Acting as if God's words were true

“Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already.”  C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity”

Everyone believes something.  Their actions betray their true beliefs:  “Actions speak louder than words.”  But what if someone wants to act, but lack the beliefs necessary for that action?  Should they act like they believe something, even if they are struggling to truly believe it?  It depends.  If their belief is true, but they feel doubt, then they should act according to truth until their emotions and beliefs are one.  This is the case when it comes to faith in what the Bible says.  God said things that don’t seem “real” in some people’s experiences.  God cannot lie, however, so what He says must indeed be true.  Therefore, faith means acting as though what God says is indeed true. 

Some think faith alone is enough, without any necessity of corresponding activity.  But the Bible says, “Faith without works is dead,” comparing faith and works to a body and a spirit.  As a body without a spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.  Here, the body is faith, and the spirit is works.  Works are the energy, and thus the reality of faith.  Yet the book of Hebrews also speaks of “dead works.”  Keeping spirit and body analogy, actions founded upon faithlessness are like ghosts.  Faithless actions lack conviction and the power of God.   Believers must act, and actors must believe.

Actors believe whatever their characters believe.  The best actors convince audiences of this.  Yet they pretend according to an author’s imagination.  God’s believers should “act” according to the “script” of the Supreme Author, whose words are reality and truth.  Believers in Christ are the children of God.  Therefore they should act like a child of God.  Now how is that? 

According to Paul, “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God.”  So a child of God follows the Spirit of God.  This means God’s children must first believe the Spirit of God is in them, leading them.  Then they must act like they would if they really believed this. 

What would they do if this were true?

They would acknowledge the Spirit’s constant presence. They would seek His continued leadership in all decisions before taking action.  Then they’d experience the Spirit leading them.  But they wouldn’t experience this before acting as though it were true.

Real faith in God is acted upon by God’s children.  This kind of acting is like pretending, but the difference is true pretense.  Though everyone believes something, and acts upon their true beliefs, some pretend they believe things that their actions contradict.  Everyone knows this:  actions speak louder than words.

A key to strong faith in God

"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

 

 

 

One of my daughters kept coming to my wife with  math problems she considered "too hard" to answer quickly, like this one:

 

"If a girl checked out 66 books, then 6 more books, then 10 more books, how many books would she have in all?" 

 

When my wife quickly and effortlessly answered, "82," my daughter responded in utter amazement, "How can you do that!?"

 

To my daughter, math problems like these seemed too hard.  And in her eyes, no math problem seemed too hard for her mother.

 

I told my wife that I'm sure it's like this for God when we bring Him problems in prayer that seem too hard for us. 

 

I believe a key to strong faith is to realize that there are no degrees of difficulty for God in answering our prayers.  It is as easy for God to provide $10,000.00 for a major surgery as it is for him to provide $100.00 for expensive prescriptions, if either of these were our need.  Better yet, it is as easy for him to heal cancer as it is for him to relieve migraine head aches. 

 

Some may think certain prayer requests require stronger faith on behalf of the one praying.  They think that God is limited in his power by the amount of faith we bring to the throne.  There is some truth in this thought.  Though God's power is unlimited, our faith limits how much of His power we experience.  Jesus was unable to perform many miracles in certain places because of a lack of faith.  Often times He said that a person's faith healed him/her or brought about a certain miracle, so there is a connection between the amount of faith expressed in God and the amount of God's power we experience.

Yet Jesus also said that faith as small as the smallest seed could move mountains.  He said this when his followers asked for Him to increase their faith.  So in the Lord's eyes, they didn't need an increase in faith, but to use the faith they had, even if it was very small.  Whatever amount of faith they had would be enough to move mountains!

Furthermore, Paul, the ambassador of Christ to the nations beyond Israel, said that faith comes from hearing the word of God.  In other words, we "increase" our faith by increasing our intake of God's words.  God is the kind of the person that to hear Him is to believe Him.  His character, expressed in words, is so compelling that He inspires faith in those who listen to Him.

We've all experienced this.  We've experienced listening to someone and deeply believing him or her because of the truth, conviction, and integrity of the speaker.  No one is more true, convicting, or honorable than God.

