
25 Faith Essentials Every Believer Needs to Know
1. The just shall live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38)
2. We walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
3. It is impossible to please God without faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
4. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
5. Faith is of the heart and not the head. (Romans 10:10)
6. Faith is both a creative and a destructive force. (Genesis 1:3; Mark 11:23)
7. Faith is released by words. We must speak the Word only. (2 Corinthians 4:13; Matthew 8:5-10)
8. Faith begins where the will of God is known. (1 John 5:14-15)
9. Faith stops at the question mark. (James 1:5-8)
10. Your faith will never rise above the level of your confession. The stronger your confession, the stronger
your faith will become. (Proverbs 18:7, 21)
11. Faith focuses on the desired result—not the dreaded outcome. (Isaiah 46:9-10)
12. Every born-again believer has the God kind of faith. (Romans 12:1-3)
13. Every born-again believer has the right to use their faith. (Mark 11:23)
14. Faith must be developed by exercise, use and action. (Hebrews 12:2; James 1:22-25, 2:17)
15. Meditation in the Word builds a capacity for greater faith. (Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8)
16. You can use your faith like a mechanic uses a wrench—on purpose. (Mark 4:35-41)
17. Your faith can grow exceedingly. (2 Thessalonians 1:3)
18. Our faith is the victory that overcomes and conquers the world. (1 John 5:4)
19. Faith works by love. (Galatians 5:6)
20. Faith calls things which be not as though they were. (Romans 4:17)
21. Faith says, “I see it now.” If you can see it, you can have it. (Joshua 1:8)
22. Faith says, “I take it now.” What God provides by His grace, we lay hold of and take with our faith.
(Mark 11:24)
23. Faith says, “I have it now.” (2 Peter 1:2-4)
24. The greatest faith is faith in God’s Word and its authority alone, not demanding any physical evidence of
proof. (Matthew 8:5-13)
25. Faith gives praise and thanksgiving while waiting for the manifestation of the desired result.
(Philippians 4:4-7; Psalm 34:1)
Declare Out Loud

“My faith is awake, alive, activated, working, vibrant, strong, stirred
up, growing exceedingly and is producing victorious results. I
release my faith for the overflow in every area of my life.”
B Y G L O R I A
C O P E L A N D
UNDERSTANDING
FA I T H
I
From the Believer’s Voice of Victory Magazine
I am convinced that people who are critical

of faith understand little to nothing about it. After
all, how could you possibly be critical of faith if
you understood that God Himself had to use faith
to frame the universe?
That’s why, in 45 years of ministry, Ken and I have never been upset when people call us “Faith
Preachers”! We take it as a compliment—because, if there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that if God can’t
do anything without faith then neither can we.
Everything that happens to us supernaturally happens by faith. Somewhere, somehow, someone has
to release faith for the supernatural to happen in our lives.
Just think for a moment how you came to be born again.
Maybe it was a friend, sibling or spouse who prayed for you to come into the kingdom of God.
Maybe it was a great-great-
grandmother who prayed for Faith, as powerful as
your salvation long before you
were even born. It may have
it is, won’t accomplish
been someone on the other side anything as long as it’s
of the world who interceded for just sitting inside us.
you in the spirit, praying in other
tongues and never even knowing what—or for whom—they prayed.
Oftentimes, we never know. But the point is, at some moment in time, faith must be released on our
behalf for a supernatural event—like salvation—to happen in our lives.
In my life, I know of at least one person who prayed and released faith on my behalf concerning my
salvation, but I didn’t know it at the time. That person was Ken’s mother. In fact, just a few months after
Ken and I married, I got saved by reading a Bible his mother had sent him for his birthday. It wasn’t long
afterward Ken was born again, too.
So whether it’s getting us born again or getting us healed, whether it’s avoiding a financial disaster
I discovered that you and I cannot live on

someone else’s faith the rest of our lives. If
we try to...we won’t walk in the fullness of the
financial blessings God has stored up for us.
or avoiding a fatal car wreck, faith must be released. Someone’s faith must be in operation—and if it’s not
our faith that gets us in the right place at the right time, then it’s someone else’s that does.
Throw Open the Windows!

