Perfect Love Casts Out Fear by Joyce Meyer

Do you suffer from fear or insecurity? What about the fear of lack? Are you worried that God won't come through for you?
I have been there too.
I have been literally worried sick about so many things, including my past, my future, my finances, what people thought about me. And because I couldn't get my mind off of my problems, I found myself in a place of utter torment.


But we do not have to fear that God doesn't love us or that He won't come through for us in our time of need. We need to learn to accept the reality of His love for us, so that our fears do not control us.
First John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest.

The Cure for Insecurity

Because I had been abused in my childhood and was fearful of being hurt or taken advantage of, I became very insecure. And I spent many years trying to control everything and everyone in my life.
Instead of trying to control and manipulate people, I needed to learn to trust God, pray, and believe that He would do what was best for me at the right time. Most of all, I needed to abide in His love.
First John 4:16 points out that we should be conscious of God's love. It needs to be more than just a biblical fact for us…we need to experience it daily.
Several years ago I was so desperate for a revelation of God's love that I began to keep a journal of the things He did in my life that I believed displayed His love. No matter how small they were, I recorded them.
When people gave me things, I recorded it. When I was shown favor in situations, I recorded it. When God answered prayers and did things for me that I had requested, I recorded it…
This process helped me become conscious of His love, and I began to heal. I found out that the love of God is the cure for the insecure.

Overcoming the Fear of Lack

Another major fear people face is the fear of lack. The fear that your needs won't be met—that God won't come through for you in time.
You may be in a situation that you've never been in before, facing all kinds of new responsibilities. You may have needs that are beyond your resources and the spirit of fear is attacking you, telling you that you aren't going to make it. You may feel like nobody else cares. But God cares.
In fact, Hebrews 13:5-6 says you can trust God to come to your rescue.
Even when it seems that absolutely nothing is happening in your life, He is working. Beloved, God has a good plan for you, and He'll manifest it right on time.
If you need financial support, He'll provide. If it's physical support you need, He'll sustain you. If you need emotional support, He'll comfort you. He'll nourish you and bring you back to a place of strength.
God is for you. He is not against you. Satan is against you, but the greater One lives in you!

Let Nothing Separate You from God's Love

During hard times and moments of insecurity, Satan works overtime trying to convince us that God doesn't love us—that if He did, either we wouldn't be in this situation, or He would've delivered us by now.
I confess with my own mouth the truth that God does love me during these attacks of fear. And I encourage you to say several times a day with confidence, "God loves me!" Don't allow the devil to steal this truth from you.
Romans 8:38-39, which I pray will comfort you right now, says:
For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
As long as you refuse to let anything separate you from God's love, you will have the victory.

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This article is taken from Joyce's DVD teaching, One Life.

The Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit?

While there is a degree of divine mystery to the nature of the Holy Spirit, He definitely is not a bundle of warm feelings or good memories. Neither is He a vague cosmic force.
In this lesson, you will study biblical evidence proving that the Holy Spirit is a real person who loves and cares for you. You will also discover why He came and how He can make a difference in your life.
The Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is not a vague, ethereal shadow, nor an impersonal force. He is a person equal in every way with the Father and the Son. All the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

1. Personality (a person) is composed of intellect, emotions, and will. In I Corinthians 2:11, what indicates that the Holy Spirit has intellect? What evidence do you observe in Romans 15:30 that the Holy Spirit has emotions? How does the Holy Spirit exercise His will as recorded in I Corinthians 12:11?
   
   
2. Find the word that describes the nature of the Holy Spirit in each of the following references. (John 16:13, Romans 8:2, Hebrews 10:29, Romans 1:4)
   
   
3. What is His function, or role? (John:14:16,26, I Corinthians 3:16, John 16:13-14, Acts 1:8)
   
   
4. What specific actions does the Holy Spirit perform? (Acts 13:2, Acts 8:29, Romans 8:14, John 16:7-8, Romans 8:26, II Thessalonians 2:13)
   
   
5. What are His attributes? (Hebrews 9:14, Psalm 139:7, I Corinthians 2:10-11)
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

Why Did He Come?

