Part 8 (1/2)
The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of G.o.d.
Galatians 2:20
Many Christians know that faith works and that faith has power to change things. They don't doubt any of the testimonies about the great things that have happened in other people's lives because they believed G.o.d. But when it comes to their own situation, they see themselves as faithless because they don't feel feel faith. So they go to the Lord and say, ”Oh, G.o.d, please give me faith in this situation.” How is G.o.d going to give them something He has already given them? faith. So they go to the Lord and say, ”Oh, G.o.d, please give me faith in this situation.” How is G.o.d going to give them something He has already given them?
In Galatians 2:20, the Bible teaches us that we have the faith of the Son of G.o.d. Galatians 5:22,23 tells us that faith is a fruit of the Spirit that has been given to every believer. In Ephesians 2:8 we saw that it was by grace through faith that we were saved to begin with. If we did not have faith, we would not be born again. That faith has the power to change things. That's why it was given to us.
You already have all of the faith you will ever have or ever need, but it's in your spirit. If you let your feelings tell you otherwise, you will never benefit from that faith. If you perceive yourself as being faithless in your situation, you will say, ”I know faith works, but I just don't have any.” You will end up defeated again and again. You will continue to go through life intimidated, fearful, filled with worry, care, and anxiety. Your life will continue to be difficult and depressing, because that's the way you think.
But if you can begin to renew your mind so that you say, ”I have inside of me the same faith that raised Jesus from the dead, the same faith that Jesus used when He spoke to Lazarus and caused him to come out of the grave,” that faith will empower you to do the same things that Jesus did, and even greater things, just as He promised. (See John 14:12.) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of G.o.d; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of G.o.d.
1 John 5:13 You may have to be honest and just say, ”Father, I don't know all of the laws governing faith yet, but I know it's there.” Just knowing that it's there will get you excited. It will give you hope that you have what you need even though you don't know exactly how to draw it out. Just knowing that it's there will be exciting and encouraging.
There was a time when I desperately needed some money. My wife and I were very poor and when our first son was born, we struggled to keep him fed. We went without food ourselves a lot of times, but we always fed him. We had made a decision that we would never let our son go hungry. It was a time of really putting our faith on the line.
One day it got to where we didn't have enough money to get our son any food for supper. He had eaten earlier that day, but he didn't have anything for the last meal, and I knew we had to come up with something quick.
I was praying and believing G.o.d to answer our need. Many times when I prayed, I would expect G.o.d to send someone by - supernaturally. I am a minister, and therefore the people I minister to give back to me financially. It doesn't usually work that way for non-ministers. You may get blessed through your job and through things you set your hand to, but the Bible says that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). So I a.s.sumed that my money would come through people just coming by. (1 Corinthians 9:14). So I a.s.sumed that my money would come through people just coming by.
As I was praying over this need for food for my son, the Lord spoke to me and said, ”You've already got it. It's right here. You don't have to have someone come by.” All of a sudden, I started thinking, Well, maybe I left some money in my clothes pockets. Well, maybe I left some money in my clothes pockets. I went through every piece of clothing I had and found nothing. I took the cus.h.i.+ons off of the couch and began to look behind them. Nothing. Finally, I took the back seat out of the car and found three or four dollars worth of change that had fallen there. I went through every piece of clothing I had and found nothing. I took the cus.h.i.+ons off of the couch and began to look behind them. Nothing. Finally, I took the back seat out of the car and found three or four dollars worth of change that had fallen there.
That's not the best example, but it makes my point. I have come a long way since then. I no longer have to search pockets, sofa cus.h.i.+ons, or behind car seats to find needed money. But the point is, there was some degree of anxiety as long as I thought that my finances had yet to come. In my own mind, I was sure G.o.d was speaking to someone to come by the house and help us out financially, but I wasn't sure they would be obedient, or if they were obedient, whether they would arrive in time for. supper. So there was some anxiety even though I was supposedly trusting G.o.d to provide what I needed.
