Learn to continually pray this prayer
from Ephesians 3:14-21 for yourself:

For this cause I bow my knees unto
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named, that he would
grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man;
that Christ may dwell in your hearts
by faith; that ye, being rooted and
grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height; and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge, that
ye might be filled with all the fullness
of God. Now unto him that is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the
power that worketh in us, unto him
be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen.

According to the power that worketh in
us! His unlimited ability to work in our lives is
according to the power working in us. God’s
design is that He abide continually inside our
spirits and come upon us in power to carry
out His work.

In the early Church, much of the time,
people were born again and received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit at the same time.
In Acts 8 however, we can see the two different
experiences. It tells us that Philip in Samaria
preached the things concerning the kingdom
of God and the Name of Jesus. Verse 12 says
they believed, and both men and women were
baptized. These people were believers.

Later, Peter and John came to pray for
them that they might receive the Holy
Ghost. “(For as yet he was fallen upon none
of them: only they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Ghost”
(Acts 8:16-17).

The term “receiving the Holy Ghost” is
also correct in speaking about the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit. Paul asked the men at
Ephesus, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost
since ye believed? And they said unto him,
We have not so much as heard whether there
be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).

These men had been baptized into John’s
baptism. Paul told them that John said to
believe on Jesus. “When they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,
the Holy Ghost came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts
19:5-6). In this instance they were baptized
in water and then Paul laid hands on them to
receive the Holy Ghost.

From these scriptures we can see that the
apostles laid their hands on men who were
already believers, to receive the Holy Spirit.
These scriptures reveal that this enduement of
power called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is
not the same experience as the new birth. In
these two examples, this enduement of power
came as hands were laid on them.

However, on the Day of Pentecost, at
the house of Cornelius, the Spirit of God fell
upon those present and they began to speak
in other tongues. They received the new birth
and the enduement of power simultaneously.

Gloria Copeland

Jesus taught the disciples about these works
in John 14, talking to them about the Holy Spirit:
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and
the Father in me? the words that I speak unto
you I speak not of myself: but the Father that
dwelleth in me, he doeth the works…. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me,
the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto
my Father” (John 14:10, 12).

They were to continue to do the same
works that Jesus Himself had been doing and
it would take the same power and anointing
of the Holy Spirit He had. (See Acts 10:38;
Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:10; Luke 4:18-21;
Acts 5:12-16.)

That power came on the Church on the
Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is still
assigned to the Church today to help us fulfill
our commission. Didn’t Jesus say He would
abide with us forever?

Jesus stated that it was not Him but the
Father in Him who did these works. When
He said, “But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” (Acts
1:8), they knew what He meant!

The Greek word dunamis, translated power,
means “ability and might.” When you receive
the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you receive the
ability of God to do His work in the earth. The
Spirit within is for fruit bearing—for your own
personal life (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus talked
about this in John 4:14. He called it: “…a well
of water springing up into everlasting life.” But
the Spirit upon is for service. Jesus talked about
this in John 7:38-39. He described it as “rivers
of living water.” The well is for your own life
and the rivers flowing out of you are for others.

The dictionary says a witness is “evidence
or confirmation.” This power of the Holy Spirit
living in you can transform your life into
evidence to the world that Jesus has been
raised from the dead and is alive today. Jesus
said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me…” (Acts 1:8).

The traditions and doctrines of men have
robbed many believers of this power to be a
witness. The world is not only supposed to
hear words but see proof that Jesus is alive
today. As new converts, we should be taught
to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit—
the enduement of this power to reveal Jesus
to lost humanity.

Many believe that He is automatically
received at the time of salvation, and that’s all
there is. It is certainly true that if you are born
again, the Holy Spirit has come to live in you
and endeavors to work in your life. I had been
born again and the Holy Spirit was living inside
me, but the power Jesus spoke of was not evident
in my life until after I received the Baptism in
the Holy Spirit. I wanted to do right, to follow
God and be a strong Christian, but outwardly
I didn’t change much until after I received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in other tongues. The combination of the power
of God upon me and the Word of God in my
heart began to change weakness to victory. As
I learned truth from God’s Word and acted on
it, the Spirit of God upon me enabled me to
overcome in my own life and to help others
overcome.

Gloria Copeland

From that moment they were changed.
They were no longer troubled, afraid or sad.
Luke’s account lets us know of the change:
“And it came to pass, while he blessed them,
he was parted from them, and carried up
into heaven. And they worshipped him, and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and
were continually in the temple, praising and
blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24:51-53).