Isn’t it comforting to know God has people of faith and people of prayer scattered throughout each
generation—people who pray and believe on our behalf?
But you know, I discovered that you and I cannot live on someone else’s faith the rest of our lives.
If we try to, we probably won’t live out the full number of our days on this earth. We won’t walk in the
fullness of the financial blessings God has stored up for us. We won’t walk in the fullness of the ministry
gifts God wants to pour out on us for the benefit of the world around us, a world that’s full of lost, sick,
lonely and needy people.
If you and I continue to depend only on the faith of other believers—our spouses, our parents, our
children, or even our pastors and spiritual leaders—we will always be hindered and hampered, and never
as free and successful as God wants us to be.
So we must develop our faith. We must learn how to operate in our own faith. That’s why, in this two-
part series, I want us to focus on four specific principles of faith.
Principles of Faith
Now, obviously, there are more than four principles to faith, but I want to introduce these four to you
because I consider them to be vital. I believe they are essential to understanding how God designed faith
to operate in our lives. With that understanding in hand, we can then use our faith more effectively.
In this first half of our study, I want us to examine two of the four principles, the first of which is: Faith
gives God an opening.
We read in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in
hope of the glory of God.”
Verse 2 tells us that we have “access”—by faith—to the grace of God through our Lord Jesus, the
Anointed One. It is our faith that allows us access to God’s grace. That sounds reassuring, but what exactly
does it mean?
68
Let’s look at verse 2 in The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition: “Through Him also we have [our] access
(entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand.”
That’s a mouthful, but basically the Apostle Paul is telling us that faith gives us access to God’s favor.
Our faith gives God an opening through which He can pour all His favor into our lives.
The moment you and I received Jesus as our Lord, we gave God an opening into our lives. Our faith
gave Him entrance to come in and save us. By faith, we gained access to the favor of God to be born
again. But that was just the beginning.
There is still much more of God’s favor for us to receive and experience every day of our lives. Faith
requires that we continually receive the Word of God to lay hold of all of God’s goodness. Faith is kept
alive and working by taking God’s Word into your heart.
Believing God’s Word concerning any area of life and acting in line with that Word is faith. The force of
faith is activated by hearing and believing God’s Word. It is a spiritual force produced by the abiding Word
of God in the heart.
You and I were created by God with the ability to choose. He gave us a will. So, when it comes to our
relating to and interacting with God, we make choices to believe what He says or to disregard what He
says. Many times the right choice requires faith to believe what He says rather than how it looks to the
natural eye.
In Deuteronomy 28, as God prepared to cut covenant with His people, Israel, He told Moses to tell
them, “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to
observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will
set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake
thee...” (verses 1-2). That was the bright side of the picture.
On the other side, God warned Moses that if the people of Israel chose not to hearken to His voice
and obey His commandments, then they would suffer consequences. The rest of Deuteronomy 28
contains more than 50 verses detailing the curses that would overtake them.
God laid everything out for the Israelites, all the terms and details of His covenant. Then, He told
them in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that
thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest
dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, to give them.
God operates by promise. He gives His Word. If you believe and obey it no matter what, He brings
that promise to pass in your life.
The bottom line was whether or not the children of Israel trusted God enough to agree to His terms
of the covenant. If they did, they would have to walk in His ways. They had to choose by faith.
69
A Choice to Make
Noah is a good example.
Early in the book of Genesis we read how, when God first approached Noah about building the Ark,
no one had ever heard of rain. No one knew drops of water could fall from the sky because it had never
rained before. Up to that point, an underground sprinkler system of sorts—dew—had been used to
water the earth. Yet, here was God talking to Noah about rain, floods and building a big boat.
Well, Noah had a choice to make, Do I believe God, and build this monstrosity called an ark, or don’t I? It
was a far-out plan to Noah’s natural understanding, but God knew exactly what He was doing.
Noah chose to believe God.
Once Noah made his decision, it took a long time to build that Ark. After all, he only had his family to
help him build it. Everyone else thought he was crazy. “Crazy old Noah—building a floating house with
no water to put it in.”
Don’t you know during the construction phase of that Ark, Noah had plenty of opportunities to
change his mind and back out of this foolish-looking project of his?
Nonetheless, he continued in faith. When God said—“Everything that is on the land shall die. But I
will establish My covenant (promise, pledge) with you” (Genesis 6:17-18, AMPC)—Noah believed Him.
We find out that not only did Noah obey God by building the Ark, he also obeyed by preaching to
the unrighteous people while he and his family hammered and sawed. He preached what God told him
to preach. The Bible says Noah was a preacher of righteousness. I have no doubt the people said he was a
faith preacher!
So, like Noah—and all the other heroes of faith in the Old Testament—if you and I are going to live
supernaturally, if we are going to have the supernatural blessings of God overtake us, instead of curses, then
we must give God an opening—and faith is that opening. Our faith is like opening a window to God.
Believing Is Faith
Remember, God is no dictator. He never forces His way into our lives like the devil does. He never
tries to deceive us. When God laid out His promises, He made them plain and simple. Then He gave us a
choice.
Certainly, you and I don’t have to believe what God says. But if we want to live healed, prosperous,
blessed in every way, then we will have to believe what He says. That is faith!
Psalm 35:27 (AMPC) says God “takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant,” but that doesn’t mean
we have to walk in prosperity. If we want to, we can live in the natural realm and refuse supernatural
increase. God won’t force it on us.
If, however, we choose to take God at His Word, we can walk in the fullness of His prosperity for
our lives. All we have to do is give Him an opening. All we have to do is believe what He says, instead of
believing what we see, hear or feel.
The second principle I want to introduce to you is: Faith comes.
Like God, faith is no respecter of persons. Anyone can have faith. In fact, Romans 12:3 tells us that
God “hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (speaking to born-again people). Consequently, any
believer can develop faith. Faith will always come when God’s Word is heard and received.
To learn more about the conditions that cause faith to rise up in any given situation, let’s read
Romans 10:13-17.
70
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom
they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed
the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
First, notice that this passage of scripture begins with a promise from God—“Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (verse 13).
So in verse 13, Paul declares a promise and then goes on to show the supernatural process by which
it draws faith out of our hearts—the faith that is necessary to lay hold of the promise and cause the reality
of it to manifest in our lives.
Faith Comes by Hearing