Once the Lord spoke to me, ”You've already got it - it's just a matter of finding it,” all anxiety, fear, and worry left. Instead, there was antic.i.p.ation, expectation, and hope. I really believed the money was there somewhere, and when I found it, I confirmed my belief.
Ask, Seek, and Knock And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 11:9,10 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the pet.i.tions that we desired of him.
1 John 5:14,15 As long as you approach your situation thinking, Oh, Lord, if I could just have faith or if I could just have peace of mind, I would be all right, Oh, Lord, if I could just have faith or if I could just have peace of mind, I would be all right, as long as you see those spiritual blessings as being on the outside and are constantly going to G.o.d and asking Him for them, there will always be some degree of doubt, anxiety, worry, fear, and care about whether you will receive them or not. But once you understand you already have all of these things, you will quit depending upon your emotions. Once you understand who you are in Christ and begin to see your true ident.i.ty in Him, all the worry and anxiety will be removed, because you will no longer be controlled by your emotions. as long as you see those spiritual blessings as being on the outside and are constantly going to G.o.d and asking Him for them, there will always be some degree of doubt, anxiety, worry, fear, and care about whether you will receive them or not. But once you understand you already have all of these things, you will quit depending upon your emotions. Once you understand who you are in Christ and begin to see your true ident.i.ty in Him, all the worry and anxiety will be removed, because you will no longer be controlled by your emotions.
That doesn't mean you will never have to go looking, as I did in the back seat of the car. There is going to be a period of time before you actually make the exact connection that releases your answer. But what peace and security it brings just knowing you already have what you are seeking. That's ninety percent of the battle, even if you don't understand everything about how to release it yet.
A good friend of mine used to have a saying, ”Even an old blind hog, if he keeps rooting long enough, will come up with something.” What he meant by that is that if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have something, and you don't give up, it's just a matter of time until you find it. The key is releasing the faith that G.o.d has already given to you, and if you won't quit looking for it, you will eventually hit upon it and see it come to pa.s.s. A person who is not totally convinced that they have what they need may try a little bit, but when they don't see results, they will quit because they never really see themselves in possession of it.
In Matthew 13:24, Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field, saying that the man sold everything he owned to buy that field because he knew what was buried there. Let's think about that ill.u.s.tration.
Suppose I told you there was a million dollars buried in your back yard. If you had a steam shovel you could start digging up huge amounts of dirt at one time looking for the money. That would be fairly quick and easy. But if you really believed what I told you, you could eventually get the same results with nothing but a spoon. It would require patience, determination, and a lot of hard work, but if you were so convinced, you wouldn't give up and quit. Then, eventually you would find that million dollars.
But suppose I told the same thing to someone who wasn't fully convinced it was true. If they didn't have the proper equipment, but only a spoon to dig with, they would probably quit after the first blister. They would soon lose their motivation and would miss the blessing that was theirs all along.
One of the keys to using your faith is to know you have what G.o.d has promised and to keep after it until it manifests in the natural.
Destined to Win Thanks be unto G.o.d, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14 I know I'm a winner. Does that mean I always win? Well, it means I have the capability of always winning. Sometimes I have quit in my physical self and haven't always seen things work out the way I would have liked, but I was still convinced that I was a winner. Losing didn't change the picture of who I am in Christ. If we take this scripture to heart and realize that it is G.o.d who always causes us to triumph through our Lord Jesus Christ, we will know we are winners. I've seen it in the Word. I know this scripture is talking about my born-again self.
Situations often come against me that honestly look bigger than I am, and they are. They're bigger than my physical self and my emotional self, but not my spirit man. In my spirit, I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (See Philippians 4:13.) Because of that knowledge, sometimes I have just gutted it out when in the physical, natural realm, it looked like I should have quit. But I just couldn't quit, because I knew I was a winner. And, praise G.o.d, I've seen the victory come.
Understanding who you are in Christ, your true ident.i.ty, is one of the greatest motivating factors in the Christian life.
