V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 32

ABIDING IN HIS BLOOD V

“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you IF YOU HEED THE VOICE of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough. Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord shall COMMAND the BLESSING upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will BLESS you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Deuteronomy 28:2-8)

Radical and outrageous blessings come from radical and outrageous obedience! It is very obvious that our adversary lives to throw water on God’s fire. The good news is that he cannot stop us from being the “lighthouse” that Jesus died for us to be (unless we allow him). There is no time to be depressed about the growing darkness as the world slides deeper into depravity. We are responsible for the attitude of one light holder and it will take staying on our knees to successfully represent His kingdom of holy light. The “water” that we face on a regular basis is discouragement and it is a formidable opponent. Of course it is a state of mind but in order to walk in a focus of “knowing”, our awareness would have to be connected to understanding truth and believing it completely. This is called walking in the Spirit and is the key to fearing God, Knowing Him and the revelation of His Word. Yes, this sensitivity to His divine reality will require concentration – which in turn will make us peculiar, but staying in tune with His perfect “frequency” will keep us filled with joy so we can live as an overcomer in every trial and situation.

As most Christians will agree, a person receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior is the most important miracle that can happen. Everything we are called to do for God should be a “link” in the chain of proclaiming the gospel that hopefully will result in someone being born again. As we explain, teach and live this gospel of total salvation we must know what God has willed for us to be and the resources He has given for us to accomplish our destiny. In this supernatural package of life changing gifts from heaven are – the blessings of His peace and joy, being filled with His Holy Spirit, being healed physically, mentally and emotionally, living the abundant life, being delivered from the curse of the fall, strength to resist the bondages of temptation, authority over the kingdom of darkness, the privilege to walk with God, the invitation to see miracles through prayer and the grace to be spiritually changed from the inside out (just to name a few). Christianity is not a secret life of avoiding involvement – (actually the opposite) it is all about sowing seed! It is the nature and character of Christ that we are transforming into – and it is our witness and testimony which proves that God’s word is operating inside of us. What good would it do to talk about living in God’s presence but never allowing anyone to see us actually doing it?

We know that faith plays an important part of our invitation to experience the abundant life that was provided at the cross and this all begins with hearing and finding the “revelation” of God’s voice within His Word. As we grow in our personal relationship with Him being our Lord, we finally realize what He desires from us – our heart. More than anything we could do in our talents and gifts – He wants to possess our conscience! This will enable us to live an obedient, pleasing, faithful lifestyle according to His thoughts and ways. When both covenant parties honor the conditions of the agreement – the promises are fulfilled and sustained. True, many Christians do not know about covenant and that falls in the category of suffering from the lack of knowledge but for those who are aware of covenant and have broken their vows, it is a severe sin that requires Godly sorrow and repentance. We are learning how the covenant is a serious exchange of holy vows just like marriage and how a close, loving relationship is crucial to being satisfied, happy and content. May you be under-girded with confidence as we continue with the parallels of His blood and our blood.

4. BLOOD RESTORES: In our body, new blood cells are constantly being produced and the old ones are being discarded. This process of regeneration is symbolic to the freshness and new “energy” of our faith and vision to receive from God’s endless storehouses for new situations and needs. He said for us to, “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine”. (II Timothy 4:2) This is telling us that He is ready to pour His Spirit out through us anytime – anywhere, as we choose to allow Him to work! The heart of His divine mission is to spread restoration everyone and our burden for all souls should be the same. When we eat and drink it is processed within our body to bring restoration the same as when we absorb God’s Word and is likewise digested by our spirit man into our mind to supply spiritual encouragement and refill our strength. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”. (Mathew 5:6) In this cycle we receive the answers and miracles for yesterday’s prayers as we follow-up our petitions with thanksgiving and praise for His intervention. “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, the caterpillar and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed”. (Joel 2:26)

5. BLOOD REMEMBERS: Amazingly the structure of our blood has a memory! It never forgets, as all viruses and illnesses seem to be recorded on the internal “medical charts” within our body. Tiny cells called “anti-bodies” are produced to fight specific germs and will remember throughout an entire lifetime every unique intruder they have had to battle. Once a certain “enemy” has been defeated these “special forces” continue to guard and protect the body from future attacks. (After the victory as a post-war cleanup, the white blood cells come and devour the dead, keeping the environment clean.) The next time this particular germ enters the system it is immediately overwhelmed and defeated. Constantly these silent battles are raging and many times we are not even aware of the intensity or danger. Likewise the blood of Jesus is also fighting on our behalf when we experience confrontation or even when we may not be aware of a demonic surprise attack. If we ever feel that God has forgotten us or cannot hear our cry we can know His blood covenant is always aware and prepared to go to war for us and will always remember the promises of His Word. Omniscient means that God knows ALL things! “But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I not forget you. Behold I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me (always in my memory)”. (Isaiah 49:14-16)

6. THE SECRET PLACE: Our blood is developed in the hidden place between our bones within the marrow – likewise our spiritual revelation of His blood is developed in the secret place of study, meditation, prayer and worship. Everything that we are as a Christian on the outside has been developed from the internal, intimate adoration to Father. Our personal revelation knowledge and faith is built in the quiet places where we spend time with God. Our relationship with Him comes from spending time with Him and the more time we share in His presence the deeper we know Him. Knowing God and loving Him for who He is the meaning of life. Selah. Knowing Him includes knowing His will and His will is directly connected to the promises of His Word. “He that dwells (lives) in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High (the divine reality of His presence), shall abide (remain, stand fast, reside, submit, endure) under the shadow of the Almighty”. (Psalm 91:1)

7. BLOOD PROVIDES: Our blood supplies EVERY need to EVERY organ, muscle and tissue within our body 24/7! It brings life giving oxygen and removes carbon dioxide with every breath we take. Our blood breaks down the vitamins and minerals from our food and distributes the perfect amount of nourishment to each cell. Our strength and ability to live, move and have our being depends on the constant provision from our blood. This is similar to how the blood covenant of Jesus completely provides our earthly and SPIRITUAL needs and desires for this journey we are on! Praise His Name! His blood guarantees His Word and His Word is the promise to provide every need. “But my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:19) Jesus said that He came to earth and died on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of defeat and fill us with His supernatural power to live a blessed life! “The thief comes not but for to kill and destroy: I am come (Jesus is talking) that they (us) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”. (John 10:10) This promise of abundant life is very important to know and believe when releasing faith in our prayers and confessions. How can we receive this abundant life if we do not believe it is true? “And Abraham called the name of that place JEHOVAH – JIREH (the Lord will provide): as it is said TO THIS DAY, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:14)

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 31

ABIDING IN HIS BLOOD IV

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him”. (Hebrews 10:38)

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and professed a good profession before many witnesses”. (I Timothy 6:12)

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1:17)

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must BELIEVE that He is, and that He rewards them that DILIGENTLY seek Him”. (Hebrews 11:6)

Besides being one of the most popular Christian words of all time, FAITH is the spiritual fuel that makes the engine of an overcomer move! It is a huge pillar of our spiritual foundation because everything we are, say and do must have this ingredient or we are just working in the flesh. I am troubled when I see Christians experience crisis and do not even mention faith as a possibility for their deliverance. I listen to people (who profess Jesus as their Lord) talk about sickness and poverty like it is something that we cannot fight and Jesus cannot cure! I admit – I am guilty of fear and doubt when I have a problem as I run to make a doctor appointment instead of talking to Jesus about it. My impatience seems to overrule the thoughts of fasting and intercession because it is easier to take a pill or borrow money than to bring the sacrifice of – fervent prayer. I realize our brains are wired to react to the old carnal thinking but, when will we have a spiritually renewed mind? When will we turn to Jesus “first” and exercise what we say we know? When will strapping on our armor every morning become as normal as drinking our coffee? At church we shout the victory when others testify about miracles and we hear messages about how nothing is impossible with God, but is this just emotion? In God’s Word we see individuals who reached out by faith and found the super-natural connection that delivered them and through the covenant of total salvation we all agree that it is God’s will to heal us, so why do we set this view aside when things become “really” serious? It is like we live in a “dream state” with believing the supernatural then when we have a crisis we wake up and become humanly rational. Maybe this is true because walking in God’s covenant is just a “religious option” and not a personal lifestyle. Selah.

I have no intention of being critical or condemning anyone’s lack of faith – but rather I would hope that we might be motivated to examine our heart. In fact, these articles are a result of what I am finding (and not finding) within my own conscience. I am convicted and saddened by my lack of believing what I profess and realize that Father is demanding that I start “walking” my knowledge. My interpretation of spiritual obedience is ABIDING in the divine reality of God’s covenant (faith and works) including the full “active” operation of His fruits and gifts. This awareness of “living” by faith enables the overcomer to be victorious over the devil (and the flesh) while having the peace of being pleasing to the Lord. The joy of our intimate personal relationship with Father is the meaning of life and for all disciples should be the “normal” priority of living. The lack of seeking and knowing God is the difference between victory and defeat and the reason why the church suffers power outages. We must break out of the mentality that going to church and even serving in the church is our “complete” weekly requirement of service. It is easy to conduct a 30 minute program but our personal intimacy with God is what controls the way we live each moment. The church assembly was never intended to be a “show” of our spirituality but rather a supply house to equip Christian soldiers to fight on the frontline. In today’s concept of assembly, many members are too distracted to live for God throughout the week but labor to prepare programs and religious agendas for the church services. It seems we have it backwards! If the world cannot tell the difference between us and the non-Christian at work or home, then what is being accomplished? You see, we “live” by faith in what we know and love. If we know God and love His Word then we will practice His will. But knowledge must become activated into “revelation” or we will not be changed! If we live our life without progressing or developing then we have allowed deception to ruin the hope of our salvation. Selah.

