The Intimate Bride

10/29/11

Greetings,

                God is the ultimate Romantic. His beauty is boundless. His eyes are filled with the burning of eternal passion. He seeks not only to be close to us, but to actually cover us with His feathers (Psalm 91:4). He houses us within Himself, becoming our fortress, our security, and our refuge (Psalm 91:2). Getting to know this side of God is a road less travelled for many believers. The reason is that it is incredibly scary. When the apostle John looked into the eyes of Jesus he fell as if dead at His feet.

“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me…His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire…And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.” (Revelation 1:12a, 14, 17a)

I have experienced these eyes. Although I do not claim to have seen Jesus manifest like the apostle John, I know that I have experienced these eyes in the realm of the spirit during times of deep prayer. I have felt the terror of having nothing to hide as eyes full of the knowledge and authority of eternity pierced through me. My spirit has trembled and quaked in the presence of God. His holiness and perfection are unimaginably intimidating. How can we draw close?

The themes of marriage fill the scriptures. The present age that we are in began with marriage and it will end in marriage. It began with the marriage of Adam and Eve and it will end with the marriage of the church to Jesus Christ. Marriage is something that is ever so important to God. If you find this hard to believe, simply consider that everything leading up to the return of Jesus is ultimately for the preparation of the church to become the wife of the Lamb. Christianity isn’t about a method for getting to heaven. It is about becoming prepared to be wed to the very God that sits upon eternity.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

 Let this sink in for a moment. If we are afraid to look into the eyes of God, how can we consider ourselves ready to be married to Him? Have you ever found yourself in a position where you had to look someone in the eyes and found it particularly difficult? For instance, consider failing your boss and having to explain yourself. Think about how difficult it can be at times to disappoint simple human authority. How about facing a close friend after you’ve utterly betrayed their trust? Looking into the eyes of pain that you are responsible for is chilling. What about answering to your parents after you did something very wrong and you knew it? Guilt weighs heavily upon the soul.

We can hide things from men, but a single glance from God brings everything to the surface. Nothing can be hidden from His sight. Now imagine yourself, right where you are. Suddenly Jesus is standing before you. The entire atmosphere shifts as darkness flees his presence. Everything around you conforms to the brilliance of his magnificence. Every justification and excuse you make before men utterly fails you. Your spirit collapses within you, your head spins, and you weep profusely. He draws close because you cannot move. He looks into your eyes, and the depth of eternity is burned violently into your heart. You have just experienced the ecstasy of your future spouse.

What are we living for? When will the day come when the church begins to understand that this isn’t about a church program or a weekend seminar? When will a new identity define the church? We are the bride of Christ. We are called to be intimate with the Most High God. This isn’t just for me or the super-spiritual guy that everyone is uncomfortable to be around. The church isn’t prepared until you are prepared. Our preparation requires a united effort. Are you ready to look into the eyes of Jesus, your lover; or does the thought of it cause your bowels to sink within you? Be honest with yourself because you’re not hiding anything from God.

“Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21)

Discussion

1.       What emotions does the thought of looking Jesus in the eyes evoke within you?

2.       How prepared are you to call Jesus you spouse?

3.       Have you ever felt intimate with God?

4.       Is intimacy for the super-spiritual or for the whole church?

5.       What is the most incredible moment of intimacy you have experienced with God?

Governmental Unity

10/22/11

Greetings,

                This week we are going to take a look at the role of church government in establishing unity. Once proper church government is in place and unity has been established, the Spirit of God will operate in ways that boggle the imagination. This is modeled for us in the book of Acts.

                Before we jump in, I need to establish an important fact. Everything in the Bible has significance. This not only extends to the stories and wisdom it relays, but into every color and number that it employs. For some people, it is too difficult to accept that one book could be so perfectly accurate. Yet when the evidence is considered, the fact that the Bible uses the same meanings for numbers from beginning to end cannot be denied, even by the greatest skeptic. The importance of their meaning as established by Scripture is carried even into realms such as dream interpretation.

                Having said this I am going to give a few examples of what I mean. The number one means unity and the beginning of something. God is three and yet one. When people act as one they are operating in unity. God is also the beginning and the end. The book of Genesis, being book number one of the Bible, discusses the beginning of creation. The number three stands for whatever is solid, real, substantial or complete. We live in a three-dimensional world with length, width, and height. As Christians, we believe in the triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. The list goes on.

