You’d better be because when the appointed day arrives, He’ll come—regardless. You see, God has set specific dates for some things. He has appointed times that can never be altered. When the Scripture says, “It shall come to pass,” it means that event is eternally fixed. To our limited, human minds such a thing seems almost impossible, but in
Isaiah 46, the Lord tells us: “…I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure’” (verses 9-10, New King James Version).

From the beginning, God has declared the end. He has already established how and when certain events will take place.

There was an appointed time, for example, for the children of Israel to come out of Egypt. God set that appointed date in Genesis 15:13 when He said to Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.”

Sure enough, after the Israelites went to dwell in Egypt, they began to be afflicted. We can gather from the Scripture that they dwelt there 30 years before the affliction began because Exodus 12:40-41 says: “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”

Gloria Copeland

I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit I can burn just two words into your consciousness: Be ready.

Be ready for the return of the Lord. Be ready for the catching away of the Church. Be ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, because its appointed time is very near.

Some time back, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to Ken and said, I am coming sooner than you think.

“But, Lord,” Ken exclaimed, “I think You are coming soon!”

Well, I am coming sooner than you think! He answered.

There are many people on the earth today who don’t believe that. Just as the scripture prophesies, they scoff:
“…walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

But those people are mistaken. Jesus is coming back. There’s a day and an hour appointed for His return. We know that’s true because Jesus spoke of it saying, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). At that appointed time, He will catch away those of us who are prepared for His coming and take us to heaven with Him to celebrate for seven years. Then He’ll bring us back with Him when He comes to reign over the earth.

My, what a day that will be!

It’s coming. There’s no doubt about that. The only question is, Will you be ready?

Gloria Copeland

The compassion and mercy of Jesus operated as a force
against illness and disease. A good illustration of this is
in Mark 1:40-42 when a leper came to Jesus and asked
to be made clean. Verse 41 says, “And Jesus, moved with
compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and
saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” As soon as Jesus had
spoken, the leprosy immediately departed from him, and
he was cleansed.

The Bible does not say, “immediately he was healed.”
It said that immediately leprosy itself departed, indicating
that the spirit life behind the disease left. When
that happened, the man’s body regained its health. The
force that drove the leprosy out was the compassion of
God released in the words that Jesus spoke and through
His hands.

The mercy of God governed Jesus in every situation.
After He healed the leper, Jesus instructed him not to say
anything about his healing but to show himself to the
priest. However, Mark 1:45 through Mark 2:1 says: “But
he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze
abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more
openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places:
and they came to him from every quarter. And again he
entered into Capernaum….”

The leper went out and stirred up the countryside to
the point where Jesus had to retreat to Capernaum. He
called attention to his healing until there were so many
people that Jesus could not even minister to all of them.
Jesus went to Capernaum. The crowds flooded Him there
as they had in the desert. It says in Mark 2:1-4:

And again he entered into Capernaum after some
days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
And straightway many were gathered together,
insomuch that there was no room to receive them,
no, not so much as about the door: and he preached
the word unto them. And they come unto him,
bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne
of four. And when they could not come nigh unto
him for the press, they uncovered the roof where
he was: and when they had broken it up, they let
down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Your sins are
forgiven you.” What a statement of mercy! He paid no
attention to them taking apart the roof. Through mercy,
He saw their faith. Through mercy and forgiveness, He
ministered healing and deliverance.

Gloria Copeland

Don’t ever come against somebody’s faith, even if you
do not think they are strong enough. Get in there and help
them. That is what Jesus did. He was governed by mercy
and compassion instead of by legalism, rules and fear. If
He had been afraid Peter was going to drown, He would
have started sinking Himself.

Peter walked on the water based on the Word of Jesus,
“Come.” As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he made it.
But when he started looking at the wind, he became afraid
and began to sink.

As he started to sink, Peter cried, “Lord, save me.” The
Bible says:

Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and
caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they
were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then
they that were in the ship came and worshipped
him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
And when they were gone over, they came into
the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that
place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all
that country round about, and brought unto him
all that were diseased; and besought him that they
might only touch the hem of his garment: and
as many as touched were made perfectly whole
(Matthew 14:31-36).

All this took place because Jesus was moved with
compassion out in the desert. In the life of Jesus, compassion
took a higher priority than anything else. It caused Him to
continually reach out to others and respond to their need.
Matthew 20:30-34 is a good example of this:

And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way
side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried
out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of
David. And the multitude rebuked them, because
they should hold their peace: but they cried the
more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of
David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and
said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They
say unto him, Lord that our eyes may be opened. So
Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their
eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight,
and they followed him.

