If you ever turn on our flagship television program, Believer’s Voice of Victory, or attend a KCM event, you’re going to hear a lot about how to develop and use your faith for victory in every area of your life. That’s Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s calling! And that’s why you’ll also hear a lot about the importance of walking in love.
We know from Galatians 5:6 that faith doesn’t work without love, so focusing all our efforts on faith without starting with its support system—love—would be futile.
The more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you’ll discover that love is the bottom line. Nothing counts without it. In short, you can’t go anywhere spiritually or in your relationships until you get your love walk straight! No wonder the Bible tells us to “eagerly pursue and see to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]” (1 Corinthians 14:1, AMPC). Living a life ruled by the love of God is what opens you up to walk in the spirit and live in the highest measure of THE BLESSING and power of God!
But as we all know, walking in love requires diligence and resisting what the flesh wants to think, say, feel and do. There aren’t many who can rival the effort Brother Kenneth Copeland puts into his love walk. Though he’d never say it himself, he is known for excelling in the area of love. He would never claim to have arrived, because he knows it takes continual work. But he has some tips to share based on what he has done in his own life to grow in love. We hope you’ll give them a try!
1. Speak Love Every Day
Every night when Brother Copeland turns off the lights to go to sleep, he speaks the same words of love. He says this of his routine:
“The last thing that comes out of my mouth, so quiet that Gloria is not able to hear me, is this: ‘I love The LORD my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength. I love my neighbor as myself, and I love the brethren even as You love the brethren. Thank You, LORD Jesus, for loving me. Thank You for loving my family and for taking care of us as You have all these years. I love You so. I love You so.’”
He does this because he says, “Faith works by love, and you have to confess the Love of God for faith in the Love to come out.”
2. Study 1 John
You’ve heard it said that you can’t give away what you don’t have. Often, people struggle with walking in love because they don’t like themselves very much. They haven’t felt loved in their own lives, and they haven’t fully received God’s love. When you have fully received God’s love and are walking after it, love is what will naturally come out of you—under pressure, when tempted, when insulted or when done wrong in any way.
So how can you work to fully and continually receive the love of God?
Brother Copeland reads the book of 1 John every day for several months to increase his awareness of the love of God. He says God has loved all the fear out of him (1 John 4:18). When you aren’t in fear, you won’t lash out at people for fear of rejection. When you aren’t in fear, you won’t become angry with your spouse or children when financial pressures come. When you aren’t in fear, you won’t feel the need to be right in an argument. Perfect love casts out all fear.
You can develop your faith further by acknowledging just how great God’s love for you truly is. You can spend time meditating on the fact that God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. Think about that! God not only loves you just as powerfully as He loves Jesus, He has also put that same mighty love inside you, so you can love like He loves! That’s staggering to your human mind but dare to believe it anyway. Receive it as truth in your heart.
3. Personalize 1 Corinthians 13
Growing in the area of walking in love wouldn’t be complete without putting the greatest of all verses about love into practice. Write down 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 on a 3 x 5 card, and keep it in your Bible. Read it aloud every day. Then, make it personal:
I am patient. I am kind.
I do not envy.
I do not boast.
I am not proud.
I am not rude.
I am not self-seeking.
I keep no record of the wrongs done to me.
I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth.
I never give up, never lose faith, am always hopeful and endure through every circumstance.
I do these things because they are love, which never fails.
When you take these tips for walking in love and put them into practice, you will begin to see a marked difference in the way you think, speak and behave! You will complete the process of developing your faith in God’s love by allowing it to flow to you and through you to others. As 1 John 4:12 says, “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us” (KJV). Remember the old saying, "Practice makes perfect"? That’s absolutely the truth. The way you perfect God’s love in you is by practicing that love toward other people. As you keep on practicing and developing that love, with every day that passes, you’ll grow up a little more into the image of Jesus. The works Jesus did you will boldly do also, and your relationships will blossom as others see Him in you.
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