Forces Outside of God

Forces Outside of God

II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

(Righteousness:  Right standing with God)

By this act alone, God through His Son Jesus restored mankind to his original relationship or position with Him. No more is man to be helpless in the face of sin, or man’s adversary-satan. God has given man power over his enemy...all the forces outside of God have now been made subject to man. Worldly things (outside of God) have no power over man anymore. All the Father asks is that we believe it, accept it, and live it.

From E.W. Kenyon:
"We belong to a new order. We belong to the class of people that have a legal right to enter the Father's presence anytime, anywhere. Not only do we have a right, but we have a standing invitation to come boldly to the Throne of Grace. (Hebrews 4:16) We have been made Righteous by the nature of the Father that was imparted to us when we became New Creations”.
(we being) The Righteousness of God makes us masters of every force outside of God.

”We must not forget for one moment that the great Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, the Person who gave to the world its vegetation, (its shape, its environment, its atmosphere) that Mighty One lives in us; “for it is God who is at work within us, willing and working His own good pleasure”.

There it is! Now you know who and what you are!  Now you know who lives in you! You know His power! Now you know what you can do, by the Holy Spirit! Now you know that there is no defeat! You have been delivered from being a victim to living as a victor. Your faith conquers the enemy in every realm. Every force outside of God has to succumb to the power of the Name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that lives within you.

Romans 8: 16-17, 38-39

16) The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.

17) And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

38) For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things [n]impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

39) Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You stand in the face of the enemy and tell him to leave, and he must obey. You look to Jesus when those hard circumstances arise, and you stand fast in the Spirit, and He delivers you!! The days for drinking the mere milk of the Word are over....now your sustenance is the Meat of the Word. You know that He's with you; you know that He's for you; and you know that He's in you!!

You are the Righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus!

All He asks is that you believe! Be a believer not a doubter, and He will be there for you in every instance!! Every hardship!! What do you do when you have done all you can do? Stand! You don’t budge from our position of faith! You become righteously stubborn! You have prayed about it in faith; God has assured you of the outcome, and when doubt comes (and it will) you stand firm on His promise… on His Word. You don’t even see circumstances anymore. You are walking (living) by faith, not by worldly circumstances. The answer to your prayer or petition has to come. God cannot fail!!!

His Righteousness is your Righteousness! His love is your love! His grace is your grace! He has given you all. You are a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Blessings to all!!

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

“The standard required by the prosecution in most criminal cases within our adversarial judicial system is, “beyond a reasonable doubt” the highest level of burden of persuasion. This means that the proposition being presented by the government must be proven to the extent that there is no "reasonable doubt" in the mind of a “reasonable person” (an objective standard against which any individual's conduct can be measured) that the defendant is guilty.

“What is a reasonable doubt?” Jury instructions typically say that a reasonable doubt is a doubt based on reason and common sense and typically use phrases such as “fully satisfied” or “entirely convinced” in an effort to quantify the standard of proof. 

The word “beyond” in the phrase beyond a reasonable doubt means “to the exclusion of”. That is the state must exclude any and all reasonable doubt as to the defendant’s guilt.”

I found these definitions online in Wikipedia. If you’d like to know more, I’m sure there are other more definitive resources elsewhere.

While reading this morning, the words “reasonable doubt” entered my mind by the Holy Spirit which caused me to explore this through His eyes (as best I can). These words are from Him.

Most Christians today, or so called Christians, live in a world that is not only heavily laden with doubt, but also saturated with fear. The “world” we know and live in is arrayed against God. The thoughts of “the world” are an enmity against God. There are also those who also live in the ignorance of God…they haven’t been taught, not even the rudimentary things of God, so they live in a place called “reasonable doubt”. By their own reasoning, through the five senses, they are unable to recognize the evidence of God, for the things (thought, laws, love, eternal life) are spiritually understood. So their minds (carnal minds) are unable to comprehend even the slightest notions of the meaning of God our creator. They live in darkness. Their reasonable doubt is clearly displayed by such ideas as atheism, agnosticism, and other forms of blindness.

They would rather believe Darwin, (whom they’ve never seen or read) who believed and wrote that man evolved through the transmutation of species, rather than believe Father God who has evidenced Himself all around them….from the celestial body on which we live, to the very breath they take. This question arose in my mind: What would I rather believe, a man who has created only a theory about human beings and other living things, or the creator Himself? I do think that the latter would be, and is my preference. 