The rituals of shedding blood have been passed down through time as making a bond between two parties to uphold a promised agreement. We have seen two people cut their palms with a knife and shake hands as the blood mixes together to make a bond unto death. This is a shadow of the seriousness of coming into agreement with God to LIVE and GIVE for Him as He lives and gives to us. This responsibility to walk holy has become too difficult and uncomfortable for many which has caused the gospel to be modified and watered down to please the masses. People are always looking for a free ride and privileges without accountability will draw them every time. It is time to observe some of the parallels of our blood with the blood covenant of Jesus and I pray these metaphors will stimulate your interest and motivate you to search deeper in your studies for the truth of God’s immeasurable inheritance.

1. BLOOD IS THE LIFESOURCE: As our blood is the life-source of our physical body (and ministers to our needs), Jesus blood is the life-source to our spiritual man. Jesus paid the price of our sin with His own blood and became the ultimate sacrifice to provide forgiveness and abundant life. We in turn (as part of the covenant vow) are to become living sacrifices for Him. Our faith in this atonement is the ONLY WAY to enter into covenant with God and our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to eternal life with Father in heaven. As our blood is alive – His blood is still alive today and just as powerful this minute as it was the day He was crucified. The government of heaven and earth abides and functions within the authority of His Name and the power in His blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul”. (Leviticus 17:11)

2. THE HEART REGULATES THE BLOOD: The gift of the blood sacrifice from Christ came to us from the love of God’s heart. The Father’s compassion and desire to be eternally intimate with us reveals His true nature and character. His Word is His will and the desires of His heart to provide TOTAL salvation for us within His blood covenant. Our heart controls our blood and provides the timing and provision to supply every need of every part of our body (even the tiniest capillaries) so that we are satisfied completely! His heart controls the power of His testament and releases His miracles through our faith in His Word! Our veins are like tiny rivers that supply oxygen and nourishment so that we can live, move and have our being, living strong and filled with endurance to run the race so we can accomplish our destiny. Jesus blood is also like a flowing “river of life” that produces the manifestation of God’s anointing, vision and faith to our spirit man. In His blood we are equipped, restored, healed and strengthened with spiritual and physical blessings that identifies with His holy nature of being more than a conqueror. As our blood “carries” everything we need with balance and harmony, His blood supernaturally carries us through the dark, over invisible bridges, over the battlefields and every circumstance to victory! “But my God shall supply ALL your needs according to HIS riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the RIVER of thy pleasures”. (Psalm 36:8)

3. BLOOD SUSTAINS: Sustain means to; give support and cause to continue, to hold up, keeping ones mind or spirit from sinking or giving way – to “buoy up”. Our blood “keeps” us alive consistently with a built-in thermostat to MAINTAIN a perfect, constant temperature. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help “keep us” under His control – determined yet dependent. Without our blood there is no life –and without Jesus blood there is no divine reality. Scientist have discovered facts about blood but cannot explain what makes it alive. It is because blood is a supernatural miracle from God – not an accident from a big bang evolution. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) If our blood is drained out, the body cannot sustain life and the same goes for faith in Jesus blood as the sustainer of our spiritual existence! Without the fountain of “Emanuel’s veins” flowing within our spirit man there is no divine spiritual LIFE! He is steady, fixed, stable, steadfast, reliable, faithful, loyal, unchanging, reliable and will never fail! “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”. (Mathew 28:20) We will never experience Him rejecting us or forgetting us as He is perfect and His promises are absolute truth. His covenant is based on His will and His vow to fulfill His Word is based on who He is. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) His ability to accomplish His New Testament vow to us is guaranteed by His blood. If He could not sustain us there would be no eternal security. “For this cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day”. (II Timothy 1:12)

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 30

ABIDING IN THE BLOOD III

“Having therefore brethren, BOLDNESS to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a NEW and LIVING way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is FAITHFUL THAT PROMISED)”. (Hebrews 10:19-23)

“For Christ is NOT entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the “figures” (symbols, types and shadows) of the true; (spirit realm) but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”. (Hebrews 9: 24)

We’ve all read in the Old Testament about Jehovah making a covenant with His people as He wrote His commandments in stone and demanded rivers of sacrificial blood. These spiritual offerings throughout the ancient world were a “temporary covering” for the sins of those who by faith desired forgiveness and a right standing with The Lord. This covenant was a “miracle of mercy” because it revealed His desire for a conscience that is pure and His endless love and compassion for all souls. In chapter eleven of Hebrews we admire the courage and determination of those who believed God’s Word and trusted His prophecies of a Messiah that would fulfill every holy promise. They were the pioneer overcomers that subdued kingdoms were valiant warriors and through suffering, obtained the hope of eternal righteousness. But even in these awesome victories and supernatural experiences, they could not receive the personal “vow” of a Savior that would once and for all deliver His people from the curse of the fall and restore spiritual authority through a new covenant written in His own blood. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises but having seen them afar off (with their spirit eyes) and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”. (Hebrews 11:13) “And these all having obtained a good report through faith, received NOT the promise: God having provided some BETTER thing for us (the new covenant – the divine reality of His indwelling presence) that they without us should not be made perfect (COMPLETE)”. (Hebrews 11:39-40) Praise God! We are complete in God through Jesus blood! We are redeemed, restored, delivered, forgiven, justified, sanctified, ransomed, rescued, healed, empowered, anointed and filled with His fruits, gifts and thoughts! We can “breathe” Him, feel His presence, know His will and listen to His voice constantly because He lives inside of us! IF we are functioning on all 8 cylinders (spiritually speaking) how can we not walk on this earth as rulers and kings? IF we are living in His divine reality how could Satan not be terrified of God’s presence within us? When we are walking in the will of His covenant – heaven and earth becomes our inheritance! The covenant means that He gives His life for us and we give our life for Him. All that we have is His and all that He has is ours. Faith is knowing who you are IN HIM and releasing the confidence to live in His revelation.

Let me ask, how could we possibly not be an overcomer in this world if all these super-natural promises are being manifested? Is this REAL or a bookshelf full of dogmatic “mumbo jumbo” that falls into the category of a religious fictional cartoon? We can talk and sing all day long about victory in Jesus but what exactly are referring to? Colossians 2: 14-15 say’s, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it”. The idea of covenant is based on the fact that we can be an overcomer in this life because He overcame death and the grave. I am not condemning anyone but I am also not agreeing with the concept that defeat is “ok”. If we ever face a crisis from the devil and succeed, it will be the result of God’s power. If we are defeated – it will NOT be the failure of God’s Word! The immediate acceptance of hopelessness reveals the complete lack of covenant faith in everyone that comes into an agreement with natural logic. There is only one reason why anyone would not turn to covenant in times of trouble; the lack of revelation knowledge and the absence of living in divine reality. Many times when children are brought up in a home where the parents are moderately religious and not sold-out to the gospel, it leaves an impression on them to also not take the spiritual dimension seriously. How many times have we seen others live without an “investment” in God’s Word and find their back against the wall in a life threatening crisis? It is usually too late to start building foundations of rhema revelation and searching for mountain moving faith when your head is spinning from confusion, depression and fear. Allow me to ask you; is there any tragedy that cannot be miraculously restored and healed? Of course not. But how much loss do people suffer because they are not who and where they should be? How can a person be successful at anything if they do not “practice”? How much time will they have to learn – between the crisis and the deliverance? This practicing is experiencing how to live in the spirit realm hour by hour and day by day. It takes focus, concentration, dedication, commitment, study, revelation and complete determination to master the flesh and overcome the dark side. This is what growing STRONGER and MATURE is all about! The idea of putting down the baby bottle and crawling out of the crib is working hard everyday to become stronger in faith and developing into a fierce warrior that becomes victorious in every circumstance and situation. Am I saying that miracles are only for those who are in the spiritual position to receive them? I believe our free-will is an opportunity to learn how to live His abundant life. Selah. God’s truth is sharp and painful but I cannot compromise with an idea that everything is predestined. I respect God’s sovereignty and omniscience but I also realize that He is a God of perfect divine order (and not a respecter of persons). We do not blaze trails in the abilities of our flesh only – but are potential catalyst of super-natural power because an unlimited blood covenant of Jesus Christ that is functioning within us, through us and for us to accomplish HIS will (the fulfillment of His Word) for HIS glory!