                For a thorough discussion of the importance of number in Scripture I recommend a book by E.W. Bullinger called Number in Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance (Kregel Publications, 1967). With this said, I want to focus in on the numbers of importance for this letter. These are the numbers eleven and twelve.

The number twelve is the number of perfect government. This is established by the fact that Jesus appointed twelve apostles. There are twelve tribes of Israel. There are also twelve gates to New Jerusalem according to the book of Revelation. Eleven, being one short of twelve becomes representative of imperfect government, disorder, disorganization, and imperfection. When Jacob lost Joseph (leaving him with 11 sons), he was miserable and mourned His loss. While Jacob was the Father of Israel, his brother Esau became the father of the Edomites. It is recorded that God said, “Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.” There were twelve tribes of Israel but according to Genesis 36:40-43 there were eleven Dukes of Edom. In addition, consider that Zedekiah reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years before Nebuchadnezzar conquered him and ended Israeli control of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:11, Jeremiah 39:2).

                What does this have to do with our topic? We are going to pick up our discussion at the ascension of Jesus.  At that time only eleven apostles were alive because the twelfth—Judas—had committed suicide after betraying Jesus (Acts 1:16-19). This represented imperfect government, something that God would not allow his church to be built upon. When Jesus ascended to heaven, eleven apostles watched, and then returned to Jerusalem to wait in the upper room for the promise of the Holy Spirit. This was in obedience to what Jesus told them.

“And being assembled together with them, He [Jesus] commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5 NKJV)

When they got there they were in one accord in prayer and supplication, yet the promise of the Spirit did not come.

“And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: [1] Peter, [2] James, [3] John, and [4] Andrew; [5] Philip and [6] Thomas; [7] Bartholomew and [8] Matthew; [9] James the son of Alphaeus and [10] Simon the Zealot; and [11] Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” (Acts 1:13-14 NKJV)

They were in one accord. They had unity, but it was based on imperfect government. At one point Peter had a revelation and stood up to speak. He realized that Psalms 109:8 prophesied exactly what would have to happen. Judas had betrayed Jesus and another man would have to take his office. Peter said:

“For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’” (Acts 1:20)

When everyone else realized that he was right they selected two men, prayed and cast lots. The lot fell on Matthias and he became the twelfth apostle, taking the office of Judas. After his selection, they went back to prayer and supplication. Perfect government and unity was in place. Only at this time did the promise of the Spirit manifest on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit showed up with signs, wonders, and did things that were certainly beyond the disciples imaginations. He showed up as tongues of fire and baptized everyone in the upper room.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:1-3)

As we work towards unity and all of the possibility that it will open up for us, we must keep in mind that it must be established along with proper government. We are part of a kingdom. A kingdom is a government. This is why Ephesians 4:11 lists the offices of God’s government over his church. All must be in place and fully functional for unity to have its intended impact.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Discussion

1.       Are numbers in the Bible significant?

2.       What is the significance of the number 12?

3.       What is the significance of the number 11?

4.       What is the significance of the number 1?

5.       What happens when you take the difference of 11 and 12? [12-11=___]

The Miraculous Lifestyle

10/15/11

Greetings,

                As I was reading the Bible the other day I was absolutely struck by something that Jesus did. While reading this particular passage God confirmed some of the things that have been burning inside of me. In this letter I am going to communicate this understanding along with its relevance to unity.

                Before we get into what Jesus did, imagine a situation with me. It’s an average Monday. You wake up feeling groggy but nonetheless it’s time to get up and get ready for work. You roll out of bed, put your slippers on and walk to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom you shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. Hopefully, you remember to put on deodorant! As you go downstairs to grab breakfast your spouse’s call catches your ear. “Honey, can you start the coffee, I forgot to set the timer last night.”

                You respond, “Sure, I can start the coffee.”

                In this scenario nothing out of the ordinary has happened. There is nothing that seems off kilter, nothing that seems to go against what the average person could experience on any given morning. Granted, not all of us are married, but unless you don’t ever brush your teeth the scenario should read as a regular, average experience.

                Let’s consider another scenario. Imagine again that it’s an average Monday. You wake up feeling groggy but nonetheless it’s time to get up and get ready for work. You roll out of bed, put your slippers on and walk to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom you shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. Hopefully, you remember to put on deodorant! As you go downstairs to grab breakfast your doorbell rings. Your neighbor is at the door and he says, “My son has just been diagnosed with an incurable cancer. In addition, he just got hit by a car and he’s lying in a bloody heap on the sidewalk where I just dragged him. Can you help?”