1. What is the chief reason the Holy Spirit came? (John 16:14)
   
2. What will be the logical result when the Holy Spirit controls your life? How does the diagram below compare with your life?
3. How does the diagram below compare with your life?

Verse of the Day -Righteous of God – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse:

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Righteous of God

For much of my life, I used to worry that I wasn't doing enough to get into heaven. I had been wrongly taught that we must earn our way home. But that is not God's plan of salvation. When I finally understood what justification means, I realized that Jesus Christ paid my sin-debt for me, in full. Christ's righteousness was credited to me. We are righteous of God because of Jesus' sacrifice, not anything we do. When we grasp that marvelous truth and turn it over and over in our mind, it brings a tremendous sense of relief. We can stop struggling to be good enough and spend the rest of our life thanking Jesus for what he has done.

Overcoming Anxiety

Do you often deal with anxiety? Are you consumed with worry? You can learn to manage these emotions by understanding what the Bible says about them. In this excerpt from his book, Truth Seeker - Straight Talk From The Bible, Warren Mueller studies the keys in God's Word to overcoming your struggles with anxiety and worry.

Anxiety (Worry)

Life is full of many concerns stemming from the absence of certainty and control over our future. While we can never be completely free from worry, the Bible shows us how to minimize worry and anxiety in our lives. Philippians 4:6-7 says do not worry about anything, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God and then the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Pray About Life's Worries

Believers are commanded to pray about life's worries. These prayers are to be more than requests for favorable answers. They are to include thanksgiving and praise along with the needs. Praying in this way reminds us of the many blessings God continually gives us whether we ask or not. This reminds us of God's great love for us and that He knows and does what is best for us.

A Sense of Security in Jesus

Worry is proportional to our sense of security. When life is going as planned and we feel safe in our life routines, then worries subside. Likewise, worry increases when we feel threatened, insecure or are overly focused on and committed to some result. 1 Peter 5:7 says cast your cares upon Jesus because He cares for you. The practice of believers is to take our worries to Jesus in prayer and leave them with Him. This reinforces our dependence on, and faith in Jesus.

Recognize a Wrong Focus

Worries increase when we become focused on the things of this world. Jesus said the treasures of this world are subject to decay and can be taken away but heavenly treasures are secure (Matthew 6:19). Therefore, set your priorities on God and not on money (Matthew 6:24). Man worries about such things as having food and clothes but is given life by God. God provides life, without which the concerns of life are meaningless.
Worry can cause ulcers and mental problems that can have destructive health effects that shorten life. No amount of worry will add even one hour to one's life (Matthew 6:27). Therefore, why worry? The Bible teaches that we should deal with each day's problems when they occur and not be obsessed with future concerns that may not happen (Matthew 6:34).

Focus on Jesus

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus visits the house of the sisters Martha and Mary. Martha was busy with many details regarding making Jesus and his disciples comfortable. Mary, on the other hand, was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to what he said. Martha complained to Jesus that Mary should be busy helping but Jesus told Martha that "…you are worried and anxious about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)
What is this one thing that freed Mary from the business and worries experienced by her sister? Mary chose to focus on Jesus, listen to Him and ignore the immediate demands of hospitality. I do not believe that Mary was being irresponsible, rather she wanted to experience and learn from Jesus first and later, when He was done speaking, she would fulfill her duties. Mary had her priorities straight. Put God first and He will free us from worries and take care of the rest of our concerns.

4 Reasons Not to Worry

I've spent an awful lot of time in my life worrying. I've worried about grades in school, job interviews, approaching deadlines and shrinking budgets. I've worried about bills and expenses, rising gas prices, insurance costs and endless taxes. I've even worried about having my home in perfect condition for "company," and within seconds of their arrival, the house is turned upside down and no one even notices.
I've worried about first impressions, political correctness, identity theft and contagious infections. In spite of all the worrying, I'm still alive and well, and all my bills are paid.
Over the span of my lifetime, worrying accounts for hours and hours of invaluable time that I'll never get back. So, I have decided that I'd like to spend my time more wisely and more enjoyably. If you're not convinced yet to give up your worrying, here are four biblical reasons not to worry.

1. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing. I don't know about you, but I don't have any time to waste these days. And worrying is a waste of very precious time. Worrying won't help you solve a problem or bring about a solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?
   
   Matthew 6:27-29
   Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.(NLT)
2. Worrying is Not Good for You. Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick.
   
   Proverbs 12:25
   Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.(NLT)
3. Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God. The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Here's a little formula to remember: Worry replaced by Prayer equals Trust.
   
   Matthew 6:30
   And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)
   Philippians 4:6-7
   Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.(NLT)
4. Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction. When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.
   
   Matthew 6:25
   That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?(NLT)
   Matthew 6:31-33
   So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.(NLT)
   1 Peter 5:7
   Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.(NLT)

5 Steps to Building Your Christian Marriage

Step 1 - Pray Together:

Set aside time each day to pray with your spouse.
My husband and I have found that first thing in the morning is the best time for us. We ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit and give us strength for the day ahead. It brings us closer together as we care for each other every day. We think about what the day ahead holds for our partner. Our loving affection goes beyond the physical realm to the emotional and spiritual realm. This develops true intimacy with each other and with God.

Perhaps a better time for you as a couple might be just before you go to bed each night. It's impossible to fall asleep angry when you've just held hands together in God's presence.
Tips:
Pray these Christian prayers for couples.
Learn these basics to prayer.

Step 2 - Read Together:

Set aside time each day, or at least once a week, to read the Bible together.
This might also be described as a time of devotions. About five years ago my husband and I began setting aside time each weekday morning to read the Bible and pray together -- a couple's devotional time. We read to each other, either from the Bible or from a devotional book, and then we spend a few minutes in prayer together.

We've had to commit to rising from sleep about 30 minutes earlier in order to do this, but it's been a wonderful, intimate time of strengthening our marriage. It took 2 1/2 years, but what a sense of accomplishment we felt when we realized we had read through the entire Bible together!
Tip:
Find out how spending time with God can enrich your life.

Step 3 - Make Decisions Together:

Commit to making important decision together.
I'm not talking about deciding on what to eat for dinner. Major decisions, like financial ones, are best decided as a couple. One of the greatest areas of strain in a marriage is the sphere of finances. As a couple you should discuss your finances on a regular basis, even if one of you is better at handling the practical aspects, like paying the bills and balancing the check book. Keeping secrets about spending will drive a wedge between a couple faster than anything.

If you agree to come to mutual decisions on how the finances are handled, this will strengthen trust between you and your partner. Also, you won't be able to keep secrets from each other if you commit to making all important family decisions together. This is one of the best ways to develop trust as a couple.
Tip:
Check out these top Christian books about marriage.

Step 4 - Attend Church Together:

Get involved in a church together.
Find a place of worship where you and your spouse will not only attend together, but enjoy areas of mutual interest, such as serving in a ministry and making Christian friends together. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, that one of the best ways we can stir up love and encourage good deeds is by remaining faithful to the Body of Christ by meeting together regularly as believers.

Tips:
Discover practical advice on finding a church.
Learn what the Bible says about church attendance.

Step 5 - Continue Dating:

Set aside special, regular times to continue developing your romance.
Once married, couples often neglect the area of romance, especially after the kids come along. Continuing a dating life may take some strategic planning on your part as a couple, but it is vital to maintaining a secure and intimate marriage. Keeping the romantic love alive will also be a bold testimony to the strength of your Christian marriage.
Tips:
Consider these great ways to say "I love you."
Learn 4 simple ways to rekindle intimacy.
Read this tribute to my parent's love.