How serious is knowing about His covenant and living in it? It can and will make the difference between life and death! God is not a cosmic vending machine but must become a constant relationship of meditation and passionate love. Religion lives a life that is controlled by carnal thinking and calls on God to help when something breaks. The religious mindset does not have a covenant dependence because they have no intention of giving their heart as a “vow” to walk holy with Him. The FULL gospel is; to be fully equipped with His battle armor and to have His Word foundations already set so when a crisis appears we can overcome by the word of our testimony and the blood of the Lamb! Do you want to hear a news flash? Read the headlines; the devil is angry at God and wants revenge! He will never forget how he became so puffed up with pride while serving God in heaven to the extent he considered trying to take over as the new CEO of all creation. The Lord had to deal with it and “booted” him and a third of the angels that supported this ridiculous idea completely out of heaven, where they fell to earth with a humiliating thud! But instead of being embarrassed, humbled, broken and repenting – he took his training manuals and a few customer service managers and started his own corporation called, “Imposter Industries”. With savvy marketing and worldwide distribution his “smoke and mirrors” campaign to make everyone a secular humanist has made him a household celebrity. He discarded the old red devil suit, cancelled the negative “pitchfork” ads and is now the face of tolerance that promotes a peer pressure filled “politically correct” agenda. The truth is – he is not really that strong or influential! The problem is that he is allowed TOO MUCH input in our life! If we listen to his trash and repeat his garbage, it is like making him a part of our family and welcoming him in every night to have dinner with us. If we partake in his pleasures and enjoy his dainties then we are compromising our representation of God’s Kingdom. No one can play with king cobras or swim with sharks without suffering the consequences of foolishness. Yes, there are times we are weak and tired but we cannot walk in the open battlefield with our guard down. Running naked in the line of fire to satisfy our carnality makes an easy target and is a sure way to end up as another senseless casualty of war. The devil is not omnipresent which means he can only be in one place at a time. He obviously is not a genius or he would bow down to God in humility, but he does know one thing – someone who walks in God’s presence. Most people already know the basic historic truths but allow their familiarity of bible stories to give them a sense of arrogance and false security. This haughty spirit of being puffed up with religious pride causes their reverential fear of God to become deadened. This attitude of pious, lukewarm apathy is the heartbeat of religious ignorance. Each week millions of people occupy fancy buildings with crosses on them but are numb to who God is. I am not necessarily being critical of those who attend church but the ones who intentionally play games with God will perish from the lack of obeying His requirements. Those who do not seek God will not find His will for their life! Jesus rebuked and stood against the Pharisees because He knows the cold, dark, destructive spirit that drives its agenda. Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy by distracting all people from the reality of blood covenant and does not care if a person goes to church five times a day as long as they do not PRAY, SEEK GOD’S FACE, or WALK IN BLOOD COVENANT! The responsibility of preparation is the key to prevention! Selah.

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 29

ABIDING IN THE BLOOD II

“And that servant, which knew his Lord’s will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But, he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes , for unto whomsoever much is given , of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”. (Luke 12:47-48)

“But He (Jesus) said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it”. (Luke 11:28)

I became involved with the full gospel in the early eighties and my discovery of the reality of covenant had a powerful impact on my life. I was raised in church and knew about the realities of our redemption through the blood of Jesus but never really studied the idea of “total” salvation. It becomes clear when one gathers the facts, that everything we pray about is connected and activated through the authority of the this covenant. Father is with us and for us! He is a good God all the time and desires that we receive and “walk” in His “divine” abundant life! He wants us to prosper and be the owners, rulers and leaders of society. But many Christians have been led astray by their own agendas (desires, comforts, laziness, rebellion) and have not fulfilled nor accomplished God’s commands. He also wants us to be healthy and to enjoy the blessings of divine health, prosperity, healing, wonders and miracles as we use these blessings to bless others and do His will. He is not interested neither does He enjoy to see His children suffer any more than we would love to make our children live in pain or desperate need. If we really believed that it might be God’s will to not be healed for some reason, then why do we run to the doctor every time we feel bad? If people believe that medicine can heal and they really want to be delivered from sickness, then why would anyone scoff or doubt when they hear about a supernatural covenant that contains the solutions to all of our problems? When we have a need, why would we pray for someone to help us if we thought that God was trying to teach us something? Selah. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, God gave Israel the spiritual/legal right to live abundantly according to the promises of His Word. His Word was backed by the integrity and perfection of His nature which it is impossible for Him to fail. This conditional “contract” was a vow that He made to His people to fulfill every letter of His promises (according to the conditions of their actions). As this old covenant became a highly detailed instruction manual to live by so God’s people could enjoy the spiritual, physical, mental and emotional blessings of life – then we should really be dancing in the street at how much more powerful and miraculous this new covenant is for us! We not only have the opportunity to enjoy the open windows of heaven in the natural but the grace to have The Almighty actually dwell within us. We can walk with Him, live in His presence, approach His throne and be filled with His Spirit anytime we choose. We can have His mind, understand His will and become one with Him because He signed – sealed – and delivered His inheritance to us. We are His heirs and have been named in His will to receive all that He has! “But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in ONCE into the holy place , having, obtained eternal redemption FOR US. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience (mind) from dead works (religion) to serve the living God (in His divine reality). And for this cause He is the MEDIATOR of the New Testament, which by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the FIRST TESTAMENT, they which are called (the remnant) might receive the promise of eternal inheritance”. (Hebrews 9:11-15)

Webster’s collegiate dictionary gives the meaning to abide or abiding as: to STAY, to continue in a place; to DWELL, to remain stable or fixed in some state; to wait expectantly; to face or submit to without shrinking; to stay faithful’ to adhere to; to accept as valid and stand the consequences thereof. In the late eighties I was praying for more understanding about covenant and He showed me a parallel between the content of our natural blood and His super-natural blood. This became very exciting to me because I had never read or heard anyone teach this symbolism. For example, when we are being attacked in our body the doctors will usually take samples of our blood to “see” what is going on inside. We are not able to understand with our natural senses or see with our natural eyes the “reasons” causes or “realities” of our problem. We can only know our situation and “feel” the circumstances in the physical realm. But when a microscope is used (the Holy Spirit) our eyes are opened to a different realm of comprehension. Being able to see and obtain knowledge opens the door to understanding which in turn paves the way to receiving the miracles we need. This is the difference between reading the bible and gleaning the surface and receiving the Rhema revelation that is the hidden answers of truth. Many experience sickness and crisis and have heard “by His stripes we are healed” but have never spiritually SEEN the blood covenant with spirit eyes. The difficulties of life are like doors that are locked and they have never discerned how the blood of Jesus is the key that can unlock their request to be delivered. Faith must be directed to a specific substance while perceiving hard evidence. A “pie in the sky” hope that throws the blame of our fate on God – is a sure way to miss the miracle He intended. God is not moved by tears or hope as He has already provided the explanation of His will in His covenant. Faith must grasp the reality of His promise and not let go until the request is filled. This covenant relationship is built upon the truth of God fulfilling His vow to deliver and our vow back to Him to obey His Word. The marriage vow is a very similar parallel in that both parties are committed and dedicated to living completely “devoted” to each other. With Jesus as the groom and the remnant as His bride we clearly see the covenant vow as the foundation of our salvation. The reason why many are living in defeat is because they have not been taught the “full gospel” accountability of covenant. Humility should not be associated with living a wounded, poor, sick, beat down existence – it is being grateful and sensitive to the endless treasures of God’s love, presence, mercy and grace.

I think about the covenant everyday and much of the time I feel embarrassed for my lack of faith to believe and strength to accomplish. I know we cannot live the spiritual life in our own power but I know that somehow God needs to live through us as we try to comprehend how to release Him. I want to know more about covenant and not just talk about it! I want to actually live it but it seems the more I learn – the more difficult it becomes. I realize there is much resistance from the dark side toward those who see the treasure map so to speak and are determined to find it. I also know the more I study the more responsible I become to manifest and represent this truth. No wonder people run the other way when it comes to researching doctrine and knowing what the bible really say’s. It is hard WORK! It is sacrifice – it is war! It is safe to know bible history but to apply God’s Word as a personal “real time” catalyst of change it will turn our thinking upside down as He “saves us” from the inside out! Father wants His children to be healthy and blessed! Some might say, “Now brother, that is a bold statement because maybe He wants to teach us a lesson or use our sickness for His glory”. Question: did God speak that to you or is that coming from the fear of your human reasoning? People are quick to spout off their opinions about why things happen instead of seeking God’s truth. When the spiritual waters become too deep for the human brain to perceive, it is only “natural” to come up with carnal logical explanations. “But the natural man receives NOT the things of God: for they are foolishness unto Him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. (I Corinthians 2:14)

Living in His divine reality will manifest for us when we truly surrender our heart to Him and become entirely saturated with the passion to know Him better each day. Father is speaking clearly about His people to stop living their own life and to start plugging in the “power cord” to His Spirit grid! It is time to go to the next level so Christ can be manifested in our life for the world to see. He has all the voltage we need to do His will – but many are living a defeated, hypocritical life because they would rather play “patty clap” with the devil! Living a “barely getting by” existence with a dab of religion thrown in is NOT God’s idea of “overcoming” Christianity! That type of salvation concept makes a mockery out of the covenant He has went to such great lengths to establish for us. Jesus did not die so the church could walk around in a lukewarm state with no vision, no direction, power, anointing, faith or excitement. The Christian life was never intended to be like a spare tire that is only “opened up” or used when we are broke down on the side of the road. Our flesh loves to cruise down the highway “independently” with the top down and the radio blasting – then when problems arise we cry out, “Oh God, deliver me from my troubles.” What we are really saying is that we want to use God to FIX our life so that we can continue living in the pleasures of our carnality. It is true that He wants to help us when we have a crisis and many times He does, but our lack of faith “development” exposes our motives and reveals the type of relationship we really have with God. He is not fooled by our words or tears – He knows the intentions of our heart.

