All Have Sinned… Have Been Set Free

We all struggle with the human condition: thoughts, physical maladies, work problems, economic problems, and those secrets from our past, of which some haunt us, even daily. Some of us are stuck in the grieving process; some with chronic physical problems, and some with strongholds that we can't seem to shake.

There are times when we feel alone and helpless, even ashamed because we compare ourselves with others who don't seem to have "issues". Then what happens? We get depressed! Cycles are formed. Many times we have formed triggers that will initiate the onset of certain conditions, and the cycle starts over again. 

Even born again believers goes through these things. It is sad to discover and admit that we, along with other born again believers, get caught up in the "world's" ways of doing things. We seek worldly solutions, when if we truly grasped that the world is controlled by the one who has caused all our problems, we would begin to seek the truth about ways to overcome these conditions from another source. That source is the God of the Bible. While it is true that many seek out religion, and have found comfort to some degree, but not the absolute peace and joy in Jesus Christ. Most religions are designed by man.

When we truly understand that we have been "educated and trained" by a world system that is an enmity against God, we just might realize that victory over the devil is real; Jesus purchased it for us, and gave it to us. All of the human conditions outside of God; SIN, sickness and disease, wars, and etc. have all been placed under the feet of the believer; they have no power over the believer. All it takes is to believe. Believing from the depths of our being; heart, soul (mind, will, emotions), sub-conscious, bone marrow, cells, and DNA. It is not simple or easy, but God says it is possible, "all things are possible to Him that believes".

These conditions cannot be conquered without God and His saving Grace, and your acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Romans 3:22-24 (New Living Translation (NLT)

22) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

 23) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24) Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Without God, man cannot help but sin; it is in his nature, inherent and almost uncontrollable. Born into sin, man has no choice but to follow that path.

With God, man has a choice. He does not have to sin. Sin nature has no more power over the person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified Bible)

17) Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

 2 Corinthians 5: 21 (Amplified Bible)

21) For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

 Are you a born again believer? Then think about this; while the devil had you in bondage, helpless to sin, he could not hold you there. You heard the gospel message, accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and behold, you were, and now are a new creature in Christ Jesus. With that one decision, God moved you from under the devil’s feet(authority), to being the Devil’s master(authority over) in Christ Jesus!

 If the Devil could not hold you while you were under his authority, what power does he have over you now? Absolutely NONE!

Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7: 7-8 (Amplified)
7) Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

8) For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.

How many times have you wondered about these scriptures? What have you decided about their significance in your life? Have you decided that they have some mysterious meaning that you are not privy to? Or, you have tried asking, seeking, and knocking and it just did not work for you? Maybe you heard that it doesn't work, so why try? Did you try it once or twice and got no results, or not the results you wanted? Could it be what we've been taught by our teachers and Christian leaders? Maybe it's the religion we belong to? Dogma? Doctrine?

Maybe it is not what you think at all. Maybe it is as simple as....????   I will visit this topic in my next note!! Until then, please meditate on these verses and see what God reveals to you!!!

Proverbs 4:20-23    New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words.

²¹ Don't let them out of your sight. Keep them in your heart. 

²² They are life to those who find them. They are health to your whole body.
²³ Above everything else, guard your heart.  It is where your life comes from.

Scientists, from Micro-cellular Biologists to Physicists to Quantum Physicists, have determined through an almost endless array of experiments and tests that our thoughts, human thoughts, have a definite effect on our lives, physically, mentally, and spiritually. One physician estimated that a single thought causes a minimum of 1000 chemical reactions in the body. Just think one thought! Imagine how many thoughts a persons has in a day, multiplied by a thousand times and you can see the impact thoughts have on the human condition. Enhance those thoughts by emotion or trauma and one can see the impact of the mind on the human experience.

These chemical reactions are transmitted to every cell in the body almost instantly, via neuropeptides. (the body's information messengers - research for yourself). So, when one thinks a happy thought, 50 trillion cells instantly become happy and the body prospers. On the flip side, every negative, painful, fearful, and etc., thought entertained, causes the entire body to become receptive to conditions opposite to prosperity in health, both mental and physical!!

Many studies have shown that "stress", caused by thoughts in response to human experiences, is the major cause of many sicknesses and diseases. Dr. Bruce Lipton, in his book, The Biology of Belief, stated this:  “belief controls biology”. He goes on to prove through medical studies and research that the effect of placebos was equally successful at relieving or correcting illness, when paired with medically approved drugs that were supposed to do the same things, sometimes without side effects.