And nothing is too hard for Him!

 



Why we don't do what we believe

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.  James 1:22-25 NIV

We don't do what we believe because we are deceived. 
Self-deceived.

We experience truth, but don't act according to it, yet we tell ourselves that we want the truth.
Perhaps we don't even do that!

Bruce Lee said, "Knowing is not enough, we must apply.  Willing is not enough, we must do."

I never learned this.  Not truly.

I learned to study, study, study.

Read, read, read.
Think, debate, argue.  But not to do.

Who can argue with what we do?

Jesus IS the word of God literally personified.
He IS the truth.

We should personify the truth of God's words, hearing them and immediately doing them upon hearing them.
No delay!

Some of us like hearing the truth.
Some of us find it entertaining.

But who loves to DO what is true!?

What do your actions prove about what you REALLY believe?
What do you KNOW is true?  Is this seen in what you do?

The TRUTH is NOT ALWAYS in the MIDDLE (part 3)

Paul also wrote the Corinthians concernings spiritual gifts, and showed the equality of the members of "the body," comparing each believer to a member of the human body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 
I Corinthians 12:21-26  NIV, emphasis mine.

So with truth there is justice and thus equity and fairness.  The truth does sometimes bring about balance and moderation. 

But not always.


Our commitment is to the truth, whether it is extreme or moderate, whether it causes unions or separations, for sometimes truth unites, and at other times truth divides. 

Christ was and is the Prince of Peace who blessed peacemakers.  The death and resurrection of Christ brings peace between God and people, and between people and each other WHEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTED ARE ACCEPTED!

But if Christ is rejected, then He does not bring peace.  He brings a sword that divides families and friends.  The Scriptures declare these absolute truths:

Friends of this world are enemies of God.
Those who are not for Christ are against Christ.
No one can serve two masters.  One master will be loved and the other hated.
God is light.  In God there is NO darkness AT ALL.

These truths are not "in the middle."  Truth, by definition, excludes falsehood or that which contradicts it.  This does not mean we should strive to be as obnoxious, abrasive, and blunt as possible, "in the name of the Lord!"  It does not mean we should see how many people trust in Christ, NO THANKS TO HOW RUDE AND STUPID WE ACT!!!

No.  We should speak the truth in love always, being as gentle as possible.  Yet at times, no matter how gentle we try to be, and no matter how loving we say it, the truth will indeed offend some who hear it!  Who is more gentle and meek than Christ?  Who has EVER been more loving and wise than the Lord Jesus?  Yet He was hated and called demon possessed!  He was accused of blasphemy and crucified as a result.  Therefore, as Christ warned His followeres, if we are as committed to truth as Jesus was, then we will experience the same responses He did.  The Lord Jesus said:

"For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world:  to bear witness to the truth.  All who are of the truth hear my voice." 

Our cause is His cause.  Those who hear Him will hear us.  Those who reject and hate Him will reject and hate us.

Followers of Christ are His witnesses, as well as witnesses of the truth.  They cannot, do not, and will not tolerate contradiction or compromise.  If a truth is "moderate," they will proclaim it.  If a truth is "extreme," they will proclaim it.  They live for and are willing to die for the truth.

Are you?

how much faith is enough?

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.  Luke 17:5-6

it seems like they had enough faith, as far as the Lord was concerned.  yes, he at times marveled at the "great faith" of some who trusted him, and rebuked the "little faith" of those who didn't; he even outright denounced the "faithless generation" that sought signs and wonders instead of trusting the signs he already performed.

yet he said that the smallest amount of faith could move mountains.

how much faith is enough, and how do we know we have it?
 

 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1 

so, do i have the smallest sureness of what i hope for, and the smallest certainty of what i do not see?  i want my children to be healed of sickness, for example.  this is what i hope for:  healing.  this is what i do not yet see:  perfect health.  how can i be sure that my children will be healed, and certain of their healing before i see it?

the verse assumes a promise, a surety, a legal guarantee from God.  like when i paid first and last months rent, and gave the land lord a security deposit, so God gives us a "security deposit," the Holy Spirit, as Paul said to the Ephesian Christians.  So, as Paul said, if God would not spare His Son, or His Spirit, and if God would give us His Son while we were His enemies, will He spare us anything else that is good and of far less value?