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 28

ABIDING IN THE BLOOD I

We all know there are different levels of spirituality but some may not realize what makes the difference between a true Christian and someone who lives the average religious life. It comes down to a personal intimate relationship every time. Every genuine child of God lives in a unique degree of spiritual “temperature” which is directly connected to the intensity of their love for God and mankind. Ahh – INTENSITY! That is the key word! How much desire do we have to live in God’s conditions? How much desire do we have to stay focused on His presence? Some might say, “We do not need to live up to anything!” Mmmm, I am beginning to realize that maybe some Christians forgot to read the fine print. (Notice that when Jesus delivered someone from bondage, He would say, “Go – and sin no more”). Now, don’t misunderstand, we do not obey His laws to be saved but we also cannot ignore them either. Grace has never cancelled mans responsibility. We obey His commands BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED! It is our new nature that loves to walk holy and obey God’s voice. He saved us and will keep us saved but our responsibility must be taken seriously to live the “saved” life.

Let’s pause just moment – following God certainly needs to have lots of desire but we have come to the point where we need to go even further. In this war we are living in right now our zeal must go to the next level which is obsession. Desires can cool off, become sidetracked or even fade but an obsession is “consistent concentration”. It will also take more than knowledge because many church members are filled with historical bible knowledge but also filled with the attitude and spirit of a Pharisee. God’s Word must become “revelation knowledge” that is quickened to the spirit and mind super-naturally. It is possible to know what the bible say’s and not really know God. The Words must become more than ink and paper! The same is true with faith. Many people have believed in healing and miracles and have spoken God’s Word over themselves and repeated positive confessions but nothing happened. It could be that many have never obtained the “Rhema” meaning of God’s truth. As knowledge must be personalized to explode within ones conscience – faith must also become so personally “real” that it becomes like a tangible substance. As we hold a pencil with our eyes closed and by “feeling it” we can know it is real, the evidence, (answer) of our prayer request must become known as reality. Faith is much more than hope as hope leaves everything to chance. Faith knows where the answer is and is confident that it is coming! Faith is connecting with God through the blood covenant because the blood of Jesus “insures” God’s Word! We must mature in our levels of believing and understanding as we mature in our Christian journey. We will never grasp the mysteries and secrets of the blood covenant until we are prepared to go into the holy of holies with Him.

I agree there are so many things that are attacking our mind trying to emotionally and physically exhaust us. Everyday I face trials and frustrations that attempt to steal my joy and influence me to think about how dark the world has become. I also personally believe that we have become spoiled with technology and as a “culture infection” it can cause us to lose our dependence on God. We have so many answers and places to turn that can “fix” our problems that each moment our decisions are centered on which glue to use instead of bringing our problems to Father. We become so busy trying to take care of everything that if we are not careful we will forget to pray and acknowledge our faith in the blood covenant. If we lived a thousand miles from the store we would need to pray for food where now (in minutes) we just go shopping for whatever we want. What about the convenience of doctors, dentist, hospitals, banks, repair shops and our places of employment? Even going to church makes Christianity seem easy. If we had to travel for hours in a horse drawn buggy and build a fire in the stove when we got there, it would prove our desperation to hear God’s Word and be with God’s people. Technology has made our relationships “flippant” because we are not dependent upon each other and we choose to live so privately that we do not even know each other (and do not really want to). What kind of body of Christ have we become? What kind of “upper room” family of disciples have we morphed into? Where there is no love or genuine concern for one another, there is little reason to meet at all and it makes one wonder where our agape love has gone. Our covenant is not only the relationship between us and God but also one another because we are all in the Kingdom together. Here is another sobering fact; going to church is not necessarily walking in covenant! You can walk in covenant and go to church but it is possible to be carnally minded and go to church every time the door is open! (All that glitters is not gold). But, thank you Jesus – there is a fountain flowing, there is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb! There is victory in Jesus because of His unlimited love, power and grace! Everything we need to be FILLED with His Holy Ghost reality and to be set on FIRE for His glory is just a prayer away! The question is – how much of God do we want and how far will we go with Him?

Saints that have their furnaces set on “hot” are filled with passion and excitement as their level of DESIRE falls into the category of the “fast and furious!” These are the ones that travel the narrow path of living to do His will and are relentless in their passion to know Him more. Those who live on the “outside looking in” cannot hear God’s voice; they are not obedient or sensitive to the Holy Spirit and actually avoid talking about God or acknowledging Him. These are the ones that dabble in religion because it makes them feel righteous even if it is self-righteousness. Since man is a triune being, the born-again spirit reaches out to a divine order with sensitivity and longs to be in the bosom of the heavenly Father. This new spirit man along with the disciplined and renewed mind can (and must) work together to control the body. The perplexing part of this scenario is whether or not the individual has been truly born again or just had an emotional “release of guilt” experience. Some will say, “We should not question or judge other peoples salvation” and I do agree to some extent but on the other hand we also cannot twist God’s word to justify our carnality. Maybe this abundance of “natural thinking” is why there is so much confusion and strife within the churches. Many churches are not preaching holy truth – but instead teach a watered down psychology that makes everyone feel good. We not only need revival to wake up the backsliders but the anointed gospel to pierce the hearts of those who believe they are saved but are not. It is simple: Those who are saved will run after God with all their heart and strength! (Mathew 22:37-40) Some are quick to intervene; “now brother, it does not mean to surrender everything” and “let’s not get peculiar”. Well, allow me to ask a question: where in God’s word does it say anything to the contrary? (Revelation 3:16) Selah.

The truth is that Satan does not need to turn up the intensity on those who are already lukewarm. He observes and is delighted with their gossip, murmurings, distractions and criticism. They destroy the church with their mouth and he uses them to accomplish his dirty work (which is discrediting God’s Kingdom). But there is a group of warriors that he is afraid of; the ones who are sold out to Jesus and will do anything God says without blinking an eye. These are the ones that have targets on them and who must keep their amour on at all times. They have learned to keep their shields up and be sensitive to an ambush. These warriors ARE the last day overcomers! A true disciple will study and gain wisdom from the principals of their teacher’s instructions (Jesus) so they can resemble their Master. They are so focused on Christ, the distractions of this world loses its control over them and hopefully they will go on to become “fanatics”. (It is an honorable compliment to be called a “Jesus Freak” and I pray that more of us provide enough evidence to be found guilty of being one.) But it seems that dangerous doctrines and attitudes have lulled the church to sleep. The pastors and teachers enjoy “leading” others because it provides a position of authority and a means to receive money. Pastors should spend much of their effort trying to convince the masses to study, worship and pray at HOME instead of spoon feeding them at church and making it seem they need to come to listen to THEM! These philosophies of co-dependence were established in the early Catholic Church and are still seen today in our traditional styles and rituals. Pastors that are truly called are truly a blessing to have – but everyone who is born-again has been called to be a minister of Christ in every sense of the word! Pastors should be more like facilitators that help the other ministers develop their ministries. The reason why this is rare is because many pastors are jealous and afraid that if everyone becomes a respectable minister like them, they will lose their position and subsequently lose their salary.

I’m talking about the passion to lay down our will and obey Him completely. I’m talking about the alter of being a living sacrifice, the abundant, overcoming life of manifestations and miracles. I’m talking about the life of walking in the spirit with power and discernment. Many cry and complain about how disappointed they are with God not coming through for them or how it seems the Lord does not hear them. Let me say the problem is not that He does not listen – it is that He gives a return according to what has been invested. Those that operate on a tiny level of giving end up on the small scale of receiving. If someone only puts forth a small portion of prayer and faith confessions they will only see a small victory. Those who are on the front lines killing giants and declaring war on the kingdom of darkness will see larger victories. Small victories are a great place to start, but leading the charge and being offensive minded on the front lines is going to actually change lives and circumstances. We have been in boot camp long enough and now it is time to go into the combat zone. Hiding under the bed or basking in the comforts of this life is not God’s idea of the great commission. He did not give any of His saints the option to live for Him half heartily; if He did He would need to explain a new interpretation of His Holy word. There are no potato peelers in this war – we are all warriors! Walking in fear and not wanting to stir up the demons by being quiet and compromising truth will only solidify you as a coward and hypocrite for the Kingdom of God. God has a complete set of armor for each of His true saints and He has every expectation that His glory will be revealed as His will becomes activated through our obedience. Do you want the heavens to open and fire to come down to display God’s glory? Do you want see cancer being healed and the dead being raised so the world can know that God is the only true God? Then fall on your face and do not get up until God’s refining furnace has burned up your will and His grace has given you a clear vision of what is behind the veil of the spiritual dimension. The martyrs find this place of faith and courage that abandons this world as they make the choice to embrace heaven no matter the cost. The warriors that are committed to go all the way in obedience will triumph by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they will witness the gates of hell being torn down and the evil strongholds of Satan crumble under the mighty power of God. How much of your will do you need to surrender? How many hours will you need to stand in the gap of intercession? How much of this world will you need to let go of? The answer is easy…how much victory do you want in your life?

