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Power to Believe Unto Eternal Life

The Power to Believe Unto Eternal Life

 

John 5:25Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

In the Old Testament (OT) covenant, God clearly laid out the choice between life and death and what each path manifested. Deuteronomy 30:19 He granted them forgiveness for their transgressions against Him, yet very few repented and turned to His ways. If and when they did turn because of the painful afflictions of going their own way, He was right there to heal and restore them. Yet, even after the outpourings of mercy and blessing, they soon again rebelled in following the dictates of their own hearts. Isaiah 65:12 They lacked the power to truly believe.

Why was it so hard to believe?

The Israelites had God’s forgiveness and help. They saw His wondrous works. So, why couldn’t they follow Him; what was missing? Without God’s spirit in us, we can’t believe as we ought. This is why the Israelites fell so quickly into rebellion and why you see the same thing throughout history. The only way we truly believe is by the power of God’s spirit working in us. John 6:45

Corrupted Spirit vs. God’s Spirit

We are either governed by a corrupted spirit or by God’s pure spirit of righteous love. Soon after birth, we become imprisoned by the lies (what appears as our truth) of the world flooding into our spirit taking us captive to do their will. 2 Timothy 2:26 This corrupted spirit opposes God’s wisdom and love; therefore all we do is sin for we’re slaves to sin. John 8:34 Under its reign, we are blind as our truths are lies, therefore we can’t truly believe in God, thus walk in righteousness leading to eternal life. How can a soul believe in life if it is consumed in darkness and deception; holding lies as truth? How can it find its way out of the pit of darkness and death? The answer lies in the power and victory of Christ’s spirit filling us. God gives us His spirit to govern us instead; this is the new birth. Our Father births us to life, by His will, not our own, by giving us His seed of life. This seed holds His faith which enables us to believe unto eternal life. This Seed of His spirit within us is our deliverance and salvation from the pit of eternal darkness in which people now dwell.

God’s Plan of Salvation

God made a promise to Abraham, that ALL the nations would be blessed through him and his seed. Genesis 22:18, 28:14 He was promised that his descendents would be as the dust of the earth; a promise of giving salvation to many many souls. Have you seen dust recently? What we do see is a huge gap between ALL nations being blessed and just a few truly believing unto obedience that leads to righteousness and abundant life. As I talked about true belief in a previous post, as it stands right now very few would move into eternal life because very few truly believe, yet this doesn’t fit with God’s promise to Abraham.

When true belief has shown to be extremely trying at best, what hope is there that ALL nations will be blessed? Revelation 15:4

This powerlessness to truly believe is why Christ gave up His spirit. He offered up His Spirit on the cross, so it could be resurrected in many in the end days.  John 12:23-24, Joel 2:28, 1 Peter 1:13 With the seed of His spirit in us, we are able to grow unto eternal life because we now have the ability to believe because of His spirit within us giving us His faith. Hebrews 12:2 This is why some will not die, but be changed. 1 Corin 15:51 As the spirit of Christ is being raised in souls, then eternal life will begin to exist on earth, for He is eternal life. Since Christ’s flesh resurrection over 2000 years ago, there has been the Holy Spirit, God’s wisdom, in grace enabling some to believe in the hope of salvation. Romans 15:13 Yet, we haven’t see the fulfillment of that hope of salvation as people are still living lives of sin leading to death. The Holy Spirit is a guarantee of what is to come; the union of our spirit with Christ’s. Ephesians 1:13-14 As the wedding feast fast approaches; as Christ spirit starts resurrecting in people thus being “married” to their soul, they will start walking in righteousness leading to eternal life and therefore not taste death.

Marrying Christ’s Spirit

Now is the time to draw near to God, for Christ has sowed His seed in the field, our souls, to bring in His Kingdom. Hosea 10:12, Matthew 13  He has given us the grace and power by giving us His faith to believe in a world of death and lies. Now we have to step into that grace and power by sowing truth into our lives which allows the seed to grow in us.

Sowing the Seed

We sow the seed of Christ’s spirit by seeking truth, for God is truth. As we do then His spirit of wisdom grows in the depths of our soul. John 12:25 Wisdom is truth driving our lives. We gain wisdom by listening to and following His gentle whisperings to our soul, leading us into all truth. John 6:32, 45, 57, 63, James 1:21 It isn’t religious doctrine we heed and follow; it is the perfect spirit of God communing with us in the depths of our being. Psalm 85:8 The spirit of wisdom grows within us as we listen and obey God’s voice, which is now possible because we have Christ’s spirit of faith in us enabling us to believe. James 2:14-26 In time, we are trained in righteousness, so we can walk in righteousness. Sin ibrings death. Right-mindedness brings immortality. Proverbs 12:28

Further, God takes our transgressions, now under the umbrella of His forgiveness, and they become part of our training ground as we are chastened by them and delivered from them by a loving Father. In time, our minds are renewed and we become holy eternal creations. In God’s perfect timing, all will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9 First those of the “elect”; then the rest. 1 Corin 15:22-24 The elect serve the rest by preparing the way and bringing in the Kingdom by Christ’s spirit in them.

