101 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT HEALTH AND WEALTH

January 2015 – Week 1
DIVINE ORDER

Jesus is God and it is common knowledge that He designed and built heaven, the earth, the universe, every living thing and everything in-between. All creative ideas and abilities along with the mastery to cause everything to work together are called “divine order” and operate according to the Lord’s perfect principles and authority. Since God made everything and gives mankind the freedom to choose one’s own path, we can see that even the negative energy is enabled by the power of life.

Since we profess He is the Master “Engineer” of all things, it should not really surprise us that He also provides a highly detailed owner’s manual with each human being. When He came to earth as a human, it was only logical that He became a carpenter and was involved with building things. As we observe nature, the seasons and the cosmos, we notice a design of the highest dimension that should cause us to have a humble attitude. Sadly, it seems the more knowledge mankind learns, the more arrogant he becomes. The difference between knowledge and divine wisdom is miles apart which explain why knowledge in itself means very little. The revelation of absolute truth contains the power of true spiritual enlightenment. We learn about our divine blueprint when we meet and accept the covenant of Christ. As we “see” our position in Jesus through the eyes of our spirit and agree to His terms, we will become more acquainted with our specific blueprints and the desire to follow them. It is sobering to consider that we are being counted on by the Lord Himself to follow and accomplish a mission that was planned before the world was made. Though man is convinced that “his” plans are much more important – we can be assured that nothing in the universe is more important than doing God’s will? There are many questions related to this very important subject and our lack of answers is evidence of how little we have been trying to learn.

As we begin a new series for this year, I want us to spend a moment trying to establish where we are going. I cannot think of a better place to start than with a simple parable that Christ taught as He was trying to compare our life with building a house. Of course, when we build a house, we must always begin with surveying the land and making sure it is suitable to support the structure. In the ministry of Jesus, He was trying to emphasize the importance for EVERYONE to construct their life on the most solid ground in existence and that is the absolute truth of the Word of God – Christ Himself. The message that is woven within the Bible is clear and precise – if any individual at any time in history is NOT built upon God and His Word, that life will be lived in vain and come to ruin. Now brother, there are a lot of good people that have not been bad and have lived the best they knew how. Won’t God have mercy on them? The message of God’s mercy enduring forever is unmistakable, but that does not eliminate the true reality of the principals of condition. The law of reaping and sowing is a conditional law that is based on acts and deeds that are produced from thoughts and intentions. All humans that are in their right mind are accountable to the choices they make and the way they live. There are millions of excuses for NOT abiding by God’s blueprints but only one reason – disobedience. This is the absolute truth that cuts like a sharp two-edged sword and is the light that exposes rebellion. It is this piercing, demanding divine reality that the carnal nature avoids at all cost.

Let us stop for a moment and recognize that we have arrived at a familiar place once again where only the ones that are interested in proceeding with this level of spirituality will be enthused to continue walking with us. Have we arrived at some mystical place of holiness? Not necessarily, but we are weighing the demands and searching our souls for the courage to drop our nets and follow the Master. We are realizing what the Lord desires and we are taking baby steps toward giving Him our heart. We are taking a closer look at Mathew 22:37, “Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” If you have chosen your own building lot, drawn up your own plans and have made the final decision to live life your way, then you will NOT be enthused to gather wisdom about God’s divine order. True love will be the unit of measurement when weighing the scales of spiritual obedience. However, if you are trying to follow God’s general will and fervently seeking to know and fulfill God’s specific will, then we have been united together in faith, hope and love as a divine appointment to become what Jesus died for us to be!