There are approximately 6,000 promises from God recorded in the Bible, and each one was carefully
written down for us.
If you and I were to take each of those promises and read them, speak them out loud and keep them
before our eyes, in our mouths and in our ears—eventually—faith would rise up within us. Why? Because
faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the promises of God.
You see, faith is simply believing what we hear. It’s believing what we read and what we say. If we
believe what we hear, say and read, and we let it get deep into our hearts, soon faith will rise up within us
and see to it that everything we hear, say and read comes to pass. The faith that rises within us gives God
an opening to bring His promises to pass.
This point is further reinforced—though in a negative sense—by Paul’s account of what Isaiah had to
say about the unbelieving children of Israel.
“Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16).
The Israelites of old really did not believe God’s promises. They didn’t take His covenant to heart. How
do we know they didn’t? We just read in verse 16 that they didn’t obey the gospel. Because they did not
take God’s Word to heart, faith didn’t rise within them.
To illustrate this point, let’s say I were to tell Kenneth, “You know, I noticed you drooling over that
Harley motorcycle you saw for sale the other day, and I’ve been thinking and praying about it, and I just
want to bless you with it. I want to buy that motorcycle for you.”
If I were to make a promise like that to Kenneth, and he knew I would keep my word, and he knew I
had the money to buy it, I guarantee you he would get excited. Why?
Based on my word, based on my resources, based on my promise, Kenneth would have faith that
I would do what I said. In fact, I’m confident he’d start acting as though he already had the keys to that
motorcycle in his hand.
He’d start thinking about where he could go on his new motorcycle and what other pieces of
chrome and pinstripes he could put on it. He would be in an absolute stir over my promise to buy him a
new motorcycle. He would already see himself riding it.
71
Well, it’s no different with God. If God promises He will do something, He will do it. He is more
dependable than anyone you know.
Remember those 6,000 promises recorded in the Bible?
They’ve already been established as reality for us. We read in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that “all the promises
of God in [Jesus] are yea, and in [Jesus] Amen.”
So, if you need healing, it’s done. If you need food, it’s done. If you need protection, it’s done. If you
need a house, or a job, it’s done. You and I don’t have to try and talk God into any of these things—they’re
already done! God promised them to us, then He ratified His promise through the blood of Jesus, the
sacrifice of His own Son.
What is our responsibility, then?
As we saw earlier, we must give God a window. We must give Him an opening into our lives by
faith—and not just when we get born again, but every moment of every day!
You and I must keep the promises of God—His precious Word—before us at all times...reading
them, speaking them, listening to them. In short, we must do everything it takes to get the Word into our
hearts. Because, when we do...faith will come!
So commit to God’s Word. Commit to it, and I guarantee you that faith won’t just come some of the
time or, maybe, most of the time. No, faith will come all the time! It will come every time that you believe
it enough to receive it in your heart to abide. And when it comes, so will the fulfillment of God’s promises
in your life.
72
B Y K E N N E T H
C O P E L A N D
WHAT KIND OF FAITH

DO YOU HAVE?
S
Signs and wonders. Miraculous

manifestations of the Spirit of God. If you haven’t
witnessed them already in your own life and in
the lives of believers around you, you soon will
because they are happening everywhere and
they are on the increase.
I don’t mind telling you, I love it!
I love to watch God work. I love to see miracles and feel the move of the Holy Ghost. It’s the most
thrilling, wonderful kind of fun there is.
It’s so much fun, in fact, that if we’re not alert, we can get so caught up in watching and feeling these
great manifestations of God that we neglect The WORD and allow our faith to slip.
I can almost hear
what you’re thinking. There are two kinds of
Whoa! Wait a minute
now, Brother Copeland.
faith. One will get you
How could my faith through troubled times in
slip while I’m watching victory—the other won’t.
miracles and feeling
spiritual goose bumps? Don’t those things increase my faith?
Not according to the Bible. It doesn’t say anything about faith coming by what you see or what you
feel. It says very simply that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Sense-Realm Faith...or the God Kind of Faith?
Some people might be inclined to argue with that. They might think that since they saw a miracle
and believed it, faith had come to their hearts. But they’d be mistaken. What actually happens when you
see something and then believe it is that faith comes to your head!
Head faith (or sense-knowledge faith) and heart faith (or as Jesus called it in Mark 11:22, “the God kind
of faith”) operate in two entirely different realms. The God kind of faith operates in the realm of the spirit. It
takes hold of The WORD of God in the unseen realm and brings that WORD to pass in the natural world.
That is the kind of faith God used to bring this earth into existence. It’s a powerful force. And when it
flows from the hearts and mouths of believers, real spiritual faith changes natural things.
Sense-knowledge faith, on the other hand, has no real power. It doesn’t change things. On the
contrary, natural things change it!
It doesn’t say anything about faith coming by

what you see or what you feel. It says very
simply that “faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Everyone in the world has sense-knowledge faith. They believe certain things just because they can see
them, or because they’ve experienced them. People believe, for example, that when they flip a light switch
the light will come on. They have faith in that process because they’ve seen it work time and again.
But the light-switch kind of faith comes strictly from the mind. When you exercise it, your spirit is
dormant. Believing only what you can see and feel does not activate your spirit.
If it did, the whole city of Jerusalem would have been saved the day Jesus was raised from the dead.
He could have walked down the street holding up His hands for all to see. (The nails they drove through
His hands weren’t little house nails. They weighed two pounds each. You could see daylight through the
holes they left in His body!)
No doubt, if He had done that, everyone in town would have believed that He’d been resurrected.
People would have been so impressed that they would have followed Him in droves. They probably
would have jumped and whooped and hollered because they were so excited about seeing someone
raised from the dead.
But not one of them would have been born again. Their spirits would have remained dormant as
long as they were simply believing what they saw. They might have felt goose bumps but they wouldn’t
have been truly blessed.
The Secret of Being Truly Blessed