I believe the Bible, the God of the Bible because it is the truth. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that can be disproved!!  Naysayers, point to science or mathematics or philosophers, yet they were all mere men. They fail to see or realize that a higher power had to create the laws of science and mathematics for it to exist. Terms like “Einstein discovered the theory of relativity”, or “laws of physics”, or “highly complicated mathematical equations” are all discoveries. Not creations of man.

But God is alive!!! He is a spirit, the only spirit that man needs to know; the Lord of the universe and the creator of all things, as it is written in His Holy Word. Man has been afforded the knowledge of science and mathematics by the creator, and they struggle in futility to prove that He doesn’t exist, and that man is the development of random mutation.

Most of us Christians spend at least 95% of our waking hours living in and believing worldly ideas and thoughts. Being educated by our fives senses, it seems only natural that we would spend would spend the majority of our time on the things of the world. It has become habitual. It takes no effort at all to live in the world and do worldly things, think worldly thoughts. However, it takes concentrated effort to live a spiritual life; for most of us, too much effort. You could say that we spend 5% of our time on Godly things, which is capable of producing 95 percent of our peace, joy, purpose, and life’s fulfillment. Usually that 5% is done in haste so that we can get back to the worldly things that God has provided for us. That 95% is spent in life’s struggles. I call it living in “unreasonable doubt” and fear. It’s a place void of faith; A place that is outside of God, because it is created by the carnal mind….an illusion. 

Did you know that Godless living (doubt, fear, faithless) can become and is a habit? Ask yourself a question. When was the last time you stepped out in faith, knowing that God inspired you to take action? When was the last time you knew for sure that God spoke to you? How confident are you that the voice you hear is from the Holy Spirit? Does it inspire doubt or fear? Or does it inspire that knowing deep inside that it is absolute truth you are hearing? Could it be that when He does speak to you, it is unfamiliar? You haven’t been listening enough to know His voice from that other voice. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice.” 

Unreasonable doubt is a condition only the Christian can experience. For example, the Christian is born again through true repentance and then acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior over his/her life. He/she is now a “believer”.  The believer studies the Bible, grows in faith by hearing the word, and lives the Christian life. Something happens and a sin is committed. Now the Christian feels guilty and repents. However, now he feels “not good enough” because he slipped up. The guilt lingers. Later on, because the guilt is still there (even though he has repented), he slips up again. Even though he repents, the result is more guilt. See the pattern? He has never learned, or has forgotten that (1 John 14-15) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 

First, the sin, then the guilt, then the sense of unrighteousness, then lost confidence. At this point, doubt becomes even more intense. You begin to think of all the past errors or sins you perpetrated. You lose focus on your spiritual life, and you try to do things under your own power, but it doesn’t work out. You forget that (1 John 1-9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Christian forgets, or allows the truth to fade that God’s Word is true; that God is faithful and that He forgives and cleanses. This is what I call “unreasonable doubt”. When we forget that God is absolutely dependable, we fall victim to unwarranted doubt and fear. We become ineffective in fulfilling His purpose for our lives. 

We forget that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and the Kingdom of God. Leaving Jesus out, opens the door to doubt and fear, that is far “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  

James 1: 6-7 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

From Michael Masterson:

There are four levels of proficiency in any valuable skill - incompetence, competence, mastery, and virtuosity.

* To get past incompetence, you must spend about 1,000 hours practicing the skill you eventually want to master.

* After putting in about 1,000 hours, you will be competent. To achieve mastery, you will have to continue to practice that skill for a total of 5,000 hours.

* Virtuosity is extremely rare. You can't get it simply by practicing. You must also have a natural gift. Even then, you must practice at least 10,000 hours to achieve it.

If it takes this much effort to accomplish mastery over something in the “natural”, we tend to think or believe it will take as much or more for spiritual things. Here’s a challenge. Spend at least one hour more a day on spiritual things; reading the Bible, meditating, praying. Do it for two weeks. After two weeks, add another hour, and so on. Then it becomes effortless.