Health and wealth are important to us. Amen. I realize that everyone does not agree with certain healing theology but there are many truths that we can rejoice and celebrate that Christ has clearly revealed to us. It is through the revelations of God’s Word and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that we can study and build our faith. It is with encouragement that we can learn the truth about God’s will and what He is waiting for us to do. I can say with all confidence that I know He has called all of His children to accomplish His mission and He is ready to empower each and every one of us to do it. There is no doubt that if this is true (and I believe it is) then it will take an abundant portion of health and wealth. As always your comments and insight are welcome.
“Father, we thank you for a brand new year! We praise you for all that you helped us with last year and I pray that we can apply what we learned to make us stronger and more wise for the future. Help us to prepare our hearts for what is coming and convict us to become more sensitive to your voice. I ask you to use the book, “A Lifestyle of Worship” to minister edification to the hearts of all those who read it. Encourage us this year as we learn more about your covenant and walking in your Spirit. Take us deeper into relationship with you and help pry our fingers from holding on to this world. Teach us what real faith is all about and what it means to be a remnant disciple for you, in Jesus Name we pray.”

Question One: Why do many Christians insist that “suffering” from the curse of the fall is somehow earning them “respect” from Jesus, and that it may even be “beneficial” to stay sick and poor?
All of us in some way or another suffer from the curse of the fall but our difficulty does NOT prove in any way that we are designed for defeat. It is the devil that has LIED to us in order to implant the idea that nothing can change the course of our failure. Satan knows the power of God’s Word and what the revelations of God’s mysteries can generate to those who comprehend the blood covenant of Jesus! It is the devils mission to do everything he can to keep God’s people OUT of God’s book and OUT of a personal relationship with Him! The Bible clearly states in Hosea 4:6, “My people [He is not talking about the lost] are destroyed for the lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of God, I will also forget thy children.” What knowledge is He talking about? He is talking about the wisdom and revelation of His Word that has the power to transform us from trusting in this natural realm. God knows that if we believe the default system that the devil manages that we will NOT follow His divine blueprint that He has planned for us. This blueprint INCLUDES learning who He is and who we are IN HIM! You and I will NOT fulfill our destiny if we do break FREE from the world and our old nature!
Christians have always associated humility with being spiritual but this is only partially true. There is a true humility that is a spiritual attribute of reverence and respect for God’s sovereignty and there is a false humility that enjoys the attention from trying to be religious. True humility is a very important fruit in the believer’s life but has nothing to do with being AFRAID to step out with boldness in God’s Word and becoming what Jesus died for us to be. The world feels sorry and sympathetic for the unfortunate and many may associate poverty and disease with being down on their luck, lowly, discouraged, hopeless, depressed, unimportant, powerless, etc… but these are all just mental feelings of the earthly system. There are even extreme cases of twisted thinking that believe being held in bondage will control the “beastly” passions that would possess us if we were healthy and wealthy. However when we search God’s Word, we can find no basis for this view but will always come up with spiritual “deliverance” that removes us from darkness and brings us into His glorious light! When God intervenes He brings positive solutions so that in our VICTORY we can live in a closer relationship with Him.

Question Two: Where does this idea come from?
Let us begin by realizing that the average person retrieves their intelligence from the memories of past explanations that are molded into personal convictions. Bits and fragments of comments about life can act as puzzle pieces that form the reasons we believe. The human mind does not know the difference between correct information and lies until the spirit is re-born in Christ and the Spirit of God comes to live inside of us. Without the presence of God convicting us about error the un-renewed mind is open to receive and accept distorted information and when this happens it will create an aberration of the truth. We see from the past how Monks who lived in solitude were viewed as deep spiritual people who devoted their lives to prayer and Nuns have the reputation of individuals who sacrificed their lives for God’s service along with missionaries, priest and so on. It seems these examples of dedication which originated through the Catholic Church has been the basis of religious thought pertaining to the denial of the flesh to partake in the outward blessings of God. We may not realize it but these images of the lowly lifestyles have played a huge role in the development of our views of spirituality. While these ideas are perfectly fine as long as each one was a response to God’s blueprint, it is not to be used as a standard or example for all of us. Living for Jesus is not about being in seclusion – it is about allowing the light of His character to be seen to all people. Many have always attempted to figure out ways to “prove” their devotion to Christ but living victoriously in the joy and power of His presence is HIS way!