Without going into details about case studies, I wanted to provide an example of how this worked even with surgery. Dr. Bruce Moseley of the Baylor College of Medicine, reported, in 2002, the results of an experiment he had undertaken in previous years on patients who underwent surgery for osteoarthritis. He performed three different types of surgery. Each patient was told that they were getting surgery to repair the degenerative conditions. On one set of patients, he made the necessary incisions, scraped away the debris or excess fragments, rinsed with saline, and closed the incisions. The next set or group, he made the incisions and flushed the area with saline to clear away the fragments, rinsed with saline and closed the incisions. The last group (placebo group) he made the incisions, sprayed saline away from the incisions, and closed.

All three groups went through the same physical therapy, over the allotted time, and the placebo group’s success rate equaled the other groups, meaning each patient recovered with excellent results. Dr. Moseley’s comment was, “my skills as a surgeon had no effect on the outcome of these (placebo) patients”.  It was their own belief.

What does this have to do with ask, seek, and knock?  Read on!!

As I write, I am learning too… being reminded of the words I have spoken, the thoughts, the actions, and beliefs that have governed my life. Some I am ashamed of and want to forget, and some are truly from, God the Holy Spirit, that I trust and guard in my heart

Spiritually speaking, the Bible speaks about faith and believing God, unwavering and steadfast. Jesus talked about it, taught it, and demonstrated it throughout the Gospels. On several occasions Jesus said according to your faith will it be unto you; and have faith in God; your faith has made you whole, and be it unto you as you have believed. Now if the author and creator of everything made that statement (confirmed the law of confession), who is man to refute it?

So, if Jesus said (still saying because the truth doesn’t change) “Ask and it shall be given, Seek and you shall find, Knock and the door will be opened”, then it will be as he has stated, without exception. Therefore, when Solomon said/says in Proverb 4:23 "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life”. Out of your own heart (your belief system) your life experiences come to pass. Keep reading!!

Matthew 12:34-37 The Message Bible

 ^34-37"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation." 

In these instances, Jesus was not talking about prayer, but only considering the words spoken in every day conversation. This means in business, public, and private where ideas and thoughts are expressed, including internally. Jesus also said, “and when you pray, say this, or believe this way”. In other words, your words have the power to change your life, in your inner and outer worlds. 

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

(I take the liberty of adding my thought to the beginning)

 “Your (original) thoughts become your beliefs”, THEN

Gandhi:

 Your beliefs become your thoughts

 Your thoughts become your words

 Your words (beliefs) become your actions

 Your actions become your habits

 Your habits become your values

 Your values become your destiny

From Workplace Warriors

The secret to effective prayer is faith in Jesus Christ and absolute trust in the Word He has spoken.   

Know in your heart that the prayer you are asking for will be answered -- know this even at the moment you ask. Believe with all your heart that God has already answered your petition even before you finish praying.
 

As Jesus' disciples stood looking and discussing in astonishment the results of one of His miracles, the Lord told them:

"Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Get up and throw yourself into the sea', with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."

"I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too." (Mark 11:20-25).

Remember what was asked in my note on Ask, Seek, Knock? Here are the questions

How many times have you wondered about these scriptures? What have you decided about their significance in your life? Have you decided that they have some mysterious meaning that you are not privy to? Or, you have tried asking, seeking, and knocking and it just did not work for you? Maybe you heard that it doesn't work, so why try? Did you try it once or twice and got no results, or not the results you wanted? Could it be what we've been taught by our teachers and Christian leaders? Maybe it's the religion we belong to? Dogma?

Just suppose, you don’t believe you will get what you’re asking for? Suppose what you believe “in your heart” something different than what you asking are for? Suppose you really don’t know that you believe the opposite of the results you want? How many times have you asked for something, even in prayer, and eventually said “I knew it wouldn’t happen” or “I didn’t think I would get”, or “I never get what I pray for”. Guess what! I don’t need to say it do I?

James 1: 5-8 (The Message Bible)

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

James 1: 5-8 (Amplified Bible)

5) If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault.

 6) But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around. 7) A man like that shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8) He can't make up his mind. He can never decide what to do.

Maybe it is not what you think at all. Maybe it is as simple as....????  