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 27

BELIEVING WHAT WE KNOW (V)

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM and healing EVERY sickness and EVERY disease among the people”. (Mathew 9:35)

I am amazed at how many Christians do not understand the foundations of their faith such as the blood covenant and the tabernacle of Moses. The parallels of these great acts of divine grace are open windows that allow us as recipients to peer into God’s dimension called the divine reality. Revelation knowledge is seeing and understanding the reflections from this realm. It is where our spirit comprehends and communicates and the actual dwelling place (our spiritual home) where God’s presence abides. Church goers are taught basic Bible stories and fundamental doctrines but rarely study and or desire to do independent research on their own. It is so much easier to sit and listen to someone else present their theological presentations and lectures and then go home. Most Christians have a general sense of pre-determined ideas and world views and generally support organizations and ministry leaders who teach along those same lines. These groups are called “camps” and usually stay within their own four walls. Many will argue about doctrines they have never personally studied themselves. What I find interesting are how drastically things would change if the individual “students” were to become enlightened with the fresh “rhema” revelation of hidden spiritual mysteries. It is safe to wade in the ankle deep waters of basic bible study but how many have a burning desire to dive into the deep end of a new lifestyle? We hear about how Christianity is supposed to be a lifestyle and not just ceremonies and rituals but this will only become a true spiritual reality to the individual that has obtained the revelation of covenant. Trying to live by a set of laws (only) is a dead-end of self righteous works but to realize we have a living, breathing covenant with a living breathing God turns everything we say and do into a “relationship based” love. This awareness of His presence and how He longs to intervene in our life is exactly what Father is looking for. He paid the highest price to establish the new covenant with His people so we could abide in His Spirit and walk in His authority. Everything works together in the divine reality as one large treasure chest of benefits. The fruits of His Spirit, His gifts, His anointing, divine health, His signs, wonders and miracles, His power and authority, His divine favor, His blessings and all of His promises are included in His testament of total salvation.

God wants to bless and heal His people! Functioning within His divine reality is the definition of a disciple of Christ that is being saved. The default system of the world is an evil system that is not built on the Agape love of God or the Holy Spirit. The blessings contained in this world are not wrong or sinful in themselves – it is the spirit that uses them that determines who receives the glory. The possessions of this world were not created by the world and were never intended to be owned by the heathen. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein”. (Psalm 24:1) God made all the blessings of this world and gave it to Adam but through his disobedience the authority to rule was transferred over to Satan. Satan loves his position of temporary prince and power of the air and does not want to surrender anything to God’s people. He knows that God has ultimate authority and power over everything and he also knows about His blood covenant with the saints. He knows that if God’s children discover they are heirs according to the promise of God’s Word and are the rightful owners of this world – they will rule NOW! The restoration of our spiritual authority that was lost with Adam is what covenant is all about. The devil used deception and lies to steal, kill and destroy Adam and Eve’s rightful position in the Father’s Kingdom and he is doing the same thing with the New Testament disciples today. The devil is afraid of us because he knows how powerful God can manifest Himself THROUGH us – if we understand who we are! He will try everything he can to keep covenant a “top secret” from the last day remnant. He does not care about how many churches there are or how religious people become because there is no revelation, faith, understanding or Holy Ghost power in dead rituals. He fears those who are hungry to go deeper, who dig day and night for buried treasure and who can ACTIVATE the covenant in their life. He fears those who walk in God’s presence and who abide in His divine reality. It is time to know our responsibility! Selah.

Most of us can discern a sinking feeling when we think about the future of our nation’s economy. I’m not delving into the chaos of politics but we realize our rising debt has become like blowing air into a balloon that can only hold so much until it explodes. We can sense an old system dissolving giving way to a new world order on the horizon. This is made possible by the continuing disobedience of mankind and coming into covenant with the Father of all lies. The kings of this world have come into agreement with Satan and out of their dark hearts will continue to strangle the world with control. Yes, it gives us a sobering feeling of concern because it involves two major areas of our lives – healthcare and finances. But we must see that we are NOT in covenant with this world’s system. We do not put our TRUST in retirement pensions, social security, banks, hospitals, doctors or the grocery store. We put our faith in God and His covenant promises to PROTECT us and PROVIDE for us. His Word never fails! Jesus died so that we could become the children of God and with God as our heavenly Father there is no fear! Satan trembles in God’s presence and God lives inside of us- so that proves we are to rule and reign in the earth now – not just in the future millennial reign of Christ! “Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: BECAUSE greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”. (I John 4:4)
The enemy has no legal right to reign over the man who has accepted Christ as his Lord. The only way the enemy can come into the house, bind the strongman and destroy is when the door is unlocked. The saint that follows God’s voice and lives in the aura of God’s presence has been delivered out of Satan’s dominion. When the redemptive work of Christ was done, man’s authority became a spiritual reality. Praise God!

The spirit man that is who we really are – is the same spirit man that will live forever in God’s presence. We can be no more of a child of God RIGHT NOW, than we will for all eternity. We are possessed and saturated with God’s presence RIGHT NOW and are filled with His Holy Spirit to manifest His power and glory TODAY! “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this MYSTERY among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians1:27) It is not about us being carried away with the riches of this world – it is ALL about the glory of God! It is about our obedience and holiness and God’s supernatural power to help us help others! We can finance His Kingdom and not only pray for needs but supply the needs for others, interceding and laying hands on the sick, tearing down demonic strongholds and proving the Christian life is THE dynamic power of God instead of dead religious politics. Father is waiting for the covenant that He bought and paid for to EXPLODE within those who obtain the revelation of His Word! Our inheritance does not begin when we die because our redemption does not begin when we die. The covenant that restored our personal relationship back to God and redeemed our spirit to eternal life is part of a larger package that contains the favor, health and blessings RIGHT NOW! If we are spiritually saved in our earthly journey NOW, then we are also to walk in the ABUNDANT life NOW! Why would Jesus die and then want us to be sick and poor?

Someone was talking the other day about the “ideals” of America and the concept of the American dream and I wondered about what people base their hope and trust in. People want to have money and they desire to be healthy but do not realize where these blessings come from. They work and believe they earn their living and most people make their own decisions and directions about everything. They lean on their own understanding without ever consulting God while enjoying a life of independence. This is not being led by God! We have become so “trained” from the world to handle our own problems that when we become attacked with illness we trust medical practices more than we trust God. When we have financial difficulty we sell our possessions, downsize and borrow from the world instead of activating God’s covenant. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements to take prescription medicines or invest in certain things. Everywhere we turn we find worldly council and secular influence to trust the “system” and rely on the ability of the world to take care of us. But – trusting the world will not come without a price! Anything outside of God’s principals and spiritual laws are “generic” blessings that are actually weapons to bring bondage. They are tricks and traps from the default system to lure us away from God and to entertain our attention and affection. The world desires for all people to love what it has to offer and to follow its ways because it wants our devotion and trust. So, whose promises will we depend on in our future – the world or God? In whom will we place our hope? “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL HIS BENEFITS: Who forgives ALL your sins; who heals ALL your diseases”. (Psalm 103:2-3)

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PART 26

BELIEVING WHAT WE KNOW (IV)

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding). Having MADE KNOWN UNTO US the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself”. (Ephesians 1:7-9) (Praise God!)

As the Lord was continually disappointed with Israel throughout the Old Testament, I am sure He is also aggravated with us New Testament Christians. He goes to such great lengths to prove His love for us and to secure our provision but humans (like mindless sheep) often stand looking dumb and uninterested. I have said before that I always thought there must be more to the Christian faith than just going to church and sadly I seldom ever hear anyone else make that statement. I have been asking the same question for 25 years – What is the difference between a Christian and a morally decent non-Christian? I know one is born-again and the other is not but most of the time there are not any “outward” noticeable differences. There is supposed to be a HUGE difference between a “true” Christian and the lost but, (here is the tricky part) very little difference between the religious people and the unsaved. Why? Because religion does not have real faith to believe what they know! They are all talk and no walk! Like a western town in a movie set – they are a fake, a stage prop that is painted to look like the real thing. They cannot receive the truth signal because they are not tuned in to the right channel. They may appear comfortable and confident but are actually pitiful as they stand out in the cold looking in through the window. Their eyes have been blinded by the same demonic spirit that deceived the Pharisees. Everything is still the same as it was 2000 years ago; Jesus is still standing for His Father’s perfect Word while the scholars trust in their arrogant theological philosophies without even knowing or recognizing God Himself. The church is asleep.