Jesus had compassion on them, not just for them. The
two blind men had caught sight of the fact that mercy
would do the job. They cried, “Have mercy,” and Jesus was
moved with compassion. The power of His mercy was
released and brought them their eyesight.

Gloria Copeland

The nature of compassion is to give you a part of what
it possesses. This is how it works. For example, in spite
of His personal circumstances, Jesus prayed and
ministered to the people all day long and then provided
for their physical nourishment.

After all this had taken place, it says in Matthew 14:22
that “Straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into
a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he
sent the multitudes away.” Jesus had a reason in His heart
for telling them to go. I am satisfied that the Spirit of God
directed Him, in the middle of ministering to the people,
to go to the other side of the lake where more ministry
awaited Him, more sick, desperate people needing help.
Compassion was still directing Him.

He sent the disciples to the other side of the lake and
spent the evening in prayer. Matthew 14:23-28 picks up
the story: “And when he had sent the multitudes away,
he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the
evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was
now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the
wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night
Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.”

His compassion for them brought about this miracle.
The Spirit of compassion, the Holy Spirit, revealed they
were in trouble. He then enabled Jesus to walk on the water
to get to them: “And when the disciples saw him walking
on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and
they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto
them saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And
Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me
come unto thee on the water.”

Because Peter cornered Jesus by saying, “If it be You,”
Jesus could not answer Peter any other way but to say,
“Come.” Jesus knew Peter did not have the level of faith to
walk on that water, but He didn’t rebuke him for stepping
out on what little faith he had.

Gloria Copeland

In every situation, the compassion of God controlled
Jesus. Even in the face of personal tragedy when Herod
beheaded His cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus triumphed
over His emotions.

Jesus and John had shared a special kinship that began
even before they were born. John’s mother, Elizabeth,
and Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent most of their pregnancies
together.

So when Jesus heard of John’s death, Matthew 14:13
says that “He departed thence by ship into a desert place
apart.” Jesus wanted to get out of town away from the
people and go to a place to pray. But it says, “When the
people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of
the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude,
and was moved with compassion toward them, and he
healed their sick.”

Even in the face of personal tragedy, compassion
moved Jesus to act and meet the needs of the people. After
He finished preaching, He called the members of His
own staff together to give the people something to eat. He
knew that the people were so hungry they would faint if
He sent them away. All that was available was a few fish
and loaves. Nevertheless, He commanded His disciples to
bring the food to Him and instructed the multitude to sit
down. In His compassion, He blessed the food, multiplying
it so there was more than all of them could eat.

Gloria Copeland

Even Jesus expressed and acted on the inward yearning
of compassion. Matthew 9:36 notes Jesus observed
that the people were like sheep having no shepherd, and
He was moved with compassion on them. His immediate
response was to select 12 men to go and minister among
them. The choosing of the 12 disciples was directly related
to His compassion.

Matthew 10:5-8 says:

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded
them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles,
and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom
of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have
received, freely give.

Jesus had a revelation of the mercy and comfort of God
and this caused Him to want to share it with everyone.
He told His disciples to “go preach” and to “heal the sick,
cleanse the leper, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you
have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8).

Matthew 9:35 says Jesus went through the cities and
villages teaching and preaching. Teaching and preaching
are acts of compassion.

When you have the same revelation of God’s mercy
that Jesus had, compassion will rise up on the inside of
you. He was continually praying, at times fasting, always
listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit—always walking
on the verge of that inner explosion of compassion. We
have the same Spirit of compassion living within us,
desiring to bring us to that same place of spiritual
preparedness, always ready to minister His love and
mercy through us.

Gloria Copeland

Having the Spirit of God move and lead you by compassion
from deep within your innermost being is not mental at
all. It is beyond feeling and even beyond saying “I feel
led.” It is where we yearn and experience the heart’s
desire of God.

From that area, rivers of living water begin to flow.
In comparison to a spring of everlasting life which
touches only you, a river reaches out to everyone.
It flows out of your innermost being for others.
Most people have only experienced the spring because they
spend the majority of their time praying for themselves and
their own needs.

Jesus had a river of life flowing out of Him. He was
sensitive to the needs of the people through the Holy Spirit
working in Him. The Spirit of God guided Him in the perfect
will of the Father. Jesus operated in the gifts of the Spirit
to set people free.