Yes, the answer is simple yet the most difficult for us who have been programmed to depend on our own abilities. Asking, seeking, and knocking, AND most of all “believing” is too simple, and to some quite frivolous, because they cannot bring themselves to believe in and unseen God. Some say that they do, but they do not. Some really, really want to believe, but doubt (previous spoken words from their hearts have governed their lives.) What is one to do? Paul says it best.

 

Romans 12: 2 (Amplified Bible)

2) Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

James 1:22-25 Amplified Bible

For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like. But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).

James 1:22-25 New International Readers Version

22) Don't just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says. 23) Suppose you listen to the word but don't do what it says. Then you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. 24) After looking at himself, he leaves. Right away he forgets what he looks like. 25) But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don't forget what you've heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.

You have probably heard many explanations as to what these verses refer to spiritually speaking. Yet usually the simplest and easiest to understand something, is sometimes the true meaning. However, I’d like to leave you with an opinion that may be more truth than mere conjecture. Here we go!

The Bible clearly states that when one is born again, he is a new creature, meaning his spirit has been recreated by God and from God;  born of God in Christ Jesus! Right? The book of John states very clearly that Jesus was the Word, the entire Word of God. Everything in the Bible as we know it – The Word – is Jesus. Jesus is personified in every written word in the Bible.

If you are born again, being in Christ, and God sees you as He sees Jesus, a joint heir with Jesus, then when you read the Word - look into the mirror - the Bible, what you should see is a reflection of you are as God sees you. James says, when you read the word “it is like when a man looks at himself in a mirror”. The image you see in the truth and principles is the actual truth of who you really are, but you (me, us, they) walk away after reading and forget (unbelief) who you (we) are. You read, get head knowledge, but it never gets into the heart. Therefore, out of the heart the mouth speaks of the things from the “old things that are passed away”. Jesus said, “you have not, because you ask not” .

Please understand, I include myself in this analogy. However, I believe God showed this to me not only for my benefit, but for yours as well. Maybe, you will receive it with the grace and love as intended, and will endeavor to examine your heart as I am doing mine, asking for understanding, seeking wisdom, and knocking on the door of truth. Others are probably doing the same.  Praise God.

I pray that you have received this message and decided to search your heart, and are allowing the God of Love to open the doors of understanding that will propel you to a higher level in Him.

It Is A Decision

The integrity of the Bible, the written Word of God is at stake when doubt is present. The question of its truth must be settled in your mind and heart if you are to be born again and progress in the Kingdom of God. The decision to believe is the key. It is a decision that is made within the heart, and never visited again. Just like you decided that you wanted a career in the field that you are working in. Or, you believe that you can get up out of a chair and walk, or you can breathe but don’t actually don’t know how oxygen is processed in the body, or cars use gasoline for power. This is something that you don’t think about every moment of the day, but you trust and have confidence in and work within it, and use it without question. You know that you know that you know. You don’t question it, it works and that’s that. So should one’s faith in the Word of God be, by believing it and working within it.

One must recognize that God’s word is supernatural truth and is far superior to human reasoning and able to render human circumstance inferior to God’s solutions. The question to you is quite simple: Is the Word of God true or false? If the answer you give is “true”, then your journey to truth and eternal life begins. The Word of God becomes the ultimate authority in your life. All the promises of God become yours, and you are redeemed from “the curse of the law”:

Galatians 3:13 (NKJV)

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”. If the answer is “false”, then you are destined to live the human experience without God, living under the curse of the law:

(Deuteronomy 28)

Since the moment Adam & Eve sinned, every person born into the world inherits “sin nature” from Adam. That nature is subject to sinning against God, but also subject to the curse of the law, which means sickness and disease, poverty, and separation from God. That is the reality of mankind today.

Jesus arrived on the scene, sent by God to redeem us from that curse. He contrasted His coming in:

John 10:10 (NKJV)

The thief (satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

The thief comes only in order to steal, and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).

1 John 3:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)

[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

Without God, you cannot help but sin, it is your nature. You may never steal, nor murder someone, or commit adultery, yet the nature is still ever present. However, with God through Jesus Christ, you have power over sin, the adversary and all his works.

He gave us, (all believers) through His word, power over this enemy.

Are you a disciple? Then Jesus did this for you and all disciples.

Luke 10:19 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

Matthew 10:1 Amplified Bible (AMP)

AND JESUS summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.