Conclusion:

These 5 steps require real, committed effort on your part. Falling in love may have seemed effortless, but keeping your Christian marriage strong will take ongoing work. The good news is—building a healthy marriage is not all that complicated or difficult if you're determined to follow a few basic principles.

WERE ALL HEALED BY their FAITH

We find in the Scriptures that Christ did not require faith for everyone, faith is not demanded as a precondition for one to receive a miracle. When faith was required it was in Jesus, not necessarily that one believes they could be healed. The faith movement says faith is a condition for our healing those who are not healed, failed because they did not have the required amount of faith for God to react.
Healings were done in numerous ways. By the person's faith, by intermediary prayer by another, and by God himself with no faith from the person present.

Healings where faith from another healed them

Matt. 8:5-10 It was the faith of the centurion that healed his own servant. If we apply this today those who have enough faith for their own healing can apply it to everyone else to be healed.
Mk.5:35-43The daughter of Jairus was healed from the fathers faith
Mk.2:5 Jesus healed the paralytic not because of his faith but of the four men who carried him.
Lk.17:11-19 Jesus healed all 10 but only one obeyed showing that he was the only one to possess true saving faith.
Jn.11 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead certainly it wasn’t Lazarus’ faith he was dead, neither did anyone else believe it could occur then. It was done so they could believe. (also Lk8:54).
Lk.8:26-39 The demoniac of Gadarene was healed without asking before he was capable of expressing his faith.
Lk.2:50-51 Jn.18:10 When peter cut of the ear of Malchus Jesus healed him without any faith present.
The Bible records Jesus doing more miracles without anyone exercising faith then with their faith. He fed the 5,000 when they could not believe. (Lk.9:13-14 Mt.14:17) even after they had seen his provision they disbelieved again for the feeding of the 4,000 (Mt.15:33). So when so- called faith teachers tell people their healing did not come because of their faith, its false. If God depended on man for a certain faith to be healed or rescued we all would be looking to ourselves for the power instead of relying on God. This is man centered and has nothing to do with the real faith delivered to the saints once and for all(Jude 3) .
Jesus performed miracles even with disbelief among the disciples. The disciples could heal a boy of epilepsy unable to cast the demon out of a boy (Mt.17:14-21) he proceeds to do this and rebukes them for their unbelief, saying they need to pray and fast to see God move. In other words you can’t just depend on the authority given to you, we need to depend on God.
In Mt.13:58 we are told "he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith, however he did lay hands on a few sick people and healed them Mk.6:5.
Of the 35 miracles recorded in the Gospel accounts the faith of the recipient is exercise in only10 of the accounts. Healing of the lame man (Jn.5:1-9) the cleansing of a leper (Mt.8:2-4) healing a mans withered hand (Mt.9:2-8) the healing of the man born blind (Jn.9:1-7) healing the blindness of Bartemaeus  (Mt.20:29-34) The women who had a blood flow (Mt.9:20-22; Mk.5:24-34) Peter who walked on water to Jesus (Mt.14:24-33) the miraculous catching of the fish (Lk.5:1-11) and the second miraculous catch (Jn.21:1-11) The cleansing of the 10 lepers of which only one had faith (Lk.17:11-19)
Jesus did not heal everyone always either Jn.5:1-15 v.3 Multitudes were gathered at the pool of Bethsaida, but Jesus picked only one to be healed a blind and lame man and disregarded the rest. V.3.The blind man acted on Christ's invitation, having no faith. He didn't know it was Jesus who healed him until later v.12-13.How many times did Jesus go past the gate of the temple and not heal anyone? Why doesn't he heal everyone all the time? Why did he those who had faith and picked others who had no faith? Those involved in faith healing will have no answer for this, at least one that would be biblical.
Writing an article like this always puts someone at risk of being misunderstood. So many people believe if criticize healing in any manner you don't believe God can still heal. I do believe in healing, I do believe in miracles and I certainly want to be believing it the way way the Bible presents it, and not the way the faith-healing movement teaches.
True supernatural healings do not always require faith they are bestowed in mercy by the providence of God, neither do they require a laying on of hands to transfer the anointing from one person to another for it to occur. The healings that are from God are always 100% successful, without any relapses, and are almost always immediate. False and psychological healings require physical contact, they can have relapses, and do not heal organic disorders and are not usually immediate. Benny Hinn claims you must keep your faith for your healing or the devil will come and steal it. no where are God's healings spoken of this way.  Real miracles are under God's control without the use of man, false miracles always come by mans hands, and are done by their own dictates.
2 Kings 13:14-20 Elisha died from a sickness even though he had a double portion. 1 Tim.5:23 Paul had Timothy to take wine for medicinal purposes. He didn’t tell him to just believe and have more faith. There is no teaching like this found in the Scripture.
2 Tim.4:20 ‘Trophemus I left in Miletus sick". Trophemus was a companion of Paul and Paul left him as he went on. He did not lay hands on him, for whatever reason he was left behind to recuperate, nor did he encourage him to have faith to be healed. Neither did he send an anointed handkerchief.
Phil.2:26,30 Epaphroditus was a devoted servant of the Lord yet he became sick. He got sick in Rome and stayed that way for some time and almost died. We see that prayers were not answered immediately until it was Gods will in his timing, it was not Gods will to heal him at first. No one came to lay hands on him or send him an anointed handkerchief nor was he rebuked for any lack of faith. God had mercy on him. We are no different in needing that mercy.