You see, to be blessed means to “be empowered,” and sense-knowledge faith doesn’t generate any
spiritual power. It doesn’t bring blessing.
It’s believing The WORD of God before you can see or feel a natural manifestation of it that brings real
blessing. Jesus Himself said that to Thomas, remember?
74
After the resurrection, Thomas refused to believe that Jesus was alive unless he could see and feel
the nail prints in His hands. So Jesus appeared to him and said: “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas
answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:27-29).
Obviously, Thomas would mentally believe what his eyes saw and his hands touched. Yet even so,
Jesus firmly admonished him to “be not faithless, but believing.” That’s because mental assent didn’t
qualify as faith in Jesus’ estimation. He wanted Thomas to activate his spirit and truly believe. Jesus
also knew that having seen Him in the flesh wasn’t going to make that kind of believing any easier for
Thomas. It might even make it harder for him.
Many Christians today don’t realize that. They think if Jesus would appear to them in the flesh, their
faith would skyrocket. But that’s not so. If you’re prone to depend more on sense-knowledge faith than
you are on The WORD of God, seeing some astounding manifestation in this natural realm can actually
set your faith back. That’s why Jesus did what He did on the road to Emmaus.
After His resurrection, two of His disciples were walking along that road talking sadly about Jesus’
crucifixion, and Jesus Himself joined them. But Luke 24:16 says, “Their eyes were holden that they should
not know him.”
So Jesus, coming alongside them said, “What’s the matter with you boys?” (This is the West Texas
paraphrase.)
“Are you some kind of stranger or something?” they answered. “Haven’t you heard what happened?
They killed Jesus! They crucified our LORD and our best friend!”
Then, as they walked along together, Jesus began to preach The WORD to them.
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and
he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide
with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake,
and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of
their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked
with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:27-32).
Think about what happened there. Jesus had been teaching those disciples. They had heard The
WORD, believed it, and their hearts were so filled with faith, they were burning up with it. But the
moment they recognized Jesus with their physical eyes, He disappeared.
Why did He do that? He did it because He wanted them to be blessed or empowered. He wanted
to keep their spirits activated by believing The WORD instead of shutting down their spirits and simply
believing He was alive because they had seen Him.
He didn’t want to set their faith back. Some years ago when I didn’t understand that principle, I used
to pester God continually to appear to me. “LORD, You appeared to Kenneth Hagin,” I’d say. “You appeared
to Oral Roberts, You appeared to T.L. Osborn...and I want You to appear to me!”
I kept after Him about it for so long that He finally spoke to me by the Spirit and said, “Kenneth, if you
keep on asking Me to appear to you, I’m going to have to do it. But I’m warning you, it will set your faith
back five years.”
75
Why was that? It was because God knew at that point in my development such a manifestation
would have caused me to want to lean more on sense-knowledge faith than on the faith that comes by
hearing The WORD of God. For instance, instead of just reading The WORD and believing I was healed
because The WORD said so, despite my symptoms, I might have been tempted to do what a lot of folks
do and beg God for sense-knowledge confirmation by saying some silly thing like, “Oh LORD, if You’ll just
appear here in my room and lay Your hand on my fevered brow, I’ll know I’m healed.”
The fact is, Jesus would like to appear to every one of us if He could. It would delight Him to be able
to just walk into the room and sit down with us any time He wanted. But until now, He’s had to restrain
Himself because He is training us to govern our lives by the God kind of faith. He’s been teaching us to
“walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Because we’ve come to the end of the age, God has had to raise up people who can get their job
done and carry out His plan. He has had to develop us into people of faith.
March on to Victory
Why is faith so important in these final days? Because at the same time God is pouring out His Spirit
as never before, the devil is going to be working as never before to stop that outpouring—and the realm
of the senses is the devil’s domain.
He has been banished from the realm of the spirit. So he has to fight in the mental realm. He has to
bombard your senses with natural “evidence” to make you doubt The WORD of God.
The devil can’t get into your spirit to steal The WORD. All he can do to stop you from believing it is to
hammer away at you with natural circumstances. All he can do is shove negative things in front of your
eyes and pressure you with negative feelings.
If your faith in God is merely mental, sense-knowledge faith, you will buckle under those attacks. But
if you’ve been diligent in The WORD and you have the God kind of faith, you will march right over them
and on to victory.
When you’re not seeing miracles, you won’t be discouraged. You’ll just call things that are not as
though they were (Romans 4:17) and dare the devil to do anything about it. When instead of feeling
goose bumps of glory, you’re feeling like a speed bump that’s been run over a hundred times, you’ll be
like Abraham who “considered not his own body...staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God...fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also
to perform” (Romans 4:19-21).
When tests and trials are staring you in the face, you’ll fix your gaze on God’s WORD and say with
the Apostle Paul, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Now more than ever, God needs for us to be people who walk, talk and live like that. He needs us to
be people of faith because as glorious as these final days will be, they will also be days of great conflict
with the devil. They will be days of war that will require us to fight the good fight of faith with more
strength and courage than ever before.
76
Why is faith so important in these final days?
Because at the time God is pouring out His Spirit
as never before, the devil is going to be working
as never before to stop that outpouring....
Take the Runway!

When I think of the kind of spiritual guts we’ll need in the days ahead, I think of a story I once read
about a young man who was in pilot training during World War II. He was a bomber pilot, training on the
Martin Marauder, an airplane which in those days was considered hard to fly. There was a wing on it they
didn’t understand like they do now, and if the pilot let that airplane get ahead of him, it would roll over
on its back and crash.
One day this young pilot was sitting in this airplane with his instructor at the end of the runway
preparing to take a training flight. His roommate, who was training in the same kind of airplane, was
coming in for his final approach at the same runway. About a quarter mile from the end of the runway,
right in front of this young pilot’s eyes, his roommate flipped that airplane upside down, hit the ground
and exploded in a ball of flames.
Stunned, the young man simply sat and stared in silence.
Then he heard the firm voice of his instructor. “Don’t just sit there!” he said. “Take the runway!”
The young pilot was astonished. “Surely we’re not going to go ahead and train today!” he said. “My
buddy just got killed in that airplane right there!”
“Take the runway!” the instructor ordered. “We are in the middle of a war. We have no time to grieve.
Take the runway!”
I know as well as anyone that living by faith isn’t easy. There are times when the devil blindsides you
and hurts you so bad your flesh just wants to lay down and cry. There are times when you want Jesus to
appear to you and give you some tangible, fleshly manifestation to help you go on. But crying won’t get
this war won. Neither will fleshly manifestations.
Walking by faith is what will win the war because faith is our link to the Anointing of God. Faith
releases within us and through us the yoke-destroying, burden-removing power of God. And faith comes
by hearing The WORD of God!
If you neglect The WORD, it won’t matter how many miracles you see or how many goose bumps
you feel, the devil will eventually slap you down with sickness, financial lack or some other kind of
demonic defeat. But if you’ll keep your spirit activated and strong through The WORD of God, when the
devil takes a punch at you, you can rise up.
Start speaking The WORD, pounding him with it until he runs for cover. “By Jesus’ stripes I was healed.”
Wham! “No weapon formed against me will prosper.” Wham! “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in
the world.” Wham!
Of course, Satan won’t stay around very long when you start resisting him like that. He’ll flee. But when
he does, you can chase after him and keep hitting him with The WORD. There’s no place for him to hide.
I can tell you from personal experience what will happen when you do keep hammering the devil
with faith and refuse to let up. An anointing will come on you. I call it the bulldog anointing. Your spirit
will be activated. Your inside will get bigger than your outside, and instead of whimpering in the corner
you’ll begin to roar like the Lion of the tribe of Judah!
77
That’s the way believers ought to be. We shouldn’t just skip from place to place looking for miracles.
We ought to be miracles going somewhere to happen all the time. We ought to walk around so full of
The WORD and faith that all of hell quivers every morning when we wake up!
But to be that way, we must keep our spirits activated. We must continue to walk by faith and not
by sight.
So commit yourself to do that from this day on. Make a quality decision that no matter how many
great signs and wonders you see, no matter what outstanding manifestations you may enjoy, you won’t
let your spirit doze off by simply believing what you see. Determine to keep feeding on The WORD, to
keep activating your spirit by believing and speaking and acting on it. Then, and only then, will you truly
be blessed!
78
B Y K E N N E T H
C O P E L A N D
THE MEASURE
OF FAITH
F
“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.”
Romans 12:3
God has dealt to every man THE measure of faith. Be very honest as you ask yourself this question:
How much faith do I have in the measure of faith God dealt to me? Do you think maybe God gave you a
smaller measure of His faith than He gave anyone else? God is no respecter of persons. The measure you
were given when you received Jesus as Lord was enough to cause you to be born again. It is enough to
bring victory over anything the world can throw at you.
When you made
Jesus Christ the Lord When you made Jesus
of your life the faith of
God took up residence
Christ the Lord of your life
in your heart. It is the the faith of God took up
gift of God. The Bible residence in your heart.
says in Ephesians 2:8,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Everything in this
verse is the gift of God. The grace is the gift of God, the salvation is the gift of God and the faith to receive
salvation is the gift of God. It is not human or psychological faith. The faith that was imparted to you
when you became a new creation is God’s own brand of faith.
What we are talking about is the gift of God’s faith that was given to you to keep. It is yours. It resides
within your spirit. It is in there to be developed and used in your daily life. Hebrews 10:38 says, “Now the
just shall live by faith.” God has given you this powerful faith to sustain you in this life. It is so powerful that
even a measure as big as a mustard seed can pluck up a mountain and cast it into the sea.
There is enough of God’s very own faith residing