However, we should remember that Jesus did it all! The only effort it takes is to make the decision to invite Jesus into your heart, and make Him Lord and Savior. Allow the Holy Spirit to work through as you Helper and Counselor, and the struggle to be acceptable is over. Jesus paid for our sins, so now guilt is defeated. He is our righteousness. Our confidence is in Him, not in ourselves. He is our every thing. Now we can rest in our redemption. If we miss the mark, we have His word that says he is “faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins.”  All we have to do is repent, and sin is wiped away.

There is no room for reasonable or unreasonable doubt.

One can believe the truth of the Bible because:  (Hebrews 4:12-13) ^" For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

So, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt does apply to the Word of God. It can be believed absolutely. However, it is spiritually understood, and it takes a re-born spirit, a “new creation” in Christ Jesus to hear and receive the truth of God.

Take joy in knowing that today, tomorrow, and forever the word of God does not fail. The God who is love does not fail; His mercy does not fail; and His Son Jesus, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

So They Cannot See

2 Corinthians 4:4
"The god (satan) of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Colossians 1: 12-14
"God the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

From:   Rediscovering the Kingdom, by Myles Munroe

"When God created mankind, He gave us everything we needed to fulfill His original plan and purpose. Because we are designed to lead, the seeds of leadership lie within us, dormant until they are ready to be activated by the power of God. It is a matter of discovering and nurturing those powers of leadership within us. It takes discipline and steadfastness to uncover those core values, because they're almost always hidden behind selfish behaviors or traits that resist being uprooted and cast out.

Some of us question this concept of the leadership potential within you. Maybe you consider yourself a follower and not a leader. Maybe you think you don't have the skills, qualities, ability, or experience to be a leader. What matters is how God sees us, and He sees us as leaders and rulers in the earthly domain. He created us for this purpose and designed us with the necessary abilities to fulfill our destiny.

As Creator, God knows what is inside of each one of us because He put it there. Whenever God speaks to you, He addresses you based on what He knows about you, not on what other people think they know."

Then the question arises: What do you think God knows about you? According to Psalm 139, He knew who you were before the earth was formed, even your ethnicity, your eye color, your skin pigmentation, your parents, and even the number of hairs on your head. He laid out your life from beginning to end, yet gave you the ability to choose your path in life, and even whether to acknowledge His existence or not.

Understanding that God is always present, everywhere, should encourage you to see that God is our Great Creator. It sets you free from the blindness of the unbeliever, and provides you with the vision to see the truth of God… spiritual insight that ushers in light that unveils the error of worldly thinking and living, and shines brightly on Jesus, the Son of God who was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.

What can’t the unbeliever see? The unbeliever does not see Jesus as God’s only begotten Son; he doesn’t see the need to be born again; he does not see God as a reality; he does not see spiritual truth. He does not see the error of his ways, although he is in constant turmoil. Honesty and integrity is foreign to his nature, even though he will argue that it is his very nature. His eyes have been blinded so much, that even though he knows the emptiness inside, the hole that runs deeply through his being is there, he still refuses to acknowledge its presence. It eats at his very soul, yet he feels bound, like he is being held by this invisible force and he can’t seem to break free to think or act on what he actually knows to do. 

All sorts of illusionary questions and reasonings pop up in his mind. His mind starts to come up with panicky thoughts. The ego begins to kick in and begin to think of all sorts of situations where he would look like a fool if he changed. After all, he says, “what about your image?” “What would your friends say?”  “You might or could lose everything!” Sometimes doing something about it seems futile. So, he wants his circumstances to change; wants his life to change, but doesn’t know how or where to start. So he comes up with all kinds of reasons and/or excuses to avoid religion or religious people. The unbeliever sees anything spiritual, other than witchcraft and ghosts, as religious. He has seen what “cults do to people”, therefore he avoids attending any church, after all, the world has removed God and the church from any legitimate place in society. Yet, he never realizes that the “kingdom of darkness” is the largest and most dangerous cult of all. So what happens, he blames external circumstances, other people, and refuse to take action to change himself, therefore he not only remains blind, but also bound.

We have been mentally damaged by the introduction of sin through Adam’s fall by his disobedience. Instead of being led by his spiritual connection with God, Adam (man) was cut off (spiritually) from that Holy connection, and had to live by His five senses. By his disobedience, Adam (mankind) entered into the kingdom of darkness with no hope, no way out, and became in his own eyes a nobody. And without Jesus, man is still in that predicament today.

Romans 8: 6-8 (Amplified Bible)

6) Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

7) That is because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.