Of this I am sure and certain:  God is love, and God is good.  I know that God is full of compassion and great in mercy.  Jesus promised this:  Ask, and it will be given.  Seek, and you will find.  Knock, and the door will be opened.  He said if evil human fathers can give good gifts to their children when they ask, how much more will the perfectly good heavenly Father give good gifts, and His Holy Spirit, to His children when they ask?  now that i am a father, i have a deeper understanding of this verse.  i know without doubt i am an imperfect father, yet i can say with all honesty that i have not knowingly withheld ANYTHING good from my children when they've asked.  i give them whatever they need or want that is good when they ask.  if i can comfort them or help them, i do it without hesitation.  i am certain that God is infinitely better and has more power than i do.

Therefore, I am sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see:  That God will heal my family, and that the devil will flee from me.

how much faith is enough, and how do i know i have enough faith?
the smallest amount of sureness in God's goodness is enough.  i know that i have it, because i can't live without it.

 

What DID Jesus DO? (Part 2)

Alright.
So we're not in Galilee.
How do we apply the last post?

I'm an officer.  As a God appointed governing authority (see Romans 13) I demonstrate the authority of Christ Jesus in heaven and on earth, a spiritual/supernatural authority as well as physical/natural authority. Whenever I enforce the laws of the land that agree with the laws of God, I manifest the fear of the Lord on earth, and bring about order on earth as there is in heaven.  I "bind" demons to silence, inactivity, and absence, destroying the works of the devil--the works of lawlessness, chaos, and rebellion.  I experience the power of the presence of God by the Spirit's power.

A teacher would experience the authority of THE TEACHER.  It was said that Jesus taught with authority, an authority that astonished and amazed those who heard; an authority that even struck fear in those who challenged them, silencing them in shame.  So it should be with the believer who is a teacher, whatever he teaches, whatever instructions she gives.

A homeschooling mother proclaims the good news to her children, teaching them the ways of the kingdom, manifest in her children's relationships to each other, their father, and their mother.  If any of them are sick, she lays hands on them and heals them, just as Jesus did, and would do, in the same situation.  And if, God forbid, her kids are attacked by demons, she casts them out with calm authority, and they leave at her word.

A mail carrier becomes God's messenger, and when he speaks with neighbors that meet him in his deliveries, he heralds the good news of God's kingdom, a heavenly mail carrier, if you will.  If any need prayer, healing, or deliverance, and sense The Healer with her, the mail carrier prays as she is asked or sought out, and those who receive their mail also receive Christ the healer in the mail carrier.

Wherever the believer goes, the Spirit of God goes with him.  Wherever the believer goes, the power of God goes with her.  The presence of God, which is the kingdom of God, has indeed come to earth, and is experienced in Spirit filled, Spirit lead followers of Christ!

A believer who sees an accident on the road can stop and heal the ones in the accident.  When the paramedics come, they will find no one in need of medical attention.

A security guard can silently cast out a demon when encountering a violent person, and then skillfully subdue the criminal physically. 

The power of God is univeral and all applicable. 

In whatever situation you find yourself in, you possess power and the Spirit if you believe in Christ the Lord.

He is the same yesterday today and forever.  He is in you if you believe. Therefore, do what He would do in the same situation.  If someone is sick, in His name, heal them.  If someone suffers mental torments, in His name, cast out the demons, the source of the mental oppression.  If someone is down, in the name of Jesus, preach the good news.  If someone is confused, in Christ's name, teach the principles of the kingdom.

Do what Jesus did.
Do what He would do.

What DID Jesus DO?

You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  Acts 10:37-38

The question used to be asked: "What would Jesus DO?"

I believe the answer lies in what Jesus actually DID.

Wherever He went, He did good.  What good?  Miraculous good.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

Matthew 4:23-24  NIV

1. Preaching

2. Teaching

3. Healing

4. Liberating

These are the good things Jesus did wherever He went.

He proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God:  that God's kingdom had indeed returned--by His very presence and the presence of the Spirit of God.  God was (and is) with those who believe, and will be with all who believe.  He also taught the ways of the kingdom of God, the means by which God's kingdom and will are to be done on earth as in heaven.