Where there had been sadness, now there
was great joy—a fruit of the spirit. Where
there had been fear and confusion, now there
was continual praise and blessing of God. And
they were obedient. They went to Jerusalem
and waited for the enduement of power from
on high, expecting to receive the promise of
the Father which Jesus spoke of just before
he blessed the disciples and was carried into
heaven: “And, behold, I send the promise of
my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city
of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power
from on high” (Luke 24:49).

The account of this in Acts 1 says:
And, being assembled together with
them, [He] commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father,
which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water;
but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost not many days hence….
Ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth (verses 4-5, 8).

He said they were to be baptized with
the Holy Ghost and receive power! They
had already received the Holy Spirit within.
Now Jesus was instructing them what to
do to receive the power of God upon them.
Acts 10:38 says Jesus was anointed with the
Holy Ghost and power. The disciples were to
receive that same power!

He said in our everyday talk, “Don’t leave
town without it!” This enduement of power
was necessary for them to be able to carry out
the work Jesus set before them. (See Mark
16:15-20; Matthew 28:18-20.) Nothing has
changed. The Body of Christ today is still
under the same mandate.

Gloria Copeland

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is not only
to impart the nature of God to the spirit of
man, but also to live in the new creature and
to reveal to him the exact knowledge of God.
The Spirit within enables the new creature to
walk in newness of life. One writer has said
that the Spirit that gives us life must also
sustain that life.

Ezekiel says, “A new heart also will I give
you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and
I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And
I will put my spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

After you make Jesus Lord, the Holy Spirit
comes to live in you. Jesus told the disciples:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with
you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom
the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him;
for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”
(John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit had been
working with the disciples. They had been
preaching, healing the sick and casting out
devils. He had been with them and working
with them, but Jesus said when the Holy
Spirit came to abide forever, He would live
on the inside of them: “Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father
hath sent me, even so send I you. And when
he had said this, he breathed on them, and
saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost”
(John 20:21-22).

After Jesus had been raised from the
dead, He appeared to them and they were
born again as He breathed the life of God
into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
(Compare with Genesis 2:7.) Eternal life
came into them. They could not have been
born again until after Jesus paid the price for
sin. As they received the life of God, the Spirit
who gave that life began to dwell in them.

Gloria Copeland

You have been involved with the Holy
Spirit since you first heard the good news that
Jesus took your place and bore the penalty for
your sins. It was the Holy Spirit, through the
Word, who made the truth that Jesus was
raised from the dead a reality in your heart.

Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,”
and 1 Corinthians 12:3 states that no man says
Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus came to make it possible for man
to receive the nature of God—eternal life
( John 10:10). Jesus could not get a man
born again while He was on the earth. He
had the power to forgive sins, but there
could be no new creatures until Jesus paid
the sin price at Calvary and became the
firstborn from the dead.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for
if I go not away, the Comforter will
not come unto you; but if I depart,
I will send him unto you…. I have
yet many things to say unto you, but
ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for
he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
he speak: and he will show you things
to come. He shall glorify me: for he
shall receive of mine, and shall show
it unto you. All things that the Father
hath are mine: therefore said I, that
he shall take of mine, and shall show
it unto you (John 16:7, 12-15).

Jesus told the men who walked by His
side for three years that it was more profitable
for them if He went away and sent them the
Holy Spirit.

It was the miraculous work of the Holy
Spirit that made you a new creature. When
you made Jesus Lord over your life, the Holy
Spirit came upon you and overshadowed you,
just as He did Mary when there was conceived
in her a “holy thing” (Luke 1:35).

Spiritual death was eradicated from
your spirit. You were born again into a new
life—a new spirit. You were literally born
of God. “Beloved, now are we the sons
of God” (1 John 3:2). First John 5:1 says,
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God.” God became your
Father by spiritual birth.

The miracle of the new birth should
never become commonplace to you. It is not a
theological idea, but an actual fact. The Holy
Spirit personally carries out this miracle when
you make Jesus Christ your Lord. He takes
a sin-ridden, selfish man and re-creates his
spirit in God’s image. This change in a man’s
nature is a great, miraculous and supernatural
event in the realm of the spirit. That is why all
of heaven rejoices (Luke 15:7, 10).

Gloria Copeland

Holding fast to your profession of faith—
Hebrews 10:23—means to hold fast to your confession.
The Greek word for profession is also
used for confession. The words of your mouth
are more powerful than you probably have ever
realized. Confess your healing…and your health.

Proverbs 18:21
KJV—Death and life are in the power of the
tongue: and they that love it shall eat the
fruit thereof.