The Lord Almighty is NOT impressed one bit with our religious rituals and deeds if we are not advancing in our wisdom and understanding of His covenant with us. It is clear the Old Covenant was conditional upon the attitudes and acts of God’s people and I cannot find any reason to believe the New Covenant principals is not the same. Yes, grace is divine favor that none of us deserve and is very longsuffering but it is not subject to unconditional abuse. We know that grace “quickened us” when we were dead in our sins, is an extension of God’s love and carries us when we are distracted and backslidden but does it not require faith to work according to God’s vision of wholeness? We know that being adopted into the family of God is a gift that comes completely from His power and our works cannot “earn” our way to heaven. But I still insist that accepting is trusting and faith is an individual act and decision to believe. There are more gifts in His treasure chest but it seems most people just want the “eternal life” guarantee. People have been taught that heaven is free – you just need to believe. That is a good deal and a seemingly very easy process to secure a ticket to the most wonderful show of all time, but when it comes to being transformed by the renewing of the mind most Christians hit the resume button on their movie channel. Playing games with spiritual realities is the ultimate deception! It seems strange but evidently most do not care about what God wants. Even if learning how to live in His presence promises to provide a life filled with power and abundance – it’s just too much sacrifice. They subconsciously make the decision that it is worth it to suffer in exchange for living carnally. They might shout when someone talks about the how we are heirs according to God’s blessings but are they just moving their lips when their heart is not really serious? Is this why the church is dead? Is this why the average Christian lives defeated? What most do not understand is how the entire covenant has been bought and paid for so that we can live as overcomers RIGHT NOW as well as in the millennial reign and infinity. The conditions are the same as salvation – we must know it is true, we must by faith receive His grace and we must be 100% committed to know Him and love Him with ALL of our heart.

Allow me to ask; how can anyone learn and know what He has for them and what He expects from them – then turn right around and not invest the faith or energy into “living it”? It is because we do not believe what we know! (Have you noticed I am really trying to drive this point home?) If we believed it – we would exercise it! We would be telling everyone about it – and we would be demonstrating and manifesting the super-natural power of it in everything we do! I know we are tired and the daily battle is intense and I realize that no one wants to hear about this as most people think this is a wild fantasy of kooks, snake oil salesmen and dreamers. People will say, we just need to take whatever happens and do the best we can because it is God’s will. Let me ask a simple question; is that a word from heaven or a suggestion from hell? Is that a direct inspiration from the Father or an emotional excuse to not live up to God’s high standards of holiness? Is the blood covenant of Jesus Christ the foundation of who we are OR NOT? Is the Kingdom gospel the blueprint for TOTAL salvation – the Divine reality of God’s perfect will for us – OR NOT? If the blood covenant contains the revelation of Christ in us the hope of glory and the secret mysteries of the keys of the Kingdom, why don’t we get off the couch and allow it to be activated? That’s right! Now you’re starting to see it! Because we either don’t believe what we know or we are not willing to invest our heart into it!

Let’s go to Exodus 23 and look at verses 24, 25 and 26, “Thou shalt NOT bow down to their gods, nor serve them, (the default system) nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And you shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall BLESS THY BREAD AND THY WATER (prosperity); and I will TAKE SICKNESS AWAY FROM THE MIDST OF THEE (divine health). There shall nothing cast their young nor be barren in thy land: the number of thy days I WILL FULFILL”. People will say, brother that was the Old Testament and others will criticize the idea of there actually being a blood covenant as a last will and testament of Jesus because they do not believe that anything can overrule the curse of the fall. But we clearly see in Exodus between chapters 20 and 30 how God did intervene with His people and according to their obedience to His Word – nullified the curse of the fall. They were exempt from the curse IF they followed the conditions and commands that God established. Here are more awesome promises of the old covenant, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy” – “then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He DELIVERED them out of their distresses” – “For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” – “He brought them out of their darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bands in sunder (set them free)” – “He sent His Word and HEALED them and delivered them from their destruction” – “He turns the wilderness into standing water and dry ground into watersprings” – “They sow fields and plant vineyards which may yield fruits of increase. He BLESSES them also, so that they are MULTIPLIED GREATLY; and does not allow their flocks to decrease”. (Psalm 107: 2, 6, 9, 14, 20, 35, 37, 38). Now, here is a very exciting revelation! As good as the old covenant was to bring super-natural intervention into the lives of those who loved God – The new covenant is even BETTER! “But as it now is, He (Christ) has acquired a priestly ministry which is as much superior and more excellent than the old covenant of which He is (now) the mediator (the arbiter, agent) because it is enacted and rests upon more important (spiritually higher) promises. For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one or an attempt to institute another one.” (Hebrews 8:6-7 AMP.)

“(Christ the Messiah) is now therefore the negotiator and mediator of an entirely new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance – since a death has taken place which RESCUES and DELIVERS and REDEEMS them from the transgressions committed under the old covenant. For where there is a last will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will and testament is VALID and takes effect only at death, since it has no force or legal power as long as the one who made it is alive”. (Hebrews 9:15-17 AMP.)
So it can be said with confidence – the New Testament is the reading of Jesus will. GOOD NEWS! We are in His will! The promises of His covenant are written in His blood and us walking in them as representatives and ambassadors of His Kingdom is the “divine reality”. How equipped and effective we are in our Christian journey will depend on how passionate we are about knowing what is in His will – and receiving it! Selah.

Our covenant is not with doctors, hospitals or prescription medicines! Our covenant is not with banks the government or the energy grid! Yes, we can function with these agencies as God uses them to bless us but we do not serve neither are we to be completely dependent on them. Our trust is in God because we understand that He is our Father and has not only provided an inheritance for us but desires to share everything He has with us now. He is the owner of heaven and earth and all material wealth belongs to His children. His covenant is a binding promise from Him to us that intervenes and overrules the curse of the fall and is conditional upon our faith and obedience. We live in diplomatic spiritual immunity to the curses of this world and its system because of our spiritual position within the blood covenant of Christ. He desires to anoint, bless and empower us – His promises NEVER fail.

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 25

BELIEVING WHAT WE KNOW (III)

Everyone has a religious opinion but how can anyone know what is true if they have never studied the Bible? Whatever the reasons, one of the most detrimental enemies of the church has been the lack of knowledge that takes God’s people as prisoners of war. A spiritual “casualty” is actually a self-inflicted condition as the excuses to not study are very obvious; it is too much trouble, a severe lack of interest, trusting family and friends that are in error and to be painfully blunt – most really don’t care enough to do their “homework”! We speak of the default system and this is a perfect example of how it works. There is an absolute truth which is God and the correct interpretation of His Word and along with knowing this truth is the responsibility to obey. Obedience and disobedience are choices that God has allowed all humans to experience. When we do not choose to follow God’s perfect way of living (divine reality) we automatically receive the world’s system by “default”. No matter how “religious”, if a person lives their life in the flesh boasting in their independence, they are deceived and without even realizing it are serving Satan and will live in misery on the earth and for eternity. The devil dances and parties when he looks out over the world and sees God’s people without the revelation of truth. He has no fear of a Christian that does not have the revelation of who God is and who they are. In the spirit realm it’s all about authority and when a true disciple of Jesus can activate “mountain moving” faith it will unlock the flood of divine power that will break down the evil strongholds, set the captives free and disable the kingdom of darkness.

Most church going folks presume they are going to heaven whether they study or not so they choose the easy route of religion and rely on the opinions of others. I must say that God is very disappointed with this kind of laziness because He gave His Word as a revelation of Himself, as a type of “blueprint” for us to build a personal intimate relationship with Him. He already knows us and loves us but His greatest desire is to see, hear and know that His children truly love Him with all their heart. Love is an action word and we all prove everyday how much we really love Him by how we live. He wants us to desire His Word like the deer pants for water but how many will focus all their attention on Him? Building this covenant relationship is what the sacrificial crucifixion of Christ IS all about. It means that everything the Father has is ours – and everything we are – is His. The line of a song I wrote long ago said, “For all of the things that I could say or do, you want me to give my heart to you”. He must be Lord of all of us or He is not our Lord at all.

Christianity is based upon His love for us – not for His followers to lie around and brag about “their” gold and marble church buildings. God opened the door to His Divine Reality and invited us to absorb His presence and glory – but with privilege comes responsibility and He will not endorse or bless anyone who tries to manipulate or “tap in” to His riches with carnal motives. He desires very strongly for us to advance into the highest dimension of wisdom and to comprehend the hidden mysteries and super-natural revelations of His Word. The reason He gave us His Word is because He wants us to understand His wisdom that can manifest His glory. Are you manifesting His glory? The gospel can bring salvation but most just believe this means a ticket to heaven. Now don’t get me wrong, the saving of our spirit from eternal doom is the greatest gift of all eternity but the entire meaning of the word salvation is not just for anyone to grab a ticket and continue living the way they want – it is to become absorbed with Christ. I believe that God’s vision of our salvation was not just to redeem our spirit but to also redeem the authority that Adam lost in the garden. When Jesus said it is finished, the new covenant was established that built the bridge of restoration – not just spiritual (because God is not limited in power) but in ALL things. Does God intervene in our natural life? Of course, and that means His salvation is TOTAL salvation with anything we need spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally or financially! Salvation means; preservation, protection, freedom, deliverance, wholeness, prosperity and all these areas pertain to our everyday living. He did not save us from hell then desire for us to suffer in this default system of darkness. He wants us to walk with Him in this world now – as we will walk with Him in the next – what is the difference? The difference is that people refuse to believe it – and consequently they never receive it! Paul said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God”. (I Corinthians 1:18) What does that mean the “power of God”? Of course it is the power to redeem and transform our spirit but think deeper. The gospel – and power are used in the same train of thought because the gospel is supernatural. Would God come and live inside of a person if He was not intending to act as Himself at all times? Does He not constantly keep the universe moving at the perfect speed and performing thousands of miracles every minute? The total authority of the universe, of heaven and earth is ready to move with unlimited power in us but it will depend on our faith! No matter what happens – God does not fail.