Acts 5:15 "They brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall (overshadow them) on some of them." But he never made it a ministry nor do we hear of this becoming a practice by the Apostles. And he did not charge a fee for this either. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see this being revived and promoted today. Once again this involves an apostle and he’s there present with them . It has to do with his presence as an apostle. What causes a shadow to come over another person? The shadow was cast by Peter leaning over them. It does not say they were healed by his shadow, they were wanting him to come near.
Rom.8:15 We live in a fallen world until the time of restoration, so for one to say all must be healed now they are ignoring the context of the greater portion of Scripture. What the faith teachers are doing is not dividing the word correctly. They are applying millennial blessings to us now,  they think by faith we can obtain everything scripture says. That all the promises of God are yea and amen. this is true but they are not always for every believer and their is Gods timing in it as well. Why claim only a physical healing with your faith? There is the scriptural promise of a new body so that we will never die. They should go all the way with their faith and claim this as well. But this is not rational to do. Because as we can see there is a timing,  it is dependent on God to make this happen. No amount of faith will bring the desired result of our escaping death.
Don't think you are being neglected by the Holy Spirit if you believed and didn't get healed. Don't become guilt ridden thinking that the Lord is against you. Don't conclude  that because  you have not been healed that you have an absence of faith or  some secret sin that prevents your healing. You just might have God's glory resting on you for a special purpose.
Take a good look at 1 Peter 2:21: "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."  Here we are told that Jesus suffered, and He is an example for us all. We are to follow in His steps not by wanting suffering, but when it comes be able to bear under it.
What can be the meaning of Philippians 3:10, which refers to "the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings?" Suffering is an integral part of the fact of life for both the unbeliever and the believer. For the believer it is often used by God in the development and maturing of our faith. In the first few centuries many were tortured and killed for their faith, even today almost 160,000 Christians (that we know of, probably more like 250,000)  throughout the world are killed for not renouncing their faith. To the faith movement this would be considered not walking in Gods fullness since no one should be sick or die without living out a full life in years. Lets not forget the apostles all died prematurely, except one. Heb.11 proves that those who God uses to change history are almost always killed or suffer. (Go to article on> the saints suffering)
The apostle Paul had a greater standing with the Lord in terms of his ministry than you or I have or anybody else has ever had. According to 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Paul requested healing from the Lord three times. "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure (boasting). Paul was not boasting, but it was to keep him from elevating himself since he was someone God was going to use as no other. Faith teachers are stupefied on this point because he can’t just speak it away, he ends up pleading with the Lord and receives an answer that essentially says God's will determine Paul's afflictions. God said NO to Paul's request for healing because God had a purpose in His saying no. There was no positive confession to release the force of faith and change his condition, God did not want to.  That's right- God did not want Paul healed.
You may ask why? The answer is right there in the text. "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God's power was exhibited in Paul’s life because of his affliction. His weakness was a physical handicap. Gods answer was His grace, this is the very opposite of the faith teaching which says because they are whole and strong physically, God's power is there. Paul goes on " Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Notice he says when he is weak (in himself) then he is strong (in Christ). Did Paul have a lack of faith? No!  Paul was not suffering from some secret sin that he was carrying around!  He was able to be used of God and yet he suffered with a physical ailment his whole ministry.  The faith movement actually undermines faith in the absolute authority of Scripture and transfers it to be an inherent power in a human whose own commands becomes the criteria?  He was strong because of his dependency on God, it is not self focused but a God focus. This is what true faith is, not trusting in ones faith or commanding or decreeing. But having patience, waiting on God and renewing your strength as you wait for the promise to come.
John MacArthur in his book" The Charismatics" says" We live in a world where God has not chosen to eliminate sin totally from his permissive will of the believer, why should we assume that suffering is excluded? If every Christian were well and healthy, if perfect health were a guarantee benefit of the atonement, millions of people would be stampeding to get saved-but for the wrong reason." God uses many things to get unbelievers attention but the most detrimental thing to preach is to come to God because he’s the great fixer upper, he’ll heal you, make you well, fix your marriage give you a successful job, and make you look good to boot! While he can do any one of these, except for changing how we look, this is not the reason we should come to God. We come to him because of who he is and how he showed his love for us by sending his son to die, He is the giver of our lives and deserves our worship, simply for who he is, and not for what he will do for us. If we can focus on him and his beauty, we may not become self focused and vain.