As we sow truth, we start to yearn for God’s will over all else because we become aware of the perfection of His ways and how it is His ways we truly desire in everything. We realize we are truly poor in spirit, and need His spirit of wisdom. Matthew 5:3 When we gain these understandings, we abandon all other “wills” to be fully governed by His spirit. Our part is to know and embrace the will of God and forsake all other paths; for love involves choice. Mark 8:34

Now is the time to listen for the voice of the Son of God; because those who will hear will live; for the kingdom is at hand.

John 6:38-39  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.


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Elements to Entering Rest

Elements to Entering Rest

 

In this brief video, I share some important concepts that help us to enter into God’s rest as He tells us to  …

Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.


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The Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven

The Message of Christ

What did Jesus Christ preach while on earth? What is the gospel of Christ? He didn’t preach His death and resurrection … so what was it?

Luke 4:43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

He preached about the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. It’s this reality we are to seek first and above all else because it is the way to eternal and abundant life now.

Matthew 6:33 But SEEK FIRSTthe kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

What is the kingdom of heaven?

Luke 17:21 For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

It’s God’s spirit powering our souls and no longer our spirit of death. It’s God’s spirit dwelling in us. It’s being a part of the divine nature. It’s being a part of God’s living temple where His spirit dwells. When God is in us, we have eternal life as He is eternal. We abide with Him in unity, truth, and love for we are a part of Him as His children for we intimately know Him. John 17:3

Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Those who are a part of the kingdom of heaven have: 1. Repented; fully turning from their ways to God’s ways and truth (we have to know His ways to turn to them which comes from diligently abiding in the Word of Truth), 2. Become God’s workmanship being crafted and remade in their souls by God’s truth and are being filled with God’s spirit.

Repentance

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repentance (dying to self, crucifying self) comes when at our deepest core we fully turn from following our self-will and seek to walk in unity with God’s will in all areas. We no longer play jugde; we seek God’s counsel. We no longer are in control of our lives; we surrender our creative self-will to God’s sovereignty. We can’t follow our will and God’s will at the same time unless they are the same. Repentance is a crucial step toward the kingdom of heaven, because it’s leaving our ways behind to embrace God’s. 2 Corin 5:17

Repentance is giving up all of our self-will to gain God’s. When you learn through the Word of Truth and your life lessons that God’s will is truly far better and much more desireous, then you want His will in ALL areas.

Matthew 13: 44 the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matt 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Remade in Truth and Filled with God’s Spirit

Next, the kingdom reigns in our souls when God’s truth, The Word of God (Christ), abides in us. Being a part of God means our truth is God’s truth. If we are walking in our own truths and ways, we aren’t in unity but opposition. The path to gaining His truth is one of diligently seeking truth and learning from God Himself. In unity, we enter a complete rest as God works through us always and in all things. Hebrews 4:10-11.

The souls fashioned by God in the truths of the prophets, apostles, and Christ become a part of His living temple made without hands. Ephesians 2:19-22 Being molded in truth by the Holy Spirit, not by ourselves or another, prepares our spirits to be in unity with God’s thus filled with His Spirit. 1 John 2:27, Hebrews 8:10

As we seek and abide in the truth of God being taught by Him, His Spirit begins to fill every aspect of our souls. The spirit of God starts small and as we diligently seek it spreads to take over every area of our lives in tremendous power, truth and love. When powered by God’s spirit there is no limit to what God can do in and through us. John 14:12, Eph 3:20

Matthew 13:31 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Matt 13:33 The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

Like a new day dawning, the spirit of God dawns in our souls transforming us glory unto glory. 2 Corin 3:18 It continues until like Christ, we hold the fullness of God, Eph 4:13, 3:19. This filling of God’s spirit in us is the kingdom of heaven.

2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

For those who repent, diligently seek God’s ways to be remade in truth, and are transformed by the power of His spirit within them, they become the temple of God, the kingdom of heaven. Yet in this life many won’t partake in this glorious kingdom. Many are called but few are chosen Matthew 22:14, because narrow is the path Matthew 7:14 and few find it. The depth of repentance and diligent seeking of truth are done by few as many are consumed with the cares of this world and not of God. Matthew 13:3-9

Matthew 13:47 the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

Fervently seek God in truth and spirit that you may partake in the glorious eternal kingdom of heaven with Christ now.

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

 

To hear more on this topic you can listen to an audio recording, The Kingdom of Heaven, which can also be downloaded at Itunes – search for Stirring the Deep under Podcasts.