From deep within His Spirit, Jesus perceived what
the Father would have Him do. He was led by the inward
moving and yearning of the Spirit of God: “For what things
soever he (God) doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise”
(John 5:19).

There were times when Jesus had visions and saw
things in His Spirit. On other occasions, the Holy Spirit
moved deeply on the inside of Him in the area of knowing,
which is the word of knowledge. He perceived what people
were thinking or what they had in their hearts. This also
happened at the tomb of Lazarus. He groaned from deep
within His Spirit, then said to the Father, “I know You have
already heard Me.”

In a similar manner, we have the capacity to respond
to the compassion of God by expressing ourselves through
groanings and utterances in the spirit. Sometimes when I
pray, it comes out in groanings. I find at times the more I
pray the deeper down in my spirit it goes. Sometimes it gets
down into an area where it is hard to express in words.

Gloria Copeland

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Comforter
(John 14:16). The word used for Comforter
means counselor, helper, intercessor, advocate,
strengthener, standby. Learn to rely on the
Holy Spirit in all these areas of His ministry.
He is the great enabler!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit is given to teach
you, not just some things, but all the truth.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them: because greater is he that is
in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John
4:4). Meditate on this verse and confess it
with your lips until your spirit sings with the
reality that “greater is He that is in me than
he that is in the world.”

There is One on the inside to guide you
who knows everything from the beginning to
the end. Rely on His guidance and direction
in every decision. Expect His power to aid
you in every crisis as well as in everyday life.
He is more powerful than the enemy. Satan is
no match for Him.

This Great One has been instructed to
lead you into all the truth. He will lead, so
be quick to follow. He will not only tell you
what to do, but will also help you do it. He
will empower you.

The Spirit who created the universe now
dwells in you. Allow your mind to grasp what
your spirit is telling you. This Great One lives
in you!

“But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me…” (Acts 1:8).
Something wonderful has happened to you
today. Power! Power! Power! You have been
endued with God’s power and God’s ability!

Dare to believe for this truth and power to be
displayed in your life and you will be a witness
to men that Jesus is alive!

Gloria Copeland

I am so grateful to be able to pray in
the spirit by the Holy Spirit. As we saw in
the Scriptures, when believers received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit, they spoke with
other tongues. This will be a great blessing to
you. After you receive your prayer language,
pray in the spirit every day. This helps your
spirit to be strong and keep rule over your life.

First Corinthians 14:14 says, “For if I pray
in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but
my understanding is unfruitful.” The Amplified
Bible says, “…my spirit [by the Holy Spirit
within me] prays….” The Holy Spirit is giving
your spirit the prayer or praise. Your voice is
giving sound to this spiritual language.

The Amplified Bible also says that Cornelius
and his household spoke in unknown languages
and extolled and magnified God. The definition
of extol is “to praise enthusiastically.”

When you receive the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit, your spirit will immediately have
a desire to express itself in praise to God.
How could you help but pour forth praise
after having the Holy Spirit, who proceeds
directly from the Father God, come upon you
in power? Your well begins to overflow and
rivers are the result (John 4:14, 7:37-39)!

There may be no unusual feeling physically.
Spiritual blessings are received by faith—not
by sight or by feeling. Your lips may flutter
and your tongue feel thick, or you may hear
the supernatural words forming down inside
your being. Or none of the above may be evident.

The lips and tongue are the organs we
use to form words. Your physical instruments
of speech—lips, tongue, vocal cords—must
cooperate with your spirit in order to give
sound to prayer or praise that the Holy Spirit
has given. Immediately upon receiving, spiritual
language is ready for you to speak.

Remember, you have nothing to fear.
God has already said that you would receive
the real thing. Isaiah 57:19 tells us that
God created the fruit of the lips. Do not
be concerned with what it sounds like to
you. God will perfect your praise. “Out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast
perfected praise” (Matthew 21:16).

“And these signs shall follow them that
believe…they shall speak with new tongues”
(Mark 16:17). Jesus said that the believer would
speak with new tongues. You are a believer.

When you pray in tongues, you are
praying in the spirit. Just as your native
language, such as English, is the voice of your
mind, praying in tongues is the voice of your
spirit. Therefore, after you ask, speak no more
of your native language. You cannot speak
two languages at once.

Expect the Holy Spirit to come upon you
just as He came upon the believers on the
Day of Pentecost, at Samaria, at Cornelius’
home and at Ephesus, and you will begin to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives you
the words.

Gloria Copeland