on the inside of you right now to overcome
anything Satan attempts to throw at you.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. This faith has the power to make all
things possible to the believer. Faith is born in the heart at the time of conversion. If you have received
Jesus as your Lord then the faith of God is in you now. The measure of faith you received is enough to do
whatever it is called upon to do. And Jesus is the author and finisher of it. Let’s look at 1 John 5:1-5:
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children
of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that
we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son
of God?
Notice in verse 1 the word whosoever. This means you and me as believers. Now notice in verse 4
the word whatsoever. These two words mean the same person. These verses tell that whosoever believes
Jesus is the Christ has enough faith in him to overcome the world. Just so there is no mistake about it,
verse 5 asks the question, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the
Son of God?” The Word has already said the power used to overcome the world is our faith. Think of it!
There is enough of God’s very own faith residing on the inside of you right now to overcome anything
Satan attempts to throw at you. Praise God! The faith of God in you is more than enough to put you over!
God is a faith being. You are born of Him. You are a faith being. God does not do anything outside of
faith. With His faith living in you, you are to operate the same way. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it
is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him.”
Faith-Filled Words
“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” (Mark 11:22-23).
80
In the account of the fig tree, today’s language would read something like this: “Jesus spoke to the fig
tree and it dried up from the roots.” In explaining this, Jesus said, “This is the way you operate the faith of God.
You speak the desired result and do not doubt in your heart. In other words, you believe your words carry
power and the things you say will come to pass. The result is that you have what you say when you believe.”
Jesus made it clear that as we speak faith-filled words, believing, they will come to pass. All our words
should be words of faith. We must speak only words we want to come to pass and believe they all will
produce results. By meditating in the Word and continually feeding on that Word so faith controls your
vocabulary, you will come to the
place where all your words will
come to pass. When your words
The force of faith that
are words of faith, God will trust comes from the Word in
you with His power in the words your heart brings life and
of your mouth. health to your flesh.
In Matthew 12, Jesus said,
“For out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh.” For your words to be so powerful they cause things to come to pass, they
must have the force of faith behind them—you must believe in your heart. Your mouth will speak what is
in your heart. If faith-filled words are put in there, faith-filled words will come out. Words bring things to
pass. Your words work for you or they work against you. You release the force of faith with your words.
They put the law of the Spirit of life into operation. Words filled with faith dominate the law of sin and
death and its forces ruled by Satan since the fall of Adam.
The Source of Faith

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Word of God
produces faith in your heart. There is no other source of faith. Faith is developed in your spirit by hearing the
Word. The more Word you hear and put in your heart, the more your faith is developed.
Your confession responds to the level of the Word of God that is working in you. When you are filled
with God’s Word, faith comes up working in you. When you are filled with God’s Word, faith comes up
strong. When you neglect your study and meditation time and take on the cares of this life, you stop the
force of faith from coming out of your spirit. In the same way the physical body needs food for strength,
the spirit of man needs spiritual food for strength. The Word of God is life to you. The more Word you have
going into your spirit, the more life is coming out.
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes;
keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their
flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:20-23).
God’s words are spirit and they are life. The force of faith that comes from the Word in your heart brings
life and health to your flesh. The Word not only brings healing, it keeps you healthy. Above all that you do,
keep your heart full of the Word because out of the heart are the forces or issues necessary to live this life
successfully. In other words, diligently protect and nourish your spirit. Feed your heart with God’s Word and
the force of faith will issue out of your heart and work whenever it is needed.
Faith, like any other force, must be applied in order to gain any benefit from it. As we eat physical
food, our bodies turn that food into strength. The strength in the body, then, must be applied. It must
81
be released. It must be activated. The same is true with faith. The spirit man consumes spirit food (God’s
Word) and that spirit food produces spiritual power which is called faith. This faith, then, must be applied.
It must be activated. Faith is released two ways: by our words and by our actions. James 1:22 says to be a
doer of the Word. Jesus said in John 3:21, “He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be
made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” James 2:17 says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead.”
One translation says, “faith without corresponding action will not work.”
You begin by putting God’s Word in your heart. As an act of your will you believe it. You say it with
your mouth and act accordingly. Do not continue to talk doubt and unbelief. Act and speak what
you know is true. The Word is true. It works every time. Begin to talk and act strong. The Bible says you
are healed. Begin to talk healed. Begin to act healed. The Word tells us that our God meets our needs
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Begin to talk as though it is true. Begin to act as though it
is true because it is true! This is faith receiving what God has already provided for us in Christ Jesus. Praise God!
It is already ours. We must release our faith in the Word and talk and act like that Word is true. We will see
the desired results.
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove...” (Matthew 17:20).
Patience Undergirds Faith