How to receive the Holy Spirit

Gloria Copeland says of the Holy Spirit, "Some teach that He is automatically received at the time of salvation. It is certainly true that if you are born again, the Holy Spirit has been with you and has worked in your life. But He has had to work from the outside and is limited in His ministry to you.
(John 14:16,17). The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that they knew the Holy Spirit for He was with them and would be in them. The world can receive Jesus as Savior and be born again, but only a believer (one who has already made Jesus Lord) can receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit."
Commenting on "acts 18: 16,17; 19:2 from these instances we can see that the apostles laid there hands on men who were already believers to receive the holy Spirit. These Scriptures reveal that the indwelling of the holy Spirit is not automatically received at the time of the new birth.
You receive the holy Spirit by faith just as you receive Jesus as the Lord.(Gal.3:14)"
Now what in the world do the Copelands believe gives one the new birth except the Holy Spirit. What she does is mistake a few instances of the new people groups that needed to have the apostles approval. Acts 10:40- shows us that they received the Spirit as they believed .The gentiles speak in tongues as proof of their salvation.Act 11: 17" ..therefore God gave them the same gift as he did unto us, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ;" What is the gift? The Holy Spirit. This kind of teaching is not only abusive but has much in common with the cults.

The Bible: The believer is born of God (God is the source of our regeneration)
I Jn 5:1 "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him." As soon as one believes the Bible says we have God the Spirit dwelling inside.

The believer is indwelt by God when they believe (Holy Spirit)- I John 4:15, Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides In him, and he in God."

Eph. 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,"

Eph. 4:3And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 2 Cor. 1:21-22Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God 22who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

I Jn 2:26-27 "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."