                You respond, “Sure, I can get him healed right away.”

                In this scenario nothing out of the ordinary has happened. You may be thinking; of course something out of the ordinary has happened! The man’s son was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and then run over by a car. Moreover, who in their right mind just says, “Sure I can get him healed right away!”

                Here is the fact of the matter. People are diagnosed with life threatening diseases every day. This is not an out of the ordinary situation just because it doesn’t happen to everyone on a daily basis. Also, not a day goes by that someone, somewhere, is not getting hit by a car. Tragedy strikes regularly. It is simply a part of living in a fallen world. In this scenario, cancer and getting hit by a car represent a vast array of terrible things that can happen to people. It is not tragedy that is out of the ordinary.

                If we are willing to accept that tragedy is not out of the ordinary, is it possible to accept that the response to it (from our scenario) is not out of the ordinary as well? Being realistic, who in their right mind would respond to the scenario with the words, “Sure, I can get him healed?” If your “right mind” is the mind of Christ, I propose that you would respond as such. The Bible says we have been given the mind of Christ, but we don’t automatically operate according to it.

                “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

                The mind of Christ means thinking Jesus’ thoughts as opposed to thinking our own thoughts. Now let’s take a look at what Jesus did, which reveals to us how He thinks.

“As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him, And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and [c]distressed with intense pains. And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him.” (Matthew 8:5-7 AMP)

                Imagine a run-of-the-mill Tuesday. Jesus wakes up early to pray, eat some breakfast and journey to the next city on his schedule. As he is walking into town, possibly considering whether to go to Burger King or McDonald’s for lunch, the Chief of Police meets him in the middle of the street. He explains to Jesus that his servant is terribly sick. There is no cure and no hope for his servant apart from supernatural intervention. Jesus shrugs his shoulders, winks at Peter and John, looks back at the man and says, “Sure, I’ll come and heal him.” McDonald’s can wait a few minutes.

                I know that there were no Burger King’s or McDonald’s when Jesus walked the earth, but the point is to establish how casual Jesus was about the miraculous. The whole point of being Christian is to become Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes and actions. Thinking like Christ doesn’t just mean refraining from sin and living lives of repentance. It also means seeing the supernatural as something that should be a natural part of our lives.

                I don’t want to oversimplify the miraculous because I am well aware of the various factors that come together when the miraculous takes place. In addition to the attitude that Jesus had, the centurion had great faith. Spiritual warfare through prayer had to be done for the area prior to that type of ministry. Furthermore, in order to operate certain gifts of the Spirit, we have to first receive them according to 1 Corinthians 12. Nonetheless, walking on the level of power that Jesus demonstrated begins with our ability to see its potential for becoming our lifestyle… not just His.

                How does this relate to unity? Unity can promote the proliferation of supernatural activity among the saints until it becomes natural. If the people of God are agreed upon the move of His power it will become a defining characteristic of our daily lives. On the flip side, if those that know Jesus reject the proliferation of supernatural activity, God will not work on this level in their midst. This is illustrated by the people of Jesus’ hometown. They all knew Jesus. Unfortunately, they rejected Him and His ability to work supernaturally in their midst. Thus it is written that in their city Jesus did not do any great works because of their unbelief. What is your Christian community agreed upon?

“When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:54-58 NKJV)

Discussion

1.       When was the last time you prayed for someone and truly expected God to do the impossible?

2.       Does your Christian community witness the supernatural regularly?

3.       Does your leadership train you to live practically or miraculously?

4.       What steps can you take today to begin to position yourself to see greater works from the hand of God?

5.       Can you find several other believers in your sphere of influence that are willing to begin seeking the miraculous as a lifestyle?

Vision and Eschatology

10/8/11

Greetings,

                This week we are going to talk about vision, context, and how it relates to unity. Have you ever heard this line before?

“Get out there and do something for God!”

It may be full of passion, full of conviction, and heartily spoken, but at the end of the day the question must be asked: what is something? We must have a definition of what we are doing for God because it enables us to cast vision. According to the Bible we will have major problems without vision.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18)

My vision is to promote unity in the body of Christ worldwide and assist in the creation and development of sheep nations. For those unfamiliar with the term “sheep nations,” these will be entire geographies where the kingdom of God reigns in and through the hearts of men. When I say that I’m going to get out there and do something for God I know exactly what something means. As long as I hold fast to the vision, spiritual death will remain far from me. Moreover, those that come alongside me will have no question as to what we are trying to do.

