Part 6 (2/2)

You need to get to where you believe G.o.d's report more than the world's! You've crossed over into the spirit when G.o.d's Word dominates you more than what you can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. Instead of letting the devil tell you what you can't do or somebody else saying that you'll die or your checkbook telling you you're in deep trouble again, you focus your attention on what G.o.d says about you, what He says you have, and what He says you can do. Once you do that, you'll find it'll break the dominion, the power, and the control of the flesh over you.

Physical healing was purchased through Christ's atonement. It's not just a ”P.S.” to forgiveness of sin; healing is an integral part of what Jesus died to produce. In fact, His sacrifice provides physical healing just as much as forgiveness of sin. G.o.d would no more give someone sickness than lead them into sin. Why? Jesus shed His precious blood to completely redeem us from both! (For an in-depth look at healing, I recommend my teaching ent.i.tled G.o.d Wants You Well) Seeing a truth doesn't mean you'll automatically profit from it. Actually, conflict will normally arise! Hebrews 10:32 reveals that once you're enlightened, you endure ”a great fight of afflictions.” Why? Satan immediately comes to steal the Word before it takes root in your heart and produces (Mark 4:15,19). He attempts to dislodge it when you're at your youngest, when a truth is still new to you, before it's rooted and established as part of who you are.

Once I saw in the Word that it's always G.o.d's will to heal, the fight was on! Satan came against me, and I started experiencing sickness more than ever before. Immediately, there was intense conflict between my flesh and spirit. The spirit declared, ”By His stripes I was healed (1 Pet. 2:24); it's already done (Eph. 1:18)” and ”The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is inside of me (Eph. 1:19-20).” In my spirit, I had this rcs-urrection power, but my flesh kept arguing, ”You're sick! You feel terrible and you're about to throw up. Admit it!” There was this incredible conflict between what 1 saw in my spirit through G.o.d's Word and what I felt in my physical body. My flesh and my spirit were fighting each other!

This was just my unrenewed mind, not some old nature inside trying to make me disbelieve G.o.d. For a number of years, my old man taught me how to believe only what I could see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. Anything and everything else was stupid! When he was crucified, my mind was left behind, programmed to sense knowledge. Everything in my physical, natural, fleshly realm screamed, ”You're sick!” My body told me that I hurt. Other people commented on how bad 1 looked. Therefore, it was a real struggle for my mind to believe what I couldn't see!

I just determined in my heart that 1 would not give up or give in until 1 saw with my physical eyes the truth of G.o.d's Word manifest in my body. I was so committed to the fact that what G.o.d said about me was true that 1 decided to make myself believe it.

Cracking the Dam At the time, I was living and pastoring a small church in Segoville, Texas. 1 preached healing and had revelation knowledge of it, but I was sick in my body. The devil was fighting me. My flesh and my spirit were b.u.t.ting heads!

Since faith without works is dead, I decided one night not to just lay in bed and act sick (James 2:17, 20, 26). I didn't want to kill my faith by giving in to the pressure. However, it was physically impossible for me to stand up because I was so ill. 1 had to kneel on the floor in the living room so Jamie could go ahead and sleep. Putting my Bible on the wood floor in front of me, 1 determined in my heart that 1 was going to fight this thing!

I spent hours just quoting scriptures on healing. I didn't stop because I knew I'd fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion if I did. I'd confess aloud, ”By His stripes, I was healed.” My body would counter, ”Oh no, you're not!” Then I'd answer, ”Yes, I am-the Word says so!” This fight continued several hours while I pushed my Bible along and crawled around the room on hands and knees just to stay awake.

You don't have to do it the way I did, but you will have to overcome the same conflict! You don't just say, ”All right, I see the truth. Flesh, I now renounce you and choose to walk by the spirit!” No, it'll be a traumatic experience when you turn around and head the other direction. Your mind and emotions have been indulged now for many years. They've always said that whatever you see is more real than what's invisible. There's going to be a fight, and it probably won't all happen in just one evening's time!