Almost everywhere you find faith mentioned in the Bible, you will also find patience. Without faith,
patience has no power to call into reality the thing desired. Without patience, faith many times will fail to
stand firm on God’s Word and will fall short of the goal.
Hebrews 10:35-36 is an excellent example of the power of patience at work: “Cast not away therefore
your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye
have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
After you have done the will of God, after you have released your faith in the Word of God and acted
on it, patience comes into play to see that you receive the answer. For instance, if you need healing, you
go to God’s Word and find out that it is His will for you to be healed. Then you follow Jesus’ instructions in
Mark 11:22-24:
1. You speak to the sickness and command it in Jesus’ Name to leave your body.
2. You doubt not in your heart, but believe it will come to pass.
3. You receive your healing by faith.
Now, it is time for patience to get involved. Patience will cause you to stand steadfast on God’s Word
until healing comes. It is the power of patience that causes you to hold fast to the Word and not be moved by
the physical circumstances you can see with your natural eye.
Patience is the force that keeps you operating in faith, standing strong until the manifestation comes,
without acting or speaking in doubt or unbelief. The definition of patience is “being constant or the same
way at all times.” You must learn to act the same way in every circumstance of life. That comes only as a result
of being single-minded on God’s Word—doing what the Word says, not what feelings or circumstances
tell you. Jesus always responded in faith, giving no thought to feelings or the things around Him.
82
It is the power of patience that causes
you to hold fast to the Word and not
be moved by the physical circumstances
you can see with your natural eye.
Faith and patience are two very distinct and separate forces that work in conjunction with each
other. They work together the way faith and hope work together. For example, Hebrews 11:1 says faith is
the substance of things hoped for. Without faith, hope has no substance; without hope, faith is useless.
Hope forms the image in your heart of the desired result, then faith brings that image into reality.
By being sound in patience, you will be able to stand against every doubt or fear that may come,
regardless of how you feel or what you see. Patience will enable you to say in firm assurance, “My Father’s
Word is true. No matter what storm comes my way, I stand stable and fixed on the Word of God. No work
of Satan against me will be successful.” By operating in that level of patience, your faith will be free to
stand—forever, if necessary.
The measure of faith that was imparted to you at the new birth is powerful. It must be nurtured
and cultivated by God’s Word. As you grow in the knowledge of God, you develop in faith. Make yourself
strong on the promises of the Word of God. Release your faith in those promises and activate them in
your life. The results you desire will surely come to pass. It is a fact. God’s Word will work for you. Allow the
faith of God in you to work for you in every area of life. It is yours for the using!
83
B Y K E N N E T H
C O P E L A N D
SURVIVING THE COUNTERATTACK

HOW TO GAIN—AND
MAINTAIN— YOUR VICTORY
I
It’s the moment we love more than

any other—the moment of victory. It’s the
moment when our healing manifests and the
symptoms of sickness finally disappear. It’s the
moment when Satan’s attack against our finances
or our family is defeated and the breakthrough
comes at last.
What do you do when that moment comes?
I’ll tell you what many Christians do. They kick up their heels in celebration. Then, breathing a sigh of
relief, they put away their Bible, turn on the television and say, “Thank heavens, that battle’s over! Now I
can relax for a while.”
It’s a big mistake.
You see, while they’re taking a spiritual vacation, Satan is planning his counterattack, plotting to
snatch the victory from under their very nose. All too often, he is successful.
I first began to notice the effectiveness of such counterattacks years ago. An acquaintance of mine
who had been studying a well-known healing evangelist came to me and said, “I believe the Lord has
taken His hand off of Brother So-and-So.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “What on earth would make you think such a thing? After all, you’ve been
to his meetings. You’ve verified the healings and miracles yourself. They’re valid aren’t they?”
“Oh, yes,” the fellow answered. “People are truly healed in his meetings. The problem is, when I follow
up with them later, I find that many of them aren’t healed anymore.”
Although I couldn’t agree with the man’s conclusion (it was obvious God had not taken His hand off
this evangelist), I knew something was going wrong. So, I began to pray about it and the Lord showed
me what was happening.
The people would come to this minister’s meetings. They would hear the Word of God and
experience His manifest presence. In that atmosphere of faith, it was easy for them to receive their
healing.
But when they left the meeting, they didn’t take that atmosphere of faith with them. Instead, they
stepped back into the same old unbelieving lifestyle that had made them vulnerable to sickness in the
first place. So when the devil launched his counterattack and visited them with a few symptoms, these
people just yielded to him. They said, “Oh my, I thought I was healed of that, but I guess I wasn’t.”
No More Surprises
“What’s wrong with that?” you ask. “The pain had returned! The symptoms were back! What else
could they say?”
I’ll tell you what! They could have said:
“Look here, devil. According to the Word of God, I am healed by the stripes of Jesus. I received
that healing on November 12, 1994, at Brother So-and-So’s meeting and I don’t intend to let
you steal that healing from me. So pack up your symptoms and get out of here!”
If those people had spoken words like that in faith and refused to give in to the devil, they could have
kept their healing and defeated the counterattack. They could have experienced firsthand the truth of
James 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The very idea of having to resist the devil takes some believers by surprise. They seem to think that if
a healing or deliverance is really from God, they should be able to waltz along through life without lifting
so much as a spiritual finger to keep it.
But think for a moment. Why would God command us to resist the devil if he wasn’t planning to
bother us? Why would God tell us to “leave no...foothold for the devil” (Ephesians 4:27, AMPC) unless He
knew the devil would try to force his way back into our lives?
He wouldn’t! So heed God’s warning. Stop being surprised by these counterattacks and start being
prepared for them. Lay foundations of faith in your life so when the devil comes like an old windbag and
blows some lies, pains and adverse circumstances your way, your victory will not come tumbling down.
When I say, “foundations of faith,” what I’m actually referring to are three basic decisions that must be
made by any believer who wants not only to win, but to maintain the victories in their life. They must be
quality decisions, settled before God, about which there is no debate and from which there is no turning
back.
Decision Number One