I personally believe that in this hour, possibly more than any other time in history, the requirement upon the church to be strategically effective is huge. I also believe that our ability to be strategically effective in this hour is going to rest heavily upon our ability to properly divide the word of God on the topic of eschatology. Eschatology is simply a theological term denoting the study of last things.

If our eschatology is wrong, the vision that we cast will be inadequate to accommodate the impending circumstances. Let us use an example. We are going to consider two random football teams. The first team is the Cleveland Browns and the second team is the New England Patriots. Let’s take a fictional look at how their respective coaches cast vision to their teams.

Brown’s coach: Alright boys! I am just as unenthusiastic about this game as you are. Remember, if you make mistakes, God still loves you. It does not matter how the game goes because we’re going to be teleported into outer space before the game is even over. Are you ready!

Patriots coach: Alright men! We’ve been practicing very hard. Today we are going to remain focused on the goal: executing the victory. You must believe that this game is already won. Offense, you get across that goal line like your daughter’s life depends on it. Defense, your goal is to gain more yards than the offense. This is the vision. Are you ready!

After reading the two visions, which do you think is more effective? First of all, the Brown’s coach is addressing his team as children, setting a low level of expectancy. The Patriot’s coach addresses his team as men, setting a high level of expectancy. God calls us to maturity, but many leaders suppress the spiritual growth of their people by casting faulty vision that takes people nowhere. They put no demand upon their flocks.

                Furthermore, the Brown’s coach is out to make a good show. The vision he casts is completely illogical. It cannot yield victory. The catch is that the Brown’s coach doesn’t expect to be around to finish the game. He casts a vision based upon his understanding of the future. As a result of his limited foresight, he assumes that certain things will take place, thereby tainting his ability to cast a vision based around victory. His vision is based around escape and he is promoting cowardice. Unfortunately, if people are trained to escape, when hardship comes they will look for a way out.

“Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition)” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The Patriot’s coach has enforced discipline and practice among his ranks. They are prepared to win. When he stands before them to cast the vision he declares their victory. He makes no plans for escape. He is in it to win it and his team will follow his lead. His vision is based upon a proper understanding of why they are going onto the field. They are going out there to play hard, to stand face-to-face with a determined opponent and come out victorious. No one is leaving until the last play has been carried out. His vision is fixed on the prize, and he has planned properly in order to attain the declared victory.

If you haven’t figured it out already, I am speaking in part to the debate between pre-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture theology. The rapture is the point in time when Jesus returns for his church and we meet him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Casting vision in this hour that is based around pre-tribulation rapture theology is akin to playing football like the Browns. Casting vision based around post-tribulation rapture theology is akin to playing football like the Patriots. Who do you think will perform better?

The Bible has a lot to say about the last days. It speaks of a coming antichrist, a false prophet, and great plagues that will shake the world among other things. A pre-tribulation rapture approach to this teaches people that they have no responsibility to be spiritually, psychologically, or emotionally prepared to deal with these things. They are taught about escape. This is the most backwards approach to the Christian faith possible.  We have the victory in Jesus Christ, why would we have any need for escape?

My vision is intended to be effective under the circumstances involved with going head-to-head with the darkest forces ever released into the earth. Those that come alongside me will be trained to think like champions and not like cowards. I will see to the creation and development of sheep nations in the face of the antichrist agenda. To this end I will work to establish unity among the body of Christ because it will be necessary. How do you want to “play ball?”

Discussion

1.       According to the Bible, what happens when there is no vision?

2.       When you consider doing something for God, have you defined what that something is?

3.       What are you going to do to allow God to speak His vision for you to you?

4.       What is the vision of BRIDE Ministries (my vision)?

5.       When you consider your approach to Christianity, is it closer to a Brown’s approach or a Patriot’s approach?

The Issue of Need

10/1/11

Greetings,

                This week we are going to talk about need. In this economy a lot of people are facing challenges that they didn’t have ten years ago. Businesses are going bankrupt, jobs are being shipped overseas, families are losing their homes and many people have very real needs in this hour. What does the Bible say about this topic of need?

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

When people think about needs the first things that will typically come to mind are carnal needs. For instance, we need food. We also need shelter and warmth. We need water to drink and we need our health. If we are deathly ill and nothing changes, we will die. It’s safe to say that at the top of the average person’s list of needs are those things that lead to death if they are not provided.