8) So then, those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.

Some of us feel like nobodies today. Angry at your own situation in life, you live in a sea of negative thoughts and behaviors, never seeing a way out. You have heard about Jesus, yet the negative mindset (the kingdom of darkness) seems to restrain you from seeking His help. The world says that people who believe in God become “Jesus freaks”, and you certainly don’t want that to happen to you. Your heart yearns to be set free; you want to change, but you don’t know where to start. The emptiness grows every day! You are separated from God, just like Adam! You work feverishly trying to find your way, but to no avail. You are lost.

If that person sounds familiar to you, let me assure there is hope. There is a way out. There is a way to freedom, and truth, and love, and joy and peace! Jesus is that way. He is the only “way, truth, and the life”.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Today I am challenged with facing the truth of my eyes being blinded by the adversary because of unbelief; blinded by the world’s system of operation, which is selfishness. I have begun to see the truth about me and why I am on earth. Here's a thought: "If one truly understands the reality of God and His love, choosing anything else but Him as God the Father would be impossible.

Anything and everything else is not real, only an illusion!  Choosing an illusion is the ultimate in unbelief!

To offer NO excuses, but with all the distractions of todays’ world, it is a wonder how we can focus enough to give Him praise on Sunday! Like it or not, we tend to follow the trends of the "earthly" world we live in. Hard as we try, we do not live as the Holy Spirit calls us to do "in the world, NOT of the world.” But with God, all things are possible, even living a Godly life, being led by the Holy Spirit.

What are we to do? If you are not saved, born again, or made a new creature in Christ Jesus, here is the first step;

Romans 10: 9-10 (Amplified Bible)

9) Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

 10) For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

Ask the Holy Spirit to remove the blindness so "we can see" the light of the Glory of Jesus Christ. Another question arises:  Do you believe that He will do it? Yes, He will!

The leader in you lies dormant, overflowing with potential, God’s potential He placed in you before you were formed in the womb. Do not waste another moment, drowning in the sea of mediocre living, when God has called you to the greatness He has prepared for you. Look up, listen, He is calling you to your divine destiny.

Jesus opened the door so that the light of truth could be clearly seen; that the love of God can be experienced through the cross and the resurrection; that your sins have already been justified, paid for, and washed away.

Matthew 11: 28-30 (Amplified Bible)

28) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

29) Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

30) For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Peace, joy, fulfillment awaits all who will answer His call.

Song of Redemption

There is a sweet melody that rings eternal in the heart of man.

A call to love, for which only his spirit understands.

It seems as though the melody is lost, behind the

walls of the human intellect and worldly progress at great cost.

So many search feverishly for that sound from home, only to find

Another lonely road to roam.

Seeking and never finding what satisfies the heart; Their sights are

set on the horizons of life, never looking at the “now” that is within

where salvation starts.

Based on the past one’s thoughts plan the future, never realizing that

Jesus has erased it all.

The cloud of sin and all past deeds, all washed away by His blood;

Eternally erasing the contamination of man through Adam’s fall.

If only one would listen to His Words of Faith that bring eternal life,

a new creature will be born free of sin and strife.

The words of heaven’s melody sing praises of joy; Oh, how the heart

Longs to be free, to sing the melody from the heart of the Lord.

God’s only Son, the light of the world, whose great love righted

Man’s wrongs. He wrote the Song of Redemption, God’s eternal song.

Your senses can’t feel it, or hear it; it is a song for the spirit, a call

from God’s heavenly voice. The words are life; the melody soothes

the soul; played on heavenly instruments while angelic hosts rejoice.

Oh, what is there to fear in knowing the great love awaiting in His

embrace, for it is your destiny, and it is by grace through faith.

The fear of redemption is but an illusion, crafted by satan who is

the father of lies. In him is no truth, no reality, only turmoil and strife.

In and through Jesus was all things made, from the unseen to the

seen. He chose you before you were born, to be a blessing to others,

close and afar. Fulfilling your purpose, bringing His love to mankind,

and much, much more.

The call is clear to those who will listen, to the loving Father who is

calling from the light. The Song of Redemption is always near, softly

playing, the chords of salvation, the melody of eternal life.  Listen with

your heart, your spiritual vision, learn of the Lord and His ways, for

He is calling you to come to Him, to His great love, today.