Paul continues in Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek”. (Romans 1:16) Thank God for the power of the gospel to save the lost. I heard the gospel when I was a young boy and I am still in awe of how powerful it was. But after I became born-again I do not remember hearing anything about the super-natural power to live “in Christ” (the divine reality) and represent His Kingdom of light. No one taught me about divine health, casting out demons, interceding prayer, releasing my faith for miracles, the blood covenant, walking in the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit or the Kingdom gospel. Now I know there is more to salvation than just a one time experience. Being born again is being introduced to God – salvation is the opportunity to learn who He is and overcoming is living and walking with Him in faith. It seems some just accept the invitation and acknowledge the introduction but have never understood about an intimate, (constant) personal relationship. I was taught Bible history – but not the power of total salvation because it is so much easier to talk about what He has done instead of what He will do now. I believe the enemy has blinded many pastors as they teach a “beat down” weak gospel of fear and doubt because they are not overcoming themselves. What makes me think that? I see People sitting in dead churches, while their own life is filled with discouragement and defeat! Either they are not hearing the “full” gospel or they are not listening. We all had faith to accept Christ and His gift of salvation but why do people stop having faith for the rest of what is in the package? We cannot have total salvation if we do not believe it is God’s will for us to have it! Those who believe the manifestation of signs and wonders were finished when Christ and His disciples passed away they are sitting ducks to sickness, disease, poverty and death. Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy anyone who does not have the revelation of God’s divine reality. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a blood covenant promise to provide the power to live, rule and reign in total victory for His will to be done, “on earth as it is in heaven”. This is not a movement that fades away or a whim idea and we cannot be tossed or confused about any limitations of Jesus last will and testament. We must be filled with His thoughts – to see with spirit eyes – and move with courage and faith on His command.

Question six: Do you believe God causes sickness and poverty when His children disobey or turn away from Him? I believe the traditional view that God disciplines His children and we understand that chastisement comes from a heart of love and concern. Human nature has a tendency to drift away from God when they are filled with pride and self-dependence and many times financial success brings false security. It takes a strong spiritual revelation and a constant communion with God as a lifestyle to resist this temptation. The true attitude of the disciple toward God is being needy and being like a child no matter how blessed they become. I do not believe that God puts bad things on us but rather in our disobedience we can remove ourselves from the protection of the covenant and open doors to our own problems. We do not break our children’s arms or pour hot water on them to correct them and I do not believe that God does it either. Our heavenly Father does not want to see any of His children sick or poor because He sent Jesus to heal us and deliver us. It would be a contradiction to accept the view that Christians are being destroyed from the wrath of their Father. The only place where I see sickness, poverty, death and destruction is not seeking the revelation of God’s divine reality. “My people, (God speaking to His children) are destroyed for lack of knowledge: (spiritual truth) because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you, that you shall be no priest to me… (Hosea 4:6)

Question seven: Do you think God “causing” is different from God “using” these situations to teach us what He is trying to say? God is a good Father all the time! He disciplines those He loves but does not brutally abuse them. If He does intervene in a situation then He has a specific purpose (for good) that He may reveal now or in the long term. But I do not believe we can go to a children’s cancer ward and proclaim that God has caused all of this tragedy. He definitely can “use” an attack from the enemy as a divine appointment to touch many people as He knows how to convict every individual conscience. And if we have “caused” a situation by our own free will He will do the same thing. He is a constant teacher. Each day He tries to get our attention speaking messages that reveal His truth, but how much we learn and grow depends on our sensitivity – and that comes directly from how close to Him we choose to be.

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 23

BELIEVING WHAT WE KNOW (I)

A few years ago in my studies, I felt inspired to do some research concerning the areas of sickness, healing, poverty and prosperity. So I spent some time listing 100 questions and answers about the subject and I might add that it was a blessing to my heart and added strength to my faith. I have been feeling the urge to write some articles about the Blood Covenant of Jesus and it just came to me (I am very excited) that I could share these insights as V-mail’s and incorporate the Covenant insights into them. This will be a lengthy series but I know it will be rewarding to us in every way. I personally believe Jesus blood contains the keys to live as New Testament overcomers. So, what exactly are we overcoming? The LIE that we must continue living in the curse of hopelessness and the deception that we are spiritually powerless and must submit to a default system of defeat. The ignorance of God’s Word is keeping the church in bondage because they do not know what to do or how to do it! Remember the overcomers DID OVERCOME! And they did it through the revelation and demonstration of God’s Word!

Our introduction must be perfectly clear or our destiny will be cloudy. We are on a quest for truth about where our obedience ends – and God’s sovereignty begins.

We desire to dissect God’s inerrant Word and find out about its sacrificial conditions.

We desire to know what God expects of us and the understanding of our responsibility pertaining to our personal mission here on earth.

We want to know about the Covenant promises and how they can be activated to produce the miracles to our earthly needs.

We want to know if all Christians are heirs according to the last will and Testament of Jesus (are there exceptions) and just what it means to abide in His “total” salvation.

We want to know if Father is commanding us to walk in the same super-natural power that Jesus walked in and if the manifestation of signs and wonders are conditional to our obedience, attitude, holiness, sanctification, faith, humility, and revelation knowledge.

Are we pre-destined puppets on a string or do we have the free-will to create our own destiny? Is it our mission to seek God’s revelation so that we can become filled with His presence and become an “earth shaker” like Jesus?

Revelation (not the book) is knowing! It is the enlightenment, the revealing or “unveiling” of super-natural wisdom from God to man – that man would otherwise never find or understand. The reaction to being inspired by revelation is the excitement and motivation to act, work and stand in faith. We must convert the message on the page from the ink and paper into a dynamic force of the soul that cannot be stopped! Most Christians realize the blood of Jesus has something to do with saving them from hell but how many understand that it also contains the “secrets” to walking in God’s Divine Reality? God’s Word is the answer to all of our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical needs! These are not “pie in the sky” issues but rather very important aspects of our daily living that pertains to everything. We must stop praying the problem and start praying the ANSWER! We say that we believe in the full-gospel and the abundant life that proclaims Jesus as the deliverer and miracle provider of all things and if it is ever the time to walk the talk – it is NOW! Professing what we do not comprehend is like giving away “pre-wrapped” gifts that we do not have a clue what they are. Am I saying that I have arrived? Certainly not! I have been struggling with plantar fascilitis for a week now and have been decreeing every day that I am healed in Jesus Name. I wanted an instantaneous healing but maybe my faith was weak because the first thing I chose was to run to a podiatric surgeon. Yes, it is much better and I give God all the glory but it occurred to me that if we cannot learn to lay hands on ourselves and see the “personal” miracles, how can we preach to others about living in God’s super-natural Divine Reality? If we run to the doctor or to the bank every time we have a tiny situation – is that fear or faith? I’m not saying that God cannot heal through doctors because I definitely believe He can but, it does bring up the question – does God’s Word really work miracles all the time or just every now and then? I believe this is one of the benefits of having the indwelling Holy Ghost because God knows us better than ourselves (our current level of strength and confidence) and He can guide us to the best decision in an emergency. Most of us can say that we know what we believe but my question is this; do we really have the knowledge and faith to believe what we already know? Selah.

The responsibility of knowing God’s will is very important because we are heirs according to His last will and Testament. God has a general will that applies to all of His children across the board and He also has a specific will that pertains to each persons uniquely designed destiny. In either case, the sad truth is that many Christians have learned through the centuries that it is much easier to blame God for everything than it is to take responsibility for their own lack of Holy Ghost fire and mountain moving faith. Father is calling a remnant of people who sincerely love Him to utilize what He has bought and paid for and become the fullness of what He has planned to do THROUGH them! The last day church will be given the grace to see the “Total Salvation” package that Jesus gave His life for and exercise HIS Divine power which will prove to the world that His Covenant promises are true. Just how passionate do the people of God want to live in the full Gospel, and abide in this gospel of the Kingdom? Do you want to live so close to Father that people come to you for a touch or a Word from Him? Do you want to know without a shadow of a doubt what God is saying and what He wants you to do? May these questions and answers prick your curiosity and inspire you to go deeper in your personal studies, as you continue in your pursuit for His Divine Reality.

Question One: Why do many Christians insist that “suffering” for Jesus is earning them spiritual respect, and that it may even be religiously “beneficial” to stay poor, sick and needy? Most have heard about how God gives grace to the humble and it is true that humility is a very important fruit in the believer’s life but we should not live in fear of stepping out with FAITH in God’s Word and becoming what Jesus died for us to be. The world feels sorry for the unfortunate and many associate poverty and disease with being down, lowly, weak, unworthy, discouraged, depressed, unimportant, powerless, etc… but these are all just mental and emotional feelings of the earthly default system. Some religious “twisted thinkers” might even think that being held in bondage will control the passions that would possess them if they were healthy and wealthy – but again that is just making excuses for not having strong faith. In God’s Word we can find no basis for this state of being as a positive way to thrive in a deep meaningful relationship with God. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control. Jesus did not need to be poor or sick to be more powerful and likewise since we are filled with His person we can release our faith whenever we are “in due season” and recognize His anointed Divine appointments. Deut. 28:13, “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be ABOVE only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken (listen) unto the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command this day, to observe (take note carefully) and to DO THEM”.