What better news is there than this--if it was true...

BUT IT REALLY WAS TRUE!  How do we know?

In heaven there is no sickness.  Therefore, Jesus cured all who came to Him or were brought to Him.

Christ cast Satan and the demons out of heaven.  Thus when they were in men and women, Jesus cast them out. 

Now we should know the answer to the question, "What would Jesus do?"  And indeed, for those who believe, we should do likewise.

Christians should preach and teach the Kingdom of God, and demonstrate the truth of God's kingdom by healing the sick and casting out demons--by supernatural power.  With power the proclamation of God's kingdom is made.  The Spirit of Christ is on earth.  Where the Spirit is, the kingdom of God is.

We know what Jesus did, therefore we know what Jesus would do in every situation, as it is written,

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." 

What He did is what He still does, and what He will do for all who will believe in Him.

BEING BORN AGAIN (PART 2)

All possess conscience.

All will die.

All face their Creator.

All choose their destiny, for all eternity.

All choose where they want to be, for all eternity.

All choose heaven.

Or.

All choose hell.

All in heaven wanted heaven.

All in hell wanted hell.

----------------------------

Birth happens without our choice.

Rebirth cannot happen without our choice.

----------------------------------------

Slavery exists. 

Slaves exists.

All are slaves of Satan from birth.

All are slaves of God from rebirth.

All choose slave masters, and none can possess two masters, unless one loves one master and utterly hates the other.

Those reborn submit to One:  The Spirit of Life.

They refuse to respond to selfish desires, to the ways of this world, to external laws, and especially Satan and demons.  They possess laws, but internal, written on their minds and their hearts by the Spirit who is in them by faith in Christ Jesus. 

They choose a spiritual mindset, focused on spiritual things; focused on the desires of the Spirit.

This is therefore how you know them, and how you know yourself as one of them:  by what they have chosen, and by what you have chosen. 

How to have REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS of GOD!

Have you ever been accused of having "unrealistic expectations?" 
Are you a Christian receiving this accusation?
Are you considered too "radical," criticized for having "too much faith in the Savior," or a recipient of the infamous accusation of being "extreme!?"

Worry no more! 

After this post, you'll be "realistic" in your expectations of the Most High God!!!

Now, we must first define our terms:

realistic:  interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical: a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.

expectation:  the act or state of looking forward to or anticipation.
(dictionary.com)

In relationship to the All Powerful Supreme Ultimate Being, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ:

What is practical? 
What can a child of God or a follower of Christ reasonably look forward to?

Or putting all of this in my own words, using my own definition of realistic expectations, what acts of God in relation to His children are possible and probable?

It is written,

"Is anything to hard for the LORD?"

"With God all things are possible."

"All things are possible to those who believe."

So our expectations as God's children can't be "too high" for the Most High as far as His abilities and possiblitities go.  We can't ask Him for anything that is beyond His power or resources.  We can't expect from Him that which He cannot perform.

But most of us don't doubt this, at least in theory.  What we doubt are probabilities, whether God WANTS to do certain things, whether it is His WILL, or His NORMAL course of action according to His character.

It is also written,

"God is not a man that He should lie,

Nor a son of man that He should change His mind.

When He speaks, He acts. 

When He promises, He fulfills."

And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come to a STANDARD for realistic expectations of GOD:

1. It is realistic to expect God to do what He says and promises to do!
2. It realistic to expect people to do what God commands us to do!!
3. It is realistic to expect things to be the way God says they are and should be!!!

Let's deal with each truth individually.

1. Because God can do whatever He wants, with no one possessing the ability to force Him to act or to keep Him from acting, it is realistic to expect Him to fulfill His promises.  He possesses all power to fulfill them, and His integrity as one who does not and cannot lie makes this expectation not only realistic, but absolutely certain!!
2. Because God is our Creator, Lord, and Master, it is realistic to expect His creatures to obey Him.
3. And because He gave His creatures freewill, it is reasonable to expect some will  choose to obey Him while some choose to disobey Him.  All should obey Him.  All CAN obey Him.  But not all choose to obey Him.  Those who obey create an atmosphere of heaven on earth.  Those who disobey Him create an atmosphere of hell on earth.  Those who obey can expect opposition from those who disobey Him, because the disobedient are in opposition with God Himself, and thus in opposition to all who submit to God. 