However, the Bible clearly says that God promises to meet all of our needs. This week I want to tell you where this provision is. I say where because it has a literal location and no, it is not the local loan shark (otherwise known as credit card companies and payday advance businesses). God has a literal location for all of the provisions promised to us. However, before I tell you where it is, we are going to bring unity into the conversation.

What many people do not consider is that unity is a need amongst Christians. Most of us are very happy to have our own little community. We are happy to have the freedom to do our own thing. It’s so much easier than dealing with others that act different, talk different, and think different than we do. However, without unity Jesus cannot return because the Bible says we must come to the unity of the faith. It also says that Jesus isn’t returning until His wife has made herself ready. The church, being the bride of Christ, is the wife of the Lamb. In other words, if we want Jesus to come back and wrap this thing up we need unity.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)

Here is the question: If we need unity and we don’t have it, where can we get it? The answer to this question is quickly becoming one of the most important, if not the most important message arising in the body of Christ today. The answer is a message that changes everything. This message is not only the location of what we are looking for but it even becomes Satan’s endgame. This message has the power to change the reality that we experience. Have I said enough yet?

I’m dragging this out because when I tell you what this message is I want you to remember it. If I just come out and tell you the location of your needs you may dismiss it as unimportant. If I just come out and tell you the location of unity you simply nod your head in agreement and go about your day. This time I’m making you work. What is this all encompassing message that gives us everything we need?

In the passage that we opened with, the writer was speaking to monetary need based on context. This is what preceded that verse.

“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:15-18)

The financial gift that the church at Philippi gave to Paul was an acceptable sacrifice that was well pleasing to God. Moreover, it caused fruit to abound to their heavenly account. What some people fail to accept is that we do have an account in heaven. Our giving is credited to this account. In any case, it was after saying all of this that Paul explained the result; God would supply all of their need.

This illustrates a concept that many completely overlook. We interact with heaven on a daily basis. When the Philippians gave a gift to Paul, the transaction went through heaven even though the actual money went from their hands to Paul’s ministry. Their physical actions had spiritual counterparts and your physical actions have spiritual counterparts as well.

What does this have to do with need? In order for us to understand how we interact with heaven on a daily basis we have to change our concept of heaven. Heaven isn’t just a place we go when we die but it is a place that we are located from the moment we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This is why the following verse is written in the past tense.

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6)

                In the beginning of this letter I promised to tell you the location of all of your need. Here is the answer: All of your need is provided for in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the dimension where God is king otherwise known as heaven (which is divided up into heavenly places). We have access to it as believers and we interact with it whether we know it or not. However, when we become purposeful about our interaction with it we can begin to pull all of our needs from the location where they are all provided for—even unity. This is summed up in the following quote by Jesus.

                “For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:30-31)

Discussion

1.       What are your needs?

2.       Being completely honest, how capable do you see God when it comes to His ability to meet your needs?

3.       Do we interact with heaven now or only after we die?

4.       Where is the location of the needs that God has already met?

5.       What do we have to seek in order to access the fullness of the provision of God?

Faith and the Heart

9/24/11

Greetings,

                Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is like a substance that is placed upon our words. This substance reformats the spirit realm to produce realities in line with the words that we speak in faith. The amount of faith that we have equals the amount of power that we will walk in. This substance that cannot be seen is evidence that the things we call forth will manifest from the unseen realm. In this way, faith becomes a sort of currency. We exchange our faith for the manifestation of God’s works. Faith is a powerful force.

                There is much to be said about faith. However, what I want to discuss is the reason why some people can speak things and receive nothing while other people can speak things and receive immediately. What is the difference between strong faith and weak faith? Doesn’t the Bible say that God is no respecter of persons? Why does faith seem to work better for some than for others? These are relevant questions that have mind-blowing explanations.

                Let us begin with an illustration. Consider Dung the caveman. Dung was a great hunter in his day. His weapon of choice was the rock. When he would hunt, he would pick up a rock and throw the rock at his unsuspecting prey. If he would miss, he’d starve. If he hit the animal in the wrong place, he’d get attacked. However, if he threw the rock just right, he would hit the animal in the head. When this happened, the animal would often fall unconscious. Once the animal was unconscious Dung would kill the animal and eat it.

                What do Dung and his rock have to do with faith? Dung’s arm, being the driving force behind the rock, is like our heart. The heart can be understood as the subconscious, and it is the driving force behind faith. Dung’s rock, being the substance projected from the driving force, is like our faith. The rocks that Dung threw could be sharp or dull. As one would imagine, sharp rocks were more effective.