While most of us are riding the fence of “wanting to believe”, but really are not committed, we live in the land of hope, but never experiencing the reality of the certainty of God’s Word. We want to believe, but for a myriad of reasons (that only each of us knows), we hold back and never make the decision to believe. Others believe in the head, by that I mean that we make the decision that yes we believe there is a God (believe in God), head knowledge or intellectually, but really don’t “believe” God or what He says in His Word.

When it comes to the “things of God”, many of us are in the camp of “if it is His will”. This actually means that we do not “know” what His will is regarding  things pertaining to His children. It sounds humble, pious, and even religious, however it demonstrates a lack of knowledge of His will, His desire, His Covenant with, and His promises to, His chosen people (all believers). I often wonder to whom does it sound religious? We unknowingly place ourselves in the position of victims, defenseless against the world, and in some cases against God because we accuse Him of all sorts of atrocities against us, when satan is the author of it all. We even defend that position by saying that God uses these trials, tribulations, attacks, diseases, death, and the list goes on, to teach us lessons or bring us to and through some spiritual awakening. God says “there will be trials in this world”, not that He will put them on you. He says He will bring you through them if you trust in Him.

We understand that God is able to do all things since we readily acknowledge that He created all things. Yet, when it comes to believing Him, we are not sure if He will do what He has promised in His Word. Actually, as it says in Ecclesiastes, “there is nothing new under the sun.” In other words, everything already exists; it is either visible or in visible.

To find out what His ultimate will is, we must study His Word, NOT religious teaching, but His Word. It is a decision to learn what His Word says, and “look not unto our own understanding”, but to seek and gain Godly Wisdom and Understanding.

Romans 3:4 (Amplified Bible)

By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].

Romans 3:4 (NKJV)

Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:

      “ That You may be justified in Your words,

      And may overcome when You are judged.

Isaiah 55:11 (Amplified Bible)

So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Jeremiah 1:12 (Amplified Bible)

Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.

So, if one reads and understand these scripture verses correctly, the truth is that God has made sure that every word written in the Bible is truth, and has been fulfilled, and once we believe it is truth, it will be fulfilled in our lives as well. You see, everything was done by Jesus through His death, burial, and resurrection.

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus was the “Word made flesh”; He was the Word, was with God, and dwelt among us (men). Therefore, He (The Word) came to earth, accomplished what God intended (God watching over Him), and then He returned to Father God. The Word was sent, it performed as God desired, and did not return to the Father until His work was done… then He sat done at the right hand of God.

Hosea 4:6 (Amplified Bible)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Hosea 4:6 (Good News Translation)

My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests.

You can read the other translations if you like, however they all have the same meaning.

In America and the western world today, we are inundated with information. We constantly hear that our world is in the “information age”. Everything must be done quickly or else we’ll be left behind, or so the “world” tells us. From fast food to the fastest download speeds to faster messaging, we are supposed to catch up to technology or be eternally outside the so called “real world”. So much time is spent on trying to get all the information or see or hear it all, that we wind up with a head full of worldly thoughts and emotions that have very little human value. Indeed, the brain can hold millions and maybe billions of bits of information, yet it can all be for naught, or utterly worthless if it is not of the truth of God, or better yet knowledge but no wisdom.

If you have watched television and movies over the last 40 years, you have watched over and over again, situations and circumstances where only doctors, lawyers, policemen, and government officials have all the answers for every human problem. You have seen and experienced your Godly beliefs systematically attacked and ridiculed, to the point that you are almost embarrassed to say in public that you believe in God. You have seen prayer taken out of our public schools, and any mention of God prohibited in parks and public buildings. And to the dismay of many, at the mere saying of the name Jesus, one is almost violently attacked by society. Some are trying to remove prayer from Military funerals; especially when referring to God or Jesus! So, what do we do, we use the same legal system that promotes this type of attack, and try to remove the restrictions legally.

If we only believed that God answers prayer!!!

Okay! Okay! I know I am covering many issues, but I am leading to a very serious point, or a series of points. Please bear with me.

Please see the excerpt from a book written in the mid 19th century by Warren Felt Evans. It gives some insight into “faith” and “fear”, in relationship to sickness and disease. The author is very clear in stating is views on the subject, and finds proof in the works of Jesus. Take a look below.

FAITH AND FEAR AND THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE.

Originally by Warren Felt Evans

Republished by Amy Biddle

“All diseases appertaining to man have correspondence with the spiritual world, for whatever in the whole of nature has not correspondence with the spiritual world has no existence, having no cause from which it can exist.”— (Arcana Celestia, 5711.)