Amp—Death and life are in the power of
the tongue, and they who indulge it shall
eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

Moffatt—Death and life are determined
by the tongue: the talkative must take
the consequences.

NE B—The tongue has power of life and
death; make friends with it and enjoy
its fruits.

Proverbs 10:11
KJV—The mouth of a righteous man is a
well of life: but violence covereth the mouth
of the wicked.

Amp—The mouth of an [uncompromisingly]
righteous man is a well of life, but the mouth
of the wicked conceals violence.

Moffatt—The talk of good men is a lifegiving
fountain: the talk of bad men overflows
with harm.

NEB—The words of good men are a fountain
of life; the wicked are choked by their
own violence.

Proverbs 13:3
KJV—He that keepeth his mouth keepeth
his life: but he that openeth wide his lips
shall have destruction.

Amp—He who guards his mouth keeps
his life, but he who opens wide his lips will
come to ruin.

Moffatt—He guards his life who guards his
lips: he who talks freely—it is ruin to him!

NEB—He who minds his words preserves his
life; he who talks too much comes to grief.

Proverbs 15:4
KJV—A wholesome tongue is a tree of
life: but perverseness therein is a breach in
the spirit.

Amp—A gentle tongue [with its healing
power] is a tree of life, but willful contrariness
in it breaks down the spirit.

Moffatt—A soothing tongue means life and
peace, but wild words wound.

NEB—A soothing word is a staff of life, but
a mischievous tongue breaks the spirit.

Gloria Copeland

Ephesians 6:10-17
KJV—Finally, my brethren, be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on
the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done
all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness; And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace; Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Amp—In conclusion, be strong in the Lord—
be empowered through your union with
Him; draw your strength from Him—that
strength which His [boundless] might provides.
Put on God’s whole armor—the armor
of a heavy-armed soldier, which God
supplies—that you may be able successfully
to stand up against [all] the strategies
and the deceits of the devil. For we are not
wrestling with flesh and blood—contending
only with physical opponents—but against
the despotisms, against the powers, against
[the master spirits who are] the world rulers
of this present darkness, against the
spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly
(supernatural) sphere.

Therefore put on God’s complete armor,
that you may be able to resist and stand
your ground on the evil day [of danger],
and having done all [the crisis demands],
to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore—
hold your ground—having tightened
the belt of truth around your loins, and having
put on the breastplate of integrity and
of moral rectitude and right standing with
God; And having shod your feet in preparation
[to face the enemy with the firm-footed
stability, the promptness and the readiness
produced by the good news] of the Gospel
of peace. Lift up over all the (covering) shield
of saving faith, upon which you can quench
all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
And take the helmet of salvation and the
sword the Spirit wields, which is the Word
of God.

NEB—Finally then, find your strength in the
Lord, in his mighty power. Put on all the armour
which God provides, so that you may
be able to stand firm against the devices
of the devil. For our fight is not against human
foes, but against cosmic powers, against
the authorities and potentates of this dark
world, against the superhuman forces of evil
in the heavens.

Therefore, take up God’s armour; then
you will be able to stand your ground when
things are at their worst, to complete every
task and still to stand. Stand firm, I say.
Fasten on the belt of truth; for coat of mail
put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet
be the gospel of peace, to give you firm
footing; and, with all these, take up the great
shield of faith, with which you will be able
to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil
one. Take salvation for helmet; for sword,
take that which the Spirit gives you—the
words that come from God.

Gloria Copeland

Hebrews 4:14-16
KJV—Seeing then that we have a great
high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need.

Amp—Inasmuch then as we have a great
High Priest Who has [already] ascended
and passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession
[of faith in Him], For we do not have a High
Priest Who is unable to understand and
sympathize and have a fellow feeling with
our weaknesses and infirmities and liability
to the assaults of temptation, but One
Who has been tempted in every respect
as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then
fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw
near to the throne of grace—the throne
of God’s unmerited favor [to us sinners];
that we may receive mercy [for our failures]
and find grace to help in good time for every
need—appropriate help and well-timed
help, coming just when we need it.

Moffatt—As we have a great high priest,
then, who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast
to our confession; for ours is no high priest
who cannot have sympathy with our weaknesses,
but one who has been tempted in
every respect like ourselves, yet without
sinning. So let us approach the throne of
grace with confidence, that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in the hour
of need.

NEB—Since therefore we have a great high
priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to the
religion we profess. For ours is not a high
priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who, because of his likeness
to us, has been tested every way, only without
sin. Let us therefore boldly approach
the throne of our gracious God, where we
may receive mercy and in his grace find
timely help.