Make the decision to put the Word of God first place in your life. Treat it as the final authority.
Determine in advance to believe that you are who the Word says you are, and you can do what the Word
says you can do.
86
If you see in the Word of God that you have overcome the devil “because greater is he that is
in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4), then believe it. You may not feel like an overcomer,
circumstantially, you may not look like an overcomer, your doctor and your lawyer may not tell you you’re
an overcomer, but none of those are the final authority.
The Word is the final authority.
Decision Number Two

Decide to live your life by faith. Notice I didn’t say, decide to give it a try. Hebrews 10:38 doesn’t
mention anything about the just trying to live by faith. It says, “The just shall live by faith.”
Some people are reluctant to make that decision because they’re afraid they won’t have enough
faith to get them through every situation. But there’s really no need to fear. After all, getting faith isn’t the
problem. You already have it inside your spirit now if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Releasing it isn’t difficult either. It simply comes by “hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans
10:17).
So make a commitment to spend time in the Word every day. Read it. Study it. Meditate it. Listen
to it being preached in meetings and on tape. Then make up your mind to practice that Word, not just
occasionally, but day in and day out. Resolve to act like it is true all the time.
Decision Number Three

Decide to live by the love of God. Permanently lay down your right to be offended, unforgiving or
unloving in any way. That doesn’t mean, of course, you’ll never make a mistake and step out of love. It
simply means you’ve decided in advance that when you do, you’ll repent immediately and make the
situation right.
Remember, Galatians 5:6 tells us that “faith...worketh by love.” So don’t try to make the other two
decisions without making this one. They all work together. After all, “Love one another as He gave
commandment” is not a suggestion—it is God’s command!
Find the Promise

With these decisions in place, you’ve established a foundation of faith in your life. But the questions
still remain: What do you do when trouble strikes? Exactly what steps do you take to gain (or retain) your
victory?
The first thing you do when you’re facing a faith challenge is to go to the Word and find the promise
of God that covers your situation. You can be sure there is such a promise because 2 Peter 1:3-4 assures us
that according to His divine power, God
...hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Finding the promise of God makes faith easy. It’s easy to believe someone will do something for you
87
if you know they’ve already said they would—especially if you have confidence in the integrity of that
person.
Think about it this way. If you were going to City Hall to talk to the head of the water department
about a problem with the waterline in front of your house, you wouldn’t just go kick his door down
and fall on the floor crying and begging him to fix your problem. No, if you were smart, before you
ever walked into his office you’d do some research and find out what has already been said about your
situation. You’d read the promises and covenants of the city so you’d know what you could rightfully
expect them to do for you.
Do the same thing in the realm of the spirit. Don’t just throw yourself in front of God’s throne of grace
and start crying and begging Him to help you. Dig into your Bible. Search out what God has promised
you concerning this matter. Then you can go boldly before the throne of grace and receive help in your
time of need.
Focus on the Answer

Once you’ve found the promise that covers your situation and settled it in your heart, focus your
attention on it. Keep it in the forefront of your thinking. Don’t spend your time looking at the problem
and listening to the negative words of those around you. Instead, fix your mind on God’s Word. Proverbs
4:20-22 says it this way: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not
depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them,
and health to all their flesh.”
My children proved the power of this principle years ago when they were very young. They came to
me and told me they wanted a boat so we could go out on the lake as a family and have some time to
ourselves. “That sounds great to me,” I said. “But your mother and I will not use our faith for it. You kids will
have to get it by using your own faith.”
So, off they went. They opened the Bible and found promises that applied to them. (John was too
young to read. He just listened and agreed.) Then they wrote out an agreement, signed it and taped it to
the refrigerator door. From that day forward, every time they walked past the refrigerator they would slap
that agreement and say, “Thank God it is done!” In other words, they kept it constantly before their eyes
and in their heart.
Every once in a while, John would get mad at Kellie and I’d say, “Son, you’d better watch out. You can’t
operate in faith without operating in love. And it will take faith to get that boat.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” he’d say. “I repent! I repent!”
To make a long story short, 10 days later, a fellow called me and gave me a fishing boat. Then, the
next day another fellow called me and gave me a light cabin cruiser.
Why two boats? That’s the question I asked the Lord. He said, Go read their agreement. Those kids
had agreed on “the perfect boat.” To them that meant a boat we could use to fish, water ski and carry the
entire family. It took two boats to fill the bill!
From Need to Provision

The third operating principle of faith is to go to God on the basis of His provision—not on the basis
of your need. I learned to do this years ago in the area of healing. I don’t ever go to God, tell Him how sick
88
I am and ask for healing.
Isaiah 53:5 assures me that Jesus already provided healing for me on the cross. So I say, “I am thanking
You, Lord, for providing healing for me. By faith I receive that provision now, in Jesus’ Name. I set myself in
agreement with Your Word which says, ‘by His stripes I was healed’” (see 1 Peter 2:24).
Remember this: If you continue to rehearse your need, you will be so need-minded that it will stunt
your faith and you won’t be able to receive God’s supply. But if you continue to rehearse God’s promise,
you’ll become so answer-minded that it will be the most natural thing in the world to simply reach out by
faith and receive His provision.
Talk to the Mountain