Every believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit and that same Holy Spirit is the anointing that lives in us. So every believer is "anointed" with the Holy Spirit.
Gloria Copeland goes on" Christians must be taught to believe for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The disciples in the upper room on the day of Pentecost had been taught about receiving the Holy Spirit by the Master. The entrance of God's words gives light or understanding (Ps. 119:130).
For example, healing belonged to you the moment you were born into God's family; but if you never get into the Word and see that divine health is yours, you will continue to be sick."
If this were true the same faith that saves someone would instantly heal them as well. But the Copelands don't really believe in faith but in the power of their words which will get them whatever they want. That’s why all this becomes a separate event. Heres how its done…
"Five Steps in Action form
1.Ask without fear, knowing that God said you would receive His Holy Spirit.
2.Speak no more English.
3.Come unto Jesus. Open your mouth wide and drink in the Holy Spirit, breathing in as deeply as possible. You are to know that at this moment you receive the Holy Spirit by faith. As you breathe in, you are being filled with the Spirit. "
(this is an occult technique in which the prana energy fills the air, nowhere does Scripture tell one to do this to receive the Holy Spirit ,who already lives inside all the believers. While I  believe in a continual filling as the Scripture teaches, this is not what they are describing.1 Cor.12:13 "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." What Spirit than are they receiving if they breathe him in.)
[It needs to further be pointed out that this also is found in Oneness Pentecostalism. In J.E.Stiles booklet " Why receive the Holy Spirit and how to receive him" on p.21 states "Now as you open your mouth, and breath in, don't pray, don't talk don't say a single word, just breathe in deeply... If you will sit quietly for a time...just breathing in the breath of God, you certainly will feel a moving of the Spirit.. Just lift your voice  and speak the sounds that seem easy to make,...After you have spoken for considerable time, stop and breathe deeply again and you will get a a fresh anointing.]
4."Raise your voice. Use your lips, tongue, and voice to speak out the praise in an unknown language as the Spirit gives you the utterance.

[Recently at John Hagee's Church Kenneth Copeland spoke explaining how his wife got filled with the Spirit  "And the church Gloria came from, dear God. She was raised in a little church out in the country, they didn’t have a pastor half the time. Didn’t believe anything. She’d been saved and filled with the Holy Ghost 3 months before she ever heard the word new birth. She did not know what it was! "(Aug 18,1999 Hagess program on TBN) How is this possible in light of her booklet instructing others to be filled a certain way by asking specifically and breathing the Spirit it in. This shows these people are confused.
5.Allow the rivers of living water to flow from you with the greatest of freedom. You are magnifying God-extolling (praising enthusiastically) the Father God who is Love and offering up the praise of thanksgiving unto Him.
'Now that you have received the Holy Spirit, rely on the Word that Jesus spoke, "He shall remain with you forever."
(note: He will remain with you forever long before you did all this, if you received Christ the way the Bible teaches.
She goes on to say Jesus said the holy Spirit would be given to teach you, not just some things, but ALL the truth .
(Gods will is the Holy Spirit "the promise is for you' , Gloria Copeland reprint 1991) Kenneth Copeland publications)
Really! Do the Copeland's believe they have all the truth? Not even a single apostle believed this, because God used several to write the Scriptures.
John 16:13"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
To guide means to show the way (literally or figuratively [teach]) the object would be the word which he would then guide us into, he will make us wise in the word not beyond it.
Here's how she explains he will do it. "This great one has been instructed to lead you into all the truth, he will lead you, be quick to follow.  The problem with this is he leads us into the truth of the word. Biblically John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."The purpose was for the apostles to have a perfect recollection and the witness be written to us
John 15:26-27 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."
What the Copeland's have done is come up with "many new revelations" outside the word which they believe the Spirit has taught them. So this "ALL the truth certainly means more than what is written to guide you. Yet Paul who had a greater revelation than all the Apostles said in 1 Cor.4:6 do not go beyond what is written that no one of you be puffed up for one against another."
The Scripture says  2 Tim. 3:16-17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
While the Copeland's believe this, it is surface level because they teach beyond what is written which Paul commanded not to. So the Spirit leads one into the truth of the word, not outside it. One can only wonder what Spirit this is, since he was not received when one has a new birth but is given separately on account of ones faith, which to the Copeland's is a "force."