 “Whate'er we hope, by faith we have,

Future and past, subsisting now.”

THE Christian idea of salvation includes in it something more than the pardon of sin, and the releasing of the offender from an arbitrary punishment. It is the restoration of the soul to union and harmony with God, and of the body to correspondence with the redeemed spirit. Jesus, the Christ, in the office of the Great Physician, undertook the divine task of carrying a healing influence, in the highest sense of the terms, to every department of our disordered human nature. It was his aim to cure the body through the restored soul. But what was the fundamental idea in his method of cure? It stands out prominently in the Gospels, and on almost every page.

There are two opposite mental states, which, more than any others, are the body's health or malady. The inmost principle of health, according to his system, is faith. “Thy faith hath made thee whole,” and “Be it unto thee according to thy faith,” express a general law of the relation of the body to the sovereign mind.

The principle of fear, which is allied to doubt, to unbelief and to melancholy, and without which those states could, not exist, is the spiritual essence of disease. ln its acute form, such as is experienced in a sudden fright, it affects every organ and fibre of the body. It creates everywhere a morbid action. In the form of anxiety and doubt, it gains in chronicity what it loses in intensity. So the effects of faith, when it is energetic, and according to the degree in which it is exercised, are felt everywhere throughout the organism. It sends a thrill of life and health through every particle and tissue of the bodily structure. Its effects are both immediate and lasting, which can be predicated of no other remedy.

We are saved by faith, soul and body, and this is the fundamental idea of the Christian system. This law of faith is fully illustrated in the Gospel narratives, and in the beneficent career of Christ. The influence of a genuine faith is the divine secret that he revealed to an unbelieving and darkened world. The relation of faith to health, of soul and body, and of fear and unbelief to disease and misery, are the fundamental principles of his spiritual science of healing.

In perusing the Gospel history, we find that no cures were ever wrought by him except through the faith of the patient, or of someone else. Where there was a lack of this essential condition, he performed no cures. (Mat. xiii. 58.) His whole life is an exhibition of the triumphs of faith over disease, misery and death. It was in him a living power that united him to God the Central Life. We are told by Paul that it was an element in God's omnipotence, and that by it he created the worlds. (Heb. xi. 3.)

Of course, there is a plethora of books, opinions, and stories about divine healing, either for it or against it. If you would like to know more about it, I can recommend at least two books written by:

T.L. Osborn, titled “Healing the Sick”. Another is F. F. Bosworth, “Christ the Healer.

In summary, when it comes to Christianity, when it comes to Jesus of the Bible, when it comes to God, when it comes to healing, it all works by faith. It is a decision to believe God, and stand firmly in His Word.

When I didn’t see God healing me and others, my thought was, “but I DO have faith”. Yet, it seemed as if God was ignoring my prayers or declarations. (He tells us (believers) “to declare and decree”. I had to find understanding from the word. I wanted to blame God for my situations and circumstances, and for not doing what I asked Him to do. By His grace and mercy and patience, I found out that He has already done everything there was for Him to do. My part was to believe; to “have faith in God”, and believe without wavering; and to receive all that He has given me; love, health, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Hebrews 11:6 The Message (MSG)

It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

Psalm 107: 19-22 (NKJV)

19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

     And He saved them out of their distresses.

20 He sent His word and healed them,

     And delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

     And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

     And declare His works with rejoicing.

We Were In Our Own Sight

In the book of Numbers, Chapter 13, the nation of Israel had come out of Egypt, and was walking through the desert, on their way to Canaan. The Lord spoke to Moses:

1)    AND The Lord said to Moses,

2)    Send men to explore and scout out [for yourselves] the land of Canaan, which I give to the Israelites. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a leader or head among them.

3)    So Moses by the command of the Lord sent scouts from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the Israelites…

17) Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get up this way by the South (the Negeb) and go up into the hill country,

When they returned to the report what they had discovered, even though they saw the land was fertile with milk and honey, and even brought back a cluster of grapes so big that two men had to carry it on a stick between them.

Yet, the inhabitants of the land were their problem, as so it seemed.

28) But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are [a]fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak [of great stature and courage].

29) Amalek dwells in the land of the South (the Negeb); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along by the side of the Jordan [River].

30) Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.

31) But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are.

32) So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.