Gloria Copeland

Amp—Because of faith also Sarah herself
received physical power to conceive a child,
even when she was long past the age for
it, because she considered [God] Who had
given her the promise, reliable and trustworthy
and true to His word.

Moffatt—It was by faith that even Sara got
strength to conceive, bearing a son when
she was past the age for it—because she
considered that she could rely on Him who
gave the promise.

NEB—By faith even Sarah herself received
strength to conceive, though she was past
the age, because she judged that he who
had promised would keep faith.

2 Corinthians 12:9
KJV—And he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.

Amp—But He said to me, My grace—My
favor and loving-kindness and mercy—are
enough for you, [that is, sufficient against
any danger and to enable you to bear the
trouble manfully]; for My strength and power
are made perfect—fulfilled and completed
and show themselves most effective—
in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more
gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities,
that the strength and power of Christ,
the Messiah, may rest—yes, may pitch a tent
[over] and dwell—upon me!

Moffatt—But he told me, “It is enough for
you to have my grace: it is in weakness that
my power is fully felt.” So I am proud to
boast of all my weakness, and thus to have
the power of Christ resting on my life.

NEB—But his answer was: ‘My grace is all
you need; power comes to its full strength
in weakness.’ I shall therefore prefer to find
my joy and pride in the very things that are
my weakness; and then the power of Christ
will come and rest upon me.

Gloria Copeland

Romans 4:16-21
KJV—Therefore it is of faith, that it might
be by grace; to the end the promise might
be sure to all the seed; not to that only
which is of the law, but to that also which is
of the faith of Abraham; who is the father
of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee
a father of many nations,) before him whom
he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead, and calleth those things which be not
as though they were. Who against hope
believed in hope, that he might become the
father of many nations, according to that
which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

And being not weak in faith, he considered
not his own body now dead, when
he was about an hundred years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded
that, what he had promised, he
was able also to perform.

Amp—Therefore [inheriting] the promise is
the outcome of faith and depends [entirely]
on faith, in order that it might be given as
an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make
it stable and valid and guaranteed to all
his descendants; not only to the devotees
and adherents of the Law but also to those
who share the faith of Abraham, who is
[thus] the father of us all, As it is written,
I have made you the father of many nations.—
He was appointed our father—in the
sight of God in Whom he believed, Who
gives life to the dead and speaks of the
nonexistent things that [He has foretold
and promised] as if they [already] existed.
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being
gone, hoped on in faith that he should
become the father of many nations, as he
had been promised, So [numberless] shall
your descendants be.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered
the [utter] impotence of his own
body, which was as good as dead because
he was about a hundred years old, or [when
he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s
(deadened) womb. No unbelief or distrust
made him waver or doubtingly question
concerning the promise of God, but he
grew strong and was empowered by faith
as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully
satisfied and assured that God was able
and mighty to keep His word and to do
what He had promised.

Moffatt—That is why all turns upon faith; it
is to make the promise a matter of favour,
to make it secure for all the offspring, not
simply for those who are adherents of the
Law but also for those who share the faith
of Abraham—of Abraham who is the father
of us all (as it is written, I have made you a
father of many nations). Such a faith implies
the presence of the God in whom he believed,
a God who makes the dead live and
who calls into being what does not exist.
For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped
on in faith, and thus became the father
of many nations—even as he was told, So
numberless shall your offspring be.

His faith never quailed, even when he
noted the utter impotence of his own body
(for he was about a hundred years old) or
the impotence of Sara’s womb; no unbelief
made him waver about God’s promise; his
faith won strength as he gave glory to God
and felt convinced that He was able to do
what He had promised.

NEB—The promise was made on the
ground of faith, in order that it might be
a matter of sheer grace, and that it might
be valid for all Abraham’s posterity, not
only for those who hold by the law, but for
those also who have the faith of Abraham.
For he is the father of us all, as Scripture
says: ‘I have appointed you to be father
of many nations.’ This promise, then, was
valid before God, the God in whom he put
his faith, the God who makes the dead
live and summons things that are not yet
in existence as if they already were. When
hope seemed hopeless, his faith was such
that he became ‘father of many nations’, in
agreement with the words which had been
spoken to him: ‘Thus shall your descendants
be.’

Without any weakening of faith he contemplated
his own body, as good as dead
(for he was about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, and
never doubted God’s promise in unbelief,
but, strong in faith, gave honour to God, in
the firm conviction of his power to do what
he had promised.

Gloria Copeland