That night proved to be a major break for me. I cracked the dam of flesh that held back the flow of G.o.d's life in me. My spirit began dominating from that point forward little by little. I'm still dealing with these same things, but I've grown a lot. I'm seeing tremendous victory in my life, and I'm able to help many other people. I'm still in process, but I'm renewing my mind and winning the battle between my flesh and my spirit.

The Test Recently, I was required to take a treadmill test while receiving a qualifying physical for an insurance policy. However, since I refused to allow them to shave my chest hair, the electrodes fell off after only twelve minutes. Several weeks later, the insurance company called and said they couldn't insure me. They cited the fact that my readings indicated I had a serious heart problem that surfaced at about the twelfth minute of the test. When I asked them if the electrodes falling off would've made a difference or not, they decided to give me another test.

This time I let them shave my chest, but not before informing the nurse that she was removing virgin hair! 1 finished the test without incident and waited for the doctor to review my results. He was fine with my readings up until about the thirteenth minute of the test. That's when he got a worried look on his face and told me I had a serious problem. This medical professional then advised me of my ”need” to see a specialist that very day and began writing out the note for me to give to this other doctor.

I boldly looked this man in the face and declared, ”I don't believe your results!” It was easy to see that he wasn't used to someone countering his opinion. However, I challenged him to look again at the printout and then honestly tell me that I had a heart problem.

He replied, ”Well, this doesn't really say you have a heart problem. It's just that your results are completely typical. Since everyone's heart is a little different, you could be totally healthy. I just think you should go get another test!”

”That's not what you said!” I thundered. ”You told me I had a serious heart problem, not that there's a small chance and you think I should get another opinion.”

This guy backed down and sputtered, ”You're fine... just forget about that other test.”

Most people would have taken the word of this doctor over the Word of G.o.d, which emphatically declares that we're healed. By the time they finished obsessing about it, their hearts would have failed-from fear (Luke 21:26)! The next time you're faced with a report that's contrary to G.o.d's, who will you choose to believe?

Overcome Your Flesh You overcome by being mindful of what G.o.d's Word says about you-especially the New Testament. When you're Word minded, you're spiritually minded because G.o.d's words are spirit and life (John 6:63). In your spirit, you're completely changed, eternal, sanctified, holy, and perfected forever. As Jesus is-so are you! If you'd dominate yourself with those thoughts, all it would produce is life and peace.

If you're having something other than life and peace, then you're something other than spiritually minded (Rom. 8:6). You may desire the right things, praying and begging G.o.d for them, but you don't receive victory by desiring or begging for it. You receive the victory He's already achieved and provided for you by focusing your attention on the spirit. When you do that, you'll overcome.

In my opinion, you won't manifest much of the life of G.o.d if you're plugged into the world through radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. It takes a lot of effort-real effort-to keep your focus on the things of G.o.d. How can you expect different results when you read, watch, listen to, and think all the same things as your unbelieving neighbors? That's ignorance gone to seed! Sure, you might be able to add a devotion and intellectually know that G.o.d wants you healed, prospered, and delivered from oppression. You may even have a desire for and a sensitiv-ity to G.o.d that they don't have. But as far as results go, you won't really experience any more of G.o.d's miraculous power in your life as long as you continue thinking on the same carnal things that they do pretty much all day long. To get different results, you have to do something differently!

If you mind the things of the flesh, then you'll be after the flesh; the physical realm will dominate you. You won't be able to please G.o.d (Rom. 8:8) or experience the victory that's available to you. In order to release G.o.d's power and life, you must overcome the flesh by continually focusing your mind on who you are and what you have in the spirit.

Chapter 19.

Time to Leave!

When you make Jesus Christ Lord of your life by truly believing on Him, an instantaneous change takes place. This change occurs in your spirit, not your flesh-body or soul. Whether the change ever manifests itself in your physical realm depends on what you think.

