No man in himself has authority over God or
what belongs to Him. God has authority over it,
and He has given that authority both in heaven
and earth to Jesus.

It makes some religious folks mad when we talk
about the authority of the believer. I’ve never been able
to figure out why. It makes no sense to me. God’s people
should be hungry to learn about their God-given
rights and responsibilities.

By now it ought to have become clear to us that
God is not going to do everything in life for us. Why?
Because most things are in our realm of authority
and responsibility.

Suppose somebody were to break into your garage
and steal your lawn mower. When you call the police,
one of the first questions you would be asked is, “Was
the garage locked?” You wouldn’t say, “No, I’ve got faith
in the police.” They are faithful and devoted to duty;
but if you are not willing to lock your garage, how
can they help you?

That is the way religious people have been about
the works of Satan.

One of the very first things Jesus did after being
raised from the dead was to honor the Church by
crowning it with glory and honor. In Matthew 28,

He said that all power and all authority had been
given unto Him, both in heaven and in earth. He
ordered His followers to go into all the earth and
operate in His Name. What higher authority is
there? His Name is above every name that is named,
in heaven, in earth and under the earth (Ephesians
1:21; Philippians 2:9-10).

Then He gave us His full armor. He told us to
receive the Holy Spirit and become His witnesses
in all the earth (Acts 1:8). We are to do what He
does, say what He says and act like He acts. He has
promised that He will be with us even to the end
of the world (Matthew 28:20).

The devil will flee before us. But not if we don’t
exercise the God-given power, authority and dominion
that is ours as sons and daughters of the Most High
God. Not if we don’t have the will to trigger the faith
that allows us to use the spiritual weapons that God
has given us.

Our authority is not based on our strength or
power. It is based on the Word of God. Let the Word
fight its own battles. God has honored us with the
authority to use His Word, knowing that as we do so
He will honor it.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

admin Kenneth Copeland, kenneth copeland ministries authority, Name of Jesus

And he went out from thence, and came into
his own country; and his disciples follow him.
And when the sabbath day was come, he began
to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing
him were astonished, saying, From whence
hath this man these things? and what wisdom
is this which is given unto him, that even such
mighty works are wrought by his hands?

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother
of James, and Joses, and of Judah, and Simon?
and are not his sisters here with us? And they
were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them,
A prophet is not without honour, but in his
own country, and among his own kin, and
in his own house. And he could there do no
mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon
a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marveled
because of their unbelief (Mark 6:1-6).
Jesus said that a prophet has no honor in his
own hometown.

When He went back to Nazareth where He had
grown up, He found that there was certainly no
honor for His ministry or for God. The total lack of
honor and appreciation in the people of that city
meant that He could do no mighty works there
because of their unbelief.

To believe God, then, is to honor God. Jesus said
to the Jews, “If anyone honors Me, he honors the
One who sent Me” (John 5:23). When He said that a
prophet is without honor in his own land, and that
He received honor from no man, He was not saying
He refused to receive honor from men. He was saying
He did not receive the honor of men because none
was being offered. There is a big difference between
the two.

He was referring to the fact that many of the people
of His own area did not come to Him to honor God or
His ministry. In fact, they dishonored God by refusing
to believe the Word that Jesus preached.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

admin Kenneth Copeland, kenneth copeland ministries honor, prophet

And even as they did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which
are not convenient (Romans 1:28).

There are occasions when those ordained of God
to be in government absolutely and totally refuse the
Lord. They have no desire for God. They vote Him out.
This has happened here in the United States. The Bible
says in Romans 1:28 that such people are given over to
a reprobate mind, or to a mind of false judgment.

When people vote God out, He leaves. That’s simple.
He will not stay where He is not wanted. He takes
His influence and departs, turning over to a reprobate
mind those who refuse Him. He withdraws His
blessing as well as His presence. Those who turn Him
away end up not being able to balance their checkbook,
much less the national budget.

What is wrong with our nation today? A loss of honor.

This dishonor is not only evident in the government
but also it is seen in the Church. We Christian
people, instead of maintaining our honor, have acted
just like the rest of society. We have been treating
one another shamefully for a long time, acting as if
we don’t want God in our knowledge—ignoring His
commandments. We raise up committees and vote
people out of the church. We have fine, beautiful
buildings, but we don’t let sinners in—unless they
look, dress, talk, act and believe like we do.

We ask, “Why doesn’t God help us in our churches
anymore?” Because we are a dishonorable people.
Though we have honor in us, we are not acting on it. It
is the same as having faith and not acting on it.
We have the love of God in us by His Spirit
(Romans 5:5), but that does not mean we always
exercise it. In the same way, we have God’s honor
born into us. The problem is that we have not always
demonstrated and lived by that honor. Part of living
honorably is giving due respect and obedience to
God-ordained authority.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

admin Kenneth Copeland, kenneth copeland ministries dishonor, honor, vote

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart
treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the
day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God; who will render to every man
according to his deeds: to them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour
and immortality, eternal life (Romans 2:4-7).

Notice that Paul again brings honor into his
discussion. He brings up judgment to teach about
honor. In this passage he was writing to the born-again
Church, who did not know about honor. He repeatedly
wrote about honor because the Church knew
nothing about it.

To our own disadvantage, we have not paid nearly
enough attention to honor. If we had, those of us who
are old enough to have lived when honor was taught
would not be wondering why it has become so rare.
If we had given it the proper attention, we would
have taught it to and practiced it in front of our young
people. Then they wouldn’t seem to know so little
about it.

One of the principals of the high school I attended
was a man of honor. He wouldn’t let me drop out of
school. By rights he should have just kicked me out,
considering some of the stunts I pulled. But this man
of honor would not let me drift away. He had a standard
and he lived it in front of me. He taught me honor.

In Colossians 2:23 Paul says that we are not to
honor ourselves to the satisfying of the flesh. That
means we don’t give our flesh authority or dominion.
We don’t honor it by just letting it do whatever
feels good. This will lead to lasciviousness and it will
destroy you. But honor will lead to life.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

admin Kenneth Copeland, kenneth copeland ministries honor, key to life, man of honor

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man
doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord,
whether he be bond or free (Ephesians 6:8).
I was raised and trained by parents from two
different cultures.

My father is a mixture of Scotch, Irish and
English. My mother is Cherokee. Her father was
full-blooded Cherokee. The Cherokee people
are particularly strong when it comes to raising
children.

It is traditional for Cherokees to teach
their children what they know and how to behave
at home. The European cultural tradition is to train
children in everything the parents know, including
their trade, education and values, before they are
sent away for outside education.

Today, as a rule, honor is not being taught and
passed down through the generations, from father
to son. Many fathers don’t realize that honor
requires them to stay with their families and
pass along important information to their children.

The honor concept itself is not being passed on
from parent to child. That is where this problem in
our society began.

This is the reason Crenshaw Christian Center in
Los Angeles is rapidly becoming one of the largest
churches in the world. I would not be too surprised
to see it become the largest. Fred Price, the pastor, is
demanding that every man and woman in his
church teach biblical honor and the glory of God
to their families.

The Bible says that we are to honor our father
and our mother (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3).
It also requires parents to honor their children by
Bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

God has shown me that many people in
our society have a real problem with honor.
I found out from the Lord that we have an honorless
generation on our hands. White, black, brown, yellow,
red—all of them are in the same situation.
So many of them have no honor.
No one has taught them. Their elders have not
taught them. No one has lived it before them.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

admin Kenneth Copeland, kenneth copeland ministries children, honor