33) There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

How many times have you come across a problem (giants) in your own life? In your family; at work; suppose that “giant” has many accomplices. What do you do then? How do you see yourself? Does fear come in? Do you go directly into reason?

Sometimes we seek advice from others, and their advice or counsel is usually based on their view of their own “giants”.

The Spies

 Many today think that God told Moses to send these men out to scout the land without provision for their victory. However, this is not quite true. God had already told them that the land was theirs, yet they had to go in and possess the land. The people were afraid of the unknown inhabitants of Canaan, so they asked Moses to send out spies to see if it was as God had told them. (unbelief). Moses took their request to God and so it was to be as they requested.

So it is with many of us today. We seek the advice of friends, Christian leaders, worldly advisors (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacists), authors, and the list goes on. We pray, yet do not believe… The answers come and they seem too difficult to achieve, so we, look for a proxy or a go between. We look for “inside information”, or anything that we think will give us an advantage, not truly understanding that anything the world brings to us is inferior to what God brings, or what he already has in store for us.

Actually, God has told us that “He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”. (Ephesians 1:3)  So, that means that anything and everything we could ever want or need, God has already given it to us, placed it at our disposal in Christ.

So then, why do we hesitate? What is it that keeps us wandering around in the desert places of the world? Why do we have to send out spies to investigate? Are we looking for a sure thing? Confirmation? What actually holds us back? Is hearing from God so foreign to us that we are not sure of His Word or direction?

Recently, I put this idea in another blog (I think). This came to me while out walking, that this is the order Christians should live. Since we are “spirit”, we have a soul, and we live in a body, then the order of how we live should be: Think from the sprit, speak from the spirit, act from the spirit.  (Walk by faith and not by sight) It is never wrong!!! Try it. It is more difficult than you think. Actually, most of us don’t even know the difference between thinking from the spirit and thinking from the soul (worldly), let alone speaking and acting from the spirit. Where would we start? Oh, yes the Bible! But do you understand the mystery of the Jesus? Faith? Kingdom of God? Your position in Christ? What Jesus did for mankind? The “new creation”? The Holy Spirit?” Acting on the Word of God?

Our spirit, being born again, “a new creation”, “the righteousness of God in Christ”, has access to all the power of the Holy Spirit; all the knowledge we could ever need, and all the resources of God to fulfill His purposes for us.

Why do we hesitate then? Jesus said it best in Matthew 17:20 “ So Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

In Your Own Sight

We send all types of spies out, instead of trusting in God. We see so much fear, crime, mistrust, anger, and corruption in the world that it is difficult to believe that a place exists that is free of worldly influences. A very strange thing happens. We see all these things happening every day, yet we turn to that same world to find answers or comfort in times of distress. Our lives are shaped from the news, television shows, movies, and music, all designed to get you feel something, and it is usually detrimental to our true spiritual nature. As a college professor once told me, “we want them to think, fell, and know” whatever we want them to know. And I add, whether it is true or not, this is the objective.

So immersed in this life of worldly indoctrination from birth we grow into thinking that our physical being is who we are. We become grasshoppers in our own sight to this massive and frightening (illusionary) world. We have been told and shown that we can’t fight “the system”, “the government”, “evil” and everything else the world tells us. We have been fed the lie that we are powerless against the “world’s systems”.

2 Corinthians 4:4

“For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.”

Yet, God tells us that He has given us, through Jesus, power over that all the power of the enemy (the god of this world who has blinded). To add insult to injury, they are the ones who have been feeding us this worldly garbage, that we’re are helpless victims of a world filled with all those horrible human conditions, and we are powerless to do anything about it. All lies!! Jesus says that this “little god” is the father of lies. You can be assured that if Jesus said it, it is true, and if the world says it, the likelihood of it being true is on shaky ground to say the least. This is in regards to who you really are in Christ Jesus!!

Don’t let the father of lies shape your self-image! If he has, it is time to look into the mirror of who you really are (the Bible) and find the real you. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, by hearing the Word of God. Study the Word of God. Build your faith by acting on the Word. Think, speak, and act from the spirit. Learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. He knows all things and He lives in you!!

Your re-created (by God) spirit is perfect. Period! It does not need improvement! It has the love, power, wisdom, and knowledge of God inherent in its being. What it needs is a renewed mind with whom it can communicate; That will “take the lid off” off and release the light of God, so that your “joy will be made full”. What is stopping you?