Question 2: Where does this idea of suffering for Jesus come from? Let us begin by realizing that the average person retrieves their intelligence from the memories of past explanations that are molded into their understanding. Bits and fragments of comments and knowledge about life (good or bad) can act as puzzle pieces that form our world views – but if distorted information is accepted, (though it is true to us) will create an aberration of THE truth. In one example, we see from the past how some priest and monks who lived in solitude were viewed as deep spiritual people who devoted their lives to prayer and in some cases whipped themselves to keep an awareness of humility and stay spiritually focused. This may seem to be what the “super spiritual” might do but according to God’s Word, His Kingdom is already inside of us – ready to be released by obedience and faith. To walk in the glory of His Divine Reality depends on how determined we are to allow our mind to be transformed. Religious rituals are carnal ideas or “works” designed by human “thinking” to accomplish a spiritual goal. Are people really spiritually led to create “programs” to pay their way to God’s throne? We all just need to follow God’s voice and not try to put on a religious show. The truth is that we are no good to anyone hiding in a cave (in fear from the world) trying to make ourselves feel holier than everyone else that is not doing it like us. If we walk in the confidence of HIS truth and the purity of HIS grace we will automatically be filled with His presence without man-made formulas. Everything has already been paid for – He is just waiting for us to lace up our shoes and walk in it! “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon”. (Psalm 92:12)

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water”. (Isaiah 41:18) Thank you Jesus!

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 22

THE FALSE CONFIDENCE OF RELIGION

“For we know that (God’s) law is spiritual: but I AM CARNAL, sold under sin. For that which I do – I allow not: (do not want to do) for what I would, (like to do) that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7: 14-15) We can never get to the truth by asking the wrong questions – so what is this about and how can we fix it? Well, we know this is a fallen world and we know we are born with a fallen nature, so we must realize that to restructure who we are, we need to know who Jesus is – and that He wants ALL of our heart! Sometimes we may forget the sin of “independence” is in our blood so to speak. Our brain is wired to agree and abide in this cursed environment as our carnality fits like a glove to flow with the world’s “system”. God gave us emotions that we use everyday but He also knew that trying to discern them and control them would be a “front-line” issue. We must know “why” we are the way we are in order to allow God to bring in His demolition plan to tear down the established form of internal government called our “will”.

I wish I could say that carnality is like having a house that needs painting and all we need to do is give our life a fresh new coat which will make it clean and inviting. But that is what the Pharisees were trying to do and we know what response Jesus gave about their attempt to “enhance” their holiness. I am convinced that we are not trying to convert our flesh – because I believe the “deadness” is so much a part of its fabric that it will not be transformed until we are miraculously “changed” or glorified in a twinkling of an eye. It seems the flesh is going down a dead-end street the same as the future of the earth because it is made of a corruptible composition. This is not to say the mind and God’s Word cannot have a positive effect on its strength and healing because I definitely believe it can. But I believe it is more about control than trying to eliminate the sin nature from our being. I am persuaded the idea is to “OVERCOME” our sinful nature by strengthening and enlarging our new spirit until it rules our being. We must increase the level of spiritual power and faith until we are filled with God! When we are expanded with knowing Him and His Divine reality, our spirit man (under the Lordship and inspiration of Christ) will become the dominate leader of our life. Until our mind becomes renewed (convinced of its need to submit under His divine authority) we will continue to pay more attention to the color of the walls than the condition of the structure. Selah.

All Christians can relate to what Paul is agonizing over here in this classic passage of scripture about the war between the Spirit and the flesh. This is a beautiful snap-shot of humility and sobering honesty of a saint that is not trying to sugar-coat a religious life with a hypocritical facade. It is also a reminder of why we have such a difficult time prying ourselves loose from the default system. He is being bluntly open with his frustration about himself as he paints a picture of the situation we all must deal with constantly. We notice in verse 20 what some might interpret as an excuse for our weakness by seeming to present the case that we cannot control what has been “stamped” in us. ‘Now if I do that I would not, (what I don’t want to do) it is no more I that does it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. On the contrary, he is not trying to defend his failure to live Godly but rather trying to explain that sin is truly embedded into our being as much as our sense of touch, smell and taste. Every person is born with an unregenerated spirit that needs to be purchased and transformed into a new being and even after we are born-again (though we are commanded to live holy and allow the presence of God to consume us until there is nothing left but the image of Jesus) – the internal battle is on! In fact Paul is warning us of how serious and dangerous we are to ourselves if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to intervene and build a strong disciplined lifestyle. When Adam and Eve were banned from the bliss of living without a sin nature, the human race morphed into a new “lesser” state of being in many ways. As a new hybrid, our DNA revealed an “undone” and dark identity where we became genetically and spiritually altered into a lost, blind and hopeless race. Only Jesus blood could save us and restore us back to God. May we eternally worship Him for His grace and mercy! We are saved, redeemed, delivered and set free from being lost forever because of His great love toward us!

Allow me to ask another question; what are we REALLY doing if we are not transforming? What is the church accomplishing if it cannot separate the way it thinks and acts from everyone else? Lost people can do good deeds, build church buildings, give lots of money and believe there is a God but what does it really mean for Jesus to be Lord? Is it just believing that He is who He say’s He is? If there is not a 180 degree change in the way we are, (or at least a fervent battle of faith to make that happen), then why are there no “alarms” sounding? Where are the tears? We must maintain a full-strength, concentrated faith – we cannot afford to become watered down or diluted with compromise. Why are we not focusing on our personal relationship with Jesus and becoming aggressively serious about our salvation? Where are the convicting messages to repent? Why is the world laughing at the churches? Where is the reverence and respect for the holiness of God and the power of His Word? Is it because we have placed OUR desires on the top of OUR priority list and the demand to take up our cross – further down on the list? Paul goes on about the intensity of this battle in verse 22, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. (The new transformed spirit man which is really who we are) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched (fallen – lost) man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the MIND I myself serve (free will choice) the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. Nothing has changed since day one when referring to the power of fleshly pleasure and control. It is not a secret – everyone loves to do things their own way in their own time. The mystery is how to become changed into a being that does not live by their will anymore. Everyone would love to enjoy the divine realities of health and prosperity, be saved and live in heaven forever – but how many want to be re-wired to think like God and molded into His image? How many are willing to take their plans and throw them away so Father can reveal His directions and explain His vision for our destiny? It is a spiritual fact; the potter cannot design a piece of pottery that has already been molded, painted, glazed and hardened!

Can you remember when you were a young child and your days were simple and your heart was innocent? It was like being in a dream state or an imaginative fantasy where the sun of a harsh, cruel world had not yet burned away the fog and we still clung to that last moment of genuine trust. We laughed and played with excitement within a naïve fantasy that everything and everyone was good. As we grew older we discovered that our conscience already had a built-in knowledge about deception, lying and selfishness along with how to endure and survive the onslaught of fear, rejection, confusion, disappointment and hurt. Sub-consciously we learned how to build walls around our hopes and dreams to protect them. These negative, uncomfortable experiences caused us to become cautious and paranoid of people as we learned to question everything. Unfortunately, we honed our skills with trial and error and grew stronger, and with more experience we discovered how to defend and how to question what others said and done. Yes, we see how familiar the default system has become but it will not possess our heart. We live in the world but NOT for the world! We stand with the Kingdom of light!

Romans chapter eight gives a thorough explanation of how the law alone could not ransom our soul. Let’s finish with the continuation of Paul’s train of thought, “For they that are after (serve) the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit (God’s person) the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded (focused on the default) is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God”. (Verses 5-8) The Pharisees were confident!

In this war against our flesh we learn a lot about brick walls, disappointment, burned bridges, loneliness and isolation. When anyone that belongs to the family of God chooses to go through the motions of spirituality while trying to function in the realm of carnality they will continue to suffer frustration – until they deal with the problem! God will allow us to repeat the “cycle” just like He did with the children of Israel and sadly it is common for individuals to grope through an entire lifetime without understanding the problem was not that everyone was crazy – but their own refusal to humble themselves. On top of the personal, internal misery of things not going our way, we discover how the disappointment of OUR plans and visions not manifesting is only the tip of the iceberg. The REAL LOSS is the distance in our personal fellowship with God and the torment of knowing how much time we have wasted trying to climb mountains that He never told us to climb.

The closer we are to Him – the more our mind can see His thoughts which are the answers to HIS will and HIS desires for us. Unless we pronounce our old nature dead and leave him in the cemetery we will never enjoy the freedom of The Lord being our Master. Until we desire to literally follow Him, we will continue to flounder in our spiritual effectiveness. “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by HIS Spirit in the INNER MAN”. (Ephesians 3:16) Oh God, thank you for saving us. Amen.