                Dung had a son. Dung’s son was named Ung. Ung was trained to throw rocks just like his dad. What Ung found, however, was that his dad’s way of doing things had very limited effectiveness. One day Ung had a revelation. He realized that if he bowed a piece of wood and put a string on it he could use it to launch a sharpened rock attached to a stick. He called the invention the bow and arrow. After a few years, Ung surpassed Dung as the village hero. He also began to train other hunters to be more effective.

                When we look at Dung’s son, we learn a lesson. Ung had a revelation that if the driving force could be made more powerful, the rock could be launched with greater force and accuracy. This is what happens when we get our hearts right, which is when our hearts are programmed according to the word of God. Remember that the heart is synonymous with the subconscious.  In Ung’s example, the heart is like the bow and the wooden stick attached to the rock. It serves the purpose of launching faith with accuracy and power. Moreover, although a sharp stone makes the best arrow head, a dull arrow launched from a bow is more effective than throwing rocks. If our hearts are right, our faith is released more effectively regardless of whether we have great faith or small faith.

The heart (or subconscious) is where spiritual and carnal knowledge come together. It is here that the decisions about what we truly believe are made. Subconscious thoughts are beneath conscious thoughts. Therefore, they can override conscious thoughts and skew logic and truth. This is why if you tell an alcoholic that they have a problem they will get upset with you. It is because their heart is deceived and is skewing the power of truth. Heart level beliefs create the life that we experience. This is why the Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

                The more ability we have to believe God for things on a subconscious level, the more substance (or faith) we will be able to attach to our words. Unfortunately, many people don’t make the necessary lifestyle choices to change their subconscious thinking. Therefore, they go their whole lives living like Dung. They do things in the most ineffective way possible and look at others in bewilderment and jealousy. What they don’t understand is that all of the perverse media, pornography, foul language, addictions, ungodly relationships, and sin in their lives trump the ability for the power of God to rule in their hearts.

The ability for the power of God to rule in our heart is directly related to the amount of input that we receive from God. Even after we are saved, Christ must dwell in our heart by faith. If he’s not dwelling in our heart, then he’s outside knocking at the door from our spirit (Revelation 3:20). Christ perpetually dwelling in our heart requires that our heart is being programmed according to the word of God. When Paul wrote the following, he was writing to Christians that had already received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He was explaining to them that Christ needed to dwell in their subconscious, the platform from which He could unleash His kingdom through their lives.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts…” (Ephesians 3:17)

In the beginning, the Word of God (Jesus Christ) had the power to create reality (John 1:3). Now, the word of God in our mouths has the power to recreate reality because it is the same power. Reality must be recreated by us because we live in a fallen reality. Our purpose is to bring reality back in line with the kingdom of Heaven. However, the faith that we use to do this is limited by what is going on in our hearts. Are you living like Dung?

There is a third character we haven’t addressed yet. His name is Bond, James Bond. James doesn’t use rocks, he uses guns. Moreover, he never misses.  He goes into the camp of the enemy and leaves it a wasteland. Not only that, he walks away knowing that he makes it look good. After all, he pulls off all of his jobs in a three piece suit.

In this example, the guns represent a heart that has been finely tuned by the presence of Christ in an individual. God’s belief system has overhauled their subconscious. When this happens the heart becomes maximally effective in releasing faith. The bullets represent the lethal force of great faith tearing through the camp of the enemy as a result. This is what happens when a person has both a right heart before God and great faith. Can you imagine an entire army of James Bond’s?

When we consider that faith is the substance that is attached to our words, we begin to have a huge revelation that our words are indeed powerful. Moreover, the more like Christ we become, the more powerful our words get. When we produce words that carry the faith projected by a finely tuned heart, our words reconstruct reality. Jesus illustrated this when he spoke to the storm and it stopped (Mark 4:35-39). When we consider unity, it must be built spiritually before it will exist in the natural. We must speak the unity into existence. Now is the time.

Discussion

1.       When you consider the effectiveness of your faith, with whom do you most closely identify: Dung, Ung, or Bond?

2.       What determines the power of faith that is being projected from us?

3.       The heart can otherwise be understood as what?

4.       Do you feel that God is pleased when He looks upon the thoughts of your heart?

5.       How much faith do you put behind your words, actions, and prayers?