After Carolyn and I began to learn the laws of prosperity back in the early 1970s, we heard Brother Copeland make a reference to the way that he and Gloria prayed. We understood how to make deposits in our heavenly accounts and we were learning how to make heavenly withdrawals.
Everyone needs additional funds from time to time, and at this time in our lives, we needed them all the time. We had a lot of needs.
I still had some business debts back in Shreveport, Louisiana. We needed furniture, clothes, food, a better car…we needed money badly! So, when Brother Copeland started teaching us about how to make heavenly withdrawals, he had my undivided attention.
Have you ever been in need of everything? Well, I was and I needed to know how to make withdrawals now. I had pressing needs, now.
Heavenly Grants
I remember Brother Copeland sharing how that when he and Gloria had a need, they would go to God and ask for a grant.
He referred to John 16:23, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”
Brother Copeland got the word “grant” from the Amplified version. It says, “And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name.”
Brother Copeland said that the first time he read this verse and he saw the word “grant,” it just seemed to jump out of the pages into his spirit. When he enrolled at Oral Roberts University, there were a lot of students there that could only go as a result of a “grant,” a Government grant.
That word got his attention. He began saying, “Well, Father, I need a heavenly grant. I have certain needs in my life, and I’m asking You for a heavenly grant according to John 16:23.”
He said that as he began meditating and studying this, he was impressed of the Lord to write it out and make it official. Grants are usually written out in contract form. He decided that he would write it out, and it would be a point of contact for his faith. It would also enable him to stay single-minded and focused on what he was believing God for.
The Prayer of Petition
He began teaching us about how to write out a heavenly grant or petition. This became a real foundation for our faith. I could see the results that Brother Copeland experienced, and I was desperate to see results in my life too. I was determined that if it would work for Brother Copeland, and if I did what he did, then it should work for me. God is no respecter of persons.
So, we made our first petition for a heavenly grant. I made a copy for Carolyn, and she carried that around with her everywhere she went. I carried my copy around with me everywhere I went, and it came to pass eventually.
In fact, we were surprised at just how quickly we got results. I’ve got notebooks full of grants that we wrote out from 1972 to the present, and they have all come to pass. That was a real milestone in our lives when we learned how to petition God for heavenly grants.
There’s a basic outline that I use every time I write a heavenly petition, but I endeavor to listen to the Holy Spirit to inspire me to write some specific things about each particular need.
There will always be those basic components in your petition. You decide on the amount; you declare how much or what you need; you get someone (preferably your spouse if you’re married) to get in agreement with you; offer praise and thanksgiving to God; and remove all unforgiveness or strife from your heart.
I present it to the Lord, and I include the time in which I prayed it, I date it, and then Carolyn and I sign it. I read it many times to myself, just to keep me focused and single-minded. I believe I receive when I pray, and I thank God continually for it.
The greatest expression of faith is praise and thanksgiving. So don’t ask God for it again, you’ve already made your petition. But you should read it again. Keep it before you just so you’ll stay single-minded and have a reference point. But praise God for it all the time.
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries International
Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
Since 1969, Dr. Savelle traveled the world teaching people how to win in life. Dr. Savelle ministered in more than three thousand churches and in twenty-six nations, and has overseas offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
God used Dr. Savelle to impact people who are burned out on religion and who have backslidden in their walk with God, as well as Christians who have a need to hear the Word of God presented in terms applicable to their lives, dreams, and destinies. He hosted the Jerry Savelle Ministries television broadcast which airs in two hundred countries worldwide.
Dr. Savelle authored more than forty books, including his bestsellers, If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy, He Can't Keep Your Goods and You're Somebody Special to God. He served as one of the founding Pastors of Heritage of Faith Christian Center in Crowley, Texas.
Jerry J. Savelle, 77, went home to be with the Lord on April 15, 2024. He spent his last day on earth fulfilling his purpose teaching people the Word of God