The flesh, your natural self, pulls in one direction, and your spirit leads you in another. How you think determines what you experience. If your mind stays only on physical things-not even necessarily sinful things, just physical-then you'll be limited to and dominated by your flesh. You might even be a very moral person, but you won't experience the supernatural life of G.o.d.

The only way you'll experience the power of G.o.d within you is to walk in the spirit. Believing to raise someone from the dead goes beyond just living a good life. You must believe in something that has no proof or evidence in the physical realm whatsoever. You have to get beyond the physical and acknowledge that there is a spiritual world. As you recognize your true power and believe, the spiritual realm will become more real to you than the physical.

This applies to prosperity too! There will be times when there's no basis for faith in your physical facts. Your bank statement won't prove it. Everything in the natural may be coming against the Word, but if you stay in the spirit, fixed on what His Word says, you'll be able to see yourself prosperous when everyone else tries to repossess your house, car, etc. As you hold on to G.o.d's Word, your spirit will overcome your flesh and break its dominion. That's when you'll see the Word manifest!

Peace You can be spiritually minded! Whatever you continually think on will dominate you (Prov. 23:7). If it's who you are and what you have in Christ, then that's what will eventually manifest itself in your physical life.

One-third of your salvation is already complete! Your born-again spirit isn't in the process of growing or maturing. Right now in your spirit, you are exactly the way you'll be throughout eternity (1 John 4:17). You have a physical body and soul that haven't been changed yet. They are subject to change and can change, but it's not automatic. However, the change of your spirit at salvation was total, complete, and automatic.

Whether you ever see your true spiritual potential released into your physical life or not depends on what you think (Rom. 12:2). If natural things-either sinful or just plain carnal-dominate and control your thoughts, you'll shut off the flow of G.o.d's Spirit through you. But if you dominate yourself with the truths of His Word and get beyond the natural limitations of your five senses, you can start releasing the supernatural life that's inside you.

You'll be able to experience a peace that pa.s.ses understanding. Even when it seems like everyone's against you and everything's cras.h.i.+ng in the physical realm, you'll enjoy G.o.d's supernatural peace as long as you stay focused on the Word. ”And the peace of G.o.d, which pa.s.seth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples, ”Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in G.o.d, believe also in me” (John 14:1). To the natural mind, this sounds unreasonable in light of the situation. Their Messiah, the One they loved and wors.h.i.+ped, was about to be executed. There's no natural way they could have peace in the midst of something like that, but Jesus had given them His Word. He'd told them many times, ”I'll be crucified, but I'll rise again on the third day.” If they had meditated on and dominated themselves by what Jesus had said, they would have released the supernatural peace of G.o.d they needed for that trying situation. (Christ's last minute instructions to His disciples for overcoming crisis situations are thoroughly unpacked in my teaching ent.i.tled Christian Survival Kit.)

What Will You Think?

If you want to experience G.o.d's best, you must understand these truths concerning spirit, soul, and body. You have unlimited potential, but it's all in the spirit. The victory G.o.d's given you isn't in your flesh, it's in the part of you that's been born again. As you mature in the Christian life, you don't become less carnal; you just let less carnality dominate and manifest because you're yielded to the spirit instead.

Through G.o.d's Word, concentrate on seeing who you are in Christ. Spend less time feeding the flesh and focus on the spirit instead. Surround yourself with people who speak faith, are positive, and center in on the potential we have in Christ instead of those who gripe and complain. You'll develop an entire mentality based on your new ident.i.ty in Christ as you dominate yourself with what you see in the spiritual mirror of G.o.d's Word.

Nothing can separate you from G.o.d's love because your born-again spirit has been sanctified and perfected forever. G.o.d is a Spirit, and He sees you in the spirit (John 4:24). He fellows.h.i.+ps with you Spirit to born-again spirit. G.o.d doesn't give you what you deserve based on your thoughts and physical actions in your flesh; rather, He deals with you in the spirit realm. That's why He'll receive you at any time, in any condition-you're His beloved child!

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