Your fourth step of faith is: Speak to the problem. Notice, I didn’t say talk to God about the problem, I
said speak to the problem itself.
Why should we do such a strange thing? Jesus told us to do it, that’s why. In Mark 11:22-23 He said:
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.
Romans 4:17 refers to such faith talk as calling “things which be not as though they were,” and both
God Himself and Abraham (the father of our faith) did it.
It’s important to note that calling things that be not as though they were is quite different from
calling things that are as though they are not. When I declare that my needs are met according to God’s
riches in glory, I am not denying the existence of any financial problems I might be experiencing. I’m not
pretending they aren’t there. I am calling forth the provision and declaring by faith that those needs are
met. I am speaking to that financial mountain and commanding it to be removed and cast into the sea.
I remember one Sunday morning in particular many years ago when I had to speak to a mountain of
sickness that was trying to prevent me from preaching. I was so sick that as I stood behind the pulpit and
started to read the Word, I began to pass out.
Now, I had already gone to God earlier that morning on the basis of His provision and by faith
believed I received my healing. The problem was, the manifestation had not yet come. So, I told the
congregation I would be right back, went to another room and started speaking to that mountain.
I ranted and raved and jumped all over the devil. I told him that I was healed by the stripes of Jesus.
I told him his power over me had been destroyed and I commanded him in Jesus’ Name to get his filthy
hand of sickness off me. When I walked out of that room, I didn’t feel any better physically, but I knew I’d
done what the Word instructed me to do so I went right back in and started preaching on healing.
At first my voice sounded bad. My body ached from my toenails to my hair. But as I was preaching,
suddenly, the power of God hit me, healed me and gave me so much strength I was able to preach all
morning long! We are not the sick trying to get healed. We are the healed and the devil is trying to take
our health away from us.
89
Praise! Praise! Praise!
Your fifth and final step of faith is to praise God. Praise Him in the morning. Praise Him at noon. Praise
Him at night. Don’t wait until your circumstances change, start praising Him in the midst of them.
There’s power in praise. If you doubt it, just read Psalm 8:1-2: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your
name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (NIV).
Praise shuts the devil’s mouth. So put it to work. Praise God that the mountain is gone even while it’s
still standing there. Praise Him for setting you free. Praise Him for the blood of Jesus that paid the price for
your sin and delivered you from every curse. Shout your way to work every morning and shout your way
home every night.
30 Years of Victory
There you have it, three decisions and five steps of faith. If you’ll use them, the devil won’t have a
chance against you. You’ll be able to triumph over every attack and counterattack.
I know you will because it’s these fundamentals of faith that Gloria and I first learned many years ago.
Since then we’ve faced many a crisis and countless opportunities for failure, but every time we’ve been
diligent to apply these truths, God has brought us out on top.
Over the years He has deepened our understanding, of course, and helped us develop in our
relationship with Him. But even so, in the toughest battles, the Holy Spirit always brings us back to the
basics He taught us when we first began. He always reminds us of those simple steps that for 30 years
have helped us gain—and maintain—the victory.

Bulldog Faith Study Notes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bulldog Faith Study Notes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bulldog Faith Study Notes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

© 2016 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All rights reserved.

25 Faith Essentials Every Believer Needs to Know . . . . 57

A. Luke 22:31-32—The Devil’s Plan

There is no truth in the devil. When he

Laid-back faith is slooow. Aggressive faith

C. God’s Halftime Locker Room Talk With Pastor George

A. 1 John 5:4—Faith Is a Spiritual Force

Faith is fed and maintained by the Word

B. Bulldog Faith Defined

C. The Aggressive Nature of Faith

A. Hebrews 11:32-34—Bulldog Faith Is Aggressive

Weak faith isn’t going to produce. If you let it go,

B. 1 Samuel 17:41-48—David Was Aggressive

C. Hebrews 10:23—Aggressive Faith Is Relentless

When an attack comes, get it in gear and

A. Luke 18:1-8 (AMPC)—Persistent Faith

It’s a failure opportunity, or a faith opportunity.

C. The Widow Was Persistent

A. Luke 18:1-8—The Persistent Widow

A. Hebrews 11:32-34—Bulldog Faith Review

Get on your faith and don’t get off!

If faith is not now, it’s not faith! It’s the

D. A Psalm of Determination by Pastor George, June 20, 2008

You can’t talk me out of it.

We’ve got to breathe faith! We know how to

A. James 1:2-8—Bulldog Faith Is Focused

B. Proverbs 4:20-27—Bulldog Faith Is Focused on the Word

C. Mark 5—Staying Focused Is a Matter of Life or Death

“It’s better to have than to have not!”

A. Romans 4:16-18—Abraham Heartily Agreed With God

B. Romans 4:19-20—Abraham Was Focused on God’s Word

The first report is not the last report!

C. Romans 4:21-25—Abraham Became Fully Persuaded

Faith has to be fed! It must be fed

A. Romans 4:16—Bulldog Faith Commands

C. John 14:13-14—Bulldog Faith Demands

Take it when you pray! Then you can drive it,

A. Mark 11:22-24—Bulldog Faith Takes

You might as well get a grip on this—

“When I prayed, did I take it, or

C. Claim What Is Yours—NOW!

5. My Bulldog Faith Confession:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word.

The devil will not stop me

This is the victory that overcomes the world,

Declare Out Loud

I am convinced that people who are critical

I discovered that you and I cannot live on

Throw Open the Windows!

Faith Comes by Hearing

WHAT KIND OF FAITH

Signs and wonders. Miraculous

It doesn’t say anything about faith coming by

The Secret of Being Truly Blessed

Take the Runway!

“For I say, through the grace given unto me,

There is enough of God’s very own faith residing

The Source of Faith

Patience Undergirds Faith