It is therefore realistic to expect what ever God says we should expect in the scriptures. 

For example, as far as life on earth, it is reasonable to expect "God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The Lord Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray this way.  The Lord Himself brought about God's kingdom on earth by preaching and teaching, healing the sick and casting out demons.  Wherever Jesus was, the kingdom of God was.  Wherever His Spirit is, the kingdom of God is.  This is a reasonable expectation.

As far as temptation, it is reasonable to expect God to "lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from the evil one."  Again, Jesus taught His followers to pray this way.  The Apostle Paul said these words concerning temptation:

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man.  But God is faithful, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but with the tempatin will also make a way of escape, so that we can bear it."

Now, I see several beautiful realistic expectations about temptations:

1.  They will be common.  There will never be a new or unique or never before experienced temptation.

2.  God will be faithful or trustworthy in times of temptations.

3.  The temptation will never be more powerful than we have the ability to resist.  There is no such thing as an irrestible seductress, tempter or temptress. 

4.  With EVERY temptation, GOD HIMSELF IS FAITHFUL, and has ALREADY MADE A WAY OF ESCAPE, A MEANS TO RESIST!!

Thus, it is REALISTIC  to expect DIVINE DELIVERANCE FROM or ABILITY TO resist EVERY temptation!!!

Wickety wow!

So what now!?

Expect great things from GOD!  This is realistic!!!  Anything less is UNREALISTIC!

IT IS UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT GOD TO LIE, OR TO EXPECT A DIFFICULTY FOR GOD!!

Let me give more examples.

It is written,
"Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long on the earth."
"Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."

So it is realistic to expect children to honor and obey their parents.  This includes so called "teenagers."  Now those who believe Satan would say that teen agers "must" go through some kind of "rebellious stage" by which they experiment with and establish their independence.  I know of nowhere in the very word of the Living God where this expressed as a "realistic expectation" for parents and children?  It's not in the Bible.  It may be in the Satanic Bible, but not the real Bible!

Indeed, God expects, AND IS PLEASED WHEN, children honor and obey their parents.  In fact, God promises long life to such children.  Long life means one of two things:

1.  Long life!  Meaning they will live out the fullness of their days, reaching 70 to 80 years, a normal life span.
2.  A completed life, meaning they will fulfill the purpose for which they were born.  John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Himself are examples of this.  Both died in their 30s, but their life purposes were such that their full life span was fulfilled in their 30s.

It is a realistic expectation for children to honor and obey their parents, and to live out their full life spans. 

Or how about this:

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  James 5:13-16

Now look at all of those REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS FOR CHRISTIANS!!!

1.  It is realistic to expect there may be Christians "in trouble."  But it is also realistic to expect that troubled Christians will pray.
2.  IT IS ALSO REALISTIC SOME CHRISTIANS TO BE HAPPY!! IMAGING THAT!  Those Christians should sing song of praise to God, the source of their happiness.  That too is realistic.
3.  It is realistic to expect some Christians may be sick.  No problem there.  BUT IT IS ALSO REASONABLE TO EXPECT SUPERNATURAL HEALING BY THE ANOINTED HANDS OF ELDERS, CONFESSION OF SIN, AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH.  This is realistic, perhaps more realistic than going to a doctor!!!
4.  It is a realistic expectation for a righteous person's prayer to be powerful and effective.  It is therefore UNREALISTIC to expect a righteous person's prayer to be powerless and ineffective.  A powerful and effective prayer is one that brings significant results when it is answered.  To pray effectively is to pray in such a way that one receives exactly what one asks.  To pray powerfully is to pray in such a way as to be spiritually immovable and unstoppable. 

Believers in Christ must resist the lies of the enemy in terms of what is deemed as "reality."  We must not expect small things from God, as though He is weak or limited.  One thing is no harder than another in prayer. 

Believe. 
All things are possible for those who believe.