When my wife and I first got started, we didn't know very much of the Word of G.o.d, but I had this revelation that I knew I was a winner. I knew I was destined to overcome. I knew that the works Jesus did I could do also. I just didn't understand how to get it done. I hadn't heard ”Copenhagin” - meaning the teachings of Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin. I didn't understand the ways of faith. I didn't know about confessing the Word and many other things about the faith life, but I had it burned in my heart that as a Christian I was a winner, a victor.
I saw great miracles in my ministry. I saw blind eyes and deaf ears opened and people raised from the dead. When I look back at it, I wonder how in the world I saw so much success in those areas. I didn't know what I know now, but the key was that I was convinced it would work. I just kept at it and kept at it. My motivation was the difference, because I saw myself differently. I wasn't seeing myself as just a physical person - I saw myself as a new creature in Christ Jesus.
I ask you again, how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself filled with the mind of Christ enabling you to operate in His power and authority, or do you still see yourself as simply a sinner whose sins have been washed away? Purpose in your heart and in your mind to see yourself as being the righteousness of Christ. The divine wisdom of G.o.d is yours today and forever. You no longer have to submit to your carnal emotions.
G.o.d has given you everything you need to operate with your new mind so you can control your emotions through the power of the Holy Spirit. You may not see your circ.u.mstances change immediately, but remember who you are in Christ - a victor, an overcomer, and a winner. You are a new creature, empowered with the mind of Christ.
Chapter 9 9.
Walking in in the the Spirit Spirit
Many Christians see themselves as having been forgiven of their sins at the point they made Jesus their Lord, so their past sins are dealt with. But from the point of salvation on, every time they sin or do something wrong, they consider that to be a new infraction between them and G.o.d, one that has to be repented of and put under the blood of Jesus so it can be cleansed and washed away. They believe that if they were to die without having confessed, repented, and been forgiven of their sin, they would go to h.e.l.l in that sinful state.
That is a typical belief among many Pentecostals, but it simply is not what G.o.d's Word teaches. G.o.d's Word teaches that when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we were sanctified sanctified and and perfected perfected forever. Our spirit was made perfect once and for all. forever. Our spirit was made perfect once and for all.
I have a relative who many years ago had a very rebellious daughter. She was always pus.h.i.+ng her mother to the limits of tolerance. One evening as this woman was fixing supper, her daughter pushed her too far and she hauled off and hit her. She decked her own daughter right on the kitchen floor.
She was so shocked at what she had done that she ran upstairs and threw herself across the bed. She cried out to G.o.d for help, because she knew if she started crying it would be the next morning before she could compose herself. Her husband was bringing people home for supper, and she had to pull herself together.
What the Lord spoke to her was amazing. He said, ”When you asked me to forgive you for your sins as an eight-year-old girl, I already knew about this and forgave it too.” What a word! The Lord didn't only forgive us of past and present sins at our salvation, but He also forgave our future sins.
Sealed With the Spirit
In whom [Christ] [Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom [Christ] [Christ] also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
Ephesians 1:13 When we are born again, we are given a brand-new spirit. We are a new creature - old things have pa.s.sed away, all things have become new. We are now recreated in righteousness and true holiness. There is no sin and no impurity in our new spirit whatsoever, because at the moment of salvation we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Notice the word ”sealed” used here in Ephesians 1:13. There are different types of seals. There is a seal like the one placed on the garden tomb where Jesus was buried after the crucifixion. (See Matthew 27:66.) It was an insignia that would show if anyone moved the stone away from the entrance to the tomb, because the seal would be broken. There is also the seal of approval or certification, such as the Good Housekeeping Good Housekeeping Seal, which testifies that a certain product or service has been tested and shown to meet a certain standard of quality or excellence. Seal, which testifies that a certain product or service has been tested and shown to meet a certain standard of quality or excellence.
But when Paul says in Ephesians 1:13 that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, the seal he is referring to is the kind of seal that is used when a person cans food. They put it in an airtight container and then place paraffin over the top to ensure that no air can get in. In this way the contents are preserved, because the seal keeps out any impurities.
That is what happened to us when we were saved. The Holy Spirit sealed our salvation and completely encased our born-again spirit so no impurities could get in.