Just before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed a special prayer for His disciples. He said, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
(John 17:16-17)

To sanctify means "to separate unto." We are in this world but not of it. So to have excellence of ministry, we must strip away everything of the world from our lives until there is nothing left but the Word of God.

Stop seeing yourself or other Christians as "reformed" sinners - all are now the very righteousness of God. Look at yourself and other believers that way. Emphasize your right-standing with God. When you minister to your congregation, teach them who they are in Christ and what a glorious inheritance they have right now because of what He has done for us.

Second, strip away your negative confessions. Don't confess that you are sinful, needy, weak or sick. Find out what God has said about you and confess the truth. You are what the Word says you are.

What is the blessing of Abraham? Health, prosperity, success, wisdom, righteousness - confess these things!

Learn to control your speech. Watch out for verbal expressions like "I was scared to death," "That tickled me to death" or "I could have died." Do it out of respect for Jesus. You of all people ought to know that you can have what you say. Besides, it's simply not true!

As a minister of the gospel, you set the example; you must make absolutely certain that what you say is true and honest. If you want God to bless what you preach, you will have to put away exaggeration and telling stories that are just not so.

Do Away with Spiritual Junk Food
Put the Word of God first place in your life and allow it to strip away all of the other things. It won't work while you sit and watch television day and night. Break the habit. The media generally dwells on the negative side of life - wars, inflation, accidents, death, conflicts - and the Bible tells us that the cares of this world will choke the Word (Matt. 13:22).

In 1967, I made a decision to fast my newspaper for two weeks and to spend that time in the Word. I have not gone back to the paper yet. Occasionally, I pick up one and look through it, but the attraction is gone. The reason I lost interest is simple: I was getting more out of the Word of God than I was out of the newspaper.

I used to derive my satisfaction from things like month-long fishing trips, riding motorcycles, hunting or flying. They are all enjoyable. But now, instead of getting contentment from these things, I am satisfied before I do them.

When your Word level gets low and your confession level gets low, then you have a tendency to start seeking something in the natural to satisfy that craving. It takes the Word of God to separate you from the things of this world. Unnecessary things take up your time and dilute the power of God operating in and through you.

Put Away Man-made Schemes
As a minister, you cannot be satisfied with being "as honest as the next fellow." You are called to be holy even as God is holy, regardless of what pressures Satan may bring to bear. You have to do "double duty" as a man of God. You must practice what you preach. Your faith and confidence must rest on the infallible Word of God and not on your own shrewd dealings.

God is everywhere. He works from both ends of a problem at the same time. Our knowledge and understanding of the situation doesn't even scratch the surface. In most cases, the Father is trying to get us out of the way, so He can intervene. His reputation is on the line, not ours. If we will exercise faith and trust, the solution will come.

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries